Research
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Dragoon Officer of Spanish Soldado del Cuera
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Work/Study Programs: Graduate and undergraduate student Interns from local universities perform historic research and fact checking for educational activities of La Senora. These Interns work with their professors and with La Senora' Historian to capture and present historical data in an entertaining and easily absorbed way
As of January 2009 we have Interns researching the below identified topics. In many instances their work is augmented by our Volunteers who are engaged in related research. Combining the work of the Interns and the Volunteers is producing a volume of information that is higher than we are currently able to process effectively. In late January 2009, a UCLA professor who teaches in the UCLA/Getty Conservation program will be examining our archives to determine their applicability for use in her Spring 2009 class on archiving and conservation
In mid 2009 The Cotsen Archeological Institute of UCLA sponsored a two-day workshop on grount penetrating radar seeking the graves within the Pasqual Marquez Family Cemetery. This even was attended by over 50 scientists/academics and graduate students. 60 4th graders attended and helped collect data for the grave search. (See our Lectures section for more details on this weekend.) There, and on our Calendar pages, you will also find information on the 'grave sniffing dogs' who will search the Santa Barbara Presidio and our Cemetery the end of January.
Current Research Topics (for which volunteer history buffs are also sought):
Francisco Reyes - 3rd Alcade (Mayor) of Los Angeles, 1761 Soldado del Cuero of the Portola Expedition to locate Monterrey Bay (using a 250 year old Maritime map made by Juan Cabillo); recipient of the Spanish Land Grant for Encino (the entire San Fernando Valley) and later Lompoc.
California Land Commission - 1851 - This project has progressed through the scanning and indexing of a voluminous amount of testimony documentation. Interpretation of the results of the Indexing is proceeding slowly as the graduate student most involved with the project received her degree and went on to professional employment. Anyone interested in examining the criteria by which the Commissioners awarded or denied claims for "patent" of the Rancho lands, or interested in identifying how land disputes were resolved and what impacts such decisions had on the newly formed body of law that was to become California Property laws, will be welcomed by La Senora.
Exploration of Graves - Pascual Marquez Family Cemetery - See above for more information onthe Cotsen Institute research program in this cemetery.
Jose Mojica - The Mexican Valentino - This colorful and talented indivual who built the Hacienda in which La Senora is sited is the subject of research by two of our volunteers and one of our graduate student Interns. In addition to the collecting of books on Mojica, the files for 'distringuised persons' in the City Hall in San Miguel de Allende are being reviewed. Two volunteers have taken photos of the Mojica residence Villa Santa Monica built by Mojice in San Miguel after he returned to Mexico from the United States in the mid 1930's. A volunteer is working on interviewing Mojica's nephew, a retired veternarian, who still lives on land adjacent to and originally a part of the Villa Santa Monica estate.
Loos Family
Clifford Loos, M.D. co-founder of Ross-Loos Foundation - A Volunteer is sought to start this research project.
Anita Loos - Playwright & Screen Writer - Volunteers have been engaged in collecting books, photos, and films by Ms. Loos. La Senora has on periodic display Anita' hats and some of her jewelry. La Senora also possesses a Cecil Beaton drawing of Anita Loos gifted by Mary Anita Loos in 1999.
Mary Loos - Screen Writer; Best Selling Novelist of six books. The Mary Loos Archives were in part donated to the Bancroft Library under the terms of her will. The residual papers were placed in a storage facility in Monterrey California. It has not yet been possible to obtain access to these documents which contain a wealth of photos of old Hollywood, family scrapbooks with photos and newspaper articles, Mary's very thorough notes on historical research used in part in her novels, and other misc. memorabilia. The Foundation Director of La Senora was named the Literary Trustee in Mary Loos' estate, which include the hand written scripts of Anita Loos; however she has has not yet received any of the works to be represented.
Lyle Wheeler - Multiple Academy Awards Winning Art Director - Three of Wheeler's six children are active in La Senora. Kimball Wheeler, an internationally recognized Mezzo-Soprano was La Senora's first year Artist in Residence. Brooke Wheeler, an art director like his father, is the official family historian and has presented La Senora with a wealth of materials on his father's dynamic career.
- Participate in our role in the Huntington Library and USC – LA as Subject Archive Project'. Do you have an early LA story related to Rancho Boca de Santa Monica or Los Angeles during the period 1760-1880 to share with us?
- Photo Collections; recordings; memorabilia of focus - you might have a tax deductible donation to La Senora in your attic
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