Otay Ranch Records, 1927 - 1989 (MSS 500)

Restrictions: Documents related to payroll, located in the FINANCIAL series, are restricted.
OFF-SITE STORAGE: BULK OF COLLECTION IS STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS. Oversize materials (map case and flat box) are stored on-site and do not need to be requested in advance.

Extent: 103.8 Linear feet (126 archives boxes, 49 record cartons, 5 map case folders and 3 flat boxes)

The Otay Ranch Records document the history of San Diego county through the administrative, economic, financial, employment and agricultural records that describe the operations of this large south county ranch. The documents include correspondence from Stephen Birch, Sr., the original owner of Otay Ranch Agricultural Corp. in 1936, to the ranch foremen, bookkeepers and managers; and financial, agricultural, and employment records from 1936 through the 1980s. Also included is material relating to Birch family history, including copies of letters dating from the 1840s.

Otay Ranch, originally a land grant, named Rancho del Otay, by Mexican Governor Echeandia to Maria Estudillo and her brother Jose Antonio Estudillo, was owned and operated by Stephen Birch and his family from 1920 until the mid-1980s. During the 1800s, this area was important for the sheep operations that ran between Mexico and Southern California.

In 1920, Stephen Birch, the driving force behind the Alaska Copper and Coal Company, which eventually became the Kennecott Copper Company in 1915, bought Otay Ranch and many surrounding parcels of land, totalling about 30,000 acres. Birch was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1872, the second son of a wounded Union Army sergeant who died when Stephen was ten yeras old. Three years after his fathers death, Stephen's mother moved her family to Mahwah, New Jersey to be closer to family. Stephen attended Trinity School, New York University and Columbia School of Mines, receiving financial assistance from his New Jersey neighbors the Havermeyers of the American Sugar Refining Company. Stephen, along with many others went to Alaska to seek gold in 1898. He eventually formed a syndicate, enlisted the support of Daniel Guggenheim and J.P. Morgan and started the Alaska Copper and Coal Company in 1903. In 20 years, Birch controlled a major share of the world's copper production with mines in Alaska, the western United States, and South America, and maintained offices in New York. On June 24, 1916, Stephen married Mary Rand, daughter of Rufus R. Rand, president of Minneapolis Gas Light Company. The newlyweds settled in New York City and had two children, Stephen and Mary. In 1917 Stephen purchased the 730-acre Theodore Havemeyer estate in Mahwah, New Jersey, near where he had lived as a boy and named the estate Mahrapo Farm. He ran the farm as a purebred stock farm, specializing in Guernsey cows and Hampshire sheep. Mary Birch died of cancer in 1930, so Stephen's sister Emily moved to the farm to tend to the children. In 1938, Birch organized the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation to donate money to health services, hospitals, and civic organizations. Stephen Birch resigned as president of the Kennecott Copper Company in 1933 but continued on as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the company until he died on December 29, 1940 at the age of 68 following surgery. In addition to his positions with Kennecott and Otay Ranch, Birch was president and director of the Alaska Steamship Company, chairman of the board of directors of the Braden Copper Company, and a director of the Alaska Development and Mineral Company, the Banker's Trust Company of New York, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company, the Colorado and Southern Railway Company, and the Northern Pacific Railway Company. Birch is buried in Hartsdale New York.

Otay Ranch was a 30,000+ acre ranch at the initial purchase, growing to almost 90,000 acres, owned by Stephen Birch and his family. The ranch was a large cattle and agricultural operation east of San Diego. The ranch grew and harvested mostly barley, beans and grains, and tried a variety of different crops to test their ability to grow in the southern California climate. Otay Ranch employed a large number of locals, immigrant workers from Mexico and women. Management of the ranch was overseen from New York, so regular correspndence from Stephen Birch Sr., Stephen Birch Jr. and Robert Newell, the corporate manager in New York to T.R. Newbery, the Superintendent at the ranch, Edward Loula, the office manager during the 1950s and 1960s, and Collins Wilkie, the ranch manager during the 1950s and general manager of United Enterprises in 1977, are reflected within the records. The family who lived there, mainly daughter Mary Birch Patrick, and staff followed the rationing restrictions ordered by the government during World War II and sold supplies to the government for the war effort. The ranch expanded by continuing to purchase grazing land for herds of cattle, purchasing neighboring Rancho de la Nacion and Rancho Janal. The crops were sold to wholesalers in San Diego and Los Angeles after being shipped north. As the cities around Otay Ranch, specifically Chula Vista and National City, began to fill with people, Otay Ranch began to sell off parcels of land to developers. By the 1980s, Mary Birch Patrick and the corporation that oversaw operations on the ranch, United Enterprises, sold the ranch to developers for housing developments on Otay Mesa.

The records of Otay Ranch, a large tract of land south of San Diego, document the history of farming, ranching, field labor practices, and the daily dealings of a business farm in San Diego County. Otay Ranch was owned and operated by Stephen Birch and his descendents, his son Stephen Birch Jr. and his daughter Mary Birch Patrick.

Arranged in fifteen series: 1) ADMINISTRATIVE, 2) CORRESPONDENCE, 3) AGRICULTURE, 4) LIVESTOCK, 5) LABOR, 6) PROPERTY, 7) EQUIPMENT, 8) FINANCIAL, 9) INSURANCE, 10) BIRCH FOUNDATION, 11) MAHRAPO FARMS, 12) ORGANIZATIONS, 13) SUBJECT FILES, 14) MAPS, and 15) ORIGINALS OF PRESERVATION PHOTOCOPIES.

