Guide to the Archibald D. Shamel papers

Processed by Hollie Johnson, 2010.

Processing of this collection was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives program.
Special Collections & Archives
The UCR Libraries
P.O. Box 5900
University of California
Riverside, California 92517-5900
Phone: 951-827-3233
Fax: 951-827-4673
Email: specialcollections@ucr.edu
URL: http://library.ucr.edu/view/collections/spcol
©2011
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Archibald D. Shamel papers
Date (inclusive): 1882-1954, undated
Date (bulk): 1917-1943
Collection Number: UA 039
Creator: Shamel, A.D. (Archibald Dixon)
Extent: 18.0 linear feet (16 document boxes, 1 flat storage box, 17 glass plate negative boxes)
Repository: Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Riverside, CA 92517-5900
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence, research notes, photographs, and other material regarding the professional career of Archibald D. Shamel, a physiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture who worked at the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside, California during the early 20th century. The collection includes a large group of photographs and glass plate negatives documenting the citrus industry in Riverside and around the world. While the bulk of the collection is focused on citrus, there are materials pertaining to other non-citrus crops such as tobacco and corn. The collection also contains material about other areas of horticulture including shade trees, cacti, and flowers. Notable items include photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence regarding local history and the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.
Languages: The collection is in English.

Access

This collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item]. Archibald D. Shamel papers, UA 039. University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Acquisition Information

Information unavailable.

Processing History

Processed by Hollie Johnson, 2010.
Processing of the Archibald D. Shamel papers was generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The University of California, Riverside was awarded a Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from 2010-2012, "Uncovering California's Environmental Collections," in collaboration with eight additional special collections and archival repositories throughout the state and the California Digital Library (CDL). Grant objectives included processing of over 33 hidden collections related to the state's environment and environmental history. The collections document an array of important sub-topics such as irrigation, mining, forestry, agriculture, industry, land use, activism, and research. Together they form a multifaceted picture of the natural world and the way it was probed, altered, exploited and protected in California over the twentieth century. Finding aids are made available through the Online Archive of California (OAC).

Biography

Archibald D. Shamel was born on October 15, 1877 in Taylorville, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois, Champaign and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1902. While attending university, he worked as an instructor of farm crops. After graduation, he secured a position as a physiologist working for the United States Department of Agriculture in the Bureau of Plant Industry. In 1903, his book Manual of Corn Judging was published. In 1904 he invented a tobacco seed separating machine that improved the quality of tobacco plants by separating seeds and preventing cross pollination. Shamel married Agnes Fay Brewer in 1908 and they relocated to Riverside, California around 1910. He continued working for the Department of Agriculture at the Citrus Experiment Station (CES). Much of Shamel's work at the CES focused on the improvement of citrus crops. In 1917 he invented a citrus humidifying machine that was used in citrus packing houses to improve storage conditions for the fruit. Shamel also had an interest in shade trees and was a member of the Riverside Parks Planning Department and the Riverside Beautification Committee. In 1937 he published the book Riverside’s Outstanding Trees. Towards the end of his professional career, Shamel continued to research unique and historic trees, writing articles for newspapers and magazines. In 1950, the American Pomological Society awarded him the Wilder Medal for his work with citrus and tropical fruits. Archibald D. Shamel died on April 8, 1956 in Riverside, California.

Chronology

1877: Archibald D. Shamel was born on October 15th in Taylorville, Illinois.
1899: Shamel became a charter member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, University of Illinois, Champaign.
1902: Shamel received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Illinois.
1902: Shamel started work as a Physiologist for the Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
1903: Shamel published the Manual of corn judging.
1904: Shamel invented the Shamel tobacco seed separator.
1908: Shamel married Agnes Fay Brewer on September 28th.
1913: Shamel traveled to Bahia Brazil with a research expedition that included former president Theodore Roosevelt.
1917: Shamel invented the Shamel humidifier, a machine to aid in citrus storage.
1933: Shamel published the Washington Navel Orange with Carl S. Pomeroy detailing the history of the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.
1937: Shamel published the book Riverside’s outstanding trees.
1950: Shamel was awarded the Wilder Medal from the American Pomological Society for his work with f tropical & subtropical fruits, and mutations.
1956: Archibald D. Shamel died on April 8th in Riverside, California.

