Society of California Pioneers

Established in 1850, The Society of California Pioneers is a not-for-profit museum, library, and cultural organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge and appreciation of early California history for the benefit of present and future audiences of all ages.

From the description of Letter to Jack Berlin, 1960, April 21. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 743237730

The Sacramento City Cemetery was founded in 1849 and is the resting place for many of the city's, and California's, pioneer families.

The Society of California Pioneers was established in 1850 as an organization dediated to preserving the history and culture of early California.

Spiritualist unions were, and are, non-denominational religious groups that believe in continued existence of the human soul, and the ability to contact spirits after death.

From the description of Cemetery deed from Society of California Pioneers to Sacramento Spiritualists Union, 1883. (California State Library). WorldCat record id: 449196120

Biography

George Holbrook Baker was a pioneer who came out to California in 1849. Soon after his arrival, he came out to the mining camps on the Sacramento River and finally became associated with General Winn and established a general merchandise business in Sacramento. He was also one of the most successful newspaper artists of the pioneer’s days in the West Coast. Later, he established a successful lithography business in San Francisco. In 1863, he was invited to join the Society of California Pioneers.

From the guide to the George Holbrook Baker Papers, 1849-1893, (Society of California Pioneers)

Biography / Administrative History

In the early half of the 19th century, California's population consisted mostly of Native American and Mexican inhabitants. In 1848 gold was discovered, attracting hundreds of thousands of settlers from the East Coast and beyond. San Francisco quickly grew from a rural settlement to a thriving boomtown. At first, the Gold Rush miners were satisfied with lewd entertainment supplied by brothels and saloons. Men regularly played female theatrical characters because of the lack of women living in what was still considered a wilderness outpost. Traveling acting troupes, desperate for cash, would perform in any structure that would hold a crowd - a practice later dubbed "barnstorming". Although it was risky, many women began to flock to the burgeoning city with dreams of fame and fortune. concurrently, the significant male populous started to desire more refined performances and would pay big money to see a pretty face. Even so, being attractive and able to memorize lines was hardly sufficient. Only women who possessed striking thespian talent, pitch perfect singing voices, or eccentric stage presence gained true notoriety. Some of these starlets were motivated to become playwrights or company managers, experiencing great commercial success at a time when women were generally thought of as the weaker sex. Conversely there was a serious possibility of obscurity, since local actresses and singers were often less celebrated than big names from Europe. The eventual completion of the Transcontinental Railroad reinforced San Francisco's status as a first-class, show business town. Women could now travel cross-country with propriety, dramatically increasing the number of female residents. Veteran and amateur actresses arrived from all over the world, triggering the construction of many new auditoriums. In the 1880's, celebrity publicity escalated due to the development of modern photographic processes and the overland telegraph. All of this hype gave birth to more photographic studios and specialized entertainment critics. Amusements were now being marketed toward specific audiences, usually separated by social class. Theater was San Francisco's favorite public diversion, with more spectator seats per capita than any other U.S. city, until the earthquake of 1906, which destroyed nearly every opera and playhouse.

Chronology

• 1850/1930: Actress and Singer Photograph Collection

From the guide to the Actress and Singer Photograph Collection, ca. 1850 - 1930, 1850-1930, (The Society of California Pioneers.)

Biography / Administrative History

This collection represents the "desk" or "tourist" catalog of views for sale that had once belonged to the illustrious San Francisco stereopublishing firm of Lawrence & Houseworth. All of these samples were numbered and captioned so that prospective clients could readily select the photographs of greatest interest. They were available either as twin-imaged stereographs or singly as "album views" mounted on standard-size carte de visite cards.

From the guide to the Lawrence & Houseworth photography albums: California views, 1860-1870, (Society of California Pioneers)

Biography

Harold Gordon Blankman was born in Monterey in 1873. He later lived in Dawson, in the Yukon Territory. He was a businessman and temporarily the head of both the Canadian Klondyke Mining Company and the Canadian Klondyke Power Company.

From the guide to the Harold Gordon Blankman Papers, 1918, (Society of California Pioneers)

Administrative History

The Society of California Pioneers is California's oldest historical organization, founded in 1850 by pre-Gold Rush pioneers. The Society's original aims were "...to collect and preserve information connected with the early settlement and conquest of the country, and to perpetuate the memory of those whose sagacity, enterprise, and love of independence induced them to settle in the wilderness...". Toward the end of the 19th century, when many of the original members began passing away, the Society's Historical Committee put out a call for "Autobiographies and Reminiscences" of its members. The members included in the 154 reminiscences range from gold miners to farmers and businessmen to lumbermen, representing the broad range of men who made up the early membership of the Society. Accounts relate the members' early lives, journeys out west, and finally their lives in California and places beyond. Many were submitted by handwritten documents, but others appear to have been dictated to the Committee. Each submission was then typed and all were bound into eight oversize volumes which still exist today, as do sixty-three of the original handwritten accounts.

From the guide to the The Society of California Pioneers collection of autobiographies and reminiscences of early pioneers, 1900-1904, (Society of California Pioneers)