There is no box 175. The collection includes boxes with numbers 161-165, but the contents are not described in the finding aid.

Container List

ADMINISTRATIVE

Scope and Content of Series

SERIES 1) ADMINISTRATIVE: This series comprises yearly, quarterly and monthly reports, documenting daily weather reports, employee and cattle counts and permit requests; production reports from the years 1946 thru 1948; purchase orders from the late 1970s through 1987; rainfall records from 1938 through 1987; and weekly meeting minutes from 1978 through 1983. The series is arranged in two subseries: A) Administrative Files and B) United Enterprises.

A) The Administrative Files subseries contains documents of daily weather reports, labor counts, cattle counts, permit requests, production reports from the years 1946 through 1948, purchase orders from the late 1970s through 1987, rainfall records from 1938 through 1987 and weekly meeting minutes from 1978 through 1983. The subseries is arranged alphabetically.

B) The United Enterprises subseries contains daily chron files created and signed by United Enterprises, detailing daily management activities from 1978 through 1982.

Administrative Files

Box 1 Folder 1
Account code lists
Box 1 Folder 2
Azuma claim, 1973
Box 1 Folder 3
Boy Scout permits, 1968 - 1979
Box 1 Folder 4
House furnishings at Valley Farm house
Box 1 Folder 5
House furnishings main ranch buildings, pre-1970s
Box 1 Folder 6
Keys
Box 1 Folder 7
Navy Seals parachute jumps, 1967
Box 1 Folder 8
Notices, 1940
Box 1 Folder 9
Otay Winchester Shooting Range, 1969
Box 1 Folder 10
Permits, 1965 - 1982
Box 1 Folder 11
Expenses, office supplies
Box 1 Folder 12
Field reports, 1979
Box 1 Folder 13-14
General journal entries, 1957 - 1974
Box 1 Folder 15
Inventories, 1939 - 1940
Box 2 Folder 1
Inventories, 1971
Box 2 Folder 2
Inventory, 1938 - 1948
Box 2 Folder 3
Inventory calculations, 1980s
Box 2 Folder 4
Inventory data, 1977
Box 2 Folder 5-6
Inventory reports, 1976 - 1978

Monthly reports

Box 2 Folder 7
Correspondence, 1945 - 1946
Box 2 Folder 8-19
Daily weather conditions, labor roster and cattle count, January - December, 1949

Order books

Box 2 Folder 20
1937 - 1938
Box 2 Folder 21-22
1942 - 1961
Box 3 Folder 1
Ranch crop receipts, 1985
Box 3 Folder 2
Physical inventory worksheets, 1968

Production reports

Box 3 Folder 3-7
1946, April - 1948, June, 1946
Box 4 Folder 1
1948, July-December, 1948

Purchase orders

Box 4 Folder 2
1946
Box 4 Folder 3-4
1976 - 1977
Box 4 Folder 5-8
1980
Box 5 Folder 1-6
1981 - 1983
Box 6 Folder 1-5
1984 - 1987
Box 6 Folder 6
Purchase & payment receipts, 1971 - 1976
Box 7 Folder 1-2
Quarterly inventory reports, 1977 - 1978

Rainfall records

Box 7 Folder 3
1938 - 1986

Daily precipitation records

Box 7 Folder 4
Dept. of Special District Services, Flood Control Division and Department of Sanitation and Flood Control, 1975 - 1984
Box 7 Folder 5
Department of Sanitation and Flood Control, 1984
Box 7 Folder 6
Department of Special District Services, Flood Control Division and Department of Sanitation and Flood Control, 1984 - 1987
Box 7 Folder 7
Records and other dates disposed or burned, 1960s

Record of inventory

Box 7 Folder 8-13
1979 - 1982
Box 7 Folder 14-16
1985 - 1987

Requests for purchase orders

Box 8 Folder 1-7
1976, June - 1978, June
Box 9 Folder 1-6
1978, July - 1979, December
Box 9 Folder 7
Valley Farm Ranch weekly report - Includes feeding and seeding reports, 1953
Box 9 Folder 8
Weather reports, 1939 - 1940
Box 9 Folder 9
Weekly meetings, 1972 - 1973
Box 10 Folder 1
Weekly meeting minutes - Includes cattle inventory, 1978 - 1983

United Enterprises

Box 10 Folder 2
Industrial indemnity, 1984

Daily files

Box 10 Folder 3-8
1978 - 1980
Box 11 Folder 1-6
1981 - 1982
Box 12 Folder 1
Water purchased, 1978
Box 12 Folder 2
United Enterprises vs. Cappos, Nick and Ed Koucouvelis, 1963

CORRESPONDENCE

Scope and Content of Series

SERIES 2) CORRESPONDENCE: This series is arranged alphabetically by correspondent and dates from the 1930s through the 1980s with the bulk dating from the early 1930s through the 1950s. It contains correspondence between ranch owners, the superintendents at the ranch, the bookkeepers, the foremen and other ranch employees, and management in New Jersey and New York.