Collection Scope and Content Summary

This collection contains correspondence, research notes, photographs, and other material regarding the professional career of Archibald D. Shamel, a physiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture who worked at the Riverside Citrus Experiment Station in the early 20th century. The collection includes a large group of photographs and glass plate negatives documenting the citrus industry in Riverside and around the world. While the bulk of the collection is focused on citrus, there are materials pertaining to other non-citrus crops such as tobacco and corn. The collection also contains material about other areas of horticulture including shade trees, cacti, and flowers. Notable items include photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence regarding local history and the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.

Collection Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following five series:
  • Series 1. Citrus research and industry, 1882-1954, undated.
  • Series 2. Non-citrus crops, 1899-1947, undated.
  • Series 3. Trees and flowers, 1911-1943, undated.
  • Series 4. Local history, 1918-1954, undated.
  • Series 5. Research trips, 1913-1941, undated.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects

Agriculture.
Citrus.
Horticulture.
Shamel, A.D. (Archibald Dixon)
Uncovering California's Environmental Collections Project.
University of California Riverside. Citrus Research Center and Agricultural Experiment Station.

Genres and Forms of Materials

Clippings (information artifacts).
Correspondence.
Negatives (photographic).
Papers (document genres).
Photographs.
Publications.
Research notes.


 

Series 1. Citrus research and industry. 1882-1954, undated.

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains photographs, correspondence, scientific publications, and glass plate negatives regarding citrus trees and the citrus industry. Topics include the improvement of citrus stock, packing houses, orchards, and worker conditions and housing. Photographs, clippings, and correspondence regarding the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree and Eliza and Luther Tibbets are also included.

Series Arrangement

This series is arranged sequentially according to box and folder number.
Box 1, Folder 1

Manuscripts and publications about citrus bud selection, including a chapter written for one of Dr. Herbert J. Webber's books. 1937, undated.

Box 1, Folder 2

Statistics, publications, and photographs regarding citrus improvement. 1909-1923, undated.

Box 1, Folder 3

Publications, papers, and photographs about frost protection methods for citrus trees. 1913, undated.

Box 1, Folder 4

Photographs depicting pruning experiments conducted at the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside, CA. 1914-1915.

Box 1, Folder 5

Statistics and notes recording the performance data of citrus trees, including annual fruit yields. 1913-1916.

Box 1, Folder 6

Manuscripts and publications describing the many types of citrus strains. 1937, undated.

Box 2, Folder 1

Photographs of orchard irrigation methods and equipment. 1911-1927.

Box 2, Folder 2

Photographs of the Shamel humidifier, invented by Archibald D. Shamel to improve citrus storage. 1915.

Box 2, Folder 3

Photographs of orchard heating equipment. 1914-1937.

Box 2, Folder 4

Photographs of fruit workers, orchard equipment, and fruit growing community buildings. undated.

Box 2, Folder 5

Photographs of orchard equipment. 1910-1919.

Box 2, Folder 6

Photographs of orchard equipment. 1920-1922.

Box 3, Folder 1

Photographs and papers regarding orchard equipment. 1923-1937, undated.

Box 3, Folder 2

Photographs of citrus orchards in Southern California, including the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside. 1904-1923.

Box 3, Folder 3

Photographs of citrus orchards in Southern California, including the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside. 1924-1936, undated.

Box 3, Folder 4

Photographs of citrus packing houses. 1910-1931.

Box 4, Folder 1

Photographs, publications, and clippings regarding citrus workers. 1915-1931, undated.

Box 4, Folder 2

Photographs of housing for citrus workers, including the racially segregated buildings for both single and married men. 1914-1918.

Box 4, Folder 3

Photographs, clippings, and publications regarding housing for citrus workers, including the racially segregated quarters for both single and married men. 1918-1929, undated.

Box 4, Folder 4

Scrapbook with photographs and captions of Elbert Lewis, an early citrus grower. 1912, undated.

Box 4, Folder 5

Correspondence, papers, and clippings regarding grapefruit research and the grapefruit industry. 1926-1934, undated.

Box 5, Folder 1

Photographs of grapefruit trees and grapefruit orchard equipment. 1919-1937, undated.

Box 5, Folder 2

Photographs of different varieties of grapefruit, including cross sections and mutations. 1916-1929, undated.

Box 5, Folder 3

Correspondence, notes, and papers regarding lemon research and the lemon industry. 1914-1954, undated.

Box 5, Folder 4

Photographs of lemon orchards and lemon trees. 1913-1932, undated.

Box 5, Folder 5

Photographs of lemons, including cross sections and mutations. 1914, undated.

Box 5, Folder 6

Photographs of tangerines. 1915 .

