Historically Important Album with 227 Gelatin Silver Photos of California, Showing the Former Lumber Hub of Fort Bragg, the Newton J. Tharp Commercial School (1908–1952) in San Francisco, the Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the Second Grammar School in Dixon, Panama Pacific International Exhibition, etc.; also, with Rare Photos of the Standard Oil Co. Explosion in Riverside and Pioneering Automobile Race & Airplane Flight in San Bruno. Ca. 1908-1915.
Payne, George E. Original Autograph Letter Signed by a San Francisco Merchant George E. Payne to His New York Partner (Most Likely, a Member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of New York, Charles P. Leverich), Talking about Early California Gold Rush Trade to San Francisco, the Voyage of the Barque Madonna, Cargo Prices, and the Sale of the Bark Hannah Sprague. San Francisco, 20 February 1850.
JAYNE, G. (ca. 1845-1870). Historically Important Collection of Two Autograph Letters by George Edwin Jayne, an Early California Resident, Addressed to His Relatives “Lottie” and “Sam” in New York, Describing the City’s Ongoing Renovation, the Cheapest Place to Live in San Francisco, the Popular Living Arrangements for Residents, Clerking Job Shortages, Dining Prices, etc.; also Mentioning the Lost Landmarks of Mercantile Library & Oriental Hotel and Comparing the Width of Kearny Street with Broadway. San Francisco: 10 September 1868.
Collection of 75 Loose Original Gelatin Silver Photographs, Showing the Destruction in Santa Barbara and Environs after the Earthquake on June 29, 1925.
Collection of Thirty-Eight Original Gelatin Silver Photos of California, Taken during a Honeymoon Trip by a Pharmacist from Orange City (Ca), Showing Los Angeles and its Environs (San Juan Capistrano Chapel, the County Jail, the Court House in Santa Ana; the Port of San Pedro; Busch’s Gardens in Pasadena, a Powerhouse & Mountain Cabin in San Gabriel Canyon, a Steamer Entering Avalon, etc.), the Former Mining Town of Placerville (Train Passing through the Tehachapi Loop & Early Logging Operations), Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara Mission & Santa Ynez Valley), San Diego (Horticultural Building & Children’s Swimming Pool), etc. Ca. 1913.
A Historically Important Original Autograph Manuscript Letter Written by a Southern Pacific Railway Employee to the President of D. O. Mills & Co.’s Bank and One of the Wealthiest Ranchers in Colusa County Edgar Mills, Urging Him to Sign the Right of Way through His Lands as Soon as Possible as This Is “The Only Portion Which Has Not Already Been Obtained” for the Construction of the Now-Defunct West Side & Mendocino R. R., One of the First Railways in Colusa County. San Francisco, Cal., 10 November 1886.
Youngs, Samuel (Ca. 1815 - ?). Original Autograph Letter Signed by a California Democrat Samuel Young to James Denver, a Democratic Congressman from CA, Sharing News on State Politics and Speculating about Candidates for the Upcoming California State Senate Elections; with Mentions of Henry Foote, Henry Crabb, David Douglass, Edward Marshall, Gov. Bigler, etc. Sacramento, California: 30 January 1856.
Wood, A (Ca. 1812-1890). A Historically Interesting Original Autograph Letter by One of the Earliest Masons in California and the Founder of Lassen Commandery No. 13 of the Knights Templar at Susanville, Gen. Allen Wood, Informing a Sir Knight from Plumas County and a Pioneer California Lawyer about the “Cold Blooded Affair” of One of the Earliest Murders Investigated in Lassen County, Mentioning “A Considerable Feeling” Among the Inhabitants about the Prisoner’s Expected Arrival in Susanville, and Discussing the Commandery’s Decision to “Indefinitely Postpone” the Celebration of Ascension Day. Susanville [Lassen County], 20 April 1880.