Box 12 Folder 3
A-Miscellaneous
Box 12 Folder 4
Adams Plantation, 1952 - 1955
Box 12 Folder 5
Anderson, Robert to Stephen Birch, 1938 - 1940
Box 12 Folder 6
B-Miscellaneous
Box 12 Folder 7
Baker, Phillip Pink, 1958 - 1959
Box 12 Folder 8
Birch, Mary, 1936 - 1946

Birch, Stephen

Box 12 Folder 9-13
1936 - 1940
Box 12 Folder 14
Miscellaneous memos
Box 13 Folder 1
Birch, Jr., Stephen, 1941 - 1956
Box 13 Folder 2
Birds, 1939 - 1941
Box 13 Folder 3
Bit-U-Cobe Southwest Company
Box 13 Folder 4
Bryant and Cookingham, Inc., 1937
Box 13 Folder 5
C-Miscellaneous
Box 13 Folder 6
California State Chamber of Commerce, 1956
Box 13 Folder 7
California Tax/Chamber of Commerce, 1941 - 1945
Box 13 Folder 8
Collins, Ray S., 1977
Box 13 Folder 9
Collins, Wilkie - [Ranch manager], 1954 - 1957
Box 13 Folder 10
Cox, Andrew, 1935 - 1939
Box 13 Folder 11
D-Miscellaneous
Box 13 Folder 12
Darnell, Larry, 1973 - 1976
Box 13 Folder 13
Dean, James, Aleutian, 1936
Box 13 Folder 14-15
Dinsmore, John Bell, 1936 - 1938
Box 13 Folder 16
Downing, C.E., 1936 - 1940
Box 14 Folder 1
Duplicate copies of letters - Originals in files (via airmail), 1940
Box 14 Folder 2
F-Miscellaneous
Box 14 Folder 3
Fridlund, Eva, 1957
Box 14 Folder 4
G-Miscellaneous
Box 14 Folder 5
H-Miscellaneous
Box 14 Folder 6
Halliday, Dick, 1940
Box 14 Folder 7
Hedrick and Sweetland, Inc., 1937 - 1938
Box 14 Folder 8
Hewicker, John A., 1941
Box 14 Folder 9
I-Miscellaneous
Box 14 Folder 10
J-Miscellaneous
Box 14 Folder 11
Johnson, H. Monroe, 1937
Box 14 Folder 12
K-Miscellaneous
Box 14 Folder 13
L-Miscellaneous
Box 14 Folder 14
Llanos, Ubaldo, 1939 - 1940
Box 14 Folder 15
Long Branch Ranch, 1973
Box 14 Folder 16
Loula, Edward - [Office manager, 1960s-1975], 1938 - 1975
Box 14 Folder 17
M-Miscellaneous
Box 14 Folder 18
McCarthy, N.B., 1941
Box 14 Folder 19
Morrin and Underwood, Inc., Realtors, 1957
Box 14 Folder 20
N-Miscellaneous
Box 14 Folder 21-22
Newbery, T.R. - [Ranch Superintendent], 1934 - 1950

Newell, Robert - [Manager in New York]

Box 14 Folder 23
1936 - 1939
Box 15 Folder 1-6
1938 - 1976
Box 15 Folder 7
Newell to T.R. Newbery, April 23, 1938 - January 4, 1941
Box 15 Folder 8
O-Miscellaneous
Box 15 Folder 9
Otay Ranch, 1941
Box 15 Folder 10
P-Miscellaneous
Box 15 Folder 11
The Pacific Molasses Company, 1941 - 1956
Box 15 Folder 12
R-Miscellaneous
Box 15 Folder 13
Refunds, 1939 - 1941
Box 15 Folder 14
S-Miscellaneous
Box 15 Folder 15
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company, 1940 - 1942
Box 15 Folder 16
San Diego Gas and Electric Company, 1941 - 1943

Scarbery, D.E. - [Ranch Superintendent, 1938-1940]

Box 15 Folder 17
1938
Box 16 Folder 1-2
1939 - 1940
Box 16 Folder 3
Schutte, James E. - [Ranch Foreman 1950s-1970s], 1959 - 1977
Box 16 Folder 4
Sillers Paint and Varnish Co., 1943
Box 16 Folder 5
Southern Equipment and Supply Company, 1941
Box 16 Folder 6
Spencer, J.M., 1936
Box 16 Folder 7
Steele, Bob, 1957 - 1965
Box 16 Folder 8
T-Miscellaneous
Box 16 Folder 9
Telegrams, 1939 - 1946

[Originals located in Preservation Photocopy folders].

Box 16 Folder 10
U-Miscellaneous
Box 16 Folder 11
Uffman, John, 1938
Box 16 Folder 12
United States Department of Agriculture, 1943 - 1945
Box 16 Folder 13
United States Guarantee Company, 1942
Box 16 Folder 14
W-Miscellaneous
Box 16 Folder 15
Warehouse Report, 1944
Box 16 Folder 16
Western Metal Supply Co., 1938 - 1943
Box 16 Folder 17
Wilson, John W., 1954
Box 16 Folder 18
Y-Miscellaneous
Box 16 Folder 19
Copied Materials

AGRICULTURE

Scope and Content of Series

SERIES 3) AGRICULTURE: This series contains information on crop production, the types of crops, planting, irrigating, fertilizing, and crop sales. It documents the process of growing crops in the San Diego area climate and is arranged into five subseries: A) Crop Data, B) Crop Sales, C) Irrigation, D) Pesticides, Fertilizers and Conservation and E) Miscellaneous.

A) The Crop Data subseries contains inventories and data on crop production from planting to harvest, from the early 1930s through 1986, with the majority of the data from the 1930s to the 1950s.

B) The Crop Sales subseries contains documents such as contracts and requests from wholesalers on the sales of the various crops produced at the ranch.

C) The Irrigation subseries contains information on the water systems used on the ranch and water contracts.

D) The Pesticides, Fertilizers and Conservation subseries contains information on how the crops were cultivated and the type of materials used to produce the best crop.

E) The Miscellaneous subseries contains documents on acreage, storage of crops, and supply information.

