Descriptive Summary
Scope and Contents of the Collection
Organization and Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Claremont Heights Irrigation Company Papers, Water Resources Collection
Dates: 1909-1981 and undated
Collection number: H.Mss.0204
Creator:
Claremont Heights Irrigation Company
Extent:
17.8 Linear Feet
(8 records boxes, 14 document boxes, 1 slim document box, 10
oversize document boxes)
Repository:
Claremont Colleges. Library. Special Collections, The Claremont
Colleges Library, Claremont, CA 91711.
Abstract: The Claremont Heights
Irrigation Company was incorporated on March 14, 1913, as a mutual water company and was
dissolved on August 1, 1977. Located in Claremont, California, the company provided water
services for its stockholders. The collection consists of administrative files, financial
records, and operational materials of the company between its founding in 1912 and its
closing in 1977, with some supplemental materials dating between 1909-1981. The collection
also contains materials from the Valley View Water Company and the Claremont Basin Mutual
Water Company.
Physical Location: Please consult repository.
Language of Material: Languages represented in the collection: English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to
Special Collections.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Claremont Heights Irrigation Company Papers, , Water Resources Collection (H.Mss.0204). Special
Collections and Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library, The Claremont Colleges Services,
Claremont, CA.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Boxes 1-20: Gift of Stanley Barnes and Claremont Heritage, 1979. Boxes 21-33: Gift of
Claremont Heritage, March 2015.
Accruals
No additions to the collection are anticipated.
Processing Information
An intitial arrangement and processing for boxes 1-20 was completed by Jacque Sundstrand in
November 1982, with additional processing by Russell Michalak in 2008. An addition to the
collection, materials in boxes 21-33 were processed by Claremont Graduate University
students for ARCH 310 in the fall of 2022. Materials were removed from their original
folders and rehoused in archival folders and boxes. Folder contents were kept in original
order, when possible, but some loose materials were grouped together by content to
facilitate access. Harmful fasteners were removed and replaced with folded archival paper
slings, materials were unfolded, and photographs were placed in mylar sleeves. Processing
also included eliminating duplicate materials and rehousing oversized items in oversized
folders.
Biography / Administrative History
The Claremont Heights Irrigation Company was founded in 1912 by the Claremont Heights Land
Development Company and incorporated on March 14, 1913. The company was formed to provide
the growing citrus industry in north Claremont with local water for irrigation, as well as
domestic use to a lesser extent. Claremont Heights held land roughly from San Antonio Wash
to the east, Pomello Drive to the north, Baseline Avenue to the south, and beyond Mills
Avenue to the west. The company had long-standing relationships with businesses in
Claremont, Pomona, and Los Angeles, including Pomona Valley Machine Works, Pomona
Manufacturing Company, Valley View Water Company, Pacific Southwest Pipe Company, Pacific
Mill and Mine Supply Company, and Neptune Meter Company. Its known mailing addresses during
its years of operation were 920 Pomello Drive, Claremont, California, 91711 and 143 E.
Foothill Boulevard, Pomona, California, 91767. Stanley R. Barnes (1922-2021) served as the
company's final president and oversaw its sale to Southern California Water Company in
August of 1977.
Sources:
- "Goodbye to a Water District."
Claremont Courier (Claremont, CA), April
2, 1977.
- "Back Page."
Claremont Courier (Claremont, CA), August 17, 1977.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
Boxes 1 through 20 of the Claremont Heights Irrigation Company Papers consist of the
records of the Secretary or Secretary-Treasurer, Board minutes, and other miscellaneous
material related to the company. The most complete information about the Claremont Heights
Irrigation Company's financial records occurs from 1927 to 1948, when Kenneth B. Forbes held
the position of Secretary. Since the Company also owned water stock in other private mutual
water companies, some information, such as annual reports, can also be found for the Pomona
Valley Protective Association, Adams and Garner, and Claremont Basin Mutual Water Company,
Ltd. The papers also reflect local business activities in Claremont, Pomona, and Los
Angeles. Boxes 1 through 14 cover the years 1913 to 1916. Boxes 15 through 20, which are
composed mostly of cash books, ledgers and audit reports, cover the years 1913 to 1966.
Boxes 21 through 33 of the collection consist of materials and correspondence generated by
the administration of the company and its closing and sale to the Southern California Water
Company; financial records; and records generated by operational activities. Administrative
documents include minutes of board meetings and annual stockholder meetings; notices sent to
stockholders about meetings, assessments, rate changes, and the liquidation of the company;
stock certificates and stockholder lists; blank forms; and correspondence. They also include
the company's articles of incorporation and amended by-laws, as well as legal documents and
correspondence relating to lawsuits the company was involved in. The company's financial
records include bank statements, checks and check stubs, ledgers, tax records, financial
statements, bills, and other related materials used in the company's regular financial
affairs. The operational materials document the company's day-to-day water pumping and
distribution activities and include records relating to its business partnerships with
McCalla Brothers Pump and Drilling Company and the Valley View Water Company. Additional
operational materials include meter and well reports, water permits, tract maps, and
stereographic photographs of well interiors accompanied with two stereographic slide
viewers. The collection also contains administrative files of the Claremont Basin Mutual
Water Company and the contents of a letter box containing administrative records, financial
records, correspondence, and a stock book belonging to the Valley View Water Company. This
portion of collection came from the company's president, Stanley R. Barnes, and documents
the company's annual meetings and related administrative activities particularly well. There
are, however, significant gaps in its stockholder records.
Organization and Arrangement
This collection has been organized into the following series and subseries:
- Series 1: Administrative Files, 1909-1981 and undated
- Series 2: Financial Records, 1912-1981 and undated
- Series 3: Operational Materials, 1914-1978 and undated
File folders are arranged alphabetically by title.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library’s online public access catalog.
Subject Terms
Banks and banking--Accounting
Barnes, Stanley R.
California Mutual Water Companies Association
California, Southern--History--20th century
Claremont (Calif.)
Claremont Basin Mutual Water Company
Claremont Heights Irrigation Company
McCalla Brothers Pump & Drilling Company
Pomona Valley Municipal Water District
Southern California Water Company
Valley View Water Company
Water -- California, Southern
Water districts -- California
Water-supply--California, Southern
Water utilities
West (U.S.)--History--1890-1945
West (U.S.)--History--1945-
Genre and Form of Materials
Account books
Checks
Corporate minutes
Correspondence
Financial statements
Invoices
Legal documents
Legal forms
Licenses
Maps
Photographs
Reports
Stock certificates