Summary Information

Repository
California Academy of Sciences Archives
Creator
Beck, Ida Menzies, 1883-1970
Creator
Beck, Rollo Howard, 1870-1950
Title
Beck (Rollo Howard and Ida Menzies) collection
ID
MSS.036
Date [inclusive]
1885-1985
Extent
17.88 Cubic feet 1 records center carton, 52 archives boxes (some oversize, some glass negative boxes), 1 rolled item
Language
English
Abstract
Consists of papers relating to Rollo Beck’s life, primarily but not exclusively his life as a collector. Included are papers relating to expeditions to the Galápagos (5 starts, 4 completed trips), South America and parts of the Caribbean, the South Seas, and Alaska (two trips). The collection includes negatives, prints and lantern slides of his travels, as well some of his life as a farmer.

Preferred citation

Rollo Howard and Ida Menzies Beck papers, California Academy of Sciences Library, San Francisco, CA

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Biographical note

Rollo Howard Beck was born August 26, 1870, in Los Gatos, California. When he was six, his family moved a few miles to Berryessa, now a district of San Jose, California. Over an active career that lasted nearly 60 years, Beck became the best known bird and reptile collector of the time, despite having only completed school through part of eighth grade.

After leaving school Beck went to work for several local farmers, one of whom was also an amateur ornithologist. From him Beck learned to prepare skins and to identify birds using Elliott Coues’ Key to North American Birds. He joined both the American Ornithologists’ Union and Cooper Ornithological Club (now Society) in 1894, establishing lifelong contact with other ornithologists both locally and nationally.

In 1897 Beck joined the Webster-Harris Expedition, financed by the Hon. Walter Rothschild. This trip went to the Galápagos where Beck learned a great deal about finding and collecting tortoises and birds, Rothschild’s twin passions. In 1901 and 1902 Beck financed two more collecting trips to the Galápagos Islands, searching for specimens to sell to Rothschild and to others.

The first expedition Beck led for the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) was a three and a half month collecting expedition to the Revillagigedos Islands, off the coast of Baja California, in 1903.

In 1905, CAS asked him to lead an expedition to the Galápagos. A ship, three fulltime crew and 7 other collectors who also served as sailor-scientists were assembled by the Academy. The expedition was gone for 17 months and was in the islands for a year and a day – the longest Galápagos collecting expedition. They returned with 76,000 items – birds, tortoises, insects, reptiles, snails, marine mammals, plants and rocks. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, which destroyed almost everything held by the Museum, occurred while they were gone, so their collections formed the basis of the new California Academy of Sciences.

Beck married Ida May Menzies in August 1909. They lived in Berryessa and Pacific Grove, California for the next few years.

From 1907-1912 Beck collected water-birds inland and sea birds along the California coast and out to sea for CAS and also for the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California, Berkeley. He invented “chumming” for sea birds. Taking some meat scraps with him in a small boat he would row due west for a few miles, tossing out scraps every so often. He would then reverse course, collecting the sea birds that appeared along this food-rich track. He established records for many sea birds which hadn’t been previously recorded in northern California.

In 1911 he was employed to go to Alaska for a five and a half month trip with A.C. Bent and Alexander Wetmore, both notable ornithologists. There they collected around islands and around Nome. Again in 1919 he was asked by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to collect in Alaska.

Beck worked for the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) from 1912-1917, collecting all around the coast of South America and offshore islands, and through the Caribbean. Mrs. Beck accompanied him for much of the time in spite of her chronic seasickness. In 1920 the AMNH asked him to lead the Whitney Expedition to the South Seas. Again Mrs. Beck accompanied him and he led this expedition until 1928. Immediately after leaving this expedition Mr. Whitney asked him to continue to collect New Guinea, alone. The Becks spent another 9 months doing this, and then returned to California in 1930.

In 1924 he had purchased a fruit farm in Planada CA, near Merced. After returning from the Whitney Expedition he spent the rest of his life farming and observing and collecting birds in central California. He died November 22, 1950, at age 80. Ida Beck stayed on the farm for several years, then moved to San Jose CA to live with relatives. She died in 1970, age 87.