Crop Data

Box 17 Folder 1
Acreage survey for crops, 1970
Box 17 Folder 2
Agricultural records, 1956 - 1976

Barley

Box 17 Folder 3
Planting, 1938 - 1940
Box 17 Folder 4
Harvest, 1941
Box 17 Folder 5
1958 - 1959
Box 17 Folder 6-7
1985 - 1986
Box 17 Folder 8
Barley and wheat - Report of areas planted, 1978
Box 17 Folder 9
Barley grain, barley hay, barley straw, 1974 - 1977
Box 17 Folder 10-11
Barley hay records, 1978 - 1979
Box 17 Folder 12
Barley inventory - Alfalfa, wheat, wheat straw, wheat seed, barley seed, iodized salt and office store rooms, 1979 - 1982
Box 17 Folder 13
Barley - Mill run daily count, 1953
Box 17 Folder 14
Barley planting schedule, 1984
Box 17 Folder 15
Bean harvest, 1939
Box 17 Folder 16-17
Bean straw, 1936 - 1938 & 1941
Box 17 Folder 18
Comparative data - Annual field crop summary, 1939
Box 17 Folder 19
Crop conditions and general operations - Clippings, 1953 - 1956
Box 17 Folder 20-21
Crop inventory - Includes beanstraw, deferred expenses, hay record, inventory of farm equipment and tractor hours report, 1937 - 1938
Box 18 Folder 1
Crop production - Spreadsheets, 1950 - 1958
Box 18 Folder 2-4
Crop production, 1979 - 1980 & 1982

Crop records

Box 18 Folder 6
1949 - 1966
Box 18 Folder 7
1984 - 1985

Crop reports

Box 18 Folder 8
1939 - 1941
Box 18 Folder 9
1956 - 1957. Includes a report with field numbers and corresponding acreage
Box 18 Folder 10
1964 - 1971
Box 18 Folder 11
Crop and weight documents, 1965 - 1984
Box 18 Folder 12
Garbanzos - Planting, 1939 - 1940

Grain

Box 18 Folder 13-14
1936 - 1937
Box 18 Folder 15
Harvest, 1939 - 1940
Box 18 Folder 16
Storage - San Diego munic. warehouse, 1939 - 1940
Box 19 Folder 1
Planting - Includes a ranch map, 1940 - 1942
Box 19 Folder 2
Harvest, 1942
Box 19 Folder 3
Grass, 1939 - 1941
Box 19 Folder 4
Inventory, 1973 - 1984

Lima beans

Box 19 Folder 5
1939 - 1940
Box 19 Folder 6-7
Planting, 1939 - 1941
Box 19 Folder 8-9
Harvest, 1941 - 1942
Box 19 Folder 10
Food Order #45, 1943 - 1945
Box 19 Folder 11
Planting, 1942 - 1944
Box 19 Folder 12
Macadamia and lychee crops, 1954 - 1955
Box 19 Folder 13
Material consumed from own crops, 1969
Box 19 Folder 14
Materials consumed for own use - Otay Ranch ledger, 1976 - 1977
Box 19 Folder 15
Mustard seed, 1938
Box 19 Folder 16
Oats - Planting, 1939
Box 19 Folder 17
Oat hay, 1941

Orchids

Box 19 Folder 18
1938 - 1939
Box 20 Folder 1-2
1939 - 1940
Box 20 Folder 3
Plantings, experimental, 1939
Box 20 Folder 4-5
Planting reports, 1939 - 1940 & 1942
Box 20 Folder 6
Planting schedule, 1979
Box 20 Folder 7
Production records - Spreadsheets, 1940
Box 20 Folder 8
Proposed crop plan, 1954 - 1956
Box 20 Folder 9
Proposed plantings, 1941 - 1948
Box 20 Folder 10-11
Seed, grain and beans, 1939 - 1943
Box 20 Folder 12
Sesame, 1954 - 1956
Box 20 Folder 13
Sorghum, 1955 - 1957
Box 20 Folder 14 Oversize FB-446-01
Weekly barley quotations, 1966 - 1973

Wheat

Box 20 Folder 15
Planting, 1939
Box 20 Folder 16
Harvest, 1941
Box 20 Folder 17
Wheat and barley, 1981
Box 20 Folder 18
Wheat germ - Research data, 1942
Box 20 Folder 19
Wildoats - Spraying control, 1954 - 1955

Crop Sales

Box 20 Folder 20
Alfalfa sales - Deal with J. Smith, 1970
Box 20 Folder 21
Barley sales and harvest, 1953 - 1958
Box 21 Folder 1-2
Barley sales, Transport by Cargil Co., 1974 - 1975
Box 21 Folder 3
Bean straw, 1938 - 1939
Box 21 Folder 4
Bills of lading, 1938 - 1940
Box 21 Folder 5
Campo cattle feeders, 1967 - 1968
Box 21 Folder 6
Ceilings on hay, 1945
Box 21 Folder 7
Cost of sales, 1940 - 1947
Box 21 Folder 8
Feed certificates and resale permits, 1967 - 1985
Box 21 Folder 9
Grain, 1938 - 1939
Box 21 Folder 10
Grain sales, 1944 - 1950
Box 21 Folder 11
Grain contracts, 1973
Box 21 Folder 12
Harrison and Riedy Grain Co., 1966 - 1970
Box 21 Folder 13
Lima beans, 1938 - 1941
Box 22 Folder 1
Lima bean sales, 1944 - 1950
Box 22 Folder 2 Oversize FB-493-03
Los Angeles grain market quotations - Wheat, oat, barley, 1938 - 1939
Box 22 Folder 3
Molasses, 1944
Box 22 Folder 4
Oat hay, 1942 - 1951

Public weighmaster

Box 22 Folder 5
1936 - 1957
Box 22 Folder 6
1976 - 1983
Box 22 Folder 7
Sale of sacks, 1954
Box 22 Folder 8
Weighmasters certificate of weight and measure, 1982
Box 22 Folder 9
Wheat, 1942 - 1945

Irrigation

Box 22 Folder 10
California water program, 1955
Box 22 Folder 11
City of San Diego - Accounts of water purchased, 1974 - 1981
Box 22 Folder 12 Oversize FB-493-01
Graphed rainfall records, 1938 - 1980
Box 22 Folder 13
Irrigation pipe Line, 1939
Box 22 Folder 14-15
Irrigation systems, 1939 - 1941
Box 22 Folder 16
Map of water holes in Otay Valley

Draft.

