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Inventory to the papers of Rollo Howard and Ida Menzies Beck at the Academy of Sciences Library MSS.036

Finding aid prepared by Barbara West, Research Associate California Academy of Sciences Archives 55 Music Concourse Drive Golden Gate Park San Francisco, CA, 94118 415-379-5484 [email protected] May, 2008

MSS.036 1 Descriptive Summary Title: Beck (Rollo Howard and Ida Menzies) collection Collection number: MSS.036 Repository: California Academy of Sciences, Special Collections 55 Music Concourse Drive Golden Gate Park San Francisco, CA 94118 Languages: Materials are in English. Physical Description: 17.88 Cubic feet1 records center carton, 52 archives boxes (some oversize, some glass negative boxes), 1 rolled item Date (inclusive): 1885-1985 Abstract: Consists of papers relating to Rollo Beck's life, primarily but not exclusively his life as a collector. Included are papers relating to expeditions to the Galápagos (5 starts, 4 completed trips), South America and parts of the , the South Seas, and Alaska (two trips). The collection includes negatives, prints and lantern slides of his travels, as well some of his life as a farmer. Creator: Beck, Ida Menzies, 1883-1970 Creator: Beck, Rollo Howard, 1870-1950 Biographical note Rollo Howard Beck was born August 26, 1870, in Los Gatos, California. When he was six, his family moved a few miles to Berryessa, now a district of San Jose, California. Over an active career that lasted nearly 60 years, Beck became the best known bird and reptile collector of the time, despite having only completed school through part of eighth grade. After leaving school Beck went to work for several local farmers, one of whom was also an amateur ornithologist. From him Beck learned to prepare skins and to identify birds using Elliott Coues' Key to North American Birds. He joined both the American Ornithologists' Union and Cooper Ornithological Club (now Society) in 1894, establishing lifelong contact with other ornithologists both locally and nationally. In 1897 Beck joined the Webster-Harris Expedition, financed by the Hon. Walter Rothschild. This trip went to the Galápagos where Beck learned a great deal about finding and collecting tortoises and birds, Rothschild's twin passions. In 1901 and 1902 Beck financed two more collecting trips to the Galápagos Islands, searching for specimens to sell to Rothschild and to others. The first expedition Beck led for the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) was a three and a half month collecting expedition to the Revillagigedos Islands, off the coast of Baja California, in 1903. In 1905, CAS asked him to lead an expedition to the Galápagos. A ship, three fulltime crew and 7 other collectors who also served as sailor-scientists were assembled by the Academy. The expedition was gone for 17 months and was in the islands for a year and a day - the longest Galápagos collecting expedition. They returned with 76,000 items – birds, tortoises, insects, reptiles, snails, marine mammals, plants and rocks. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, which destroyed almost everything held by the Museum, occurred while they were gone, so their collections formed the basis of the new California Academy of Sciences. Beck married Ida May Menzies in August 1909. They lived in Berryessa and Pacific Grove, California for the next few years. From 1907-1912 Beck collected water-birds inland and sea birds along the California coast and out to sea for CAS and also for the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California, Berkeley. He invented "chumming" for sea birds. Taking some meat scraps with him in a small boat he would row due west for a few miles, tossing out scraps every so often. He would then reverse course, collecting the sea birds that appeared along this food-rich track. He established records for many sea birds which hadn't been previously recorded in northern California. In 1911 he was employed to go to Alaska for a five and a half month trip with A.C. Bent and , both notable ornithologists. There they collected around islands and around Nome. Again in 1919 he was asked by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to collect in Alaska. Beck worked for the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) from 1912-1917, collecting all around the coast of South America and offshore islands, and through the Caribbean. Mrs. Beck accompanied him for much of the time in spite of her chronic seasickness. In 1920 the AMNH asked him to lead the Whitney Expedition to the South Seas. Again Mrs. Beck accompanied him and he led this expedition until 1928. Immediately after leaving this expedition Mr. Whitney asked him to continue to collect New Guinea, alone. The Becks spent another 9 months doing this, and then returned to California in 1930.