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Chronology

Chronology of the life of Rollo Howard Beck
1870 Rollo Howard Beck born
1894 Joined American Ornithologists’ Union and Cooper Ornithological Club
1897 Hired by the California Academy of Sciences to collect birds in the Channel Islands, CA
1897 Hired as member of Rothschild Expedition to the Galapagos Islands
1897-1910 Intermittently affiliated with the California Academy of Sciences as a field collector
1903 Revillagigedos Islands Expedition for the California Academy of Sciences
1905-1906 Galapagos Expedition for California Academy of Sciences
1909 Marriage to Ida Menzies
1910-1912 Affiliation with the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
1911 Interrupting his affiliation with the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, he made a collecting trip to Alaska with A.C. Bent and Alexander Wetmore
1912-1917 Brewster-Sanford Expedition, South America and the Caribbean, for the American Museum of Natural History
1912-1929 Affiliation with the American Museum of Natural History
1919 Collected in Alaska for the American Museum of Natural History
1920-1929 Leader of Whitney South Seas Expedition for the American Museum of Natural History
1930-1950 Farmed in central California. Observed and collected birds for the California Department of Fish & Wildlife
1950 Died

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Scope and Content

Consists of papers relating to Rollo Beck’s life, primarily but not exclusively his life as a collector. Included are papers relating to expeditions to the Galápagos (5 starts, 4 completed trips), South America and parts of the Caribbean, the South Seas, and Alaska (two trips). The collection includes negatives, prints and lantern slides of his travels, as well some of his life as a farmer.

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Organizational note

Organized into the following series: Series 1: Biographical Materials; Series 2: Corresponence; Series 3: Field Journals and Notes; Series 4: Legal, Financial, and Related Papers; Series 5: Other Papers; Series 6: Photo Lists and Photographic Materials.

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Arrangement note

Arrangement varies by series.

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Administrative Information

Conditions governing access

Access is unrestricted.

Reproduction

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Most of the papers and many of the photographs were donated to the California Academy of Sciences by Beck family members in 1969, 1985 and 1986.

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

  • American Museum of Natural History.
  • Cooper Ornithological Club of the Pacific Coast.
  • California Academy of Sciences.

Geographic Name(s)

  • New Guinea.
  • Alaska.
  • South America.
  • Galapagos Islands.
  • Oceania.

Personal Name(s)

  • Beck, Rollo Howard, 1870-1950

Subject(s)

  • Scientific expeditions--South America.
  • Scientific expeditions--New Guinea, Dutch.
  • Scientific expeditions--Oceania.
  • Scientific expeditions--Alaska.
  • Scientific expeditions--Galapagos Islands.

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Collection Inventory

Series 1: Biographical Materials undated 
Box Folder

Autobiographies and obituaries 1918, 1936, 1950 

 1 1

Materials about Beck's life, mostly created after his death 

 1 2

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Series 2: Correspondence 1886-1895 
Box Folder

