Thomas Family Photograph Album: Finding Aid
Finding aid prepared by Brooke M. Black, September 11, 2012, and updated by Diann Benti in September 2017.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical
Gardens
Photo Archives
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© 2017
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Overview of the Collection
Title: Thomas Family Photograph Album
Dates (inclusive): 1892-1898
Collection Number: photCL 144
Extent: 104 photographs in 1 album : chiefly cyanotype prints ; images chiefly 12.5 x 16.5 cm, volume 21 x 17 cm
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Photo Archives
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: A personal photograph album chiefly depicting mining engineer Chester A. Thomas (1874-1920) and Thomas family members between
1892 and 1898 in mining camps
in Virginia City and Sutro, Nevada; at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California; visiting Harvard University and Cambridge,
Massachusetts; and at Camp Merritt
at the Presidio, San Francisco, in 1898.
Language: English.
Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Thomas Family Photograph Album, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
Provenance
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alan M. Robertson, August 1964.
Cataloging Note
This collection was previously known as the "Nevada Mining Photograph Collection, 1892-1893."
Biographical Note
Mining engineer Chester Ashley Thomas (1874-1920), known as "Chet," was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1874. Thomas's
father, Colonel Charles Cotesworth Thomas,
was a mining engineer and became superintendent of the Sutro tunnel of the Comstock Lode, Nevada in 1871. Chester Thomas graduated
from Stanford University in 1898 and became a
member of the First California Volunteers at Manila, 1898-99, during the Spanish American War. Thomas became a mining engineer
and later manager of American Smelters Securities
Co. He died in 1920 while in Dawson, Alaska.
Scope and Content
A personal photograph album of 104 images with handwritten captions chiefly depicting Chester A. Thomas (1874-1920) and Thomas
family members between 1892 and 1898 in
mining camps in Nevada (pages 1-29); at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California (pages 30-33); visiting Harvard University
and Cambridge, Massachusetts (pages 38-49);
and at Camp Merritt at the Presidio, San Francisco, in 1898 (pages 33-37 and 50-65). The album includes 20 cyanotype photographs
(12.5 x 16.5 cm) of the mining camps in
Virginia City and Sutro, Nevada (where Thomas's father, Charles Thomas, was superintendent of the Sutro tunnel), including:
mining equipment, miners, locomotive cars,
interior views of the mine shaft, buildings and mules. Some of the images are of Camp Merritt, at the Presidio in San Francisco,
California, where California volunteers
assembled in May-June 1898 for transport to the Philippines during the Spanish American War. Thomas, a member of Company K
of the United States Cavalry Volunteers,
is depicted as well as other soldiers, including members of the 51st Iowa Volunteers.
Related Materials in the Huntington Library
Indexing Terms
Subjects
Thomas, Chester A., 1874-1920 -- Photographs.
Harvard University -- Photographs.
Stanford University -- Photographs.
Military camps -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs.
Mines and mineral resources -- Nevada -- Sutro -- Photographs.
Mines and mineral resources -- Nevada -- Virginia City -- Photographs.
Mining camps -- Photographs.
Mining engineers -- Photographs.
Soldiers -- Photographs.
Spanish-American War, 1898 -- Military personnel -- Photographs.
Cambridge (Mass.) -- Photographs.
Presidio of San Francisco (Calif.) -- Photographs.
San Francisco (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Sutro (Nev.) -- Photographs.
Virginia City (Nev.) -- Photographs.
Forms/Genres
Photographs.
Page 1
Locomotive used in tunnel, Sutro, Nevada [locomotive reads "Comstock Tunnel Co., "Theodore"].
Page 2
The big cylinder at Union Mine, Virginia City.
Page 3
Gould and Curry mine building Virginia City, D. St.
Page 4
Hale and Norcross mine buildings Virginia City.
Page 5
Ophir mine buildings Virginia City.
Page 7
[Machine inside Union Mine].
Page 9
Cage ready to descend at C & C. Pres C. Fish, Supt Lyman and Foreman of C & C. Supt Thomas of Sutro Tunnel.
Page 10
C and C mining building Virginia City.
Page 11
Hully’s Mill. 6 Mile Cañon.
Page 12
Mining, one pan, 6 Mile Cañon. Water power.
Page 13
Shift car ready to start in tunnel.
Page 15
Pat with his mule, Sutro.
Page 16
Shift car with men just out, Sutro.
Page 19
John Hancock switchman and his mule, Sutro.
Page 20
Indian camp. Indian woman, very old in center, Sutro.
