A Guide to the Records of
Vincent P. Gianella
Collection No. 85-01

Vincent Paul Gianella

Vincent Paul Gianella was born on February 9, 1886 in Marysville, California to Vincenzo and Mary Hagan Gianella. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1910 and in Mining Engineering in 1911 from Oregon State University. From 1911-1920 he worked in the mining industry in Alaska, Arizona, California and Nevada. During that time he also married Catherine Thiele whom he met in California. They had three children: Faith, born in 1918, Catherine Agusta, born in 1919, and Vincent Paul, born in 1922.

By 1915 Gianella and his family had moved to Reno, Nevada, where he taught metallurgy at the Mackay School of Mines at the University of Nevada. He also took course work toward a masters degree which he received in 1920. Gianella taught at the University until 1925 when he and his family left for the east coast of the U. S. so that he could undertake graduate studies in geology, first at Yale, and then at Columbian University. His dissertation on geology of the Silver City and southern Comstock region of Nevada was completed in 1936 and he received his Ph.D. in 1937. Meanwhile he returned to Reno where he was a professor in the Mackay School of Mines and chair of the Department of Geology and Geography from 1935-1952, when he retired as Professor Emeritus of Geology.

Dr. Gianella also worked as the geologist for the Nevada Bureau of Mines, geologist and mineralogist for the Mining Analytical Laboratory, curator of the Mackay School of Mines Museum, and consultant in seismology in Nevada for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. He published some forty papers on seismology, economic geology, and mineralogy and both before and after his retirement he acted as a geological consultant to individuals and companies. He was active in professional organizations, serving as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Cordilleran Section of the Geological Society of America, on the Executive Committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and many others.

Gianella was also interested in history and became a recognized expert on the early exploration of the west, retracing the exact routes of many early explorers of the Great Basin, including John C. Fremont. He served as a director of the Nevada Historical Society, was a member of the Advisory Board of the Nevada Centennial Commission, and frequently spoke to civic and historical groups about his interests and research. He was also an expert bee keeper known for the quality of the honey his hives produced.

Gianella was recognized throughout Nevada for his unselfish assistance to prospectors and mine operators. He liked nothing better than to tramp the hills in the isolated Black Rock Desert country or a shady canyon in the Sierra foothills. He believed that the Great Basin was a force which had shaped the destiny of the west and enthusiastically passed along his knowledge and appreciation of that region, whether to his students, colleagues, or community. He received the Distinguished Nevadan metal in 1962 in recognition of his scientific contributions.

Dr. Gianella died in Auburn, California on July 9, 1983 at the age of 97. For more information on his career, consult his oral history, Recollections of Geological Work in the West, the University of Nevada, and Following Western Trails produced by the Oral History Program of the University of Nevada, Reno (1973).

Scope and Content

The Gianella papers were willed to the University of Nevada by Dr. Gianella and received by the Special Collections Department in 1985. The collection consists of 15 boxes, the contents of which date from 1859-1982. There are also several thousand slides, photographs and negatives; and approximately 50 maps. There are no restrictions on use of the collection.

The Gianella collection consists of Dr. Gianella's geology related personal property and papers related to his research on the route of John C. Fremont and other early explorations in Nevada. These papers include correspondence, fiancial materials, reports, subject files, journals and field notebooks, notes from classes Gianella attended and taught, bibliographic notes, articles by Gianella, books, maps, and photographs. There is also a small amount of personal material intermingled with the professional papers in the correspondence, financial, and subject file series.

The collection was fairly well organized when it was transferred to the Department and that original order has been to a large extent retained. The largest series, Correspondence, contains letters both to and from Gianella; the correspondents included teaching and professional colleagues, clients, students, and family members. Some of the materials attached to letters could also have been placed in the Reports Series or Subject Files and vice versa so a researcher searching for a particular report will need to check all three series.