MSS.036 2 In 1924 he had purchased a fruit farm in Planada CA, near Merced. After returning from the Whitney Expedition he spent the rest of his life farming and observing and collecting birds in central California. He died November 22, 1950, at age 80. Ida Beck stayed on the farm for several years, then moved to San Jose CA to live with relatives. She died in 1970, age 87. 1870 Rollo Howard Beck born 1894 Joined American Ornithologists' Union and Cooper Ornithological Club 1897 Hired by the California Academy of Sciences to collect birds in the Channel Islands, CA 1897 Hired as member of Rothschild Expedition to the Galapagos Islands 1897-1910 Intermittently affiliated with the California Academy of Sciences as a field collector 1903 Revillagigedos Islands Expedition for the California Academy of Sciences 1905-1906 Galapagos Expedition for California Academy of Sciences 1909 Marriage to Ida Menzies 1910-1912 Affiliation with the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology 1911 Interrupting his affiliation with the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, he made a collecting trip to Alaska with A.C. Bent and Alexander Wetmore 1912-1917 Brewster-Sanford Expedition, South America and the Caribbean, for the American Museum of Natural History 1912-1929 Affiliation with the American Museum of Natural History 1919 Collected in Alaska for the American Museum of Natural History 1920-1929 Leader of Whitney South Seas Expedition for the American Museum of Natural History 1930-1950 Farmed in central California. Observed and collected birds for the California Department of Fish & Wildlife 1950 Died Organizational note Organized into the following series: Series 1: Biographical Materials; Series 2: Corresponence; Series 3: Field Journals and Notes; Series 4: Legal, Financial, and Related Papers; Series 5: Other Papers; Series 6: Photo Lists and Photographic Materials. Conditions governing access Access is unrestricted. Immediate Source of Acquisition Most of the papers and many of the photographs were donated to the California Academy of Sciences by Beck family members in 1969, 1985 and 1986. Arrangement note Arrangement varies by series. Preferred citation Rollo Howard and Ida Menzies Beck papers, California Academy of Sciences Library, San Francisco, CA Reproduction All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction. Scope and Content Consists of papers relating to Rollo Beck's life, primarily but not exclusively his life as a collector. Included are papers relating to expeditions to the Galápagos (5 starts, 4 completed trips), South America and parts of the Caribbean, the South Seas, and Alaska (two trips). The collection includes negatives, prints and lantern slides of his travels, as well some of his life as a farmer. Subjects and Indexing Terms American Museum of Natural History. Cooper Ornithological Club of the Pacific Coast. Beck, Rollo Howard, 1870-1950 California Academy of Sciences. Scientific expeditions--South America. Scientific expeditions--New Guinea, Dutch. New Guinea. Alaska. South America. Scientific expeditions--Oceania.

MSS.036 3 Galapagos Islands. Scientific expeditions--Alaska. Oceania. Scientific expeditions--Galapagos Islands.

Series 1: Biographical Materials undated

Box 1, Folder 1 Autobiographies and obituaries 1918, 1936, 1950 Box 1, Folder 2 Materials about Beck's life, mostly created after his death Series 2: Correspondence 1886-1895