Box 6, Folder 1

Photographs, correspondence, and papers regarding orange varieties and the orange industry. 1918-1937.

Box 6, Folder 2

Photographs of navel orange trees and navel oranges. 1918-1936, undated.

Box 6, Folder 3

Correspondence, clippings, and papers regarding the history of the navel orange. Clippings from multiple newspapers recount Archibald D. Shamel's trip to Bahia, Brazil with President Roosevelt. 1882-1940, undated.

Box 6, Folder 4

Correspondence, papers, and clippings regarding the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree. Includes items regarding Eliza and Luther Tibbets. 1887-1934, undated.

Box 6, Folder 5

Photographs regarding the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree, including President Roosevelt replanting the tree in downtown Riverside. 1900-1921.

Box 6, Folder 6

Photographs regarding the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree. 1922-1933.

Box 7, Folder 1

Clippings and publications regarding the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Pageant. 1933-1934.

Box 7, Folder 2

Photographs of valencia oranges, including cross sections and mutations. 1912-1925, undated.

Box 7, Folder 3

Publications and correspondence regarding valencia oranges. 1916-1952, undated.

Box 7, Folder 4

Photographs of transplanting valencia orange trees. 1922.

Box 7, Folder 5

Publications, papers, and correspondence regarding the esthetics of orange growing. 1928-1937.

Box 11, Folder 3

Photographs and documents regarding the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside, California. 1916-1926, undated.

Box 17

Glass plate negatives of orange trees, 539-556 (broken series). 1912-1915, undated.

Box 18

Glass plate negatives of orange trees, 557-673 (broken series). 1910-1915, undated.

Box 19

Glass plate negatives of orange trees, 681-835 (broken series). 1910-1911, undated.

Box 20

Glass plate negatives of orange trees, 837-1269 (broken series). 1911-1918, undated.

Box 21

Glass plate negatives of orange trees, 1266-1327 (broken series) 1915-1917, undated.

Box 22

Glass plate negatives of orange trees and oranges, 1329-2021 (broken series). 1917, undated.

Box 23

Glass plate negatives of lemon trees, 565-863 (broken series). 1911-1914, undated.

Box 24

Glass plate negatives of lemon trees, 865-888 (broken series). 1911-1914, undated.

Box 25

Glass plate negatives of lemon trees and lemons, 889-1319 (broken series). 1913-1916, undated.

Box 26

Glass plate negatives of lemon trees and lemons, 1320-1423 (broken series). 1911-1918, undated.

Box 27

Glass plate negatives of grapefruit trees and grapefruit, 648-2016 (broken series). 1911-1923, undated.

Box 28

Glass plate negatives of orchard equipment and orchard worker housing. Some items contain basic descriptions photocopied from the original envelopes, 563-2058 (broken series). 1918-1922, undated.

Box 31, Folder 1

Clippings from the farm and tractor section of the Los Angeles Times. Page 3 contains the article "The importance of improving established citrus varieties" by Archibald D. Shamel. May 25, 1919.

Box 31, Folder 2

Clippings of articles written by Archibald D. Shamel regarding grapefruit and the grapefruit industry in California. 1920.

Box 31, Folder 3

Clippings from the California Citrograph of an article written by Archibald D. Shamel and C.S. Pomeroy about girdling navel orange trees. 1933.

Box 31, Folder 4

Clipping and correspondence regarding the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree and Eliza and Luther Tibbets. 1887-1943.

Box 32

Glass plate negatives of lemon trees, lemons, grapefruit trees, and grapefruit, 613-2016 (broken series). 1910-1917, undated.

Box 34

Glass plate negatives of orchard equipment and orchard worker housing. Some items contain basic descriptions photocopied from the original envelopes, 2018-2031 (broken series). 1918-1922, undated.

 

Series 2. Non-citrus crops. 1899-1947, undated.

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains photographs, publications, clippings, and other material regarding non-citrus crops studied and researched by Archibald D. Shamel. Photographs depict date palm groves and the cross sections of various fruit. Topics include the inventions and methods created by Shamel to improve tobacco plants.

Series Arrangement

This series is arranged sequentially according to box and folder number.
Box 8, Folder 1

Photographs and publications regarding avocados and the avocado industry. 1921-1938, undated.

Box 8, Folder 2

Publications and photographs regarding apples, including histories of the oldest apple trees in the United States. 1921-1937.

Box 8, Folder 3

Photographs of sweet potatoes. 1925.

