Additional information available.[1]

NOTE: "Edward Wilson Currier", A Typical California Artist , In "Club Life" October, 1905

Beautiful San Francisco and surroundings is the Mecca of artists from all places of the globe, a great number of whom will eventually make it their home. Once here, the scenery, the natural artistic situation and the grand old Spanish traditions hold them with a strange facination.

Mr. Currier is one of those artist folk, who in true artistic fashion, drifted here in search of nature's beauty and found it among the old Missions, the noble oaks of Berkeley and the lanes winding around the romantic hills of Sausalito, where so many fine homes lie nesting in the sun all the year round. Chinatown, too, came in for a large share of Mr. Currier's attention, and owing to his easy aplomb and genial manner, he readily made friends among the Chinese, eventually becoming a favored one with certain influential characters, thus facilitating his access to the grotesque interiors of their exclusive homes. Mr. Currier made the most of this privilege, for he painted for a long season the old dens, religious and otherwise, quaint street scenes of their festivals, with the Chinese themselves in all the glory of their brilliant hues and gorgeous dress. People who have never been in San Francisco's Chinatown to see for themselves would imagine the rich coloring of Currier's oils and water colors was indeed from native soil.

It is regretable that from an artistic point of view all these places are demolished to make way for a more sanitary state of affairs, and a source of satisfaction and joy to Mr. Currier to have secured on canvas the fascinating and picturesque scenes now obliterated forever from San Francisco's Chinatown.

Mr. Currier is an ardent angler and goes out of town occasionally with his friends to the well-known mountainous trout streams within easy distance of the city, where he takes care to secure some good effects of the scenery. And his latter and more serious work is incorporated in this reproducing of grand silent nature in all its pristine beauty.

It is gratifying to learn that this is Mr. Currier's natal month---on the 11th day, 1857, he was born in Marietta, the oldest town in Ohio. His grandfather was one of the old settlers, the well-known David Pratt, also related to the George K. Fitch family and a distand cousin of Colis Huntington. Mr. Currier may be said to be a self-taught artist. He had very little instruction, but was unremitting in study to develop in water colors. As an ambitious lad of sixteen his first public effort was an order for an apple from a gardner , to illustrate the kind of apple for a horticultural catalogue. He was twenty-four years of age when he left home for Auburn, New York, where he remained ten or twelve years painting portraits and studying at intervals under George Lafayette Clough. Afterwords Mr. Currier opened a studio in Chicago, but was burned out. In the Chicago Academy he had the benefit of drawing instruction from Professor Spread.

He came to California in 1894, remaining six or eight months in los Angeles, finally landing in San Francisco, painting and doing illustrative work for leading magazines and newspapers, also pen and ink portraits, at the same time pursuing his studies under the direction of G. W. Shaw. Since his arrival in san Francisco the move upward has been gradual, but none the less sure and there is no manner of doubt but that Mr. currier has won for himself a place among our leading artists.

Mr. Currier has exhibited in the Newspaper Art Association, New York, of which he is an associate member; is a member and exhibitor in the San Francisco Art Association, and also a prominent member of the Ohio Society of California.

Mr. Currier married when a struggling young artist in Auburn, where his two children were born. They are now aged seventeen and fourteen. Both favor the father in looks and possess his artistic talent. Eunice, the elder, is inclined to be quiet and thoughtful and is a sweet, wholesome girl. The boy, Charles H, who has a keen sense of humor, which runs to clever caricauture, inherits musical ability from his mother.

Of tall and commanding physique, Mr. Currier is an exceedingly handsome man, with an irrestible charm of manner which makes him popular with all his friends, and their name is legion. His confrerers in art like to drop into his studio for a friendly chat, and old-time friends are happy to go, knowing full well the glad welcome of the big generous-hearted artist.

The sand dunes of pacific grove, painted in water color by Mr. Currier some time ago and reproduced by photograph on the fore page in this issue, is a representative sketch of his style of work.