Otay Municipal Water District

Box 23 Folder 1
Correspondence and contract, 1962 - 1963
Box 23 Folder 2-4
Accounts of water purchased, 1974 - 1982
Box 23 Folder 5
Rain, 1939 - 1941
Box 23 Folder 6
Rainfall records, January - February 1957
Box 23 Folder 7
Unfinished projects - Water development and reduction of equipment repair charges, 1960
Box 23 Folder 8
Water development, 1939 - 1940
Box 23 Folder 9
Water meter (Account #81), 1961 - 1967
Box 23 Folder 10
Water meter reading cards, 1962 - 1965
Box 23 Folder 11
Water meters, 1936 - 1950
Box 23 Folder 12
Water projects, 1951 - 1961
Box 23 Folder 13
Water records, 1972 - 1973
Box 23 Folder 14
Water rights, 1942
Box 24 Folder 1
Water systems, 1938
Box 24 Folder 2
Water systems - Headquarters, 1942 - 1950
Box 24 Folder 3
Wells, 1953 - 1954

Pesticides, Fertilizers and Conservation

Box 24 Folder 4
Agricultural conservation program, 1940
Box 24 Folder 5
Crops - Spraying, 1954 - 1955
Box 24 Folder 6
Fertilizer, 1938 - 1939
Box 24 Folder 7
Fertilizer and seed, 1953 - 1956
Box 24 Folder 8
Field boundaries - Changes, etc
Box 24 Folder 9
Morning glory treatment, 1947
Box 24 Folder 10
Notice to hold commodities on premises - Morning glory contamination, 1958
Box 24 Folder 11
Pest control, 1939 - 1940
Box 24 Folder 12
Range conservation and land reclamation, 1928 - 1940
Box 24 Folder 13
Rodent control, 1938 - 1945
Box 24 Folder 14
Soil bank program, 1956 - 1957
Box 24 Folder 15
Soil conservation - Department of Agriculture and University of California, 1955 - 1957
Box 24 Folder 16
Weed control, 1939 - 1943

Miscellaneous

Box 24 Folder 17
Acreage data, 1939 - 1940
Box 24 Folder 18
Bags - Ames Harris Neville, 1935 - 1939
Box 24 Folder 19
Bags, sacks and twine, 1944 - 1950
Box 24 Folder 20
Bags, twine, etc., 1942 - 1943
Box 24 Folder 21
Bemis Bro. Bag Co., 1935 - 1939

LIVESTOCK

Scope and Content of Series

SERIES 4) LIVESTOCK: The ranch was involved in buying, selling and breeding cattle. This series documents the purchases and sales of cattle and horses by the ranch.

American Hereford Association

Box 25 Folder 1
Cattle transactions, 1940 - 1955
Box 25 Folder 2
Purebred Hereford calves for registry, 1953
Box 25 Folder 3
Registration, 1955

American Hereford Record

Box 25 Folder 4
Applications for transfer, 1942 - 1958
Box 25 Folder 5
Certificate of entry - Cows, 1942 - 1956
Box 25 Folder 6
Certificate of entry, 1950
Box 25 Folder 7
American Polled Hereford Association - Birth records, 1944 - 1946
Box 25 Folder 8
American Polled Hereford birth records - 0-69 to 0-295, 1942 - 1944
Box 25 Folder 9
American Polled Hereford Breeders Association - Certificates of sale, 1951 - 1958

American Polled Hereford Association - Certificate of entry

Box 25 Folder 10
Cows, 1942 - 1953
Box 25 Folder 11
Purebred cows, 1948 - 1955
Box 25 Folder 12
Bulls, 1949 - 1955
Box 25 Folder 13-14
Brand inspection certificate, 1970 & 1973 - 1974
Box 25 Folder 15
Brand renewals, 1938 - 1961
Box 25 Folder 16
Branding reports, 1980s
Box 26 Folder 1
Breeding - Book No. 1, Bulls, 1950 - 1953
Box 26 Folder 2
Calf weights, 1954 - 1955
Box 26 Folder 3-5
Cattle, 1941 - 1957 & 1972
Box 26 Folder 6
Cattle account No. 365, 1958
Box 26 Folder 7
Cattle acquisitions, 1937 - 1938
Box 26 Folder 8
Cattle - Bill of sales, 1954 - 1975

Cattle inventory

Box 26 Folder 9
Number of steers, cows, calves, heifers and bulls, 1938
Box 26 Folder 10-11
1972 & undated

Animal death reports

Box 26 Folder 12-15
1979 - 1982
Box 26 Folder 16-17
1984 - 1986
Box 26 Folder 18
Closeout summaries, 1971 - 1973
Box 26 Folder 19-21
Cows and bulls, 1979 & 1984 - 1986
Box 26 Folder 22
Cows and bulls by pasture, 1973 - 1975
Box 27 Folder 1
Employees, 1971 - 1973