Box 8, Folder 4

Photographs regarding the history of corn and the corn industry. Notable images include corn judging classes from 1899 and the Iowa seed corn gospel train. 1899-1925, undated.

Box 8, Folder 5

Photographs of tobacco crops and equipment. Notable images include tobacco plants with paper bags placed over the blossoms, a crop improvement method invented by Shamel. 1905-1917, undated.

Box 8, Folder 6

Photographs of artichoke fields and artichokes. 1917-1918, undated.

Box 8, Folder 7

Correspondence and clippings about soy beans and soy bean growing. 1947.

Box 8, Folder 8

Photographs of asparagus and asparagus plants. 1918.

Box 8, Folder 9

Photographs of dates and date palm groves. 1916-1922.

Box 9, Folder 1

Photographs of dates and date palm groves. 1923-1937, undated.

Box 9, Folder 2

Photographs and papers regarding peaches and the history of specific peach trees. 1925-1937, undated.

Box 9, Folder 3

Photographs of pears, including cross sections and mutations. 1918-1927.

Box 9, Folder 4

Correspondence and photographs regarding pears and pear trees. 1930-1938, undated.

Box 9, Folder 5

Photographs and clippings regarding grape vines, plum trees, and persimmons. 1907-1936, undated.

Box 10, Folder 3

Photographs of pistachio trees. 1929.

Box 29

Glass plate negatives of artichoke fields, tobacco fields, date palm groves, and other non-citrus crops, 1363-2185 (broken series). 1907-1917, undated.

Box 31, Folder 5

Clippings of an article written by Archibald D. Shamel and C. S. Pomeroy about apple and pear trees planted during the gold rush in Douglas Flat, California. November 5, 1933.

Box 33

Glass plate negatives of asparagus, pears, avocado, and mango, 1401-1420 and 2015-2185 (broken series). 1907-1971, undated.

 

Series 3. Trees and flowers. 1911-1943, undated.

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains publications, correspondence, photographs, clippings, and other material regarding varieties of shade trees, cacti, and flowers studied and researched by Archibald D. Shamel. Topics include a chronology of historic trees in California and Mexico as well as advice about the care of trees. Descriptions and images of mutations are also included.

Series Arrangement

This series is arranged sequentially according to box and folder number.
Box 9, Folder 6

Publications, correspondence, and photographs regarding athel trees. 1943.

Box 9, Folder 7

Photographs and notes regarding the agatha robusta trees planted at the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside, California. 1943.

Box 9, Folder 8

Photographs of cactus in California and Arizona. 1922.

Box 9, Folder 9

Photographs, specimens, and papers regarding the California pepper tree. 1941-1943, undated.

Box 9, Folder 10

Correspondence, photographs, and pamphlets regarding the history of the Christmas trees that line the main road in Alta Dena, California. 1936.

Box 10, Folder 1

Papers and correspondence regarding the Mexican ash tree. 1942, undated.

Box 10, Folder 2

Photographs of oak root fungus. 1942.

Box 10, Folder 4

Photographs, clippings, and publications regarding different varieties of shade trees. Includes a pamphlet regarding the trees in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. 1911-1943, undated.

Box 10, Folder 5

Photographs and papers regarding different varieties of flowers, including the history of the Cecile Brunner rose. 1917-1929, undated.

Box 30

Glass plate negatives of shade trees and flowers, 1340-1362. 1917-1918, undated.

 

Series 4. Local history. 1918-1954, undated.

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains clippings, photographs, and other material regarding the history of California. The bulk of the material focuses on the city of Riverside and surrounding areas, pertaining to topics such as historic Riverside homes and the Riverside Beautification Committee. Photographs of Mecca, California and Palm Springs, California are also included.

Series Arrangement

This series is arranged sequentially according to box and folder number.
Box 10, Folder 6

Clippings and papers regarding the Riverside Beautification Committee. 1950-1954, undated.

Box 10, Folder 7

Publications regarding trees planted in Corona, California. undated.

Box 10, Folder 8

Photographs of the J. Harrison Wright house located in Riverside, California. 1929.

Box 10, Folder 9

Photographs of Riverside, California. 1918-1954, undated.

Box 10, Folder 10

Clippings and papers regarding Riverside, California. 1950-1954, undated.

Box 11, Folder 1

Papers from the Riverside Rotary Club. 1953, undated.

Box 11, Folder 2

Reports and clippings from the Riverside Parks Department. 1943-1953, undated.