Dr. Gianella produced an impressive number of geological reports beginning in the 1920s. Those reports were done for his own studies included what eventually became his Ph.D. dissertation, "Geology of the Silver City District and Southern Portion of the Comstock Lode," which was published in the University of Nevada Bulletin, December 30, 1936. He also wrote reports in conjunction with his positions as geologist for the Nevada Bureau of Mines, 1929-1942; geologist and mineralogist for the Mining Analytical Laboratory, 1938-1952; and consultant in seismology in Nevada for the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1938-1952. Dr. Gianella's publications included included the subjects of Nevada's common minerals, barite deposits, geology of the Majuba Hills, and earthquakes in western Nevada; the subject and report files contain both research notes and manuscript reports on those topics.

The Vincent Gianella papers have been arranged into the following series:

  1. Correspondence
  2. Personal Files
  3. Drought Relief Completion Reports
  4. Field Notebooks
  5. Reports by Gianella
  6. Reports by Other Authors
  7. Subject Files
  8. Gianella's College and Teaching Materials
  9. John C. Fremont and Early Emigrant Routes Through Nevada
  10. Books
  11. Maps
  12. Photographs

Series 1. Correspondence. 1887-1982. 3.5 cu. ft. Boxes 1-4.

This collection of correspondence consists primarily of letters written to or by Gianella about his college and university studies in Oregon, Nevada, Massachusetts, and New York; his mining jobs in the 19-teens; his teaching career at the University of Nevada; consulting jobs with mining companies and individuals; and his life in retirement. The bulk of these letters are of a professional nature but there are some letters from his brothers and sisters in California, and his wife and children during those times when Dr. Gianella was conducting field work.

The subject matter of this correspondence concentrates on mining and geology in Nevada and the west. Many of the letters describe the state of the mining industry over a period of fifty years, beginning when Gianella took his first job upon graduation from Oregon State College and continuing after his retirement when he undertook geological consulting work for mining companies and individuals. Attached to letters in this series are reports written by Gianella as a consultant; additional reports are also described in Series 5 and 6.

Included in this series are letters describing many of the activities and events in the Mackay School of Mines where Dr. Gianella taught geology. An addition file of Mackay School of Mines material is found in the subject files, Series 7.

Dr. Gianella developed a scholarly interest in earthquakes in western Nevada and eastern California fairly early in his career and served as a collector of information for the United States Geological Service. There are a number of letters in the correspondence series between Gianella, other earthquake scholars, and lay individuals who reported incidences of earthquakes and their aftershocks.

Dr. Gianella was active in the 1920s in the national organization of the Beta Kappa Fraternity; letters and reports in these files reflect that interest.

The personal correspondence reflects Gianella's relationship with his brothers and sisters who lived in California. The family members were owners of the Vincenzo Gianella Estate Company; much of Vincent Gianella's business with the company seems to have been conducted by mail. In addition to Dr. Gianella's interest in the Estate Company he owned a farm on the Yuba River east of Marysville, California, which his brother Henry managed. Henry's letters describe farming conditions, prices for crops, the weather, improvements to Vincent's farm, and occasionally news of other family members. There are also several letters which discuss Gianella's bee keeping hobby which he developed in the early 1940s and continued through the 1960s.

Both personal and professional correspondence are intermingled and arranged chronologically.

Box 1

1887-1932.

Box 2

1933-1938.

Box 3

1939-1960.

Box 4

1960-1982.

Series 2. Personal Files. 1909-1978. .5 cu. ft.

This series includes Gianella's personal financial files; notebooks, diaries, and calendars which served as diaries; estimates for building the Gianella house at Lake Tahoe; Nevada Centennial Commission files; constitutions and bylaws for several Reno area organizations; notes on bee keeping and the Washoe Jeep Squadron; and a memorial address and clippings about Walter Van Tilburg Clark.