Feed reports

Box 27 Folder 2-3
1981 - 1982
Box 27 Folder 4-5
1984 - 1986
Box 27 Folder 6
Form 7101, Cattle move record, 1974
Box 27 Folder 7
Form 7102, Branding reports, 1972
Box 27 Folder 8
Form 7103, Dead animal report, 1972 - 1974
Box 27 Folder 9
Form 7104, Increase/decrease in livestock, 1971 - 1974
Box 27 Folder 10
Form 7106, Cattle sales records, 1971 - 1973
Box 27 Folder 11
Form 7106/7107, Purchase record, 1971 - 1974
Box 27 Folder 12
Form 7107, Feed reports, 1972 - 1974
Box 27 Folder 13
Form 7108, Foreign cattle received, 1973
Box 27 Folder 14
Herefords, 1948 - 1955
Box 27 Folder 15
Medication/innoculation
Box 27 Folder 16-18
Overall Records, 1980 - 1983
Box 27 Folder 19
Profit and loss statements, 1971 - 1972

Cattle move records

Box 27 Folder 20-22
1971 - 1972
Box 28 Folder 1-3
1979 - 1983
Box 28 Folder 4
Cattle purchase from Aubrey Sears, 1938
Box 28 Folder 5
Cattle - Range herd, 1938 - 1957
Box 28 Folder 6-7
Cattle sales, 1941 - 1946
Box 28 Folder 8
Cattle sales - Orita Land and Cattle Co., 1973 - 1975
Box 28 Folder 9
Cows, 1945 - 1955
Box 28 Folder 10
Feed grinding, 1941 - 1942
Box 28 Folder 11
Horses, 1938 - 1974
Box 28 Folder 12
Livestock head - Day tax return, 1972 - 1973
Box 28 Folder 13
Photograph - Jim Horn with bull
Box 28 Folder 14
Record of performance, UC College of Agriculture, 1953 - 1954
Box 28 Folder 15
Reports - Number of cattle and feed costs, 1950 - 1952
Box 29 Folder 1
Supplies, 1954 - 1956
Box 29 Folder 2
Valley Game Farm, 1939 - 1942
Box 29 Folder 3
Valley Game Farm - Purchasing Birds, 1927 - 1941
Box 29 Folder 4
Accommodation purchases - Employees, 1943 - 1945
Box 29 Folder 5
Applications for employment, 1939 - 1943

LABOR

Scope and Content of Series

SERIES 5) LABOR: The series documents the labor required on the farm. It includes information on individuals hired, when they left, and the work they performed. It is arranged in four subseries: A) Employees, B) Time Reports, C) Cattle and Work Schedules and D) Work Orders.

A) The Employees subseries is arranged alphabetically and includes applications for employment, employment permits, employee housing and accommodations, and labor and wage reports. Also included are three card file boxes which contain employee information cards.

B) The Time Reports subseries, arranged chronologically from 1937 through 1983, contains employee time reports. C) The Cattle and Work Schedules, arranged chronologically from 1979 through 1983, document the work employees did with cattle.

D) The Work Orders subseries documents the daily work required on the ranch, including mending fences, clearing brush, harvesting, etc. and who performed the work. The subseries is arranged chronologically from 1938 through 1983.

Employees

Box 29 Folder 6-8
Barbecue, 1946 & 1974 - 1975
Box 29 Folder 9
Boarding house deductions, 1944 - 1946
Box 29 Folder 10
Cattle Supervisors time-off due to Sunday Work, 1980
Box 29 Folder 11
Employee savings accounts (withheld), 1951 - 1974
Box 29 Folder 12
Housing, 1946 - 1970
Box 29 Folder 13
Labor costs, 1973
Box 29 Folder 14
Labor cost reports, 1975
Box 30 Folder 1
Mexican national farm labor - Includes correspondence and a draft "Individual Work Agreement", 1943 - 1945
Box 30 Folder 2
Minor's employment permits
Box 30 Folder 3
Mitchell, R. I., 1964 - 1967
Box 30 Folder 4
Pancake breakfast, 1971
Box 30 Folder 5
Ranch operations - Includes material regarding labor distribution in 1941, correspondence regarding animal husbandry and correspondence regarding permission to hunt on Otay Ranch, 1941 - 1966
Box 30 Folder 6
Reports of labor - Includes correspondence regarding wage-scale, employment verification, employee rosters, inquiries for employment, and lists of women employed as bean pickers, 1936 - 1939
Box 30 Folder 7
Selective Service System, 1942 - 1945
Box 30 Folder 8
Vacation planner - Temporary help planner, 1980
Box 30 Folder 9
Wage rates and benefits, 1970 - 1973
Box 30 Folder 10
Wages, 1934 - 1943
Box 30 Folder 11
Wilke Collins' employee file, 1953 - 1966

Employee information cards

Box 31
A - Ft
Box 32
G - Pk
Box 33
Pl - Z

Time Reports

Box 34 Folder 1
Daily labor sheets, 1938

Reports

Box 34 Folder 2-3
1937 - 1941, 1937
Box 34 Folder 4
1965
Box 34 Folder 5-7
1967, June - August
Box 35 Folder 1-2
1975
Box 35 Folder 3-4
1977
Box 35 Folder 5-9
1978 - 1980, Temporary
Box 36 Folder 1-2
1980 - 1981, Temporary
Box 36 Folder 3
1983

Cattle and Work Shedules

Box 36 Folder 4-6
1979 - 1980
Box 37 Folder 1-6
1980 & 1982 - 1983

Work Orders

Box 38 Folder 1-2
Work assignment, 1942
Box 38 Folder 3
Work assignment schedule, 1941

