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Morgan (William Rollin) Papers
mssHM 48066-48248
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: William Rollin Morgan papers
Identifier/Call Number: mssHM 48066-48248
Physical Description:
3 Linear Feet
(2 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1852-1901
Abstract: Letters of California pioneer and gold miner William Rollin Morgan.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. William Rollin Morgan papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Dawson's Book Shop, December 1958.
William R. Morgan, born in Bennington, Vermont in 1832 or 1833, came to San Francisco in 1852 and settled in St. Louis, Sierra
County, California. In the 1870s, he started a successful hydraulic enterprise with his friend Timothy Donohue. By 1880, George
W. Cox had joined them, and their company became known as the Sierra Union Water and Mining Company. The company, in addition
to working its own mines, contracted to provide water to other mines in the region. Forced to build debris dams to control
wastes from the hydraulic process, Sierra Union was involved in litigation regarding the debris. Morgan moved back to Vermont
in the 1890s but made several trips back to California to attend to business matters.
The collection contains 198 items, including ephemera. It is mainly correspondence; however, it does contain some receipts
and bills. The correspondence deals with Morgan's gold mining business, the Sierra Union Water and Mining Company, and family
matters back in Bennington, Vermont. The mining materials describe day-to-day mining operations, hydraulic mining, conflicts
and lawsuits between the Sierra Union and various residents in St. Louis and Marysville, California. Items pertaining to mining
appear throughout the collection but are concentrated in the letters of George W. Cox, and Timothy Donohue. A few letters
discuss California politics.
Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2022, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
Arranged chronologically.
William Rollin Morgan addenda (mssHM 60143-60312).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Gold mines and mining -- Law and legislation
Hydraulic mining -- California
Mines and mineral resources -- California
Mining claims -- California
Mining corporations -- California
Bennington (Vt.)
California -- Description and travel
California -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
California -- Gold discoveries -- Personal narratives
California -- Politics and Government -- 1850-1950
Marysville (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Sierra County (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Letters (correspondence) -- California -- 19th century
Receipts -- California -- 19th century
Cox, George W.
Donohue, Timothy
Morgan, William R.
Sierra Union Water and Mining Company