MS 242 Jerry MacMullen Collection
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- San Diego History Center Document Collection
- Creator
- MacMullen, Jerry
- Title
- Jerry MacMullen Collection
- ID
- MS 242
- Date [inclusive]
- 1956-1974
- Extent
- 1.5 Linear feet (3 boxes)
- Language
- English
- Abstract
- This collection contains volumes of Jerry MacMullen’s weekly column, “The Southwest Corner,” published in the San Diego Union.
Preferred Citation
Jerry MacMullen Collection, MS 242, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.
Biographical / Historical Notes
Gerald (“Jerry”) F. MacMullen was born in 1898 in San Francisco. His family moved to San Diego in 1899 and he grew up in the city, only leaving to attend college at UC Berkeley. He returned to San Diego in 1921 where he established his career as a newspaperman, author, historian and artist. MacMullen first worked at the Evening Tribune, transferring to the San Diego Union in 1928 where he worked as a reporter until the beginning of World War II. He joined the U.S. Navy, serving as a commander for Naval Intelligence for four years until the close of the war, at which time he returned to newspaper work in December of 1945. A long-time member of the Maritime Research Society, MacMullen served as its president in 1948. He also published several books including Paddle Wheel Days in California, as well as two books he co-wrote with Jack McNairn, Ships of the Redwood Coast and Star of India: Log of an Iron Ship. MacMullen played an active role in the restoration of the Star of India. He served as the director of the Serra Historical Museum in Presidio Park for ten years, between 1956 and 1966. It was during this same period that MacMullen began writing a weekly column for the Union called “The Southwest Corner,” which he continued to write into the mid-1970s. Published in the Sunday edition, his articles presented historical sketches related to the history of San Diego. MacMullen was married to Roberta MacMullen and resided in Coronado until his death in 1981.
Scope and Content
This collection contains transcriptions of Jerry MacMullen’s weekly San Diego Union column titled “The Southwest Corner.” They present historical sketches related to the early days of San Diego written in a humorous manner. The articles are contained in 19 volumes organized by year, dating from 1956 to 1974. Each volume between 1957 and 1973 contains every column published in that corresponding year. The 1956 volume includes articles published from May 1956 forward, and the 1974 volume is missing more than half of that year’s articles. Volumes from 1956-1971 include a table of contents and articles titles, whereas volumes from 1972-1974 do not include a table of contents or titles for the articles.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged chronologically.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
San Diego History Center Document Collection April 27, 2012
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA, 92101
619-232-6203
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number 680910B.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Katrina White on April 27, 2012.
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Dashaway Social Club.
- Maritime Research Society.
- Pacific Pioneer Yacht Club.
- San Diego Union Company.
- Star of India (Ship).
Geographic Name(s)
- Cedros Island (Mexico)
- Coronado (Calif.)
- Presidio Park
- San Diego (Calif.)
- San Francisco (Calif.)
- San Nicolas Island (Calif.)
- Stingaree District (San Diego, Calif.)
- Warner’s Ranch (Calif.)
Personal Name(s)
- Capron, John G.
- King, Leroy A.
- MacMullen, Jerry
- Smith, Walter Gifford
- Spreckels, John Diedrich, b. 1853
Subject(s)
- Filibusters (Political science)
- Indians of North America
- Journalists
- Newspapers Sections, columns, etc.