Work orders

Box 38 Folder 4
AC 45-General water system, 1938 - 1964
Box 38 Folder 5
Diesel engine and water pumps, 1963 - 1972
Box 38 Folder 6
Fence repair jobs, 1970 - 1973
Box 38 Folder 7
Job 50-2 - Culvert-Ranch Rd., 1973
Box 38 Folder 8
Oil roads, 1969

Work order records

Box 38 Folder 9
1976
Box 38 Folder 10-12
1978
Box 39 Folder 1-7
1978 - 1979
Box 40 Folder 1-7
1979, April - July
Box 41 Folder 1-5
1979, July - September
Box 42 Folder 1-6
1979, September - December
Box 43 Folder 1-6
1979 - 1980
Box 44 Folder 1-2
1980
Box 44 Folder 3
Generastors, 1950
Box 44 Folder 4
Water trough in field 21, 1973
Box 44 Folder 5
Well 45-1 - Miller Place, 1970
Box 44 Folder 6
Well 45-2 - Jamul, 1970
Box 44 Folder 7
Well repair, 1970
Box 44 Folder 8
Work permits, 1945

PROPERTY

Scope and Content of Series

SERIES 6) PROPERTY: This series contains information on ranch property and buildings and the management of them. It is arranged alphabetically in three subseries: A) Facilities, B) Land and C) Security.

A) The Facilities subseries includes papers on the construction, maintenance and work performed on the ranch buidings and fencing.

B) The Land subseries documents land purchases, acreage and any other improvements made to the land, and includes land leases made by the ranch.

C) The Security subseries has documentation of daily visitors and requests for more patrolling by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department of the perimeter of the ranch.

Facilities

Box 44 Folder 9
Work schedules, 1983

Building A/C 40

Box 44 Folder 10
General
Box 44 Folder 11
Multiple prop. nos., 1958
Box 44 Folder 12
Single not - Building appliances info and warranties, 1970s - 1980s
Box 44 Folder 13
Building 41, 1976
Box 44 Folder 14
Building 42, 1973
Box 44 Folder 15
Buildings 45-46, 1972
Box 44 Folder 16
Building 121, 1965
Box 44 Folder 17
Building 190, 1973
Box 44 Folder 18
Building construction, 1940 - 1960

Building repairs

Box 44 Folder 19
1940 - 1941
Box 44 Folder 20
Miscellaneous, 1968 - 1969
Box 44 Folder 21
Otay Ranch, 1940
Box 44 Folder 22
Bunkhouse, 1938
Box 44 Folder 23
California Adobe Products - Promotional pictures of adobe houses built by the company

See "Bunkhouse, 1938".

Box 44 Folder 24
Cement cellar, 1938
Box 44 Folder 25
Chula Vista Community Hospital Road, sold to City of Chula Vista, 1973
Box 45 Folder 1
Construction projects, 1938 - 1939
Box 45 Folder 2
Contractor agreements - Between Otay Ranch and external contractors for construction, etc., 1938 - 1943
Box 45 Folder 3 Oversize FB-493-02
Depreciable property (except animals), 1940s
Box 45 Folder 4-5
Electrical contracts, 1930s - 1960s
Box 45 Folder 6
Electrical service, 1939 - 1962
Box 45 Folder 7
Fence 47-6 - Southwest perimeter
Box 45 Folder 8
Fence 47-7 - South perimeter, (N. side of Beckley Mesa)
Box 45 Folder 9
Fence 47-8 - Interior between fields 31/27 and 17/23
Box 45 Folder 10
Fence 47-9 - Interior from main entrance along field 40 to Peggi Cy., 1971
Box 45 Folder 11
Fence 47-10 - Perimeter fence along west end of Tel. Cy. Rd. Project cancelled, 1971
Box 45 Folder 12
Fence 47-11 - Interior, 1971
Box 45 Folder 13
Fence 47-13 - Interior from Pggi Cy. along field 6 to Tel. Cy. Rd
Box 45 Folder 14
Fence 47-14 - Interior east-west between fields 26A and 26B
Box 45 Folder 15
Fence 47-15 - River Bottom, 1972
Box 45 Folder 16
Fence 47-16 - Interior, east-west in Pggi Cy. along field 21, 1972
Box 45 Folder 17
Fence 47-17 - Interior, L-shape, Rancho de la Nacion (enclosing Hospital site), area of field 43
Box 45 Folder 18
Fence 47-18, 1972
Box 45 Folder 19
Fence 47-22, 1972
Box 45 Folder 20
Fence 47-23 - Interior, field 52 area, 1973
Box 45 Folder 21-22
Fence repairs, 1936 - 1940

Fences

Box 45 Folder 23
1939 - 1941
Box 45 Folder 24
Multiple numbers or no numbers assigned
Box 45 Folder 25
Tenant, 1975 - 1980
Box 45 Folder 26
Fencing material, 1977
Box 46 Folder 1
Hayshed, 1936
Box 46 Folder 2
House furnishings at main ranch buildings, 1940 - 1950
Box 46 Folder 3
Machine shed, 1937
Box 46 Folder 4
Map of Baker Place, undated
Oversize MC-151-05
Maps of buildings, 1940-1960
Box 46 Folder 5
Mobile home, 1952
Box 46 Folder 6
New houses, 1965
Box 46 Folder 7
Quonset hut barn - Includes blueprints, building permits and correspondences, 1946
Box 46 Folder 8
Roads, 1939 - 1942
Box 46 Folder 9
Rearing pens at Valley Ranch, 1937
Box 46 Folder 10
Roofing, 1938
Box 46 Folder 11
Septic tanks, 1970 - 1980
Box 46 Folder 12
Smith house off Telegraph Canyon, 1938
Box 46 Folder 13
Trailer park, 1973
Box 46 Folder 14
Telephone data, 1938
Box 46 Folder 15
Telephone, 1978 - 1984
Box 46 Folder 16
Utilities - Photocopies of ledger entries and billing statements, 1974 - 1980
Box 47 Folder 1
Indexes and maps - Log of property numbers assigned, 1970