Box 1, Folder 3 Undated undated Box 1, Folder 4 Correspondence 1886 Box 1, Folder 5 Correspondence 1890-1893 Box 1, Folder 6 Correspondence 1894 January-June Box 1, Folder 7 Correspondence 1894 July-September Box 1, Folder 8 Correspondence 1894 October-December Box 1, Folder 9 Correspondence 1895 January-June Box 1, Folder 10 Correspondence 1895 July-December Box 2, Folder 1 Correspondence 1896 January-June Box 2, Folder 2 Correspondence 1896 July-December Box 2, Folder 3 Correspondence 1897 Box 2, Folder 4 Correspondence 1898 January-March Box 2, Folder 5 Correspondence 1898 April-June Box 3, Folder 1 Correspondence 1898 July-September Box 3, Folder 3 Correspondence 1899 January-March Box 3, Folder 4 Correspondence 1899 April-June Box 3, Folder 5 Correspondence 1899 July-December Box 4, Folder 1 Correspondence 1900 Box 4, Folder 2 Correspondence 1901 Box 4, Folder 3 Correspondence 1902 Box 4, Folder 4 Correspondence 1903 Box 4, Folder 5 Correspondence 1904 Box 4, Folder 6 Correspondence 1905 Box 4, Folder 7 Correspondence 1906 Box 4, Folder 8 Correspondence 1907 Box 4, Folder 9 Correspondence 1908 Box 4, Folder 10 Correspondence 1909 Box 5, Folder 1 Correspondence 1910 Box 5, Folder 2 Correspondence 1911 Box 5, Folder 3 Correspondence 1912 Box 5, Folder 4 Correspondence 1913 Box 5, Folder 5 Correspondence 1914 Box 5, Folder 6 Correspondence 1915 Box 5, Folder 7 Correspondence 1916 Box 5, Folder 8 Correspondence 1917-1918 Box 5, Folder 9 Correspondence 1919 Box 5, Folder 10 Correspondence 1920 Box 5, Folder 11 Correspondence 1921 Box 5, Folder 12 Correspondence 1922 Box 5, Folder 13 Correspondence 1923 Box 6, Folder 1 Correspondence 1924 January-March Box 6, Folder 2 Correspondence 1924 April-June Box 6, Folder 3 Correspondence 1924 July-December Box 6, Folder 4 Correspondence 1925

MSS.036 4 Series 2: Correspondence 1886-1895 Oversize correspondence 1894-1927

Box 6, Folder 5 Correspondence 1926 Box 6, Folder 6 Correspondence 1927 Box 6, Folder 7 Correspondence 1929 Box 6, Folder 8 Correspondence 1929 Box 6, Folder 9 Correspondence 1930-1934 Box 6, Folder 10 Correspondence 1935-1936, 1939 Box 3, Folder 2 Correspondence 1898 October-December Box 7, Folder 1 Correspondence 1940-1950 Box 7, Folder 2 Correspondence 1951-1985 Box 9, Folder 1 Correspondence to and from others not recorded Box 9, Folder 2 Correspondence, Ida M. Beck not recorded

Oversize correspondence 1894-1927

Box 8, Folder 1 Correspondence 1894 November 20 Box 8, Folder 2 Correspondence 1894 November 30 Box 8, Folder 3 Correspondence 1894 December 3 Box 8, Folder 4 Correspondence 1894 December 8 Box 8, Folder 5 Correspondence 1894 December 19 Box 8, Folder 6 Correspondence 1894 December 28 Box 8, Folder 7 Correspondence with Skinner 1895 February 27 Box 8, Folder 8 Correspondence 1895 October 2 Box 8, Folder 9 Correspondence 1897 March 24 Box 8, Folder 10 Correspondence 1898 March 18 Box 8, Folder 11 Correspondence 1898 October 9 Box 8, Folder 12 Correspondence 1898 October 14 Box 8, Folder 13 Correspondence 1898 October 27 Box 8, Folder 14 Correspondence 1900 July 11 Box 8, Folder 17 Correspondence 1906 December? Box 8, Folder 18 Correspondence 1910? December 29 Box 8, Folder 19 Correspondence 1921 June 7 and August 8 1921 June 7 and August 8 Box 8, Folder 20 Correspondence 1921 December 7 Box 8, Folder 21 Correspondence 1922 October 6 Box 8, Folder 22 Correspondence 1923 July 17 Box 8, Folder 24, Correspondence 1924 April 2 Box 8, Folder 23 Box 8, Folder 25 Correspondence 1924 June 20 Box 8, Folder 26 Correspondence 1924 July 18 Box 8, Folder 27 Correspondence 1925 September 16 Box 8, Folder 28 Correspondence 1925 September 28 Box 8, Folder 29 Correspondence 1925 December 18 Box 8, Folder 31 Correspondence 1926 February 4 Box 8, Folder 30 Correspondence 1926 January 11 Box 8, Folder 33 Correspondence 1926 December 16 Box 8, Folder 35 Correspondence 1927 January 12 Box 8, Folder 36 Correspondence 1927 March 27 Box 8, Folder 37 Correspondence 1927 March 20 Box 8, Folder 38 Correspondence 1927 May 9 Box 8, Folder 39 Correspondence 1927 June 15 Box 8, Folder 34 Correspondence 1927 January 10-12 Series 3: Field Journals and Notes

