Ferguson (Harold G.) Paper, 1924 - 1931

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Summary

Title:
Papers of Harold G. Ferguson
Dates:
1924 - 1931
Creators:
Harold G. Ferguson Ferguson
Abstract:
Extent:
3 document boxes; 1 linear foot, 5 ½ inches
Language:
Preferred citation:

Papers of Harold G. Ferguson. Sherman Library and Gardens

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of seven scrapbooks and seven folders related to Harold G. Ferguson and the Harold G. Ferguson Corporation. The bulk of the materials consist of newspaper articles and advertisements, although the collections contain some magazine advertisements, party invitations, and brochures. The newspaper clippings, which cover the years 1924 to 1931, including items from, but not limited to, The Los Angeles Herald Examiner, The Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles Daily News, and Hollywood Citizen. The materials in the collection mainly regard the Harold G. Ferguson Corporation, the corporation’s land developments, and real estate patterns in Southern California. Concerning the corporation, the changes in leadership positions, as well as the securing of influential hires is recorded. When new land developments began, when trusts were formed, and when trust dividends were distributed are regarded as well. Other interesting items in the collection pertain to Harold G. Ferguson himself as he became an influential figure in the Los Angeles community. These materials covered his military activity, educational programs, vacation plans, and political campaigns. Of particular note in the collection are the clippings referring to the investigation revolving around Ferguson, in which he would eventually be arrested and convicted for Trust violation and general fraud. These clippings detail the beginning of inquiries into this fraud and the freezing of trusts created by the corporation. Scrapbooks 1 and 2 contain clippings about Ferguson and the Harold G. Ferguson company in general. Each remaining volume focuses on specific residential developments, namely Rancho Malibu, La Costa, Lake Arrowhead, Palm Ranch, and Beverly Crest. The Beverly Crest subdivision, located in Beverly Hills, entered the final stage of development in 1928. Homeowners would live among celebrities who had already purchased homes on the development. The Canoga region opened as a residential subdivision comprising of 1000 acres around Ventura Boulevard west of El Caballero Country Club in 1925 in modern day Tarzana. Branded as the “Country Club District,” the region was forested and advertised as having a perfect climate. 135 acres of the development were privately sold to the St. Andrew’s Corporation to create a new golf course. In 1925, the Ferguson Corporation took over sales of the Lake Arrowhead properties. The company offered two day trips up to the lake where potential investors could visit and stay at resorts. Advertisements for the region played up the promising winter attractions Lake Arrowhead held, labeling it a “winter playground,” instead of solely being considered a summer resort. These advertisements regarded Lake Arrowhead as a cultural region due to winter sports, skating, and the winter carnivals held there. The Harold G. Ferguson Corporation became sole sale representative for the ten miles of beach front development of the Malibu region owned by the Marblehead Land Company. In 1926, Malibu Beach Ranch opened to the public for the first time since Spanish rule. The Ranch Malibu properties were advertised as wild and beautiful, and utilized the romanticization of Spanish heritage to draw in investors. Due to the seclusion of the large beach houses from the public, large film colonies began to grow in the region where famous celebrities settled. The Palm Ranch development was located in Quartz Hill in the western Antelope Valley, north of Los Angeles. In 1928, the Harold G. Ferguson Company acquired the E.T. (Edwin Tobias) Earl Ranch, which included mature almond, apricot, and pear trees. The ranch was subdivided into five to ten acre lots, each containing fruit trees. Billed as an “immediate income” subdivision, purchasers were to encouraged to harvest the fruit and to raise turkeys to supplement their income. To encourage investors to raise turkeys, the Ferguson Company established a demonstration turkey unit, which housed a thousand turkeys at one point.

Biographical / historical:

With Harold G. Ferguson as president, the Harold G. Ferguson Corporation formed on September 27, 1924 as a Southern California realty firm which specialized in turning raw land into secluded communities. Harold G. Ferguson invested greatly in transforming the image of Southern California into that of an influential region in the real estate business. Through his career, Ferguson took on positions such as head of the Better Business Bureau, Los Angeles Realty Board, The California Stock Exchange, and Southern Sugar Company, while also buying companies such as the Western National Bank. In 1931, the company was investigated for breaking trust agreements, taking excessive commissions, and transferring funds in violation of trust agreements. Harold G. Ferguson was convicted on five counts of violation of the Corporate Securities Act and ten counts of grand theft. Of other note, Ferguson was also an Army veteran, Stanford graduate, and founder of the Hollywood Post of the American Legion.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid created by Sherman Library and Gardens staff.
Date Prepared:
1924 - 1931
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on April 17, 2025, 11:28 a.m.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Sherman Library. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The Sherman Library does not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

Papers of Harold G. Ferguson. Sherman Library and Gardens

Location of this collection:
614 Dahlia Ave.
Corona del Mar, CA 92625, US
Contact:
(949) 673-1880
library@slgardens.org
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