Box 4

2/1-7 Personal notebooks. 1923-1974.
2/8 Financial files.
2/9 Stocks and bonds (see also personal correspondence in Series 1).
2/10 Address book, membership cards, wine recipes, certificates.
2/11a Lake Tahoe house.
2/11b Oregon State College.
2/12 Nevada Centennial Commission. 1963.
2/13 Truckee-Donner Historical Society constitution. 1968.
2/14 Treasure Trove Club of Nevada, Inc. constitution and bylaws.
2/15 Bee keeping.
2/16 Washoe Jeep Squadron. 1957.
2/17 Columbian University. Dept. of Geology. Former Graduate Student Directory. 1953 and 1954.
2/18 Notes from television Spanish class taken by Gianella.
2/19 Walter Van Tilburg Clark memorial. 1971.
2/20 "Her First Egg" (story by Rena Gianella].
2/21 News clippings.
2/22 Untitled play about a class room situation.
2/23 Notes from the Complete Book of Composting by J. Rodale. 1967.
2/24 Poster for the Golden Spike Centennial Celebration. 1969. Stored in the manuscript map case.
2/25 Mexican land grant to Teodore Cordua, April 3, 1844 for land near Honcutt, on the Yuba River, California. Photostat copies. Stored in the Manuscript map case.

 

[Box 17] Address cards (for Christmas card list?).

Series 3. Drought Relief Completion Reports. 1935. .5 cu. ft. Box 4.

These reports were compiled by Gianella as geologist for the Federal Emergency Administration on behalf of the Nevada Emergency Relief Administration and submitted to the United States Federal Emergency Relief Administration. The reports documented the status of water projects in Nevada which were funded by the federal government. The water projects funded included well drilling, levee building, spring development, new water systems, installation of pumping equipment for wells, and pest control. This program seems to have been terminated in 1935. Reports are arranged by the names of the Nevada Counties in which projects were located.

Series 4. Field Notebooks. 1911-1971. 43 vols., 1 cu. ft. Boxes 5-6.

These small books contain notes on the geology of various geographic locations and were made during Gianella's academic studies, as a traveler from Nevada to New York and from New York to Virginia, or during concentrated study field trips. The field notebooks are arranged chronologically.

Series 5. Reports by Gianella. 1928-1968. 1 cu. ft.

Included in this series are geological reports written by Dr. Gianella for either publication or for clients for whom he was a consultant. The series contains a published copy of his Ph.D. dissertation "Geology of the Silver City District and Southern Portion of the Comstock Lode, Nevada", which was published in the University of Nevada Bulletin for December 30, 1936; and many of Gianella's writings on earthquakes in Nevada. These reports are arranged chronologically.

Box 6

5/1 Reports on Rock Specimens Submitted to Mackay School of Mines. 1928-1930.
5/2 Report on the Keyes Mines. 1929.
5/3 Report on Property on Grutt Hill, Rawhide, Nevada. 1931.
5/4 Earthquake or Landslide? 1932.
5/5 Bullion Gold and Silver Mining Company. (Overman Mine). 1932.
5/6 The Cedar Mountain, Nevada, Earthquake of December 20, 1932. By Gianella and Eugene Callaghan. 1933.
5/7 Report on the Radil and Heaney Placer Lease. Sept. 1933.
5/8 "Reno and Vicinity" by J. C. Jones and Vincent P. Gianella; "Itinerary, Reno to Pyramid Lake and Return" by Jones; and "Itinerary, Reno to Walley Hot Springs and Return" by Gianella. 1933.
5/9 Report on the Emigrant Mine, Silver City, Nevada. Feb. 1934.
5/10 New Features of the Geology of the Comstock Lode, Nevada. 1934.
5/11 Geology of the Silver City District and Southern Portion of the Comstock Lode, Nevada. Presented to the Columbia University Faculty Feb. 1935 (Ph.D. dissertation). Also, a printed edition published in the University of Nevada Bulletin, Dec. 30, 1936.
5/12 The Earthquake of Jan. 30, 1934 at Excelsior Mountains, Nevada by Eugene Callaghan and Gianella. April 1935.
5/13 Thulite from the Singatse and Pine Nut Ranges, Nevada. Sent to The Mineralogist, Oct. 1936.
5/14 Earthquakes. Submitted to The Mineralogist, Dec. 1936.
5/15 A Meteor from Quartz Mountain. Submitted to Popular Astronomy, [1936].
5/16 Gold Crown Group Mining Claims, Farrell, Nevada (Seven Troughs Mining District). 1936.
5/17 Report on the Gold-Bearing Tertiary Gravels East of Marlette Peak, Nevada. 1938.
5/18 Harvey-Bond Mercury Properties Near Beatty, Nevada. 1940.
5/19 Report on Getchell Mine. 1940.
5/20-21 Report on the Sunset Group of Mining Claims Near Beatty, Nevada. 1940.
5/22 The Utah Copper Mine. 1941.
5/23 Report on the Water Supply for Elko, Nevada. 1941. Also, [Water Sources from Wells in the Elko Area] by W. W. White. n.d.
5/24 Preliminary Report, Commonwealth Mine, Washoe County, Nevada. 1941.
5/25 Report on the Proposed Dam on Bull Run Creek. 1941.
5/26 Scolecite from Clark County, Nevada. 1942.
5/27 Pleonaste from Mineral County, Nevada. 1942.
5/28 Report on the E. W. Dingee Claims in the Seven Troughs Range. 1943.
5/29 Geological Report on the Zaca Mine, Monitor Mining District, Alpine County, California. Aug. 1946.
5/30 Number not assigned.
5/31 Report on the Valpine Mine, Alpine County, California. 1952.
5/32 Tungsten Prospect at Garnet Hill, Calaveras, County, California. 1953.