Box 11, Folder 4

Papers and notes written by Archibald D. Shamel regarding his various personal research interests, including early California history. 1936-1938, undated.

Box 11, Folder 5

Clippings about Archibald D. Shamel. 1936-1951.

Box 11, Folder 6

Photographs from family trips to Idyllwild, San Jacinto, and Palm Springs, California. 1922-1926.

Box 30

Glass plate negatives of Mecca and Thermal, California, 1410-1411. 1917-1918, undated.

 

Series 5. Research trips. 1913-1941.

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains photographs, notes, and other material documenting Archibald D. Shamel's research trips when working for the United States Department of Agriculture. Topics include citrus production, native plants, farming techniques, and native cultures in Mexico, Hawaii, Brazil, Guatemala, and the West Indies.

Series Arrangement

This series is arranged sequentially according to box and folder number.
Box 12, Folder 1

Clippings, publications, and photographs regarding a research trip to Bahia, Brazil to study citrus. 1913.

Box 12, Folder 2

Lists of lantern slides and photographs from a Brazil research trip. 1913.

Box 12, Folder 3

Paper on orange growing in Brazil. undated.

Box 12, Folder 4

Photographs from a Brazil research trip, 10-411 (broken series). Notable images include Theodore Roosevelt with Archibald D. Shamel on the ship to Brazil. 1913.

Box 12, Folder 5

Photographs from a Brazil research trip, 420-588. 1913.

Box 12, Folder 6

Photographs from a Brazil research trip, 589-949. 1913.

Box 12, Folder 7

Photographs from a Brazil research trip, 951-17081. 1913.

Box 13, Folder 1

Photographs from a Brazil research trip, 17082-2184. 1913.

Box 13, Folder 2

Photographs from a West Indies and Barbados research trip. 1914.

Box 13, Folder 3

Photographs from Hawaii research trips, including multiple images of an exploding volcano. 1920-1922.

Box 11, Folder 4

Photographs from Hawaii research trips. 1923-1927.

Box 13, Folder 5

Paper on orange growing in Hawaii. undated.

Box 13, Folder 6

Photographs with descriptions from a research trip to Honduras, 37691-37712. 1926.

Box 13, Folder 7

Photographs with descriptions from a research trip to Honduras, 37713-37720. 1926.

Box 14, Folder 1

Clippings, photographs, and papers regarding El Tule, the oldest tree in Mexico. 1937.

Box 14, Folder 2

Papers, postcards, and a report to the United States Agriculture Department regarding Archibald D. Shamel's research trip to Mexico. 1938.

Box 14, Folder 3

Notebooks (three) containing sketches and data from Archibald D. Shamel's research trip to Mexico. 1938.

Box 14, Folder 4

Documents describing ornamental trees and plants in Mexico. undated.

Box 14, Folder 5

Papers regarding evergreen willow trees in Mexico. 1939.

Box 14, Folder 6

Papers regarding Mexican limes and lime trees. 1941.

Box 14, Folder 7

Map of the Mexican railway system. 1937.

Box 14, Folder 8

List of the photographs taken during Shamel's Mexico research trip. 1938.

Box 14, Folder 9

Photographs gathered from research trips to Mexico. 1930-1938.

Box 15, Folder 1

Postcards from Mexico research trips. undated.

Box 15, Folder 2

Photographs from a Mexico research trip, 51004-51045 (broken series). Images include native plants, Mexican villages and towns, and notable tourist sites. 1930.

Box 15, Folder 3

Photographs from Mexico research trips, 51046-51255 (broken series). 1930-1931.

Box 15, Folder 4

Photographs from a Mexico research trip, 51256-51290 (broken series). 1938.

Box 15, Folder 5

Photographs from a Mexico research trip, 5291-51306 (broken series). 1938.

Box 16, Folder 1

Photographs from Mexico research trips, 51307-51320 (broken series). 1936-1938.

Box 16, Folder 2

Photographs from a Mexico research trip, 51321-51329 (broken series). 1936.

Box 16, Folder 3

Photographs from a research trip to Guatemala, 37727-37734 (broken series). Images include native plants, native animals, and village scenes. 1926.

Box 16, Folder 4

Photographs from a Guatemala research trip, 37736-37746 (broken series). 1926.

Box 16, Folder 5

Photographs from a research trip to Mesa, Arizona. Images include the Roosevelt dam and the Salt River. 1925.

Box 16, Folder 6

Photographs from a research trip to Mississippi. Images include riverboats and orchard equipment. 1926.