Meadows, Don

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.)