Land

Box 47 Folder 2
Access to ranch property
Box 47 Folder 3
Acreage changes, 1969 - 1970
Box 47 Folder 4
Diamond 'A' Farms, (A.J. Ashkar) - Turned over to Gray, Cary, Ames and Frye, 1967
Box 47 Folder 5-6
Easements and rights of way, 1938 - 1961
Box 47 Folder 7
Farm leases, 1969 - 1972
Box 48 Folder 1-2
Farm leases, 1969 - 1972
Box 48 Folder 3
Grant of easement - California Water and Telephone Company, 1951

Land acquisition

Box 48 Folder 4
Coogan Unit, 1937
Box 48 Folder 5
Land of interest, 1939 - 1941
Box 48 Folder 6
Miscellaneous, 1939 - 1976
Box 48 Folder 7
Purchased, 1937 - 1939
Box 49 Folder 1
Purchased, 1940 - 1941
Box 49 Folder 2
Tax delinquent sales, 1937
Box 49 Folder 3
Land deals, 1941 - 1962
Box 49 Folder 4
Land development, 1939 - 1941

Land leases

Box 49 Folder 5-6
1937 - 1947
Box 49 Folder 7
Accounting data, 1937 - 1953
Box 49 Folder 8
City, 1939
Box 49 Folder 9
C. Gonzalez, 1940
Box 49 Folder 10
General, 1939 - 1940
Box 49 Folder 11
McClaren, J.J. and Yamamoto, John, 1954
Box 49 Folder 12
Nelson and Sloan, 1955
Box 49 Folder 13
Taylor Grazing Act, 1938 - 1939
Box 49 Folder 14
Lease, El Monte Imports, 1972

Lease records

Box 49 Folder 15
Account 30,90,247, 1963 - 1974
Box 50 Folder 1
Building tenants and building employees, 1968 - 1973
Box 50 Folder 2
Tenant's land, tenant's grazing privileges and account 395, 1971 - 1972
Box 50 Folder 3
Leased property, 1940

Leases - Expired and cancelled

Box 50 Folder 4-5
1936 - 1946
Box 50 Folder 6-7
1948 - 1960
Box 50 Folder 8
Leases and agreements, 1941 - 1963
Box 50 Folder 9
Maps of Chula Vista Farms and Otay Ranch

Otay Winchester Shooting Range

Box 50 Folder 10
Miscellaneous, 1968
Box 50 Folder 11
Ammo shelf count, 1966
Box 51 Folder 1
Ammo shelf count, 1966
Box 51 Folder 2
Score card, 1968
Box 51 Folder 3
Property lines, 1971
Box 51 Folder 4
Rancho de la Nacion, 1966 - 1967
Box 51 Folder 5
Right of way agreements, 1973
Box 51 Folder 6
Surveys, 1936 - 1938
Oversize FB-446 Folder 13
Photographs, undated

Three black and white photographs of farming land, fields, and equipment.

Security

Box 51 Folder 7-8
Daily visitor log, 1980 - 1983
Box 51 Folder 9
Log of daily visitors, 1978
Box 51 Folder 10
Pinkerton reports, 1956
Box 51 Folder 11
San Diego County Association For Retarded - Quit deed, 1970 - 1983

Security patrol daily log

Box 51 Folder 12-13
1976 - 1978
Box 52 Folder 1
1978, January - April
Box 52 Folder 2
Signs - Otay Ranch, 1938
Box 52 Folder 3
Trespassing reports, 1970

EQUIPMENT

Scope and Content of Series

SERIES 7) EQUIPMENT: The series documents the acquisition, maintenance and sale of farm equipment including vehicles, harvesting tools and the fuel required by the ranch. It is arranged in three sub series: A) Vehicles, B) Fuel and C) Farm Implements.

A) The Vehicles subseries contains vehicle registrations from 1936 through 1978. The ranch workers were required to have special permits for different vehicles and those are also included as well as documents on the purchase of vehicles.

B) The Fuel subseries contains documentation on fuel purchased for the vehicles and farm implements, and on any fuel rationing the ranch was required to follow during war times.

C) In the Farm Implements subseries there is information on tractors, harvesting combines and other farm machinery. There are also ledgers that document the monthly costs of maintaining farm implements.

Vehicles

Box 52 Folder 4
Authorized vehicles - Includes bumper sticker with Otay Ranch brand, 1979
Box 52 Folder 5
Lists of cars and trucks
Box 52 Folder 6
Miscellaneous vehicle purchase records, 1945 - 1971
Box 52 Folder 7
Vehicle #903, 1953 - 1972
Box 52 Folder 8
Vehicle purchases, 1968 - 1973

Vehicle registration

Box 52 Folder 9
Correspondences, 1946 - 1974
Box 52 Folder 10-13
Correspondence and inventory lists, 1936 - 1978

Fuel

Box 52 Folder 14
Diesel fuel purchases, 1939 - 1946
Box 52 Folder 15
Fuel, oil-diesel, 1938 - 1939

Fuel consumption

Box 52 Folder 16
1936