Undated undated 

 1 3

Correspondence 1886 

 1 4

Correspondence 1890-1893 

 1 5

Correspondence 1894 January-June 

 1 6

Correspondence 1894 July-September 

 1 7

Correspondence 1894 October-December 

 1 8

Correspondence 1895 January-June 

 1 9

Correspondence 1895 July-December 

 1 10

Correspondence 1896 January-June 

 2 1

Correspondence 1896 July-December 

 2 2

Correspondence 1897 

 2 3

Correspondence 1898 January-March 

 2 4

Correspondence 1898 April-June 

 2 5

Correspondence 1898 July-September 

 3 1

Correspondence 1899 January-March 

 3 3

Correspondence 1899 April-June 

 3 4

Correspondence 1899 July-December 

 3 5

Correspondence 1900 

 4 1

Correspondence 1901 

 4 2

Correspondence 1902 

 4 3

Correspondence 1903 

 4 4

Correspondence 1904 

 4 5

Correspondence 1905 

 4 6

Correspondence 1906 

 4 7

Correspondence 1907 

 4 8

Correspondence 1908 

 4 9

Correspondence 1909 

 4 10

Correspondence 1910 

 5 1

Correspondence 1911 

 5 2

Correspondence 1912 

 5 3

Correspondence 1913 

 5 4

Correspondence 1914 

 5 5

Correspondence 1915 

 5 6

Correspondence 1916 

 5 7

Correspondence 1917-1918 

 5 8

Correspondence 1919 

 5 9

Correspondence 1920 

 5 10

Correspondence 1921 

 5 11

Correspondence 1922 

 5 12

Correspondence 1923 

 5 13

Correspondence 1924 January-March 

 6 1

Correspondence 1924 April-June 

 6 2

Correspondence 1924 July-December 

 6 3

Correspondence 1925 

 6 4

Correspondence 1926 

 6 5

Correspondence 1927 

 6 6

Correspondence 1929 

 6 7

Correspondence 1929 

 6 8

Correspondence 1930-1934 

 6 9

Correspondence 1935-1936, 1939 

 6 10

Correspondence 1898 October-December 

 3 2

Correspondence 1940-1950 

 7 1

Correspondence 1951-1985 

 7 2

Correspondence to and from others not recorded 

 9 1

Correspondence, Ida M. Beck not recorded 

 9 2

Oversize correspondence 1894-1927 
Box Folder

Correspondence 1894 November 20 

 8 1

Correspondence 1894 November 30 

 8 2

Correspondence 1894 December 3 

 8 3

Correspondence 1894 December 8 

 8 4

Correspondence 1894 December 19 

 8 5

Correspondence 1894 December 28 

 8 6

Correspondence with Skinner 1895 February 27 

 8 7

Correspondence 1895 October 2 

 8 8

Correspondence 1897 March 24 

 8 9

Correspondence 1898 March 18 

 8 10

Correspondence 1898 October 9 

 8 11

Correspondence 1898 October 14 

 8 12

Correspondence 1898 October 27 

 8 13

Correspondence 1900 July 11 

 8 14

Correspondence 1906 December? 

 8 17

Correspondence 1910? December 29 

 8 18

 1921 June 7 and August 8 Correspondence 1921 June 7 and August 8 

 8 19

Correspondence 1921 December 7 

 8 20

Correspondence 1922 October 6 

 8 21

Correspondence 1923 July 17 

 8 22

Correspondence 1924 April 2 

 8 23
8 24

Correspondence 1924 June 20 

 8 25

Correspondence 1924 July 18 

 8 26

Correspondence 1925 September 16 

 8 27

Correspondence 1925 September 28 

 8 28

Correspondence 1925 December 18 

 8 29

Correspondence 1926 February 4 

 8 31

Correspondence 1926 January 11 

 8 30

Correspondence 1926 December 16 

 8 33

Correspondence 1927 January 12 

 8 35

Correspondence 1927 March 27 

 8 36

Correspondence 1927 March 20 

 8 37

Correspondence 1927 May 9 

 8 38

Correspondence 1927 June 15 

 8 39

Correspondence 1927 January 10-12 

 8 34

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Series 3: Field Journals and Notes 
Box Folder

California Academy of Sciences Galapagos Expedition Journal [original] 1905-1906 

 10 1

California Academy of Sciences Galapagos Expedition Journal [acid-free copy] 1905-1906 

 10 2

California Academy of Sciences Galapagos Expedition, Beck's Schooner Academy Log Book, Personnel Evaluations, and J. J. Parker Matter Letters 1906 

 10 3

Waterbird Notes, Los Banos, California 1908-1909 

 10 4

Alaska 1911 

 10 5

Peru [sic] 1912 

 10 6

South American Expeditions for American Museum of Natural History 1912-1917 

 10 7

South America, original field notes, American Museum of Natural History 1912-1917 

 11 1

South America, edited by Murphy and typed, American Museum of Natural History 1912-1917 

 11 2

Alaska, collecting list and journal, notes on desiderata, localities. 1919 

 11 3

South Seas, Materials prepared for Beck on flora, fauna, geography, people, and languages, Whitney expedition undated 

 11 4

South Seas, Parts of handwritten journal and edited/typed version 1920-1923 

 11 5

South Seas, Field notes typed by Rollo and/or Ida Beck 1922-1928 

 12 1

New Guinea expedition, typed by Beck 1928-1929 

 12 2

Field Notes, typed by Beck [duplicates of pages in Box 11, folder 3] 1919 

 12 3

Field notes, edited by Murphy and typed at American Museum of Natural History 1920-1923 

 12 4

Field notes, edited by Murphy and typed at American Museum of Natural History 1923-1925 

 12 5

Field notes [duplicate of material in Box 12, Folder 5] 1924 

 12 6

Discursive summaries of South Seas field notes by locale or bird undated 

 12 7

Bird lists from South Seas 1920-1929 

 13 1

List of New Hebrides Island birds taken by Whitney Expedition, J. G. Correia 1926 October 29 

 8 32

Lists of birds collected for USFWS, USDA, Ca. 1895-1896, 1931-1939 

 13 2

Lists of Beck's personal collections 1931-1938 

 13 3

Redwing blackbird control notes, Merced County, California 1943-1950 

 13 4

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Series 4: Legal, Financial, and Related Papers 
Box Folder

