Archibald D. Shamel papers
Collection Scope and Contents
This collection contains correspondence, research notes, photographs, and other material regarding the professional career of Archibald D. Shamel, a physiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture who worked at the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside, California during the early 20th century. The collection includes a large group of photographs and glass plate negatives documenting the citrus industry in Riverside and around the world. While the bulk of the collection is focused on citrus, there are materials pertaining to other non-citrus crops such as tobacco and corn. The collection also contains material about other areas of horticulture including shade trees, cacti, and flowers. Notable items include photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence regarding local history and the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.
Dates
- Creation: 1882-1954, undated
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1917-1943
Creator
- Shamel, A. D. (Archibald Dixon) (Person)
Languages
The collection is in English.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Biographical Note
Archibald D. Shamel was born on October 15, 1877 in Taylorville, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois, Champaign and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1902. While attending university, he worked as an instructor of farm crops. After graduation, he secured a position as a physiologist working for the United States Department of Agriculture in the Bureau of Plant Industry. In 1903, his book Manual of Corn Judging was published. In 1904 he invented a tobacco seed separating machine that improved the quality of tobacco plants by separating seeds and preventing cross pollination. Shamel married Agnes Fay Brewer in 1908 and they relocated to Riverside, California around 1910. He continued working for the Department of Agriculture at the Citrus Experiment Station (CES). Much of Shamel's work at the CES focused on the improvement of citrus crops. In 1917 he invented a citrus humidifying machine that was used in citrus packing houses to improve storage conditions for the fruit. Shamel also had an interest in shade trees and was a member of the Riverside Parks Planning Department and the Riverside Beautification Committee. In 1937 he published the book Riverside’s Outstanding Trees. Towards the end of his professional career, Shamel continued to research unique and historic trees, writing articles for newspapers and magazines. In 1950, the American Pomological Society awarded him the Wilder Medal for his work with citrus and tropical fruits. Archibald D. Shamel died on April 8, 1956 in Riverside, California.
Chronology
- 1877
- Archibald D. Shamel was born on October 15th in Taylorville, Illinois.
- 1899
- Shamel became a charter member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, University of Illinois, Champaign.
- 1902
- Shamel received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Illinois.
- 1902
- Shamel started work as a Physiologist for the Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- 1903
- Shamel published the Manual of corn judging.
- 1904
- Shamel invented the Shamel tobacco seed separator.
- 1908
- Shamel married Agnes Fay Brewer on September 28th.
- 1913
- Shamel traveled to Bahia Brazil with a research expedition that included former president Theodore Roosevelt.
- 1917
- Shamel invented the Shamel humidifier, a machine to aid in citrus storage.
- 1933
- Shamel published the Washington Navel Orange with Carl S. Pomeroy detailing the history of the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.
- 1937
- Shamel published the book Riverside’s outstanding trees.
- 1950
- Shamel was awarded the Wilder Medal from the American Pomological Society for his work with f tropical & subtropical fruits, and mutations.
- 1956
- Archibald D. Shamel died on April 8th in Riverside, California.
Extent
17.25 Linear Feet (34 boxes)
Abstract
This collection contains correspondence, research notes, photographs, and other material regarding the professional career of Archibald D. Shamel, a physiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture who worked at the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside, California during the early 20th century. The collection includes a large group of photographs and glass plate negatives documenting the citrus industry in Riverside and around the world. While the bulk of the collection is focused on citrus, there are materials pertaining to other non-citrus crops such as tobacco and corn. The collection also contains material about other areas of horticulture including shade trees, cacti, and flowers. Notable items include photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence regarding local history and the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into five series as follows:
- Series 1. Citrus research and industry, 1882-1954, undated
- Series 2. Non-citrus crops, 1899-1947, undated
- Series 3. Trees and flowers, 1911-1943, undated
- Series 4. Local history, 1918-1954, undated
- Series 5. Research trips, 1913-1941, undated
Acquisition Information
Provenance unknown.
Processing History
Processed by Hollie Johnson, Processing Archivist, 2010.
Processing of the Archibald D. Shamel papers was generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The University of California, Riverside was awarded a Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from 2010-2012, "Uncovering California's Environmental Collections," in collaboration with eight additional special collections and archival repositories throughout the state and the California Digital Library (CDL). Grant objectives included processing of over 33 hidden collections related to the state's environment and environmental history. The collections document an array of important sub-topics such as irrigation, mining, forestry, agriculture, industry, land use, activism, and research. Together they form a multifaceted picture of the natural world and the way it was probed, altered, exploited and protected in California over the twentieth century. Finding aids are made available through the Online Archive of California (OAC).
Subject
- Title
- Archibald D. Shamel papers
- Status
- Processed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Hollie Johnson, Processing Archivist.
- Date
- 2010
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- Processing of this collection was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives program.
Repository Details
Part of the University Archives Repository
University of California
Rivera Library
P.O. Box 5900
Riverside CA 92517-5900 USA
specialcollections@ucr.edu