A disbound album of 20 album pages and accompanying loose photographs, comprising 153 photographs, 2 pieces of artwork and 2 newspaper clippings. Theresa Sletton was the first schoolteacher in Topanga, California, and her photograph album focuses on her and other early residents in Topanga Canyon, ca. 1913. The photographs show Theresa Sletton in her cabin and on walks; the school and students; the school garden; the town post office; residents and their homes; "Luther Ranch" and beekeeping; a "prisoner's camp" and workers doing road building. The album also has a few views of Sletton and others at Echo Mountain and Mount Wilson, and there is one view of a "trackless trolley" in Laurel Canyon. Many photographs have handwritten captions by Sletton. People identified in the album: William Reynolds; Stella McAllister; Bertha Corbett Melcher (artist who originated the "Sunbonnet Babies"); Morton Allen; Norris Julian; David Santa Maria; William Santa Maria; Mr. Vivian Butler; Herbert Land; Bertha Chase; Florence and Tom Cheney; James A. Craig (postmaster); Mr. Lugo; Cal Cheney; Rev. Frederick Post and Mr. Dolores Trujillo. Identifications are mostly from Sletton's handwritten captions and a few from notes that accompanied the album. Title devised by cataloger based on information from Ernest Marquez and album contents. Several photographs are dated 1913. Notes on individuals pictured: Stella McAllister ran a tavern in Topanga – “McAllister Ranch.” Theresa Sletton rented a tent cabin on the McAllister property. Artist Bertha Corbett Melcher made her fortune with her drawings of “the Sunbonnet Babies.” Morton Allen is the brother of Stella McAllister. Also known as Claude “Mort” Allen. Early settler in Topanga who purchased land in 1893. The woman called only "Nellie" is probably Nellie von Arnswaldt – she and husband Anton (Tony) were Topanga pioneers. The Topanga School was also called Garapatos School. (Source: "The Topanga Story" Michele Johnson, ed. (Topanga Historical Society, 2012).
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