Box 7

5/33 Summary notes by Gianella on various Mother Lode country (Calif.) mining areas. 1953.
5/34 Preliminary Report on Uranium Prospects in Pueblo County, Colorado. Oct. 1954.
5/35 Guidebook for the Dec. 16, 1954 Dixie Valley-Fairview Peak Earthquake Area Field Trip.
5/36 Report on unspecified property in Pueblo County, Colorado. 1954.
5/37 Preliminary Report on the Upsal Hogback Area, Churchill County, Nevada. 1954.
5/38 Faulting and the Nevada Earthquakes of 1915, 1932 and 1954. Abstract for the 1955 Cordilleran Section Meeting in Berkeley, Calif.
5/39 Shell Oil Company Core Descriptions of #2 and #3 Wells of Shell Oil Company, Nevada. 1955.
5/40 Contract between North American Aviation, Inc. and Gianella. 1955.
5/41 Shell Oil Company Consulting. 1955.
5/42 Shell Report on Geological Reconnaissance of Nevada West of the 117th Meridian. Jan. 30, 1956.
5/43 Report on Goodhue Property, Genesee, Plumas County, California. 1956.
5/44 Report on Investigation of the February 5th, 1957 Explosion and Fire, Reno, Nevada by Gianella and O. A. Kittle. Mar. 29, 1957.
5/45 Earthquake and Faulting, Fort Sage Mountains, Calif., Dec. 1950. In Bulletin of the Seismology Society of America, Vol. 47, No. 3, July 1957.
5/46 Igneous Fusion of Tuff at Forty-Nine Canyon, Washoe County, Nevada. July 10, 1957. Also, Fusion of Tuff in the Hayes Canyon Range, Northeastern Washoe County. July 20, 1957.
5/47 Preliminary Report on the Getchell Mine, Osgood Range, Nevada for the Jefferson Lake Sulphur Company. 1957.
5/48 Coal in Western Nevada, Especially in El Dorado Canyon. 1957.
5/49 Mighels Iron Prospect, Mono County, Calif. 1957.
5/50 The Cowden Iron Deposit, Yavapai County, Arizona. Jan. 1958.
5/51 Parkinson Gravel Deposit, Washoe County, Nevada. 1958.
5/52 Report on Castle Peak Mine. 1958.
5/53 Owens Valley Earthquake of 1872, Inyo County, Calif. Report and correspondence. 1958.
5/54 Lemmon Valley Sand Deposit. Mar. 1959.
5/55 Wonder, Nevada, Earthquake of 1903 by David B. Slemmons, Karl V. Steinbrugge, Don Tocher, Gordon B. Oakeshott and Vincent P. Gianella. July 1959.
5/56 Lee Summit Placers, Plumas County, Calif. 1959.
5/57 Report on the Smith and Close [court] case on South Kietzke Lane, Reno, Nevada. 1960.
5/58 The Belmont Mining District, Nye County, Nevada. 1960.
5/59 Preliminary Report on Disposal Site, Nye County, Nevada. April 1961.
5/60 Report on Graphite Deposit in Ormsby County, Nevada. Nov. 1961.
5/61 Report on damage to the Warren Clark home, Verdi, Nevada. 1961.
5/62 Progress Report on Nuclear Engineering Company Well, Nye County, Nevada. 1961.
5/63 Ground Water Possibilities for Spanish Springs Valley, Washoe County, Nevada. Dec. 1963.
5/64 Gianella's talk on geology at the California State Fairgrounds. Aug. 19, 1968.
5/65 Miscellaneous notes.
5/66 Tertiary Wood from the Frenchman Creek Dam Site. n.d.
5/67 Number not assigned.
5/68 Miscellaneous notes.
5/69 Geological research problems. n.d.
5/70 [Robinson Mining District.] n.d.
5/71 Roberts Tunnel, Emma E., Mill Canyon. n.d.
5/72 Early History of Auburn Gold Mining. n.d.
5/73 Petroli Mine. n.d.
5/74 Pfleuger Mine, West Humboldt. n.d.
5/75 Miscellaneous notes.
5/76 Esmeralda Operations - Petrology. n.d.
5/77 Misc. mining and earthquake notes. n.d.
5/78 Earthquake notes. n.d.
5/79 Faulting and Mineralization on the Comstock Lode. Notes by Coats, Calkins, and Gianella. n.d.
5/80 Geology of Northern Washoe County, Nevada (abstract) by Gianella and Harold Bonham Jr. n.d.
5/81 Preliminary Report on Red Ant Mining Claims, Churchill County, Nevada. n.d.
5/82 Xeroxes of title pages of articles by Gianella which were transferred to the Special Collections book stacks.

