Gerald L French Photographic Collection

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Description: The West Coast School of Nature Study at San Jose State College began in 1931 and was created by Dr. Karl S. Hazeltine, instructor of nature studies and Dr. Gayle B. Pickwell, instructor of natural science. The program focused on the study of geology, history, and the flora and fauna of the region. The first study site took place in Big Basin State Park in 1931, followed by program sites in Asilomar State Park, Sequoia National Park, Death Valley National Park and throughout California. This... Show moreThe West Coast School of Nature Study at San Jose State College began in 1931 and was created by Dr. Karl S. Hazeltine, instructor of nature studies and Dr. Gayle B. Pickwell, instructor of natural science. The program focused on the study of geology, history, and the flora and fauna of the region. The first study site took place in Big Basin State Park in 1931, followed by program sites in Asilomar State Park, Sequoia National Park, Death Valley National Park and throughout California. This program continues at San Jose State University during the summer session under the name Field Studies in Natural History. The Gerald L. French Photograph Collection documents the San Jose State College West Coast School of Nature Study program held in Death Valley in 1958. Gerald L. French, then a San Jose State College student, attended this program and donated this collection to the university. The images document the activities, events, and participants on this field trip. The digital collection consists of forty-two 4x5 inch negatives and twenty-seven 35 mm color slides. Forty-one black and white prints which duplicate most of the negatives are included in the physical collection, but are not part of the digital collection. For a description of the contents of the physical collection, see the online Guide to the Gerald L. French Photograph Collection [PDF]. For more information about the scope of the physical collection see the online Collection Guide. Show less

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Title: Badwater Basin
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows a group of people standing on the salt flats at Badwater Basin. Mountains are visible in the background.
Date: 1958

Title: Badwater Basin
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows a group of people walking on the salt flats at Badwater Basin. Mountains are visible in the background.
Date: 1958

Title: Badwater Basin
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows Badwater Basin and a sign describing the site. A man and a woman are visible on the left of the image. The sign reads: "Badwater 280 feet below sea level. In this area is the lowest land in the Western Hemisphere. On the cliff is a sign indicating sea level. The water seen from this point contains five percent salts. The shrubs near the water are pickleweed."
Date: 1958

Title: Badwater Basin
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows a group of people standing on the salt flats around a pool at Badwater Basin.
Date: 1958

Title: Badwater Basin
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows two children near a pool at Badwater. One child is holding what appears to be a toy pistol. The sign next to them reads: "Badwater. -282 ft. -86 meters."
Date: 1958

Title: Badwater Basin
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows people walking on the salt flats around a pool at Badwater Basin.
Date: 1958

Title: Class walking around Salt Creek
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a class examining the terrain at Salt Creek.
Date: 1958

Title: Death Valley salt flats
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows people walking on the salt flats at Death Valley.
Date: 1958

Title: Death Valley sunset
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows four people standing on a summit during a sunset in Death Valley.
Date: 1958

Title: Desert plants
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows desert plantlife with mountains in the background.
Date: 1958

Title: Desert view
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows bushes growing atop sand dunes near what look to be the remains of Salt Creek. Mountains can be seen in the background.
Date: 1958

Title: Desert view
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a series of hills dotted with plants.
Date: 1958

Driving a Jeep along the winding road of Titus Canyon

Title: Driving a Jeep along the winding road of Titus Canyon
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Driving a Jeep along the winding road of Titus Canyon
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Examining a depression in the salt flats

Title: Examining a depression in the salt flats
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows students and professors examining a depression in the salt flats of Death Valley.
Date: 1958

Title: Examining the terrain at Death Valley
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows students and professors examining the terrain at Death Valley.
Date: 1958

Title: Inside Scotty's Castle
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group of students in a sitting room in Scotty's Castle.
Date: 1958

Title: Inside Scotty's Castle
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group of students in the dining room of Scotty's Castle.
Date: 1958

Title: Leadfield
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows an abandoned building of the ghost town of Leadfield.
Date: 1958

