The William Hammond Hall Papers, consist of correspondence, writings, diaries, maps, photographs, notes, and clippings recording the fifty year career of a pioneer in the fields of irrigation, reclamation, and conservation.

William Hammond Hall was born in Hagerstown, Maryland on February 12, 1846, the son of Anna Maria Hammond and John Buchanan Hall. The family came to California in 1850 and his father established a law practice that flourished until his office and library were destroyed in the fire of 1851. Later that year the family settled in Stockton where John Hall reestablished his law practice and became legal advisor to Charles M. Weber, the city's founder. Hall's education in a private academy was designed to prepare him for West Point but the outbreak of the Civil War caused his parents to abandon this plan. He remained in the Stockton academy until 1865 when he began his professional career in civil engineering as a draftsman and surveyor for the United States Corps of Engineers. He quickly advanced to assistant engineer and, as chief engineer, conducted the first survey for a ship canal to bring deep-sea vessels to the port of Stockton.

Number of containers: 17 boxes, 15 cartons, 12 volumes, 1 oversize folder Linear feet: 28 linear feet

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