- Reporters and reporting
- Smallpox
- World War, 1914-1918
Collection Inventory
| Box-folder | ||||
| “Southwest Corner – Vol. I – MacMullen, 1956” (34 articles), 1956 May 6-December 30
Article of Interest: “The Star of India,” November 14, 1952 (p. 52) |
1:1 | |||
| “Southwest Corner – Vol. II – MacMullen, 1957” (52 articles), 1957 January 6-December 28
Articles of Interest: “The Raid on Warner’s,” February 17, 1957 (p. 13) “A Filibustering Editor,” April 21, 1957 (p. 31) |
1:2 | |||
| “Southwest Corner – Vol. III – MacMullen, 1958” (52 articles), 1958 January 5-December 28
Articles of Interest: “The First Locomotive,” March 2, 1958 (p. 17) “An International Affair,” October 19, 1958 (p. 85) |
1:3 | |||
| “Southwest Corner – Vol. IV – MacMullen, 1959” (51 articles), 1959 January 25-December 20
Articles of Interest: “Gunfire in Mission Valley,” August 16, 1959 (p. 65) “The Hottest Day of All,” December 13, 1959 (p. 99) |
1:4 | |||
| “Southwest Corner – Vol. V – MacMullen, 1960” (50 articles), 1960 January 3-December 18
Articles of Interest: “The N.C. and O. Railway,” February 2, 1960 (p. 22) “The First White Child,” December 18, 1960 (p. 150) |
1:5 | |||
| “Southwest Corner – Vol. VI – MacMullen, 1961” (52 articles), 1961 January 1-December 31
Articles of Interest: “Modern Horse Thieves,” September 10, 1961 (p. 109) “San Diego’s Blue Laws,” December 3, 1961 (p. 147) |
1:6 | |||
| “Southwest Corner – Vol. VII – MacMullen, 1962” (46 articles), 1962 January 7-December 23
Articles of Interest: “George A. Pendleton,” January 28, 1962 (p. 10) “Pure Water Comes to San Diego,” April 22, 1962 (p. 46) |
1:7 | |||
| “Southwest Corner – Vol. VIII – MacMullen, 1963” (45 articles), 1963 January 6-December 22
Articles of Interest: “Stingaree,” June 16, 1963 (p. 62) “The Beginning of Coronado Tent City,” June 30, 1963 (p. 68) |
2:1 | |||
| “Southwest Corner by Jerry MacMullen, Volume IX, 1964” (51 articles), 1964 January 5-December 27
Articles of Interest: “Rum Row,” May 24, 1964 (p. 61) “The Flood of 1884,” July 5, 1964 (p. 76) “John G. Capron,” August 16, 1964 (p. 94) |
2:2 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1965, by Jerry MacMullen, Volume X” (47 articles), 1965 January 3-December 26
Articles of Interest: “John D. Spreckles,” February 7, 1965 (p. 13) “Gas Street Lamps,” March 7, 1965 (p. 26) “The Jones Affair,” October 10, 1965 (p. 118) |
3:2 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1966, by Jerry MacMullen, Volume XI” (44 articles), 1966 January 9-December 25
Articles of Interest: “Saloons,” June 12, 1966 (p. 69) “First World War Spies,” October 2, 1966 (p. 115) |
2:4 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1967, by Jerry MacMullen, Volume XII” (50 articles), 1967 January 1-December 31
Articles of Interest: “A Spanish Wreck,” April 16, 1967 (p. 50) “Politics,” November 22, 1967 (p. 151) |
2:5 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1968, by Jerry MacMullen, Volume XIII” (44 articles), 1968 January 7-December 29
Articles of Interest: “Pacific Pioneer Yacht Club 1852,” February 19, 1968 (p. 19) “San Diego’s Storm,” May 19, 1968 (p. 60) |
2:6 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1969, by Jerry MacMullen, Volume XIV” (38 articles), 1969 January 5-December 21
Articles of Interest: “Murdered Deputy,” May 16, 1969 (p. 40) “Dashaway Social Club,” June 8, 1969 (p. 49) |
3:1 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1970, by Jerry MacMullen, Volume XV” (36 articles), 1970 January 4-December 27
Articles of Interest: “Coronado Train Wreck,” January 11, 1970 (p. 5) “Isis Theater,” September 13, 1970 (p. 80) “Gold Mining at Cedros Island,” November 15, 1970 (p. 107) |
3:2 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1971, by Jerry MacMullen, Volume XVI” (49 articles), 1971 January 3-December 26
Articles of Interest: “Leroy A. King,” April 18, 1971 (p. 47) “San Nicolas Island,” July 4, 1971 (p. 79) “Smallpox,” August 1, 1971 (p. 93) “Boat Races,” October 17, 1971 (p. 128) |
3:3 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1972, by Jerry MacMullen, Volume XVII” (51 articles), 1972 January 2-December 31 | 3:4 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1973, by Jerry MacMullen, Vol 18” (49 articles), 1973 January 2-December 30 | 3:5 | |||
| “The Southwest Corner, 1974, by Jerry MacMullen, Volume XVIII” (21 articles), 1974 January 6-December 22 | 3:6 | |||
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