Series 6. Reports by Other Authors. 1885-1977. 1 cu. ft.

These reports are primarily on the topics of geology and earthquakes in western Nevada and eastern California. Some reports were given to Gianella by their authors; others were collected by him in his research on a particular topic. These reports are arranged alphabetically by the name of the author.

Box 7

6/1 Anderson, Robert W. Petrographic Report on Rocks for the Pershing Quicksilver Company. 1929.
6/2 Aguilera, Jose Guadelupe. Sonora, Mexico, Earthquake of May 3, 1887. English translation of 1959. Also Gianella's notes on Basin Range Structure, and notes on Central Nevada Earthquake of Dec. 16, 1954 .
6/3 Arnold, Fred A. Vye Crater Report. 1962.
6/4 Barrell, J. Relations of Subjacent Igneous Invasion to Regional Metamorphism. n.d.
6/5 Birkeland, Peter W. Geologic Map of the Truckee, Calif. Area. Aug. 1965.
6/6 Boardman, Horace P. Some Interesting and Important Facts about Lake Tahoe. n.d.
6/7 Butler, John N. Studies in the Hydrometallurgy of Mercury Sulfide Ores. Report 5, Nevada Bureau of Mines. 1963.
6/8 California Dept. of Public Works. Division of Water Resources. Memorandum Report on Reconnaissance Investigation of Wells Located by Stephen Reiss. [1953].
6/9 California State Mineralogist. Abstracts of various dates.
6/10 Calkins, F. C. Outline of the Geology of the Comstock Lode District, Nevada. 1944.
6/11 Coats, Robert R. Intrusive Domes of the Washoe District, Nevada. 1936.
6/12 DeBerard, Jean M. and R. W. Prince. Geological Report on the Castle Peak Quicksilver Mine. n.d.
6/13 Durrell, Cordel. Geology of Northern California. n.d.
6/14 Number not assigned.
6/15 Geological Society of Sacramento. Annual field trip, Mother Lode country. April 1958.
6/16 Geological Society of Sacramento. Guidebook to the annual field trip, U.S. Highway 40, Sacramento to Reno, Dixie Valley, and Sand Springs Range, Nevada. June 1962.
6/17 Gianella, William. Flood control articles. ca 1950s.
6/18 Gianella, William. Placer property on Nare River, Columbia, South America. 1934.
6/19 Grutt, Eugene. A Preliminary Geological Report on Rawhide, Nevada. n.d.
6/20 Gutenberg, B. "Comparison of Seismograms Recorded on Mt. Wilson and at Seismological Laboratory, Pasadena." Annales de Geophysique, Tome 12, No. 3. July-Sept. 1956.
6/21 Gutenberg, B. "Great Earthquakes 1896-1903." Vol. 37, No. 5, Oct. 1956. "Effects of Ground on Shaking in Earthquakes." Vol. 37, No. 6, Dec. 1956. American Geophysical Union Transactions.
6/22 International Geographical Congress. Program, 20th session, Mexico City, 1956.
6/23 Interstate Commerce Commission. Application of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad ... Abandon... Entire Line. Minutes. May 2 and 3, 1949.
6/24 Johnston, W. D. Jr. [Graph showing the annual production of the Comstock Lode in tons of ore and its value in dollars.] n.d.
6/25 Jones, J. C. Reports on Bluelight Mine. 1916.
6/26 Joyce, J. W. The Installation, Testing and Operation of a Benioff Vertical Component Seismograph at the Tucson Magnetic Observatory. Oct. 1936.
6/27 Kendall, Robert E. Exploration Opportunities of the North End of the Comstock Lode, Nevada. Nov. 15, 1968.
6/28 Knopf, Alfred. Some Cinnabar Deposits of Western Nevada. United States Geological Survey Bulletin, 1916.
6/29 Lakes, Arthur. Appraisal and Reappraisal of Consolidated Chollar Mining Company Assets, Comstock Mining District, Nevada. 1960 and 1961 (2 reports).
6/30 LaMotte. Upper Cedarville Flora of Northwestern Nevada and Adjacent California. Carnegie Institute of Washington. 1936.