1893
Page 21
Chester Lissa, Max Grill, Beauty [man on porch with three dogs].
Page 22
Roy Bancroft and Winnie Kain [two children], Sutro, Nevada.
Page 23
Carrie Hancock, Chester, Jennie Hancock.
Page 25
Henry has lost his head [partially blurry photograph obscuring head of subject].
Page 27
Flash light [portrait of men and women].
Page 28
Beauty on a post [portrait of dog].
Page 29
Charlie Sing, not an angel [portrait of Chinese man on porch].
Page 30
Belmont Boys, 1891. Charlie Bull. Now in June 1898, one of Roosevelts Rough Riders at Cuba, Harvard Student.
Page 31
[View of a pond and mill].
Page 32
Chet at Stanford 1897 ; Chet ; Quad ; Ned, Harry, and Little Dick ; Some of the gang ; Stanford ; Quad [7 photographs].
Page 33
Encina Hall from the West, Leland Stanford Jr. University, Palo Alto, Calif. ; Zeta Psi Lodge, Stanford [2 photographs].
Page 34
May 1898, San Francisco, Cal., Chester, Rob Campbell, Ben Whitlock ; [photograph of man in military uniform] [2 photographs].
Page 35
Sergt. Chester A. Thomas, Co. K., Reg. U.S. Cal. Vol. Manila, Philippine Islands. ; Presidio, S.F., May 98. [2 photographs].
Page 36
Andrew Wood ; Carrie Wood.
Page 37
[Photograph of three men and woman] ; [2 photographs at wheel of ship] [2 photographs],
Page 38
The Washington Elm of Cambridge, Mass. ; The Home of James Russell Lowell, Cambridge, Mass. [2 photographs].
Page 39
[Desk in corner of room] ; Cambridge Public Library [2 photographs].
Page 40
Cottage gate and Harvard Hall ; The oldest house in Cambridge, built in 1657 [2 photographs].
Page 41
Memorial Hall, Saunders Theater, Cambridge ; Christ Church over 120 years old [2 photographs].
Page 42
Part of Storey St. and Mt. Auburn St., Uncle Philip's garden. ; Commonwealth Ave, Boston [2 photographs].
Page 43
Corner of our house showing Club House at left ; [Man standing in street] [2 photographs].
Page 44
Longfellow's House. Cambridge, Mass.
Page 45
Lowell Willows, Cambridge, Mass.
Page 46
Wadsworth House, the first President's House.
Page 48
No. 6, Holyoke Place, Cousin Louise Home ; Her Son [2 photographs].
Page 49
[Cabinet of china] ; [Side of porch and yard] [2 photographs].
Page 50
Post box, Cal. 7th also Cavalry of Regulars [2 photographs].
Page 51
San Francisco, May 1898 ; July 98 In Camp of 51st Iowa [2 photographs].
Page 52
Mr. B Rees, His tent, 7th Cal. ; Band 7th Reg. Cal. V ; Mr. B. Rus, His Squad, 7th Regt Cal. [3 photographs].
Page 53
L. Col. Schriber 7th Cal. Regt. ; Squad of Co. C. 7 Regt U.S.C.V. [2 photographs].
Page 54
Capt. Keating 51st Iowa Vol. ; [Soldiers at attention] [2 photographs].
Page 55
[Woman pinning something on a man's lapel] ; [View of military camp] [2 photographs].
Page 56
[Woman pinning something on a man's lapel] ; Col. Jno. A. Loper, 51st Iowa [2 photographs].
Page 57
A group on board the City of Puebla (Freddie's Steamer) ; Waiting for Dress Parade [2 photographs].
Page 58
Company A Street, 51st Iowa ; [men amid military camp tents] [2 photographs].
Page 59
Ladies Catholic Truth Society's Tent, Camp Merritt, S.F., Cal. '98 ; [Men amid military camp tents] [2 photographs].
Page 60
[3 unidentified portraits] ; [View of unidentified houses] ; [Woman standing next to military camp tent] [5 photographs].
Page 61
Tug of war ; Idaho Inspection ; Packing up before breaking camp [3 photographs].
Page 62
Iowa band escorting one of the transports ; [women and soldier amid military camp tents] [2 photographs].
Page 63
L.M. Johnson 51st Iowa Inft. ; [Soldiers marching in camp] [2 photographs].
Page 64
[Woman on horse] ; [Dog] [2 photographs].
Page 65
[Soldiers in formation in military camp] ; [Soldiers in camp with rifles] [2 photographs].
