Home → About UCMP → UCMP History → William Gordon Huff
Abbreviations: Tim Huff and the Huff Family Archives, Laytonville, CA HFA; Antonia Huff Rodrigues, Santa Rosa, CA (all photographed by Dave Strauss) AHR; University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) Archives, Berkeley, CA UA; Ray Strong Family Papers, Upper Lake, CA RSFP
1Information and quotations from A Short History of E Clampus Vitus (accessed 17 Sep 2015).
2Carl Briggs, letter to Lee Collins, 1 Mar 1984, HFA.
3A bronze plaque of text accompanies Huff's smaller plaque: "GRAND PROCRASTINATION. This simple bronze plaque honoring the work of John Steinbeck was sculptured in 1938 by William Gordon Huff. It was dedicated that same year by noted Western historian Dr. Charles L. Camp with all the unwavering, oratorical profundity which traditionally distinguishes this Ancient and Honorable Order. It took 47 years however, to get around to mounting it. Credo Quia Absurdum. Rededicated and mounted at last on this 13th day of July, 1985. Yerba Buena Chapter No. 1 and Monterey Viejo Chapter No. 1846. 'He sows hurry and reaps indigestion' - Robert Louis Stevenson."
4K.M. Castro and E.L. Fambrini, E Clampus Vitus Plaque Book 1930-1995 (Oakland: Harrington McInnes Printers, 1995), pp. 79, 196 and 202. When the original plaque was rededicated at the Transbay Terminal, a smaller, text-only plaque was mounted beneath it by the Yerba Buena No. 1 and Joaquin Murrieta No. 13 chapters.
5Date and location of Huff's initiation from Deke Sonnichsen (Yerba Buena No. 1 chapter historian), "Re: Clampartist William Gordon Huff," email to me, 3 Mar 2014. Huff's original title from Steve "Iggy" Myers (Ex-Noble Grand Humbug, Yerba Buena No. 1 chapter), "Re: Clampartist William Gordon Huff," email to me, 3 Mar 2014.
6Clampatriarch title from "E Clampus Vitus Plans Hall [sic] of Fame in Murphys," The Stockton Record, 3 Jun 1969, p. 9, HFA.
7Existence of the Florida plaque from William Gordon Huff, letter to Ray Strong (hand-written note added to a photocopy of the sculptor et al. posing with Huff's Doolittle plaque), undated but probably 1980s, RSFP: "The Navy had three bronze copies made of my plaque — one for NAS Alameda; one for Pensacola, Florida and I can't remember where the 3rd one went." Existence of the Antarctica plaque from William Gordon Huff, letter to Ray Strong, c. 1984, RSFP: "I made reliefs large and small which are scattered around the country — and one which was installed somewhere in Antarctica."
1Castro and Fambrini, p. 73. Also, William Gordon Huff's informal autobiography, "John Studebaker, from South Bend — 1833-1917," photocopy of an article describing the plaque and its dedication, probably from an issue of The Pony Express, c. 1939, HFA; also HMdb.org (accessed 5 Jan 2019).
2Castro and Fambrini, pp. 152 and 196. Huff had been doing some preliminary research for the plaque as evidenced by B.L. Moorhead (The Studebaker Corporation's Sales Department), letter to Huff, 11 Aug 1939, HFA: "We are enclosing herewith a group of pictures covering the first Studebaker wagon."
3Castro and Fambrini, p. 196. Also, the Mountain Charlie 180 chapter website (accessed 5 Jan 2018).
4Castro and Fambrini, p. 196.
5Ibid.
6Ibid. Also, the Major William Downie #1849 chapter website (accessed 22 Jun 2016).
7Castro and Fambrini, p. 198. A San Francisco Sheriff's Department History Research Project web page, providing a Chronological List of San Francisco County Jails 1846-present (accessed 6 Jan 2018), puts the old jail at the northeast corner of the intersection of Broadway and Romolo Place, a short block west of Kearny, and it was in use from 1851 through 1906. According to Richard Dyer of the SFSD History Project, The Beat Museum, now occupying the corner where the jail once stood, either removed or covered the plaque.
8William Gordon Huff's informal autobiography, "Wells Fargo's Stage Driver of the Northern Mines," photocopy of an article describing the plaque and its dedication, probably from an issue of The Pony Express, c. 1956, HFA. Also, HMdb.org (accessed 5 Jan 2019).
9Castro and Fambrini, p. 173. Also, HMdb.org (accessed 5 Jun 2019).
10Castro and Fambrini, pp. 173 and 198. Also, photographs in the HFA and slides in the Samuel P. Welles 35 mm Slide Collection, UA.
11Castro and Fambrini, p. 16.
12Ibid.
13Castro and Fambrini, p. 117.
14Cricket Kanouff (Peña Adobe Historical Society), "Re: Peña Adobe donor plaque," email to me, 20 Aug 2016.
15Susan E. Chattin, note with plaque wording, 30 Apr 1967, HFA. Also, William Gordon Huff, letter to Ray Strong, 2 Sep 1966, HFA: "Last week Doris and I took off for the wilderness area of Mendocino County. … drove up to the place where the Grinnell plaque is to be located." I visited the Angelo Reserve in June 2012.
16William Gordon Huff's informal autobiography, photocopy of a page from an unknown newspaper with photo and caption, c. 1968, HFA.
17Wood Young, letter to Huff, 3 Jan 1969, HFA. Also, a photograph of the plaque, HFA.