Article in "The Grizzly Bear" May 1908

[MS284]. Currier, Edward W. Mt. Shasta in October. In: The Grizzly Bear. May, 1908. Vol. 3. No. 11. pp. 11, 39. Grant Towendolly, noted Wintu chief and storyteller, leads three climbers on a summit attempt in 1907. Contains an early account by Currier of Panther Meadows: (p. 11). Contains a portrait drawn from life of "Grant Towandolly, Winter Indian Chief" by Currier, plus two small photos of Mount Shasta and the climbers.


Mt. Shasta In October
By Edward W. Currier

On Tuesday, October 22nd, at 8:50 in the forenoon, our party, consisting of John Masson, Frank C. Cleary and myself, left Upper Soda Springs (situated on the Upper Sacramento river) on horseback, for a trip up the mountain, taking our blankets provisions for three days, consisting of bread, butter, coffee, sugar, condensed cream, potatoes, onion and bacon, which were placed in gunny sacks so as to pack on the horses to advantage; also a sack containing coffee pot, frying pan, cups, knives and forks, tin plates etc. Our course lay in a northeasterly direction through rather rough country, and after following the Old McCloud road for about for about eight miles, we cut into the brush and made our own trail through the thick chaparell and thorn bushes, which our horses had considerable difficulty to get through. When entering this brush we saw fresh bear tracks, also cub tracks, but bruin kept well out of sight and Towandolly, our Indian Guide, did not get a chance to use his trusty Winchester, which he carried for protection. About 2 o'clock we reached Wagon Camp. Mr. McGinnes of Sisson, had a potato patch and a small cabin at this remote place, and he and his assistant were very much startled to see us at this time of year, as the country in this region is unsettled. Going and coming, on our entire trip, we met no other human beings. From Wagon Camp we followed a trail up the mountain side, through a beautiful grove of tall fir and pine trees, beside a mountain stream of sparkling, ice cold water, which trickled over its stony bed and lined on either side by carmine leaved plants, which colored the ground in crimson patches all along the shores of the creek and presented a scene of beauty unparalleled. This is Onion creek, from the fact that wild onions grow along its course. After following this creek upwards for three miles, we came to its source in a magnificent spring flowing out of the ground in a stream six inches across and as deep. The water had worn out a pool or basin about three feet across, and all the edges were lined with emerald moss, making it look more like the work of some landscaper gardner than of nature. Here beneath a group of giant pine trees we made our camp for the night, cooked supper and retired on our beds of evergreen boughs, under the starry canopy of heaven, the full moon casting ghostly shadows through the trees.

Before retiring Towandolly told us we would not sleep much---we would hear them talking, the spirits of the old Winter Indians who guard Mt. Shasta, as this tribe is superstitious about climbing the mountain. At 3 o'clock next morning we were aroused by mine host Masson and sat down to a breakfast of fried potatoes, bacon, coffee, bread and butter, and at 5 o'clock we started on horseback for the summit, reaching the edge of the timber line about 6:30. We cut walking sticks, hitched our horses to the trees and proceeded on our journey. The mountain side was very rough, being composed of jagged rocks of reddish gray and brown, from six to twelve feet in diameter, and loose and very difficult to walk and climb over. At sunrise we had reached Lassen peak, eleven thousand feet altitude, where I made a water color sketch of the sunrise. The colors were wonderful; stretching far out toward the distant horizon were tier after tier of long, bluish purple mountain ranges interspersed with banks of golden clouds, and the sky was of a beautiful creamy rose tint. We arrived about 1:30 in the afternoon at the top of Winter glacier, thirteen thousand feet elevation, and were close under the summit, but the latter being covered with a dense cloud, we thought it best to descend to our camp on the timber line, arriving there at 4 o'clock. We got dinner and packed our horses, as` storm clouds were fast gathering, and started down the trail towards Wagon Camp. Clouds continued to gather and overcast the heavens, causing complete darkness around 6 o'clock. The lightning flashed and thunder roared across the summit of old Shasta. We slowly wended our way single file down the trail until we came to the old wagon road. We crossed a creek several times, as the road was washed out in many places. Rain drops fell at intervals, but the road was so dusty that we could just see the form of the first horse ahead, and we were decidedly glad when we reached the old country road to Sisson, where we could see the lights of the village gleaming in the distance. Arriving at Sisson we encountered a good road all the way to Upper Soda Springs. While on this road we were favored by the clouds in the cast parting and the full moon rising and peeping out, illuminating the tall pines and old burned trunks, which cheered up the four weary climbers wonderfully, and we arrived home at 10 o'clock, where we cheerfully sat down to a fine porterhouse steak, thus closing one of the most interesting and pleasant trips which I have taken in California.


