cgu-kierap, Author at Out of the Box

April 26, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

Project Progress

The CLIR Water project is a
little over a year old and we’ve made a lot of progress. However, there is
still plenty to do. I have been working on metadata for the Chaffey brothers
letters–a mere fraction of the collection–all semester and there is still more
to do. Still, I am proud of the progress that that project has made, especially
since I started last August.

Everyone here has been
working hard doing a variety of different tasks to scan documents, create metadata
for them, and upload them on the Claremont Colleges Digital Library. However,
there are other tasks involved in this project. We have created a social media
campaign to spread awareness about the project and collection. We have
contributed to this blog in order to track the project’s progress and share our
experiences. We have been to conferences and some of us have even presented at
conferences so that we can participate in the larger discourse about archives,
special collections, environmental history, and water resources.

There are many facets to the
project which is one reason it has been so amazing to be a part of the CLIR
Water project. I can’t wait to see how this project continues to evolve.

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April 19, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

200 People

This week I continued to work on metadata for the Chaffey brothers’ letters. Recently, a lot of the letters have been about advertising in various periodicals, inviting people to move to Ontario, California. As I learned last week, the Ontario colony was only a year old in 1883 so it is not surprising that the Chaffey brothers were interested in spreading the world. One letter I read today stated that in December 1883 the population in Ontario was around 200 people. 200 people isn’t very many people when you consider that the current Ontario, California population is over 170,000 people.

April 10, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

The Climate Situation

This week I was creating more metadata from the Chaffey brothers’
letters. In the letter, William Henderson, a colleague of the Chaffey brothers
writes to a man in Canada about the status of the colony. In this 1883 letter,
he explains that the Ontario Colony is young, less than a year old. I couldn’t
believe it! I have been creating metadata for this series of letters for nearly three
months and I have covered less than a year of materials!

The letter explains that the principle occupation for colony
settlers is fruit and wine grape farming. William Henderson explains that the
Chaffey brothers don’t “expect a great city to rise up here in a day.” This
quote reminds me of the famous phrase, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” I wonder
if William Henderson did that on purpose, predicting the eventual future
success of Ontario.

William Henderson also mentions the benefits of Southern
California, which happens many times in these letters. He writes, “As to the climate
situation and fruitfulness of soil, this part of California is, we believe,
unsurpassed anywhere and undoubtedly has a great future.” Given the sunny
weather we are experiencing this week I have to say I must agree. The “climate
situation” is great!

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April 5, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

Even More Letters!

I don’t have a lot of updates this week. I have been doing
metadata as usual, but recently the letters have not been very compelling. A
lot of the letters I have worked on have been about advertising for the Ontario
colony and other business correspondences. The Chaffey brothers sent a lot of
pamphlets and maps to potential land-buyers in order to give them information
about the colony. In some cases the Chaffey brothers even invited people to visit
the colony in order to really understand what living in Southern California
would be like.

Other recent letters have referred to the progress of land
development in the colony. Some letters are directed to land-owners who are
being updated on the state of their farm. Other letters are directed to
manufacturers and shipping companies regarding the shipment of building
materials, furniture, and other goods to the colony.

Hopefully more inspiring letters come my way soon so that I
can share some of the new and interesting things that the Chaffey brothers did!

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March 29, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

Success

I’ve been experiencing the mid-semester blues lately,
especially leading up to the completion of my master’s thesis. Success and
failure have been looming themes in my life recently, and as if the Chaffey
Brothers could read my mind I came across this letter:

“We notice that it is your deposition always to lean on
others and we say in all kindness that if you are going to make a success
especially in this country you must stand alone and depend upon your own judgement
and rely upon your own strong hand to make business go.

We do not feel it to be our duty to you or to outsiders to
omit & point out the fact that if a man wants or expects success he must
take hold of the plow and never look back, bending all his efforts and energy
towards the land in view.

We will adhere strictly to a guarantee up to this time, but
beyond it you must decide to act for yourself.

We shall always take pleasure in affording you every
possible assistance in either a friendly or a business way, but all your
decisions must be from yourself & for yourself.”