Title: Leadfield
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows a sign for the ghost town of Leadfield. The sign reads: "Leadfield. This was a mining boom town founded on wild and distorted advertising. 300 hopeful people swarmed here and a post office was established in August, 1926. In February 1927, the post office closed and the town died."
Date: 1958

Title: Leadfield
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows two abandoned buildings of the ghost town of Leadfield. A man is walking in the direction of the lower building, which was once the town post office.
Date: 1958

Man sitting atop a twenty mule team borax wagon at Furnace Creek

Title: Man sitting atop a twenty mule team borax wagon at Furnace Creek
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Overlooking Scotty's Castle
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group of students atop a hill looking at Scotty's Castle below.
Date: 1958

Professor and students at Salt Creek in Death Valley

Title: Professor and students at Salt Creek in Death Valley
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Professor at miner's cabin, Titus Canyon

Title: Professor at miner's cabin, Titus Canyon
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a man sitting outside a small stone shack holding a chisel and stone.
Date: 1958

Title: Professor at miner's cabin, Titus Canyon
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a man standing in the doorway of a small stone shack.
Date: 1958

Title: Professor at miner's cabin, Titus Canyon
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows a man sitting outside a small stone shack holding a chisel and stone.
Date: 1958

Title: Sand dunes
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows sand dunes with the sun low in the sky.
Date: 1958

Title: Sand dunes
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Sand dunes
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Searching for remains of a lake bed
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows students examining the terrain.
Date: 1958

Staff and students of the West Coast School of Nature Study

Title: Staff and students of the West Coast School of Nature Study
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group portrait of the staff and students of the West Coast School of Nature Study. They are standing in front of a group of buildings. The sign on one building reads: "Death Vall[ey] New Hotel."
Date: 1958

Title: Staff and students of the West Coast School of Nature Study
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group portrait of the staff and students of the West Coast School of Nature Study. They are standing in front of a group of buildings. The sign on one building reads: "Death Vall[ey] New Hotel."
Date: 1958

Title: Staff and students of the West Coast School of Nature Study
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group portrait of the staff and students of the West Coast School of Nature Study. They are standing in front of a group of buildings. The sign on one building reads: "Death Vall[ey] New Hotel."
Date: 1958

Students and teacher examining the terrain at Salt Creek

Title: Students and teacher examining the terrain at Salt Creek
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Students and teachers at Titus Canyon
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group of students and teachers at Titus Canyon. Two automobiles and a van are at the right of the photograph.
Date: 1958

Title: Students and teachers in a canyon
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group of students and teachers at the base of a canyon.
Date: 1958

Students and teachers in the hills of Death Valley

Title: Students and teachers in the hills of Death Valley
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Students at the remains of Lake Manly in Titus Canyon

Title: Students at the remains of Lake Manly in Titus Canyon
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Students at the sand dunes of Death Valley

Title: Students at the sand dunes of Death Valley
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Slide shows students at the sand dunes of Death Valley. Some are taking photographs.
Date: 1958

Title: Students dancing
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Students gathered around a piano
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group of students gathered around a piano. A woman plays the piano and some of the other students are singing.
Date: 1958

Students having a meal in the dining hall

Title: Students having a meal in the dining hall
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Students having a meal in the dining hall
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Students in front of Scotty's Castle
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a group of students posing in front of Scotty's Castle.
Date: 1958

Students view the badlands at Zabriskie Point

Title: Students view the badlands at Zabriskie Point
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Students view the badlands at Zabriskie Point
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Date: 1958

Title: Teaching a class in a mine
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a man showing minerals to students in a mine.
Date: 1958

Teaching a class in the hills of Death Valley

Title: Teaching a class in the hills of Death Valley
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a teacher addressing a class sitting atop the hills of Death Valley. The mountains are visible in the background.
Date: 1958

Teaching students at the Harmony Borax Works

Title: Teaching students at the Harmony Borax Works
Creator: French, Gerald L. (photographer)
Description: Negative shows a man teaching a group of students at the Harmony Borax Works in Death Valley.
Date: 1958

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Gerald L French Photographic Collection

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