Box 10, Folder 1 Rollo Beck Galapagos expedition journal [original] 1905-1906 Box 10, Folder 2 Rollo Beck Galapagos expedition journal [acid-free copy] 1905-1906 Box 10, Folder 3 California Academy of Sciences Galapagos Expedition, Beck's Schooner Academy Log Book, Personnel Evaluations, and J. J. Parker Matter Letters 1906 Box 10, Folder 4 Waterbird Notes, Los Banos, California 1908-1909 Box 10, Folder 5 Alaska 1911

MSS.036 5 Series 3: Field Journals and Notes

Box 10, Folder 6 Peru [sic] 1912 Box 10, Folder 7 South American Expeditions for American Museum of Natural History 1912-1917 Box 11, Folder 1 South America, original field notes, American Museum of Natural History 1912-1917 Box 11, Folder 2 South America, edited by Murphy and typed, American Museum of Natural History 1912-1917 Box 11, Folder 3 Alaska, collecting list and journal, notes on desiderata, localities. 1919 Box 11, Folder 4 South Seas, Materials prepared for Beck on flora, fauna, geography, people, and languages, Whitney expedition undated Box 11, Folder 5 South Seas, Parts of handwritten journal and edited/typed version 1920-1923 Box 12, Folder 1 South Seas, Field notes typed by Rollo and/or Ida Beck 1922-1928 Box 12, Folder 2 New Guinea expedition, typed by Beck 1928-1929 Box 12, Folder 3 Field Notes, typed by Beck [duplicates of pages in Box 11, folder 3] 1919 Box 12, Folder 4 Field notes, edited by Murphy and typed at American Museum of Natural History 1920-1923 Box 12, Folder 5 Field notes, edited by Murphy and typed at American Museum of Natural History 1923-1925 Box 12, Folder 6 Field notes [duplicate of material in Box 12, Folder 5] 1924 Box 12, Folder 7 Discursive summaries of South Seas field notes by locale or bird undated Box 13, Folder 1 Bird lists from South Seas 1920-1929 Box 8, Folder 32 List of New Hebrides Island birds taken by Whitney Expedition, J. G. Correia 1926 October 29 Box 13, Folder 2 Lists of birds collected for USFWS, USDA, Ca. 1895-1896, 1931-1939 Box 13, Folder 3 Lists of Beck's personal collections 1931-1938 Box 13, Folder 4 Redwing blackbird control notes, Merced County, California 1943-1950 Series 4: Legal, Financial, and Related Papers

Box 14, Folder 1, Legal papers, stock certificates, and financial records not recorded Box 14, Folder 2 Box 14, Folder 3 Papers related to La Prosperidad Colony not recorded Box 14, Folder 4 Passports, collecting permits, and letters of introduction not recorded Box 14, Folder 5 Acknowledgments of donations, appointments of honor not recorded Box 15, Folder 1 Correspondence re: bookkeeping not recorded Box 15, Folder 2 Account book 1888-1898 Box 15, Folder 3 Account book 1899-1907 Box 15, Folder 4 Account book early 1900s Box 15, Folder 5 Account book [includes some diary-like entries] 1940-1950 Box 8, Folder 15 Stores list for 1901 expedition 1901 Box 8, Folder 16 Contracts and other legal documents 1903 April 20 Series 5: Other Papers

Maps 1902, 1907, undated

Maps, Pilot Charts not recorded U.S. Chart #1798 of the Galapagos 1907 Map of Santo Domingo Island not recorded Object 1 U.S. Chart #1798 of the Galapagos, used on expedition 1902 December 11 Box 17, Folder 1 Maps, Tahiti, various not recorded

