SYMMES & ASSOCIATES

Symmes and Associates, a San Francisco based agricultural engineering firm owned by Leslie Webb Symmes (1879-1956), was hired in the spring of 1922 to complete an assessment of Santa Cruz Island to accompany the island partition action ordered by the court. Their 93 page report was based on field investigations made during the months of March and April, 1922 along with a study of available data of past island conditions and operations of the Santa Cruz Island Company. Their report paid particular interest in range conditions for feed and water since the island’s primarily use was as livestock property. The Symmes report identified Prisoners’, Chinese and Smugglers as the most important harbors. This unpublished manuscript is on file at the Santa Cruz Island Foundation.

• Symmes and Associates, Santa Cruz Island, 1922
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  The central or main valley (Cañada del Medio) east from Portezuela. Eucalyptus trees at the Main Ranch in the center distance. Christy road grade in foreground.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  View of Cañada del Indio from southern ridge showing vineyard areas on lower slopes. Diablo ridge in distance.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Beach at Smugglers Cove protected from Northwest winds by San Pedro Point. Olive grove and eucalyptus trees shown. Excellent feed in foreground due to absence of sheep. White marks show limestone nature of this territory.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Wharf and beach at Prisoners Harbor.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Pelican Bay resort showing spit running out into water and wooded hills. Trees principally oak and Monterey pine.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  China Harbor looking east from Potrero Norte.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  China and Prisoners Harbors looking west from the main ridge above Campo Chino.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Narrow point of Cañada del Puerto a short distance below Main Ranch showing surface water flow, oak trees and steep hillsides.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Cañada del Puerto at point half way between Main Ranch and Prisoners' Harbor where it commences to widen out, showing dry wash, surface flow, oaks and nature of the hills.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  North side of Main Ridge west of Montañon, the narrowest part of the island.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Cattle on the flats at Campo Chino in Portero Norte.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  View looking northeast from Main Ridge east of Portrero Norte, showing Pinos de Mielquieres and Campo Chino, and Montañon in distance.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Quebradas from the top of the Montañon looking East. Showing the table land or mesa character of the east end of the island and brush covered eastern slope of the Montañon. Anacapa Island is shown in the distance.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Characteristic mesas above. Scorpion Canyon showing wagon road to Campo Los Toros and Grande, limestone character of the soil and feed conditions where sheep range freely.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Mesas to the east of Aguaje with deep canyons and barrancas between cut through limestone formation of this territory.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Blue Banks Potrero looking south showing steep character of the territory and signs of limestone formation in the washes.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Cañada Coches Prietos looking west with Los Tores in the center and the Colorados in the distance, the harbor and creek bed filled with willows at the left and the long cuchillos running down from the ridge at the right.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Los Colorados looking south from the secondary or southern ridge, with Sierra Blanca shown in the distance. The ridges are the characteristic long, chaparral covered, cuchillos running to the ocean from the southern ridge.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Upper reaches of Cañada Los Sauces showing erosion of fertile bottom lands, washing of hillsides, and a scattered stand of Monterey Pines at the right.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Cañada la Cuesta looking east. Typical dry wash in bottom of canyon, brush covered southern slope of canyon at right and open northern slope on which sheep can be seen grazing.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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  Ermitaño alfalfa field on fertile bottom land Cañada la Cuesta, typical growth of cactus on northern slope of canyon and brush on southern. Feed conditions typical of west end of island. Shetland stallion at right.
  Santa Cruz Island, Symmes, 1922
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