Special Collections

                                   Our Collections || Rowe || Claypool ||

Our Collections include books, newspaper articles, technical journals, pamphlets, government documents, engineering and planning reports, well records, maps, and aerial photos. They come from a wide-ranging group of donors, including individuals and public agencies, elected officials, engineers, and businessmen. Donors of collections to the WRI archives include:

* Bob Chesney is an engineer and rancher based in the Needles CA area who worked on the construction of Davis Dam. He also served on the Colorado River Salinity Commission for many years. The Chesney Collection covers Colorado River salinity issues and state boundaries.

* Ed Taylor was a longtime Redlands based attorney who represented the City of Redlands in numerous lawsuits over Santa Ana River water rights. The Taylor Collection is mostly legal documents covering those cases.

* Dan Powers retired from Edison and worked in the hydroelectric field for much of his career. The Powers Collection includes many hydroelectric industry journals, over a period of nearly four decades.

* Bob Holcomb, former Mayor of the City of San Bernardino, was an advocate for local control over water supplies during the 1960's. The Holcomb Collection covers period during which San Bernardino was considering joining the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and includes an Oral History.

* Virginia Harshman was a longtime resident of Lytle Creek. She is the author of the book The Story of Lytle Creek, a history of the area. Virginia's husband Walter Harshman worked for Fontana Union Water Company for many years. The Harshman Collection includes Virginia's book, documents and maps related to the Lytle Creek area, and photos of the Fontana Union Water Company.

* Ruben Ayala, a former State Senator from Chino, was the longtime Chair of the Senate Water and Agriculture Committee. The Ayala Collection includes some of his papers during the time that he was Chair. Ayala High School in Chino also has a large portion of this collection.