Historical Background
Biography
Don Meadows was a prominent Orange County historian and scholar. Meadows was born in Shoals, Indiana on October 20, 1897 and his family moved to Orange County, California in 1903. He graduated from Pomona College in 1922 and received an M.S. in Ecological Studies from the University of California, Berkeley in 1931. He worked as a high school biology instructor, which included a position at Avalon High School on Santa Catalina Island. In addition to his teaching career, he also worked as a field supervisor for a biological survey of the Channel Islands, and Park Naturalist at the Big Basin Redwoods and Calaveras Big Trees State Parks.
Meadows published and co-authored a number of works focusing on Southern California, Orange County, and Baja California history and amassed a substantial library and collection of archival materials to support his research. Various works were devoted to Orange County history, including his Historic Place Names in Orange County and Orange County under Spain, Mexico, and the United States, both published in 1966.
He maintained close relationships with many significant local historians, including William McPherson, Bill Kimes, Paul Bailey, Burr Belden, Ed Carpenter, and Charles Heiskell, and also interviewed a number of these and other individuals. He was an active member of many historical and bibliographic organizations, including the Zamarano Club, Los Compadres con Libros, Los Angeles Corral of the Westerners, the Death Valley '49ers, E Clampus Vitus, and the Orange County Historical Society.
Meadows moved to Yuba City, California in 1985, where he died on November 9, 1994. Additional biographical information can be found in Pamela Hallan Gibson, et al., Don Meadows remembered (Orange County: OCDC Press, 1995).
Chronology
1897
Born in Shoals, Indiana.
1903
Moves with family to Southern California and settles in Orange.
1912
Publishes four issues of The Postscript newspaper.
1917
Graduates from Orange Union High School.
1917
Enters Pomona College.
1918
Begins collecting publications and archival material on California, later expanding this personal research collection to include Baja California.
1918
1919
Serves in the Naval Reserve during World War I.
1921
First research trip to Baja California. Returns regularly after ca. 1934.
1921
Writes and directs Pro patria, a play of early California, a senior class play at Pomona College produced by Missian San Juan Capistrano.
1922
B.A. Biology, Pomona College.
1922
1925
Reporter for newspapers in Pomona and Long Beach.
1925
1960
Printing, science, and biology teacher in Long Beach City schools.
1926
Marries Frances Matchette (1898-1989).
1926
Graduate student at Cornell University.
1927
1934
Teaches on Catalina Island.
1931
M.S. Ecological Studies, University of California, Berkeley.
1934
Writes and directs The magic isle, a pageant of Santa Catalina Island, performed at Avalon High.
1936
President, Lorquin Entomological Society, Long Beach.
1936
1941
Field Supervisor, Los Angeles County Museum's Channel Islands Biological Survey.
1946
1952
Park Naturalist, Big Basin Redwoods and Calaveras Big Trees State Parks.
1950
Sells collection of 20,000 lepidoptera specimen to the United States National Museum.
1950
Member of Los Angeles Corral of the Westerners.
1950
Inducted into E Clampus Vitus.
1951
Publishes Baja California, 1933-1950: a biblio-history.
1952
1954
Founding Director, Long Beach Natural History Museum.
1954
1957
Member, Board of Consultants for Rancho Los Cerritos Museum, Long Beach.
1955
Publishes The American occupation of La Paz.
1955
1960
Instructor, California history, Orange Coast College.
1956
1957
Begins construction of adobe home in Panorama Heights, near Tustin and settles in Orange County.
1956
Sheriff, Los Angeles Corral of the Westerners.
1958
Co-founder, Los Compadres con Libros, Orange County bibliophilic association.
1959
Editor, Brand Book #8, Los Angeles Corral of the Westerners.
1961
Active in Orange County Historical Society, later serves on Board of Directors.
1961
Grand Noble Humbug, E Clampus Vitus, Platrix Chapter, Los Angeles.
1963
Publishes The house of Bernardo Yorba, based on 1917-1919 fieldwork.
1963
Assists in organization of 1st Baja California Symposium.
1963
Co-author, Historical volume and reference works: Orange County. Meadows' contributions later republished as Orange County under Spain, Mexico, and the United States.
1966
Publishes Historic place names in Orange County.
1966
Publishes Orange County under Spain, Mexico, and the United States.
Chairman, 4th Baja California Symposium.
1967
Publishes "The original site of Mission San Juan Capistrano," Southern California Quarterly.
1968
1969
Member, California Bicentennial Commission.
1972
ca. 1992
Works on "Orange roots" manuscript, a history of Orange County.
1972
Sells research library and archival collections to the University of California, Irvine Libraries.
1972
Publishes A California paisano: the life of William McPherson.
1972
Helps found Orange Community Historical Society.
1973
Publishes A friendly community near the foothills, a history of El Modena.
1973
1978
Member, Orange Community Historical Society, Board of Directors.
1975
Publishes Irvine, a city on Rancho San Joaquin.
1979
Publishes Los Compadres, the first twenty years.
1982
Friends of the University of California, Irvine Library publishes A gathering of tributes to Don Meadows.
1985
Moves to Yuba City, California. Several groups host celebrations in his honor, including the Los Angeles Corral of the Westerners, and the Orange County and Orange Community historical societies.
1994
Dies in Yuba City on November 9.
From the guide to the Don Meadows papers, 1824-1994, (University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.)