Box 8

6/31 Lincoln, Francis Church. Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada. n.d. (ca 1920).
6/32 Lindgren, W. Epithermal Deposits.
6/33 Lindgren, Waldemar. The Tertiary Gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California. Professional Paper 73, United States Geological Survey. 1911.
6/34 Marshall, William A. The Austin Manhattan Property. 1919.
6/35 Merriam, John C. Tertiary Mammal Beds of Virgin Valley and Thousand Creek in Northwest Nevada. Pt. 1, Geologic History. Univ. of California Pub. Bulletin, Dept. of Geology, Vol. 6, no. 2 (1910).
6/36 Michell, Wilson D. Oxidation in a Molybdentite Deposit, Nye County, Nevada. 1945.
6/37 Monnet, Paul. The Mineral of South Western Nevada. 1914.
6/38 Olmsted, F. H. and George H. Davis. Geologic Features and Ground-Water Storage Capacity in the Sacramento Valley, Calif. 1958.
6/39 Olson, R. H. List of thesis on Nevada geology. 1961.
6/40 Packard, Henry J. Jones Vein of the Plumas Eureka Mines Company. Nov. 1917.
6/41 Page, Ben M. Basin-Range Faulting of 1915 in Pleasant Valley, Nevada. n.d. [post 1915].
6/42 Parks, Ray C. The Fine Gold Mine, Calavares, Calif. 1949.
6/43 Press, Frank. "Determination of Crystal Structure from Phase Velocity of Rayleigh Waves. Pt. 1, Southern California." Bulletin of the Geological Society of America. Dec. 1956.
6/44 Reay, Thomas T., Jr. and Lester L. Naus. Report of Multiple Fatal Bump Accident, Sunnyside No. 1 Mine, Kaiser Steel Corp. Sunnyside, Carbon County, Utah. Dec. 1957.
6/45 Reid, John A. A Tertiary River Channel Near Carson City, Nevada. April 18, 1908. Also, Gianella's notes on Reid's work, The Geomorphogeny of the Sierra Nevada Northeast of Lake Tahoe. 1911.
6/46 Reno Chamber of Commerce. Report on Bill H.R. 7736. n.d.
6/47 Richter, Charles F. Recent Faulting in Western Nevada and Eastern California. 1957.
6/48 Number not assigned.
6/49 Russell, I. C. Geological History of Lake Lahontan. 1885.
6/50 Sanford, William C. [His oil leases on government lands.] 1954.
6/51 Thompson, George A. Geology of the Virginia City Quadrangle, Nevada. 1956.
6/52 Tsuboi, Chuji. Crystal Structure in Northern and Southern Calif. from Gravity-Penbdulum Data. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America. Dec. 1956.
6/53 United States. Bureau of Reclamation. Seismic Investigations for Auburn Dam Site. 1977.
6/54 United States. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Abstracts of Earthquake Reports from the Pacific Coast and Western Mountain Region. Oct. 1 to Dec. 1, 1942.
6/55 United States. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Progress During Oct., Nov., and Dec. 1939. Strong Motion Earthquake Work in California and Elsewhere. (also for 1938).
6/56 United States. General Services Administration. Stock Piling of Strategic and Critical Materials; Tungsten Regulation: Domestic Purchase Program. 1956.
6/57 United States. Geological Survey. Rocks from Virginia City and Mt. Rose Quadrangles, Nevada. 1952.
6/58 United States. Naval Observatory. Instructions for Constructing Apparatus for Receiving and Recording Radio Time Signals. n.d.
6/59 Vanderburg, William O. Reconnaissance of Mining Districts in Pershing County, Nevada. 1936.
6/60 von Huene, R. A Geologic History of the Owens Valley Region. 1961.
6/61 Wagner, E. M. Mining Engineer's Report of Providence Quartz Mine for the Blue Channel Mine Company, Iowa Hill, Placer County, Calif. 1930.
6/62 Warren, S. Power. Reports on the Simon Silver Lead Mines, Inc. (1937); Warrior Gold Mining Company (1931); and Lucky Boy Mining Claims (1922).
6/63 Wells, John H. Rocker for washing gravel. 1967.