Stroud, Robert (1890-1963). Historically Interesting Original Autograph Manuscript Letter Written by Robert Stroud, the Lonely “Birdman of Alcatraz,” During His Solitary Confinement, Addressed to His Long-time Friend and Fellow Bird-lover Fred E. Daw in Florida, Confessing To Suffering From an Unresolved Oedipus Complex, Revealing His Early Attempt To Assassinate His Father, and Explicitly Tracing His First Sexual Experiences From the Age of Five to Eleven; Also Including Never-before-Shared Excerpts From His Prohibited Multi-volume Autobiography, Eagerly Calculating Approximate Incomes From His Forthcoming Biopic, Challenging Darwin’s Theory on the Limited Olfactory Capability of Birds, and Recommending Effective Sulfa Medicine Usage for Birds. Alcatraz Prison, California: 24 May 1949.
Gillespie, Edgar D (ca. 1822-1875). Historically Interesting Original Letter by One of the Earliest Residents of Suisun Valley, California, Talking about his Pioneering Farming Activities, the Scarce Demand for Hay in Sacramento City, and the High Cost of Ropes Reducing Profits. Mountain Valley Upper Suisun, California: 25 May 1852.
A Historically Interesting Original Autograph Letter by California’s Pioneer Real Estate Firm Bovee, Toy & Co, Offering a Lumber Dealer from Massachusetts “A Certain Timber Redwood Property” Amid Public Outcry Over the Excessive Logging of the Now-Endangered Redwoods. San Francisco: June 10, 1887.
Adkison, Lewis D. (1816-1903). Original Autograph Letter Signed by the Owner of the General Store in Oak Valley Lewis D. Adkison, Addressed to George R. Bearss from his Hometown of Peru (IN), Talking about the Latest News from the Oak Valley, His Sympathies to the Republican Party, and the Results of the California General Election and the US Presidential Election of 1856. Oak Valley [Yuba Co.]: 14 November 1856.
Chandler, Charles (ca. 1928-2001); Chandler, Edwin (ca. 1898-1973). Album with Thirty-Nine Original Photographs Collected by an 11-Year-Old Camper at YMCA Camp Fox on Catalina Island, Capturing Early Views, Daily Activities and Portraits of Campers Just Before WWII. Ca. 1938-1949.
Historically Interesting Original Autograph Manuscript Letter Written by a Trailblazing Stockman of Bent County, Colorado, Offering a Prospective Buyer to Purchase his Ranch in West Las Animas for $35,000 and Urging Him To Consider the Acquisition with Haste “As Some Parties Are Negotiating for the Property.” West Las Animas, Colorado: 21 August 1878
Barker, Leverett N. (1834-1930). Autograph Letter Signed by the Owner of a Jewellery Store in Eddyville, Iowa, to His Brother in Oriskany Falls, New York, Talking About his New Shop, the Construction of a Railroad Planned to Reach Eddyville, and a Description of the Recent Pike’s Peak Gold Rush.
Eddyville [Iowa]: 25 January 1859.
Album of 48 Original Gelatin Silver Snapshot Photographs of a Hunting Trip in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Including Campsites, Their Horses and Carriage, a Rural Post Office, and Hotel Colorado Titled: Off for the Rockies – Two Spike Club 1901
Historically Important Album with ca. 236 Gelatin Silver Photographs (Including One Real Photo Postcard), Illustrating an Early Trip from New York to the West Coast and Showing San Francisco Post-1906 Earthquake (City Hall, Golden Gate Park, the Ferry Building, Call Building, Market & Sutter Streets (with Signs (“O’Brien Company,” “Hotel,” “Dentist.”), Damaged Structures, etc.); also, with the Photos of Trains and Old Ashland Passenger Depot in Oregon, Travelers in Colorado Springs, etc. Ca. 1906-1911.