It’s a good reminder that I have a lot of work to do to
finish my degree. My fate is in my own hands and my commitment to complete my
work can’t falter at the finish-line. If you are also struggling to find the
motivation to work I encourage you to take hold of the plow and never look
back!

March 22, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

Buying Land in Ontario

I have been interested for quite some time about the
logistics of settling in Ontario in the 1880s. While creating metadata for the
Chaffey brothers’ letters I have gotten a better sense of what life was like in
the early days of the colony. However, more specific details about the cost of
land or the average living wage are rarely mentioned outright. Recently I discovered
a letter that shed light on some of these questions.

In a letter from 1883, George Chaffey outlined the prices
for different types of parcels of land.

For small town lots located on the main Avenue (what is now Euclid
Avenue) the price is $100.

For a large town lot located on other streets the price is
$100.

For 2.5 acre lots within the “townsite” the price is $625.

For 10 acre lots within the “townsite” the price is $2500.

For 20 acre lots on the main Avenue the price is $4000.

For all other lots 10 acres and more the price per acre is
$150.

For settlers who make “substantial improvements within a
year from date of purchase,” a discount of $25 would be negotiated. Usually the
Chaffey brother expected half of the payment to be paid in cash and the rest
would be paid through 1-, 2-, or 5-year payment plans with 10% interest.

After a settler purchases land, George Chaffey recommends
that the person moves to Ontario in the autumn, before the first rains of the
season. This gives settlers time to “put up his barn and house, purchase his
hay, grain and tools and get things in proper shape to begin work.” Once the
first rains of the season start it will be time to start “plowing and planting
his land.”

March 8, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

Swindlers

On July 18, 1884 William Chaffey wrote a scathing letter to
C. N. Ross. Because it is so juicy, I thought I would include the body of the
letter:

Reliable parties inform us that you made statements which no
gentleman much less one with whom our relations have been so friendly would
have uttered and we are at a loss to understand it. What right had you to
accuse us of being swindlers? Did we ever swindle you in any way, or have we
ever taken any mean advantage of you?

Unless we hear from you, about this matter and you apologize
we shall be compelled to…have you do so in a way which will not be very
pleasant–or inexpensive.

I personally suggest reading it out loud in your most
intimidating voice. Unfortunately, I have no context for what happened before
or after this letter explaining why C. N. Ross called the Chaffey Brothers
swindlers. I am hoping that as I continue to go through these letters this
mystery, as with all the mysteries I have found among these letters, is solved.

The more I read about the Chaffey brothers the more I
consider them as pretty ruthless business men. The possible allusion to
litigation is also interesting to me–were the Chaffey brothers planning on
suing C. N. Ross? Or was something more nefarious going on when he wrote “we
shall be compelled to…have you do so in a way which will not be very
pleasant–or inexpensive?”

These are the letters I am most excited to read. They break
up the monotony of everyday business transactions but they also inspire me to
continue to ask questions.

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February 27, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

The Ontario Land Company

On August 13, 1883 George Chaffey wrote a letter to J. P.
Gildersleeve, one of the original settlers in Ontario, California. This letter
announces the creation of the Ontario Land Company in the form of a trust deed.
Although originally the company was planned to be a joint stock company, the
Chaffey brothers thought that was too risky for themselves and their potential
stock holders.

The benefits of creating a company in this manner, according
to George Chaffey are the following:

“1st. There can be no combination of stock holders by which
the minority can be driven to the wall and be obliged to sacrifice to the
interests of the majority. Thus the holder of one share is in a good position
as regards his proportion as the owner of a thousand. 2nd. The shares are
unassumable and therefore the holder enjoys immunity from forfeiture. 3rd. No
debts can be made against the lands except such as is necessary to protect and
care for the property. 4th. The certificates of ownership can always be paid in
to the company at par value with 8% added for any of the unsold lands, thus
offering a security which has for its base real estate at market value.”

Then, George Chaffey transitions to talking about
Gildersleeve’s property. Apparently, the fruit trees are doing well, in
particular the apricot trees. A few weeks ago I wrote about George Chaffey’s
interest in apricot trees on this blog, so it was fun to see him mention it
again. The warm weather this summer has allowed for “enormous growth on vines
& trees.”

