Marion Parks papers
Scope and Content of Collection
The papers of Marion Parks, a talented and resourceful personality in Los Angeles during the early 1900s, relate to the history of Southern California. Parks described herself as "a California historian." Her principal contributions in this capacity were a series of still-useful booklets published while she was publicity writer for Security-First National Bank, and the organization of colorful historical pageants (in the Spanish style) in several California towns. Her local history files contain typescripts of her own writings as well as quantities of vintage pamphlets and brochures, mostly from 1930s. Correspondence files date from about the 1920s to the 1940s. The collection also includes 197 photographs taken by Marion Parks of parades, historical pageants, and other events in and around Los Angeles that were probably taken in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Dates
- Creation: 1909-1940 (bulk 1926-1940)
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1926 - 1940
Creator
- Parks, Marion (Creator, Person)
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to publish must be submitted in writing to Special Collections.
Chronology of the life of Marion Parks
Missing Title
- Circa 1904
- Born in Pasadena
- 1920
- Graduated from Pasadena High School
- 1920-21
- Attended Occidental College
- 1925
- Received B.A. degree with honors in history from University of California Los Angeles
- 1926-1927
- Worked in the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art where she was in charge of historical loan exhibition
- 1927-1928
- Assistant secretary of the Southwest Museum and editor of the museum publication The Masterkey. Also involved with the ?Casa de Adobe? a replica of an early California ranch house with fiesta programs and publicity.
- 1929-1934
- Publicity assistant, researching and writing booklets and magazine articles and giving speeches before organizations on California history for the Security-First National Bank of Los Angeles
- 1931-?
- Founding member and vice president of Los Fiesteros de Los Angeles
- 1932-?
- Member of the Board of Directors and secretary of the Historical Society of Southern California.
- 1931
- Assistant secretary for La Fiesta de Los Angeles, a 10 day fiesta celebrating the 150th anniversary.
- 1934
- Member of the advisory committee of five for Southern California for the Historical Architecture Buildings Survey, a federal project.
- 1936
- Marries Nelson H. Partridge, Jr.
Extent
9 boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The papers of Marion Parks, a talented and resourceful personality in Los Angeles during the early 1900s, relate to the history of Southern California. Parks described herself as "a California historian." Her principal contributions in this capacity were a series of still-useful booklets published while she was publicity writer for Security-First National Bank, and the organization of colorful historical pageants (in the Spanish style) in several California towns. Her local history files contain typescripts of her own writings as well as quantities of vintage pamphlets and brochures, mostly from 1930s. Correspondence files date from about the 1920s to the 1940s. The collection also includes 197 photographs taken by Marion Parks of parades, historical pageants, and other events in and around Los Angeles that were probably taken in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Arrangement
The papers have been arranged into six series, one of which has been further arranged in subseries. The series and subseries arrangement of the records is as follows:
Missing Title
- Series 1. Research materials on individuals, arranged alphabetically. Includes clippings, correspondence, notes and book excerpts.
- Series 2. Research materials, correspondence, articles, publications and typescripts by Marion Parks, projects of Marion Parks
- Series 3. Ephemera and research materials on cities and places in California, arranged by city name
- Series 4. Marion Parks and Edwin Carpenter Correspondence
- Series 5. Marion Parks Photographs: Little information is known about the Marion Parks photographs. Descriptive titles were given based on identifiable Los Angeles landmarks, events and people. Most photographs are not dated, but appear to have been taken in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The majority of the Marion Parks photographs have a number stamped on them, which was used to establish an arrangement. When present, the number is indicated in the description.
- Subseries 5.1. Photographs of Staged Events, unknown location
- Subseries 5.2. Photographs of an Event at the Los Angeles Coliseum
- Subseries 5.3. Photographs of a Parade, Downtown Los Angeles
- Subseries 5.4. Photographs of the Pope's Visit to the Los Angeles Coliseum
- Subseries 5.5. Photographs of a Rodeo in the Los Angeles Coliseum
- Subseries 5.6. Photographs of a Parade in the Los Angeles Coliseum
- Subseries 5.7. Photographs of The Mission Play
- Subseries 5.8. Photographs of a Performance in Historical Costume, unknown location
- Subseries 5.9. Photographs of an Event in the Los Angeles Coliseum
- Subseries 5.10. Photographs at the Beach
- Subseries 5.11. Photographs of a Native American Performance
- Subseries 5.12. Photographs of a Wedding
- Subseries 5.13. Photographs of a Night-time Electrical Parade in the Los Angeles Coliseum
- Subseries 5.14. Photographs of the Los Angeles Celebration, La Fiesta 1781-1931
- Subseries 5.15. Photographs of an Air Show, by Marion Parks
- Series 6. Marion Parks Research Note cards
Physical location
Please consult repository.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Don Meadows, 1985
Separated Material
The Charles Lummis Photographs collection originally was given to the Libraries as part of the Marion Parks collection. The photographs were removed from the Marion Parks Collection and can now be found in the Charles Lummis Photographs collection.
Printed material removed from the Marion Parks Papers and cataloged separately:
El Mirasol Hotel and Bungalows. Santa Barbara, California: Schauer Printing Studio, Inc., undated.