Pennsylvania Archives
MG-85
J. Horace McFarland Papers
American Civic Association

NATIONAL PARKS GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1908-1950. (4 boxes)

GM 0399 box 18
........Currier, E.W., Artist, San Francisco, CA, 1913




Dear Ms. Vallon,

I will send you copies of what I was able to find on the Currier family in Ohio and West Virginia. Although I was not able to prove definitively that Edward was born in Marietta, I feel the circumstantial evidence is persuasive.
I am including copies of the relevant pages from the history of the First Congregational Church that show Laura and Charles P. as members during the right time period. The 1850 census record in Zanesville, Ohio shows Charles J. and family, along with Cyrus K. Currier and a Maria Pratt in the same household. The 1860 census shows the family, including Edward, in Williamstown, West Virginia (then Virginia), which is directly across the Ohio River from Marietta. The 1870 and 1880 censuses have them in Rockford, Illinois. I was not able to find the Cyrus K. Currier family in the 1860 or 1870 censuses. It is possible that the name was misspelled or the transciber misread the entry, so that it is indexed incorrectly. I did find them, including his son Cyrus in the 1880 census in Nelsonville, Athens Co., Ohio. There was a biographical entry for David Pratt in an early history of Athens County. I am also including a copy of the birth record and newspaper birth announcement for Cyrus. There were several newspaper ads for Currier and Stinson Druggists in the local papers.
All together, there are approximately 25 pages of material in the shipment. I will get an exact count and include an itemized bill with it. Normally, the mail would go out on Monday, but unfortunately Marietta is having one of its periodic floods again and most of the downtown area (including the Post Office block) is underwater. Fortunately, the library is not in the flood plain or near either of the rivers. They expect the Ohio River to be below flood stage by Monday.

Sincerely,

Eric


Eric Richendollar
Library Assistant
Washington Co. Public Library
Local History & Genealogy Dept.
418 Washington St.
Marietta, OH 45750
(740) 376-2172
e-mail: eric@wcplib.lib.oh.us
Web site: http://www.wcplib.lib.oh.us



Elbridge Burbank, famous artist and friend of E W Currier. He painted a portrait of EW in 1908

Throughout his travels, Elbridge Ayer Burbank befriended many Native Americans and western personalities including Chiefs Sitting Bull and Red Cloud, Buffalo Bill Cody, and William Jennings Bryan. Born in Harvard, Illinois, he began his art training in 1874 at the Academy of Design in Chicago. In the early 1880s, Burbank accepted an offer from the Northwest Illustrated Monthly to sketch towns along the Northern Pacific Railroad advertising opportunities available to prospective immigrants. After studying in Munich, Germany, Burbank opened a studio in Chicago in 1892. Burbank returned to the West when his uncle, Edward E. Ayer, president of the Field Museum of Natural History, commissioned him to paint the Apache Chief, Geronimo. Arriving at Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory, in 1895, he began not only a life-long friendship with Geronimo, but a career that would include the portrayal of Native Americans from over 125 western tribes. During his travels through Native American country, Burbank befriended J. L. Hubbell, owner of a trading post in Ganado, Arizona, where the artist stayed for periods between 1897 and 1911. At Hubbell's request, Burbank agreed to draw two portraits from every western tribe in the United States. This agreement, though not completed, accounts for his prodigious output of red conte drawings known as "Red Heads."

Additional information available.[2]

[1]Nowlin1-05.ged . Date of Import: Jan 22, 2005 See also

[2]Nowlin1-05.ged . Date of Import: Jan 22, 2005