18Rodney Rulofson. letter to Marian E. Gridley, 1 Oct 1969, HFA. Rulofson describes the discovery of the skeletons (he says 11 but Huff's plaque says seven) and their reburial. Rulofson notes that the reburial was done with the cooperation of the Solano American Indian Historical Society.
19William Gordon Huff, "Fresno's Chinatown — memories of the way it was," The Fresno Bee, 23 Jun 1980, p. B6, HFA. The article is about Huff's boyhood memories of Fresno's Chinatown. A paragraph about Huff appears alongside the article, with the last sentence reading "He has created public monuments in California, Nevada, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and Japan, including the monument to Fresno County's early physicians dedicated by the Fresno County Historical Society in 1972 at Kearney Mansion." News of the theft from Antonia Huff Rodrigues.
20"Remembering the Pioneers," The Reporter (Vacaville), date unknown but probably published just prior to the 27 Apr 1974 dedication, HFA.
21Castro and Fambrini, pp. 39, 98 and 176.
22Castro and Fambrini, p. 40.
23Castro and Fambrini, pp. 16 and 117.
24"Memorial to pilots dedicated," Ukiah Daily Journal, 26 Jun 1975, HFA (pictured).
25See other photos of Rulofson's grave marker at findagrave.com.
26Jane Lopolito, "Late Pena Adobe Curator Will Be Honored with Memorial," The Reporter (Vacaville), 11 Apr 1976, HFA (pictured).
27Photographs, HFA. Learn more about Burns in K.P. Brewer, "Pioneer or Perish": A History of the University of the Pacific During the Administration of Dr. Robert E. Burns, 1946-1971 (Fresno: Pioneer Publishing, 1977), 263 pp.
28A photograph and a greeting card, HFA (pictured).
29Castro and Fambrini, p. 163, and HMdb.com (accessed Jun 6, 2019).
30Castro and Fambrini, p. 201. Also, two letters: Marsh (i.e., Marshall Fey), letter to Huff, 19 Jan 1980, HFA; and Marsh, letter to Huff, undated but after the casting of the plaque, HFA. I searched the area of the Liberty Belle Saloon's former location on South Virginia Street in Jul 2018 but could not locate Huff's plaque.
31Castro and Fambrini, p. 200, and photographs, HFA.
32Castro and Fambrini, p. 200. William Gordon Huff, letter to Ray Strong, 30 May 1984, HFA. "The Yerba Buena chapter is planning a big shindig in San Franciso's Chinatown this fall to dedicate a bronze plaque of the Chinese gentleman I made which is on the Wall." I have not yet visited the museum to see whether it is still there or not.
1Castro and Fambrini, p. 3.
2Castro and Fambrini, p. 5.
3According to signage in the Goheen-Mowers Museum in Peña Adobe Regional Park in Vacaville.
1Negatives and prints of the artwork tend to be smaller than 5 x 7 inches (as if this was the size at which they were to be printed on cards) and on the back of one drawing, Huff indicated that it was for a fellow ECV member's Christmas card.
2A matted drawing of ECV's Henry Wagner (courtesy of Antonia Huff Rodrigues) had a date of 1940 written on it (pictured). The drawing done for an event honoring Carl Wheat, HFA, was done in 1959 (pictured). A photo of a drawing showing two anthropomorphized horses with two men on all fours pulling wheeled carts (shown on page 6) has a label on the back that reads "from Wm Gordon Huff, Nov. 10, 1971," HFA.
3All the drawings are of Clampers, and except for Hale Sparks and Ronald Olson, they all have ceramic plaques on the Wall of Comparative Ovations in Murphys. Adam Lee Moore's caption on the Wall reads "Clampatriarch, 1931-'45 — Yerba Buena. Became a Clamper in Sierra City - 1863. Was connecting link between revived Order of E Clampus Vitus and the old ECV of post-gold-rush days." Charles Camp's reads "Dr. Charles L. Camp, 1893-1975. Renowned paleontologist; Prof. Univ. of Calif.; historian of the American West; bibliographer; Sublime Noble Grand Humbug, ECV. He helped promote the revival of E Clampus Vitus during the '30s and was active until the end of his days." V.L. VanderHoof's reads "NGR, 1937-'40 — Yerba Buena, S.F. 'Wheel-horse' of Revival days." Leon Whitsell's reads "NGH, 1935-'36 — Yerba Buena, S.F. Co-spearheaded the Revival." John Porter's reads "John E. Porter, SNGH. 1893-1981. Civil engineer, ranchero — grand Clampspinner of glorious tales of early California." Edgar Jessup's reads "NGH, 1937-'38 — Yerba Buena, S.F. A 'shining light' of early revival days. Co-organizer of Grand Council. First Sublime NGH." Ronald Olson served as Yerba Buena No. 1 chapter's Noble Grand Humbug in 1940. Huff described Hale Sparks, a fellow Clamper, as "the original University of California Explorer of the Air. … He was an active Clamper — attended most ECV affairs." Sparks was in fact the head of broadcasting for UC and hosted two radio programs, The University Explorer and Science Editor, receiving several awards for his work. Huff's comments from a page in his informal autobiography, HFA.
4Both Wagner and Wheat have ceramic plaques on the Wall of Comparative Ovations. Henry R. Wagner's Wall caption reads "A Clamper who, in middle life, turned his back on monetary wealth to devote full time to history. Result: He became an outstanding historian of 'The West.'" Carl Wheat's reads "NGH, Yerba Buena, 1932-33. Spearheaded the revival of E Clampus Vitus, 1931."