Box 17, Folder 2

Drafts and travel notes 1895-1942

Box 17, Folder 3

Bird eggs and skins for sale; Bird books for sale not recorded

Box 17, Folder 4

MSS.036 6 Series 5: Other Papers Maps 1902, 1907, undated

Ticket stubs and business/calling cards 1895-1942

Box 17, Folder 5

Printed and duplicated materials kept by Beck not recorded

Box 17, Folder 6

Blank stationary and forms undated

Box 17, Folder 7

Printed materials not recorded

Box 17, Folder 8

Book, Gems of Scottish Songs 1894

Box 17, Folder 9

Christmas Carols, Pamphlet with Lyrics undated

News clippings undated

Box 18, Folder 1 News Clippings about Beck, Childhood not recorded Box 18, Folder 2 News Clippings about Beck, Galapagos 1894 Box 18, Folder 3 News Clippings about Beck, Alaska 1911 Box 18, Folder 4 News Clippings about Beck, South America 1912-1917 Box 18, Folder 5 News Clippings about Beck, South Seas 1920-1930 Box 18, Folder 6 News Clippings about Beck 1930-1985 Box 18, Folder 7 News Clippings, Articles about Ida M. Beck not recorded Box 18, Folder 8 Duplicates, not deacidified not recorded

Box 18, Folder 9

Printed mementos of Beck's travels

Box 19, Folder 1

Scrapbook of Beck's travels not recorded

Box 19, Folder 2

Clippings and articles related to Beck's life, but not by or about him not recorded

Box 19, Folder 3

Murphy, R. C., "Observations on Birds of the South Pacific," typed partial manuscript not recorded

Box 19, Folder 4

Beck's handwritten list of articles or references to himself not recorded

Box 19, Folder 5

Articles by or about Beck, including Slevin's 1917 log 1917, undated

Box 20, Box 22, Reprints and offprints of journal articles by or about Beck not recorded Box 21

Ephemera undated

MSS.036 7 Series 5: Other Papers Ephemera undated

Box 19, Object 1, Pith helmets undated Box 19, Object 2 Box 23, Object 3 Bulb for lantern slide projector undated Box 23, Object 4 Green eyeshade undated Box 23, Object 5 Small knife case undated Box 23, Object 6 Eastman Kodak Bulls-Eye #2 camera undated Series 6: Photo Lists and Photographic Materials

Photo lists undated

Box 26, Folder 1 Galapagos undated Box 26, Folder 2 South America and the Caribbean undated Box 26, Folder 3 South Seas undated Box 26, Folder 4 Photo captions, South Seas undated Box 26, Folder 4 Three small notepads with South Seas photo lists plus other notes; paper used to hold prints for publication (Gifford, "Proceedings") undated

Galapagos photographic prints in notebooks 1905-1906 Existence and Location of Copies note Most prints and negatives from these notebooks have been scanned and are available for viewing via the library's Cumulus database.

Box 39 Volume 1: Tortoises; Tortoises and People undated Box 40 Volume 2: People, not Tortoises undated Box 41 Volume 3: Fauna and Flora Box 42 Volume 4: Ship and Crew, Mexico undated

Photographic negatives undated

Box 27 Galapagos, nitrate negatives [in freezer] undated Box 28 Galapagos, glass plate negatives undated Box 29 South Seas, 5" by 7" glass plate negatives undated Box 30 South Seas, 2 1/2" by 3" glass plate negatives Box 31 South America, glass negatives undated Box 32 Beck's farm, glass negatives Box 33 Galapagos, safety film negatives, plus ten 5" by 7" nitrate negatives and five 3" by 4" negatives to be tested Box 34 South Seas, safety film negatives [sNegatives] undated Box 35 Not South Seas, safety film negatives [sNegatives] undated

Lantern slides undated

Box 36 Lantern slides undated Box 37 Lantern slides undated Box 38 Lantern slides undated Box 38.1 Lantern slides in old slide carrier box undated

Box 43, Folder 1

Alaska, photographic prints 1911, 1919

Box 43, Folder 2

South America and Caribbean (Brewster-Sanford Expedition) prints 1912-1917

MSS.036 8 Series 6: Photo Lists and Photographic Materials South Seas (Whitney Expedition) photographic prints 1920-1929

South Seas (Whitney Expedition) photographic prints 1920-1929 Scope and Contents note All images are 5" by 7" and most have American Museum of Natural History numbers.

