Page 1 |
Previous | 1 of 62 | Next |
|
This page
All
Subset |
Object Description
| Title | Finding aid for Papers of James B. and Katherine M. Clover, 1855-1990 (bulk 1914-1986). |
| Extent | 5,941 pieces. 84 boxes. 102 oversize folders. |
| Biographical Note | James B. (James Benton) Clover (1870-1956) owned a substantial amount of land in Mono County, Calif., south of Mono Lake including a large portion around Rush Creek. In 1930, the City of Los Angeles began eminent domain rights proceedings on much of the land in the area. The case, City of Los Angeles vs. Nina B. Aitken, et al. was eventually tried in 1934 and 1935. By the time of the hearing, most of the defendants had sold their property to the city except four owners, including the Clovers. The trial resulted in the City of Los Angeles owning thousands of acres of land and the water rights on thousands more. Not happy with the award by the jury, James B. Clover continued to fight the city until his death on May 17, 1956. |
| Scope and Content | The collection consists of correspondence, documents, maps, reports, publications, and clippings related to land tenure and water use in and around Mono County (including Mono Basin, Mono Lake, Lee Vining Creek and Rush Creek), Inyo County, and Los Angeles, California. Although the Clovers eventually sold most of their land in Mono County, they maintained a small parcel and ranch and Katherine M. Clover kept a diary from the 1950s-1970s recording her activities with the property. She also gathered information on land and water issues related to Mono County, the City of Los Angeles, and California in general. There is a small amount of family papers and a few materials related to land and natural resources in Colorado, where the Clovers also owned some land. The bulk of the collection consists of materials related to the interests of the City of Los Angeles (Calif.) in acquiring land in and the rights to appropriate water from Mono County (Calif.) for the city's use and consumption. Of note in the collection are copies of federal legislation on the sale and granting of public lands in Mono County to the City of Los Angeles (1921-1981) and an extensive amount of documentation regarding several court cases related to water and land rights in Mono County. The documentary materials gathered by the Clovers illustrate the agricultural history of Mono County, activities of advocacy groups such as the Mono Lake Committee, interests in geothermal resources in the vicinity, and federal legislation establishing the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area. There are also assembled publications and other materials related to land and water issues in California and in the greater United States. The collection includes a large amount of material on the governance and operations of the City of Los Angeles including city charters (1923-1972) and city ordinances (1909-1970). There is also material on several city departments including the Office of the City Clerk, the Dept. of Public Works, the Dept. of City Planning, and the Dept. of Water and Power. Also in the collection are business records and correspondence of approximately a dozen California-based water and utility companies including the Mono Valley Improvement Company (1915-1921), Rush Creek Mutual Ditch Company (1914-1959), and Sierra Land and Water Company (1920-1955). 173 maps (102 of which are oversize) of aqueducts, land, reservoirs, and water sources may be found in the collection. The counties of Mono and Inyo are particularly well represented, as is the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. The collection also contains 4,759 clippings on subjects such as dams, geothermal power, and water in Inyo, Los Angeles, and Mono Counties. |
| Notes | All inquiries about this collection should be directed to the H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator, Western American Manuscripts. |
| Date | 1855-1990. |
| Provenance | Gift of Estate of Katherine Clover, June 28, 1993. |
| Subject |
Clover, James B. (James Benton), 1870-1956. Clover, Katherine M. (Katherine Mary), 1906-1990. Los Angeles (Calif.). Dept. of Water and Power -- Trials, litigation, etc. National Audubon Society. Aqueducts -- California. Aqueducts -- California -- Los Angeles. Geothermal resources -- California. Land tenure -- Mono County. Land titles -- California. Land titles -- California -- Mono County. Land use -- California -- Mono County. Land use -- United States. Municipal government -- California -- Los Angeles. Natural resources -- California. Natural resources -- Colorado. Ordinances, Municipal -- California -- Los Angeles. Water -- California. Water rights -- California -- Inyo County. Water rights -- California -- Los Angeles. Water rights -- California -- Mono County. Water rights -- Cases. Water rights -- United States. Water-supply -- California -- Los Angeles. Inyo County (Calif.) -- History -- Sources. Inyo County (Calif.) -- Maps. Lee Vining Creek (Calif.) -- History -- Sources. Lee Vining Creek (Calif.) -- Maps. Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Charters. Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources. Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Maps. Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Politics and government -- 20th century. Mono Basin (Calif.) -- History -- Sources. Mono Basin (Calif.) -- Maps. Mono Lake (Calif.) -- History -- Sources. Mono Lake (Calif.) -- Maps. Rush Creek (Calif.) -- History -- Sources. Rush Creek (Calif.) -- Maps. |
| Form/Genre |
Business records California Mono County. (aat) Clippings California. (aat) Clippings Colorado. (aat) Deeds California. (aat) Legal files California 20th century. (aat) Letters (correspondence) California. (aat) Maps California Inyo County. (aat) Maps California Los Angeles County. (aat) Maps California Mono County. (aat) Notes California, Southern 20th century. (aat) Topographic maps California. (aat) |
| Contributors |
Clover, James B. (James Benton), 1870-1956. Clover, Katherine M. (Katherine Mary), 1906-1990. Los Angeles (Calif.). City Planning Commission. Los Angeles (Calif.). Dept. of City Planning. Los Angeles (Calif.). Dept. of Water and Power. Los Angeles (Calif.). Office of the City Clerk. Mono Valley Improvement Company. Rush Creek Mutual Ditch Company. Sierra Land and Water Company. |
| Department | Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. Manuscripts Department. |
| Call Number | mssClover papers |
| Accession Number | mss 01668. |
| Physical Collection | James B. and Katherine M. Clover Papers. |
| Digital Collection | Finding Aids, Huntington Digital Library |
| Physical Description | 62 p. |
| Digitization Specifications | Original finding aid converted into PDF document by B. Black, 2011-12-22. |
| Date Digital | 2011-12-22. |
| DCMI Type | text |
| Digital Format | |
| Original Finding Aid | Finding aid prepared by Jeffrey Wilensky, June 24, 2002. |
| Citation Information | Finding aid for James B. and Katherine M. Clover Papers, Huntington Digital Library, San Marino, California. |
| Restrictions | Images in this collection are for scholarly research; please review the Huntington Library's copyright information: http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/about. For purchasing images for publication please review our permission to publish policy: http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=590. |
| Cataloging Notes | Arranged in the following series: I. Clover family and personal papers; II. Legal files; III. Utility companies; IV. Geographic files; V. Ephemera; VI. Clippings; VII. Oversize materials. |