James Benjamin Dixon (1886-1978) was one of the pioneering families of Escondido, superintendent of the Escondido Mutual Water Company, and namesake of the Dixon Dam in Escondido, California. Dixon was son of Benjamin Franklin Dixon (1844-1928) and moved with his family from Kansas in 1890. B.F. Dixon moved his family to Escondido for citrus ranching following a freeze that destroyed in Florida groves. J.B. Dixon grew up on his father’s ranch at the east end of the valley, 50 acres off what is now Valley Center Road. J.B. Dixon was an avidly collected, studies, and classified bird eggs. His collection of about 5,000 eggs from breeding birds of California was donated to Palomar College in San Marcos, California. (source: Times-Advocate, June 18, 1978) Mrs. A.W. Coil (d. November 12, 1912) was a member of the Baptist Church of Escondido and passed away at the age of 77 at her home on Nebraska Ave in Escondido, CA (source: Times-Advocate, November 15, 1912).

The items in this collection are in stable condition. Some photographs are damaged and some images are faded on older photographs. The original Camp Beale envelope shows signs of wear and damage, and the Camp Beale photograph has been removed from the envelope to the Oversize folder. Loose photographs in the collection have been added to the Photographs folder. Fasteners were removed from tax bills and replaced with archival clips. The scrapbook has signs of water damage from an unknown source. Newsprint has caused discoloration and archival paper has been added between the pages. The scrapbook has been photographed and loose photographs have been moved to the Photographs folder and notated in the Table of Contents. A loose document titled “A tribute to the memory of friend Benjamin Franklin Dixon” has been moved to the Correspondence folder. The first set of photo corners was blank and did not hold a photograph as seen in image “MS 2022-003_Dixon Family Collection_Scrapbook_001.” The box containing the collections donation is located in the bottom of the archival box. Note that Hawthorne added the adhesive label “Dixon Family” to the box prior to donating the materials to the Pioneer Room.

1 scrapbook, 28 photographs, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and correspondence.

Dixon Family Collection, Pioneer Room, Escondido Public Library

This collection is open for research.