Box 44, Folder 2, Fiji, no captions Box 44, Folder 1 Box 44, Folder 3 Fiji; captions undated Box 44, Folder 4 Tuamotus, with captions 1922 Box 44, Folder 5 Marquesas, with captions 1923 Box 44, Folder 6 Tubuai and Austral, with captions 1921 Box 44, Folder 7 Unknown, a few with captions undated Box 44, Folder 8 Samoa, a few with captions 1924 Box 44, Folder 9 Tonga, a few with captions 1925 Box 44, Folder 10 Societies/Tahiti, with captions 1923 Box 44, Folder 11 S.V. France, some with captions undated Box 45, Folder 1 New Zealand, some with captions 1925-1926 Box 45, Folder 2 Papua New Guinea 1, with captions 1928-1929 Box 45, Folder 3 Papua New Guinea 2, with captions 1928-1929 Box 45, Folder 4 Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon; a few with captions 1927 Box 45, Folder 7 Solomons, a few with captions 1927 Box 45, Folder 5 Kiribati, a few with captions 1921 December Box 45, Folder 6 Bismarck Archipelago, a few with captions 1928 South Seas (Whitney Expedition) prints arranged by topic. 1920-1929 Scope and Contents note Prints of various sizes. These items do not have AMNH numbers.

Box 46, Folder 1 Ships, shipping, cargo Box 46, Folder 2 Houses, people and houses 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 3 Fauna 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 4 Flora 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 5 Portraits with one or two people 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 6 Group shots 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 7 Laundry 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 8 Market and toting 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 9 People at work 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 10 Ceremonies 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 11 Archery and hunting 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 12 Steamers/ocean liners 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 13 Schooners: France, Moana, Pro Patria, Hinano? 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 14 Europeans 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 15 Natives, mostly Tuamotus 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 16 Australia 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 17 Jose and Virginia Correia 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 18 Gardening 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 19 Fishing, collecting eggs 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 20 Village 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 21 Native and Western boats 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 22 Geography and scenery 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 23 Solomons 1929 Box 46, Folder 24 Kiritimati, Vanuatu, Tonga 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 25 Samoa 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 26 Marquesas 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 27 Societies 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 28 Fiji 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 29 Papua New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 30 New Zealand 1920-1929 Box 46, Folder 31 Norfolk I. and Lord Howe I., Australia late May 1926

MSS.036 9 Series 6: Photo Lists and Photographic Materials South Seas (Whitney Expedition) photographic prints 1920-1929

Box 47, Folder 1 South Seas prints corresponding to negatives in box 34. Scope and Contents note Old prints as well as new ones of previously unprinted negatives. Many duplicates.

Family and non-expedition photographic prints

Box 47, Folder 2 Family photos, corresponding to negatives in Box 35 undated Box 47, Folder 3 Photos taken in England, corresponding to negatives in Box 35 1929 Box 48, Folder 1 Family and friends, greater Bay Area undated Box 48, Folder 2 Fruit farming undated Box 48, Folder 3 Live birds, probably Planada, CA undated` Box 48, Folder 4 California, not Bay Area undated Box 48, Folder 5 Massachusetts and Rhode Island 1898-1899 Box 48, Folder 6 Not United States undated Box 48, Folder 7 Taxidermy, activity and products undated

Oversize prints undated

Box 49, Folder 1 Galapagos, most mounted on hardboard and identified by G number undated Box 49, Folder 2 Farm pictures undated Box 49, Folder 3 Miscellaneous and unknown undated Box 49, Folder 4 Portraits of Rollo Beck undated

Photo albums undated Scope and Contents note What was Album 5 is now missing. It was a small photo album given to Rollo and Ida Beck by Ernest Quayle, Christmas 1920.

Box 50 Albums 1 and 2 Box 51 Albums 3 and 4 Box 52 Albums 6 and 7

MSS.036 10