J. Smeaton Chase
Encyclopedia
J. Smeaton Chase was an English author and photographer.
Joseph Smeaton Chase has become an integral part of California
literature: revered for his poignant descriptions of California landscapes. An Englishman who toured the Santa Rosa
and San Jacinto
mountains in 1915 with his burro
, Mesquit, Chase published poetic diary entries detailing his escapades through the Sierra Nevada mountains and California desert.
Joseph Smeaton Chase was born in London in April 1864. He arrived in Southern California in 1890, although information surrounding his motive for doing so is sparse. It is known however, that he lived on a mountainside and managed to obtain a job tutoring a wealthy rancher’s children in the San Gabriel Valley
. Chase was drawn to the plants, animals, and Spanish speaking individuals who resided in California. Subsequently, in 1911 he took a trip with local painter Carl Eytel
, traveling on horseback from Los Angeles
to Laguna
and then down to San Diego. Chase journeyed through the uncouth California land and detailed his escapades in his book California Desert Trails. He was passionate that the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains be preserved as a national park. Chase appeals to readers who appreciate the unspoiled west and California history.
Chase died March 29, 1923 in Banning, California
, after several years of poor health. His wife continued to live in their Palm Springs
home and died September 30, 1962 in Riverside County, California. She was born April 18, 1876. They are buried in a graveyard at the foot of Mt. San Jacinto, but his name is engraved at their parents headstone in Bexley Churchyard, Kent, England.
Joseph Smeaton Chase has become an integral part of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
literature: revered for his poignant descriptions of California landscapes. An Englishman who toured the Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa Mountains (California)
The Santa Rosa Mountains are a short mountain range in the Peninsular Ranges system, located east of the Los Angeles Basin and northeast of the San Diego metropolitan area of southern California, in the Southwestern United States.-Geography:...
and San Jacinto
San Jacinto Mountains
The San Jacinto Mountains are a mountain range east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mountains are named for Saint Hyacinth . The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the spine of the range.The range extends for approximately from the San Bernardino Mountains southeast to...
mountains in 1915 with his burro
Burro
The burro is a small donkey used primarily as a pack animal. In addition, significant numbers of feral burros live in the Southwestern United States, where they are protected by law, and in Mexico...
, Mesquit, Chase published poetic diary entries detailing his escapades through the Sierra Nevada mountains and California desert.
Joseph Smeaton Chase was born in London in April 1864. He arrived in Southern California in 1890, although information surrounding his motive for doing so is sparse. It is known however, that he lived on a mountainside and managed to obtain a job tutoring a wealthy rancher’s children in the San Gabriel Valley
San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
. Chase was drawn to the plants, animals, and Spanish speaking individuals who resided in California. Subsequently, in 1911 he took a trip with local painter Carl Eytel
Carl Eytel
Carl A. Eytel was a German-American artist living in Palm Springs, California, known for his paintings and drawings of desert landscapes.-Life:...
, traveling on horseback from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to Laguna
Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southwest of the county seat of Santa Ana...
and then down to San Diego. Chase journeyed through the uncouth California land and detailed his escapades in his book California Desert Trails. He was passionate that the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains be preserved as a national park. Chase appeals to readers who appreciate the unspoiled west and California history.
Chase died March 29, 1923 in Banning, California
Banning, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Banning had a population of 29,603. The population density was 1,281.6 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Banning was 19,164 White, 2,165 African American, 641 Native American, 1,549 Asian, 39 Pacific Islander, 4,604 from other...
, after several years of poor health. His wife continued to live in their Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
home and died September 30, 1962 in Riverside County, California. She was born April 18, 1876. They are buried in a graveyard at the foot of Mt. San Jacinto, but his name is engraved at their parents headstone in Bexley Churchyard, Kent, England.
Works by J. Smeaton Chase (Incomplete List)
- California Coast Trails: In 1911, Chase journeyed 2,000 miles on horseback from Mexico to Oregon and intimately recorded his experiences along the way. In his journals, Chase poetically provides a glimpse of California’s towns and wilderness as they appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. ISBN 978-1116315660
- California Gold: Chase’s daily journal recordings of coastal California. The book is laced with stunning depictions of California trails and enhanced by a rich history surrounding Chase’s various stops.
- Our Araby: Palm Springs and the Garden of the Sun, 1920: One of the first travel books of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Describes the animals, plants, and Native Americans that resided in Palm Springs before it was transformed into a posh resort town.
- Yosemite Trails: Camp and Pack-Train in the Sierra Nevada (1911): Details Chase’s route through in the strikingly beautiful Sierra Nevada. He captures the land and the people with such vibrancy that the reader is absorbed by his depictions of majestic California landscapes.
External links
- 5 short radio segments based on Chase's writing at California Legacy ProjectCalifornia Legacy ProjectThe California Legacy Project began in 2000 as a project at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA and later partnered with Heyday Books in Berkeley, CA. The project uses a research team of SCU interns to create radio scripts for the radio anthology "Your California Legacy" on KAZU 90.3 FM,...
.