The Hearst Ranch and Cayucos Photograph Collection contains nine vintage snapshots and 1 mounted print believed to have been taken by longtime Central Coast resident Clayton Leonard Morss (1891-1967). Includes black-and-white snapshots of construction of the Hearst Ranch in San Simeon, California, in the 1920s, and albumen prints of the town of Cayucos, California in the 1890s, both in San Luis Obispo County. Most of the photos have been removed from an album.

These photographs were probably taken by Clayton Leonard Morss (1891-1967), a longtime resident of San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. Morss was born in Cayucos and was a member of the extended Leffingwell family, who owned the private wharf known as Leffingwell Landing north of Cambria. Morss lived in various places up and down the North Coast including Cayucos, San Simeon, and Gorda. He eventually moved inland to the county seat of San Luis Obispo by the 1930s. His occupation is listed in various city directories and telephone directories from the 1930s-1960s as a grader operator, WPA supervisor, and a landscape gardener.

1 box

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Collection is open to qualified researchers by appointment only. For more information on access policies and to obtain a copy of the Researcher Registration form, please visit the Special Collections Access page.