Griffith Park Greek Theater Dedicatory Program. [Los Angeles]:September 25, 1930.
Los Angeles Opera and Fine Arts Magazine 15, no. 1 (September 1937).
Museum Graphic, Los Angeles Museum 1, no. 1, 3 (September 1926, January 1927).
Travelers Record 30, no. 6 (September 1894).
Pacific Mutual News (October 1929).
Los Angeles Historical Review (October 1929).
Real Life Illustrated (November 1906).
P.H.S. Circus. Los Angeles: Murray the Printer, May 16, 1919.
The Cub: Monthly News Bulletin Native Daughters of the Golden West (March 1935, June 1937).
In Honor of the Official Visit of Anna C. Thuesen, Grand President, Native Daughters of the Golden West and Commemorating the Forthcoming Fiftieth Grand Parlor Over which She Will Preside. Santa Barbara, California:March 16, 1936.
Guide to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Santa Barbara, California:June 1939.
The Toreador, Issued Monthly by the University Club of Los Angeles (June 1930, February 1933).
The Santa Barbara Guest (July 1939).
Official Souvenier and Program: Ballon School Circus. Edited by H. C. Hahlbeck. Arcadia, California:February 22, 1919.
Standard Oil Bulletin (February 1934).
Los Angeles Public Library Monthly Bulletin 14, no. 8 (February 1920).
The Woman's City Club Magazine [Los Angeles] 4, no. 4, 7, 8 (December 1926, March-April 1927).
Old Spanish Days Fiesta. Santa Barbara, California: Santa Barbara News Press, August 1937.
Southern California Business 2, no. 3,4 (April 8, April 22 1940).
Beverly Hills: A Calendar of Events in the Making of a City. Los Angeles: Title Guarantee and Trust Company, 1938.
Inglewood: A Calendar of Events in the Making of a City. Los Angeles: Title Guarantee and Trust Company, 1937.
Sixth Annual Report of the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners, City of Los Angeles, California, for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1931. Los Angeles:1931.
Our Country: An Undefended Treasure Land, Reprinted from the Scientific American. Munn and Co., Inc., 1915.
California through San Diego, Invites the World: California Pacific International Exposition.[1935].
Gala Souvenier Magazine and Program. [Santa Barbara]: Lobero Theatre, [1926?].
St. Anthony's Seminary Conducted by the Franciscan Fathers. Santa Barbara, California: [St. Anthony's Seminary], [1923?].
El Mirasol Hotel. Reprint from San Francisco News Letter, Saturday, May 26, 1917 ed. Schauer Printing Studio, [1917?].
A Beginning in Bodily Training for the Schools of Riverside County. Riverside, California: Walters and Clark, Printers, undated.
California Journal of Development, Santa Barbara County. Santa Barbara, California: Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, undated.
[Clift, Frederick C. ?]. El Mirasol Hotel. Santa Barbara, California: Schauer Printing Studio, Inc., undated.
Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, and Velma Ruess. Beverly Hills, California: Midway between Los Angeles and the Sea. Beverly Hills, California: Carl A. Bundy Quill and Press, undated.
Bissel, Ervanna Bowen. The Island Trail in the Blaksley Botamic Garden Affiliated with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Reprinted from the Gardeners' Chronicle of America. Undated.
Byrd, Jane Carroll. A Brief History of St. Vincent's Institution and St. Vincent's Orphanage Auxiliary 1918-1927. Santa Barbara, California: Schauer Printing Studio, Inc, undated.
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. St. Vincent's Institution Model Adjustment School for Girls. Santa Barbara, California:1936.
Fox Arlington Theatre. "The Cross and the Sword" a Romance of California for the Benifit of the Santa Ines Mission Restoration Fund. December 4, 1933.
Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce. Mission La Purisima Concepcion. Lompoc, California: La Purisima State Park, undated.
Los Amigos de Santa Inez. "La Verbena De Santa Inez" Pagent--Fiesta Commemorating the Junipero Serra Sesquicentennial. Mission Santa Inez, September 16, 1934.
McIsaac, Colin H. Santa Barbara Mission: Early Days in California. Santa Barbara, California: Schauer Printing Studio, Inc., 1929.
Porter, John C. Address of James E. Shelton, Esq., on the Occasion of a Luncheon in the Los Angeles City Hall. [Los Angeles]:July 23, 1930.
Somerville, Henry. St. Vincent De Paul (Apostile of Organized Charity). New York: The Paulist Press, 1916.
St. Vincent's Orphanage Auxilary. Annual Report St. Vincent's Orphanage Auxilary 1920-1921.[1921?].
Whitelaw, Frank J. On the Road to Beverly Hills: The Hub of the Playground of the World. [Los Angeles]: The Clason Map Co., undated.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Vicky Hutzinger in March 1997. Finding list expanded and revised by Kelley Bachli in September 2006.
- Title
- Guide to the Marion Parks papers
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- © 2006
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in: English
Repository Details
Part of the 01 - Special Collections & Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library Repository
800 North Dartmouth Ave
Claremont CA 91711 United States
Email: specialcollections@claremont.edu