Legal papers, stock certificates, and financial records not recorded 

 14 1
14 2

Papers related to La Prosperidad Colony not recorded 

 14 3

Passports, collecting permits, and letters of introduction not recorded 

 14 4

Acknowledgments of donations, appointments of honor not recorded 

 14 5

Correspondence re: bookkeeping not recorded 

 15 1

Account book 1888-1898 

 15 2

Account book 1899-1907 

 15 3

Account book early 1900s 

 15 4

Account book [includes some diary-like entries] 1940-1950 

 15 5

Stores list for 1901 expedition 1901 

 8 15

Contracts and other legal documents 1903 April 20 

 8 16

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Series 5: Other Papers 
Object

Maps 1902, 1907, undated 
Object

Maps, Pilot Charts not recorded 

U.S. Chart #1798 of the Galapagos 1907 

Map of Santo Domingo Island not recorded 

U.S. Chart #1798 of the Galapagos, used on expedition 1902 December 11 

 1

Maps, Tahiti, various not recorded 

 17 1

Drafts and travel notes 1895-1942 

 17 2

Bird eggs and skins for sale; Bird books for sale not recorded 

 17 3

Ticket stubs and business/calling cards 1895-1942 

 17 4

Printed and duplicated materials kept by Beck not recorded 

 17 5

Blank stationary and forms undated 

 17 6

Printed materials not recorded 

 17 7

Book, Gems of Scottish Songs 1894 

 17 8

Christmas Carols, Pamphlet with Lyrics undated 

 17 9

News clippings undated 
Box Folder

News Clippings about Beck, Childhood not recorded 

 18 1

News Clippings about Beck, Galapagos 1894 

 18 2

News Clippings about Beck, Alaska 1911 

 18 3

News Clippings about Beck, South America 1912-1917 

 18 4

News Clippings about Beck, South Seas 1920-1930 

 18 5

News Clippings about Beck 1930-1985 

 18 6

News Clippings, Articles about Ida M. Beck not recorded 

 18 7

Duplicates, not deacidified not recorded 

 18 8

Printed mementos of Beck's travels 

 18 9

Scrapbook of Beck's travels not recorded 

 19 1

Clippings and articles related to Beck's life, but not by or about him not recorded 

 19 2

Murphy, R. C., "Observations on Birds of the South Pacific," typed partial manuscript not recorded 

 19 3

Beck's handwritten list of articles or references to himself not recorded 

 19 4

Articles by or about Beck, including Slevin's 1917 log 1917, undated 

 19 5

Reprints and offprints of journal articles by or about Beck not recorded 

Ephemera undated 
Box Object

Pith helmets undated 

 19 1
19 2

Bulb for lantern slide projector undated 

 23 3

Green eyeshade undated 

 23 4

Small knife case undated 

 23 5

Eastman Kodak Bulls-Eye #2 camera undated 

 23 6

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Series 6: Photo Lists and Photographic Materials 
Box Folder

Photo lists undated 
Box Folder

Galapagos undated 

 26 1

South America and the Caribbean undated 

 26 2

South Seas undated 

 26 3

Photo captions, South Seas undated 

 26 4

Three small notepads with South Seas photo lists plus other notes; paper used to hold prints for publication (Gifford, "Proceedings") undated 

 26 4

Galapagos photographic prints in notebooks 1905-1906 

Existence and Location of Copies note

Most prints and negatives from these notebooks have been scanned and are available for viewing via the library's Cumulus database.

Volume 1: Tortoises; Tortoises and People undated 

 39

Volume 2: People, not Tortoises undated 

 40

Volume 3: Fauna and Flora 

 41

Volume 4: Ship and Crew, Mexico undated 

 42

Photographic negatives undated 

Galapagos, nitrate negatives [in freezer] undated 

 27

Galapagos, glass plate negatives undated 

 28

South Seas, 5" by 7" glass plate negatives undated 

 29

South Seas, 2 1/2" by 3" glass plate negatives 

 30

South America, glass negatives undated 

 31

Beck's farm, glass negatives 

 32

Galapagos, safety film negatives, plus ten 5" by 7" nitrate negatives and five 3" by 4" negatives to be tested 