West, Isaac E., Attorney at Law (1838-1900) & “Laughing Sam” (Hartman, Samuel S.). Autograph Letter Signed Regarding the Defense of Dakota Outlaw “Laughing Sam” (Samuel S. Hartman), and Mentioning the New Governor of the Dakota Territory William A. Howard, the First State’s Attorney of the Lawrence County A.J. Flanner, and Yankton’s Store Owner and Public Figure A.W. Lavender. Yankton, D[akota]. T[erritory]: 25 April 1878.
An Interesting Original Autograph Letter Written by a Pioneer Cowboy of Custer County (Dakota Territory) Working at the Short-Lived “Union Cattle Co.” to “Dear Mother” Back in the East, He Brags about the Company as the Largest Cattle Outfit (125,000 Head) in the American West, Urging His Hometown Friend to Immediately Move to Dakota Territory, and Talking about One of the Biggest Roundups Ever Conducted in the State; Also Delivering the Latest News about His Hard Work at the Newly-Established S&G Ranch (the Present-Day Town of Dewey) and Commenting on the Massive Wave of Migration to the West.
S.&G. Ranch [near Custer City, Dakota Territory], 12 May 1884.
Mhulack, E.; Friar, S. Historically Important Collection of Two Manuscript Letters Signed by California Pioneer Gold Miners “Esoch Mhulack” and “S. Friar” and Addressed to Their Business Associate “F. B. Haight,” Complaining About the Average Prices for 883 ½ Purity of Gold Dust and Calculating the Distribution of Income Among Stakeholders; also with Notes about Nicaragua Steamship Company’s High Second Cabin Fees and Operational Delays. San Francisco: 28 March 1857.
Rice, Roger C.Album of 11 Original Gelatin Silver Photographs Showing the Territory of Hawaii in 1915, Including ‘Iolani Palace, Ali‘iolani Hale, Kawaiaha‘o Church, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Hawaii State Library, Waikiki Beach, Nu‘uanu Pali, Moanalua Gardens, a “Typical Native Home,” and “the University Club”. Ca. 1915.
Vysheslavtsev, A.V. Ocherki Perom i Karandashom iz Krugosvetnogo Plavaniya v 1857, 1858, 1859 i 1860 godakh [i.e. Sketches in Pen and Pencil from the Circumnavigation in 1857, 1858, 1859 and 1860]. St. Petersburg-Moscow: M.O. Wolf, 1867.
[Stephens, George John Frederick] (1873-1966). Historically Significant Extensive Archive of an Early Klondike Gold Miner and Enthusiast Photographer, George Stephens; the Archive includes Over 220 Original Gelatin Silver Photos and Twenty-Six Amateur Real Photo Postcards, Showing the Site, Premises and Operations on the No. 11 Mining Camp on Eureka Creek (where Stephens was a Partner), His Business Partner and Klondike Pioneer Charles Fraser Hill and Fellow Miners (Martin Pekoe, John Martin, Geo. A. Philbrook, Albert McDonald, Ove Knudsen, Jonas Smith, Gus Wikstrom, Edward Lund and Many Others); Other Mining Camps in the Klondike Goldfields and Surrounding Scenery, Klondike Mines Railway, Dawson City, the Town of Grand Forks (Demolished in 1921), Indian River Bridge, Fishing and Hunting Scenes, &c.; With Two Business Cards of Charles Hill, Period Newspaper Clippings and Ephemera. Ca. 1900s. – early 1920s.
Graham Photo Company. Album with 36 Original Gelatin Silver Studio Photographs, Showing Los Angeles (Figueroa Street, a Street in St. James Park, House of Harrison Gray Otis), Pasadena (Orange Grove Avenue, Raymond Hotel, Mansions of William C. Stuart and Charles Richardson), Arcadia (Baldwin’s Ranch), Altadena (House of Colonel George G. Green), Redlands (Brookside Avenue, House of Albert C. Burrage), Riverside (Magnolia Avenue), San Gabriel, a Portrait of Actress Helena Modjeska in her “Arden Forest” House near Silverado, a Scene at an Ostrich Farm, &c. Ca. 1900s.