Cal Poly

Abstract

The Hearst Ranch and Cayucos Photograph Collection contains nine vintage snapshots and 1 mounted print believed to have been taken by longtime Central Coast resident Clayton Leonard Morss (1891-1967). Includes black-and-white snapshots of construction of the Hearst Ranch in San Simeon, California, in the 1920s, and albumen prints of the town of Cayucos, California in the 1890s, both in San Luis Obispo County. Most of the photos have been removed from an album.

Finding Aid

• OAC — Search the electronic finding aid for this collection at the Online Archive of California.
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Descriptive Summary

• Title: Guide to the Hearst Ranch and Cayucos Photograph Collection, c.1890 – c.1930 (bulk 1920s)
• Collection Number: MS 158
• Creators: Morss, Clayton Leonard, 1891-1967
• Extent: 1 box
• Language: English

Biographical Note

These photographs were probably taken by Clayton Leonard Morss (1891-1967), a longtime resident of San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. Morss was born in Cayucos and was a member of the extended Leffingwell family, who owned the private wharf known as Leffingwell Landing north of Cambria. Morss lived in various places up and down the North Coast including Cayucos, San Simeon, and Gorda. He eventually moved inland to the county seat of San Luis Obispo by the 1930s. His occupation is listed in various city directories and telephone directories from the 1930s-1960s as a grader operator, WPA supervisor, and a landscape gardener.

Morss was married to Myrtle Rose Woodworth Morss (1899-1946). He died in San Luis Obispo Nov. 3, 1967.

Sources

• Arnold, Allyn, Lou Kluver and Al Musso. Cayucos by the sea: a pictorial history. Cayucos, Ca: Friends of the Cayucos Library, 2000.
• Hamilton, Geneva. Where the Highway Ends. Cambria, CA: Williams Printing Co., 1974.
• 1900, 1920, United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com
• San Luis Obispo County City and Telephone Directory. Los Angeles, CA.: General Directories, Local Chamber of Commerce, 1938.
• San Luis Obispo County City and Telephone Directory. Los Angeles, CA.: General Directories, Local Chamber of Commerce, 1939.
• Social Security Death Index, Ancestry.com
• World War I Draft Registration Cards, Ancestry.com

Scope and Content Note

The Hearst Ranch and Cayucos Photograph Collection contains nine vintage snapshots and 1 mounted print believed to have been taken by longtime Central Coast resident Clayton Leonard Morss (1891-1967). Includes black-and-white snapshots of construction of the Hearst Ranch in San Simeon, California, in the 1920s, and albumen prints of the town of Cayucos, California in the 1890s, both in San Luis Obispo County. Most of the photos have been removed from an album.

The Hearst Ranch and Cayucos Photograph Collection is housed in one box with one series and two subseries:

Series 1. Photographs, c.1890 – c.1930

1. Photographs of Cayucos
2. Photographs of Hearst Ranch at San Simeon