George Chaffey ends the letter by letting Gildersleeve know
that “a great many strangers” have been settling in the colony and they “expect
lively times next winter.” George Chaffey hopes that Gildersleeve will find
time to visit the colony during the winter to escape the Canadian snow storms.

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February 22, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

For Your Health

On May 25^th, 1883, William Henderson wrote a
letter to C. L. Stephens. Stephens had
been in bad health for quite some time and William Henderson was writing to
offer his sympathies as well as invite C. L. Stephens to move to Southern
California. In order to better convince Stephens, Henderson enclosed an
informational pamphlet with his letter.

William Henderson believes that C. L. Stephens’ health will
improve if he moves to Southern California from Canada. Henderson writes of the
Chaffey brothers’ colonies, “so far as climate is concerned we have no
hesitation in saying that for Asthma and Bronchitis there is none better under
the sun.” Henderson also writes that many of the settlers in Etiwanda and
Ontario are fellow Canadians, with the hope, perhaps, to convince C. L.
Stephens that he will feel at home in the new Southern Californian colonies.

William Henderson believes that even with C. L. Stephens’
poor health, he would be able to find work in the colony. If Stephens’ health
improves enough after settling in the warm, dry climate of Southern California,
Henderson is confident that he will be able to find a good paying job. He
writes, “a small fruit farm would fill the bill exactly and you may be able to
get some occupation in this southern country that will eventually make such an
attainment possible.” William Henderson ends his letter by describing Southern
California as “the best climate in America for your particular complaints.”

I find this letter interesting because it aligns with a
common idea at the time that moving to a warm, dry climate could help with
one’s ailing health. In Southern California specifically there has been a
pervading idea that the weather here could help with a whole range of health
complaints, most notably upper respiratory issues. We see that illustrated
here.

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February 15, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-kierap

The Monkey and the Cat

On May 25, 1883 George Chaffey wrote a letter to William
Johnston. George Chaffey relays various information about the Ontario Colony:
Rent is double what it is in Kingston, Canada. The schools are “first class.”
Other than the cost of rent, the cost of living is the same as Kingston,
Canada. Employment is readily available for hard workers. This last point
George Chaffey emphasizes, writing, “the principle trouble with the men who
come here is they are a vexing lot–cut shady therefore, a level man is always
in demand.”

Next, George Chaffey mentions the “Plain Statement” letter
published in the British Whig (see my last post for more information about
this). Apparently George Chaffey tracked down the author of this anonymous
letter. George Chaffey expresses his disdain for the author by explaining that
he never met George Chaffey or even visited Etiwanda and Ontario, even though
the author lambasts Etiwanda in “A Plain Statement” specifically. Furthermore,
George Chaffey explains, the author has been sick with typhus fever which
George thinks means the author “has been induced to evil and allow himself to
be used as a catspaw.”

“Catspaw.” This word gave me pause. What is a catspaw?
Apparently this is a reference to a fable called “The Monkey and the Cat” in
which a monkey convinces a cat to use its paw to retrieve food that is roasting
over a fire. Once the cat uses his paw to get the food, burning his paw in the
process, the monkey steals the food. In this way the monkey uses the cat (and
his paw) to the monkey’s benefit while the cat gets no benefit.

George Chaffey continues, writing, “I will catch the monkey
however and warm his jacket.” Apparently, George Chaffey believes that the man
who wrote “A Plain Statement” was writing on behalf of someone else entirely!
The intrigue continues to build. Maybe a future letter will reveal who the
Monkey is! By the way, I wasn’t sure the meaning of the phrase “warm his jacket”
so I looked that up as well. So far I haven’t found any explanations for that
phrase but perhaps it is another reference to “The Monkey and the Cat” fable.
In any case, it sounds threatening to me!

George Chaffey ends the letter writing that many of the
settlers are writing to the British Whig to rebut the words of “A Plain
Statement.” George Chaffey hopes that these letters will be published in the
periodically shortly.

George Chaffey signs the letter “Yours & etc.,” which
incidentally is now my new favorite sign off.

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