Information for Intending Settlers Regarding Opportunities of the State Land Settlement at Delhi, Merced County, California
- Large broadsheet; 19 ½ x 16 ¾; pp. [2]; illustrated with photographs, drawings, and a large map; a few penciled-in, manuscript
- S.I.: Department of Public Works, Division of Land Settlement, 1921
S.I.: Department of Public Works, Division of Land Settlement, 1921. Large broadsheet; 19 ½ x 16 ¾; pp. [2]; illustrated with photographs, drawings, and a large map; a few penciled-in, manuscript notes (possibly originally belonging to a potential settler); some age-toning along fold lines; edges a bit unevenly trimmed; in about very good condition. Very good.. An uncommon survivor of a failed California State project, the broadsheet outlined all the relevant information to potential settlers of the Delhi State Land Settlement in Merced County, California. It was initiated in 1917 with its main goal being to encourage improved land development and farming techniques through a cooperative model. A State Land Settlement Board was appointed, led by engineer and educator Elwood Mead (1858—1936), which would be responsible for selecting approximately 230 settlers, based on their capital, experience, and willingness to cooperate. Though well-intended, by 1931, the project would fail spectacularly due to a myriad of problems, including insufficient plot sizes, unsuitable crops, high financial burdens, lax management, social and cooperative disputes, etc.
The broadsheet included details on conditions under which farms were offered to purchasers, various allotments with acreage and prices (poultry farms, farm laborers' lots), schools and churches, soil, water supply, taxes, and so on. It also featured images of model homes, a vineyard, a large subdivisional map plan, and a drawing of the Delhi Community Hall, the latter called ”The Business and Social Center of the Delhi Colonists.” Quite scarce, with only two copies recorded at UC Davis and the California State Library; none currently in the trade.
Smith, Roy J. ”PROBLEMS FOUND IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE LAND SETTLEMENTS AT DURHAM AND DELHI.” Applied Anthropology 3, no. 2 (1944): 16–22. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44135106.
The broadsheet included details on conditions under which farms were offered to purchasers, various allotments with acreage and prices (poultry farms, farm laborers' lots), schools and churches, soil, water supply, taxes, and so on. It also featured images of model homes, a vineyard, a large subdivisional map plan, and a drawing of the Delhi Community Hall, the latter called ”The Business and Social Center of the Delhi Colonists.” Quite scarce, with only two copies recorded at UC Davis and the California State Library; none currently in the trade.
Smith, Roy J. ”PROBLEMS FOUND IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE LAND SETTLEMENTS AT DURHAM AND DELHI.” Applied Anthropology 3, no. 2 (1944): 16–22. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44135106.