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Register of the Paden (Irene Dakin) Papers,
1931-1953
Mss29
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Title: Paden (Irene Dakin) Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1931-1953
Collection number: Mss29
Creator:
Irene Dakin Paden
Extent: 3.5 linear ft.
Repository:
University of the Pacific. Library. Holt-Atherton Department of
Special Collections
Stockton, CA 95211
Shelf location: For current information on the location of
these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Language: English.
Collection is open for research.
[Identification of item], Paden (Irene Dakin) Papers, Mss29,
Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific
Library
Irene Dakin Paden (1888-1974), self-styled "housewife," lived and
pursued the study of the history of the American West for more than forty years
in Alameda (Calif.). Her husband, Dr. William G. Paden, a descendant of the
Locke family of San Joaquin Valley pioneers, was the Alameda Superintendent of
Schools. Together the Padens spent many summers during the 1930s and 1940s
seeking and following the 19th century emigrant trails that lead to California.
Mrs. Paden kept copious notes of these explorations and during the winters
carried out preparatory research for the following summer's excursions. She is
the author of three books on western history: The Wake of the Prairie Schooner
(1943), an overview of travels on the Overland trail from the Missouri River to
the California gold fields; Prairie Schooner Detours (1949), an extension of
the first book, examining alternative routes on the Overland Trail; and The Big
Oak Flat Road (1955), a history of the route from Stockton to the Yosemite
Valley.
The Paden papers consist of notes, research materials, and portions of
the drafts of her three books. They are contained in seven manuscript boxes (3
linear ft.), the first four of which contain 18 ringbinders of notes,
quotations, and transcripts that Mrs. Paden collected in the course of her
research. Included among the transcriptions are some full length diaries
written by travelers on the Overland Trail as well as many shorter quotations
from published and unpublished accounts. The next two boxes contain 48
notebooks--journals of Mrs. Paden's travels along the Overland Trail. Virtually
every year, from 1931 t0 1952 the Padens spent a month or more traveling the
region by automobile; the journals constitute a day-to-day account of her
observations. The final box contains partial drafts of each of Mrs. Paden's
three books.