The Citizens Committee to Save Elysian Park was founded in 1965 to organize public and official awareness and to raise support to preserve the park land as public open space, and to develop it for recreational activities. The mission and efforts of this vibrant "grass roots" organization are ongoing, and the Committee will continue to add materials which document its activities. The collection consists of fifteen boxes of records dating back to the Committee's early history in the 1960s. It was donated by the 2004 Board of Directors of the Committee, with additional materials donated in 2016.

This collection chronicles the life of Grace E. Simons almost as much as it does the Committee which she established--at least the last twenty years of her life. Without Simons' vision and foresight, Elysian Park might look very different today--much less "park-like." Elysian Park is Los Angeles's first and oldest park. It was part of the original 1781 land grant to the pueblo of Los Angeles from King Carlos III from Spain. The initial 550 acres of Elysian Park were, "...forever dedicated to the public..." in 1886, and by 1937 had grown to a little over 600 acres. The park is the site of the first Botanical Garden in Southern California. In the 1880s about 37,000 eucalyptus trees were planted on park land, and in the 1890s the Los Angeles Horticultural Society began planting many specimens of rare trees including the double row of wild date palms north of Stadium Way. About 67 species remain of the original plantings.

23 Linear Feet 23 boxes and 1 oversize folder

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections 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.

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.