 33

South Seas, safety film negatives [sNegatives] undated 

 34

Not South Seas, safety film negatives [sNegatives] undated 

 35

Lantern slides undated 

Lantern slides undated 

 36

Lantern slides undated 

 37

Lantern slides undated 

 38

Lantern slides in old slide carrier box undated 

 38.1

Alaska, photographic prints 1911, 1919 

 43 1

South America and Caribbean (Brewster-Sanford Expedition) prints 1912-1917 

 43 2

South Seas (Whitney Expedition) photographic prints 1920-1929 

Scope and Contents note

All images are 5" by 7" and most have American Museum of Natural History numbers.
Box Folder

Fiji, no captions 

 44 2
44 1

Fiji; captions undated 

 44 3

Tuamotus, with captions 1922 

 44 4

Marquesas, with captions 1923 

 44 5

Tubuai and Austral, with captions 1921 

 44 6

Unknown, a few with captions undated 

 44 7

Samoa, a few with captions 1924 

 44 8

Tonga, a few with captions 1925 

 44 9

Societies/Tahiti, with captions 1923 

 44 10

S.V. France, some with captions undated 

 44 11

New Zealand, some with captions 1925-1926 

 45 1

Papua New Guinea 1, with captions 1928-1929 

 45 2

Papua New Guinea 2, with captions 1928-1929 

 45 3

Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon; a few with captions 1927 

 45 4

Solomons, a few with captions 1927 

 45 7

Kiribati, a few with captions 1921 December 

 45 5

Bismarck Archipelago, a few with captions 1928 

 45 6

South Seas (Whitney Expedition) prints arranged by topic. 1920-1929 

Scope and Contents note

Prints of various sizes. These items do not have AMNH numbers.
Box Folder

Ships, shipping, cargo 

 46 1

Houses, people and houses 1920-1929 

 46 2

Fauna 1920-1929 

 46 3

Flora 1920-1929 

 46 4

Portraits with one or two people 1920-1929 

 46 5

Group shots 1920-1929 

 46 6

Laundry 1920-1929 

 46 7

Market and toting 1920-1929 

 46 8

People at work 1920-1929 

 46 9

Ceremonies 1920-1929 

 46 10

Archery and hunting 1920-1929 

 46 11

Steamers/ocean liners 1920-1929 

 46 12

Schooners: France, Moana, Pro Patria, Hinano? 1920-1929 

 46 13

Europeans 1920-1929 

 46 14

Natives, mostly Tuamotus 1920-1929 

 46 15

Australia 1920-1929 

 46 16

Jose and Virginia Correia 1920-1929 

 46 17

Gardening 1920-1929 

 46 18

Fishing, collecting eggs 1920-1929 

 46 19

Village 1920-1929 

 46 20

Native and Western boats 1920-1929 

 46 21

Geography and scenery 1920-1929 

 46 22

Solomons 1929 

 46 23

Kiritimati, Vanuatu, Tonga 1920-1929 

 46 24

Samoa 1920-1929 

 46 25

Marquesas 1920-1929 

 46 26

Societies 1920-1929 

 46 27

Fiji 1920-1929 

 46 28

Papua New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago 1920-1929 

 46 29

New Zealand 1920-1929 

 46 30

Norfolk I. and Lord Howe I., Australia late May 1926 

 46 31

South Seas prints corresponding to negatives in box 34. 

Scope and Contents note

Old prints as well as new ones of previously unprinted negatives. Many duplicates.

 47 1

Family and non-expedition photographic prints 
Box Folder

Family photos, corresponding to negatives in Box 35 undated 

 47 1

Photos taken in England, corresponding to negatives in Box 35 1929 

 47 3

Family and friends, greater Bay Area undated 

 48 1

Fruit farming undated 

 48 2

Live birds, probably Planada, CA undated` 

 48 3

California, not Bay Area undated 

 48 4

Massachusetts and Rhode Island 1898-1899 

 48 5

Not United States undated 

 48 6

Taxidermy, activity and products undated 

 48 7

Oversize prints undated 
Box Folder

Galapagos, most mounted on hardboard and identified by G number undated 

 49 1

Farm pictures undated 

 49 2

Miscellaneous and unknown undated 

 49 3

Portraits of Rollo Beck 

 49 4

Photo albums undated 

Scope and Contents note

What was Album 5 is now missing. It was a small photo album given to Rollo and Ida Beck by Ernest Quayle, Christmas 1920.

Albums 1 and 2 

 50

Albums 3 and 4 

 51

Albums 6 and 7 

 52

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