The following articles had no identifiable authors:

6/64 Reconnaissance Geology of Surprise Valley. n.d.
6/65 Meteorological Records, Reno and Western Nevada.
6/66 Notes on various minerals.
6/67 Seismograph buildings.
6/68 Care and Operation of Accelerograph. n.d.
6/69 Geological History of Lake Lahontan.
6/70 Guidelines: Mineral and Land Actions and the Required Mineral Reports.
6/71 Data on land filed and clear in various Nevada valleys.
6/72 Drawing of geologic faults [near Steamboat Springs].
6/73 Plumas-Eureka Mine. 1905.
6/74-75 Xeroxes of articles and books transferred to the Special Collections stacks, Mines Library, or Gifts and Exchange.

Series 7. Subject Files. ca 1916; 1931-1951. 1 cu. ft.

The subject files consist of notes (typed and hand-written) on minerals in Nevada and other geological subjects which were compiled by Gianella from a variety of references. Also included are some reports and correspondence on specific mining regions or mines in Nevada. One large file, "Departmental Affairs, 1931-1944" consists of memos, reports, letters, and data charts related to the Mackay School of Mines. Most of these files are undated; all are arranged alphabetically.

Box 8

7/1 Abstracts.
7/2a Andalusite Group.
7/2b Arsenic Minerals from the Getchell Mine, Humboldt County, Nevada.
7/2c Allanite-Granit Mountain.
7/3 Addresses, Radio Talks, Lectures.
7/4 Alum and Alunite.
7/5 Applications.
7/6 Barite.
7/7 Basin-Range Structure.
7/8 Bench Marks - U.S.G.S. and U.S.C. & G.S.
7/9 Bibliography (select) for Economic Geology.
7/10 Bureau of Mines (Nevada), 1931-1938.
7/11 Cinnabar, Castle Peak, Secondary.
7/12 Cobalt and Nickel.
7/13 Copper Canyon Ores. 1938-1939.
7/14 Cowen Copper Property. 1938-1939.
7/15 Departmental Affairs (Mackay School of Mines). 1931-1944.
7/16 Diaspore.
7/17 Earthquake Clippings.
7/18 Floresence. 1937.
7/19 Fluorite.
7/20 Fusion Phenomena (Igneous).
7/21 Franklin, J. E. (Arizona prospecting venture). 1941-1942.
7/22 Geology Excursions. 1927, 1936.
7/23 Geologic Map (Nevada), W.P.A. Project No. 22026. 1938.
7/24 Geology Projects.
7/25 Geological Society of America. Project Piedmontite Mineralization. 1937-1941.

Box 9

7/26 Geologic Work in California.
7/27 Glaciation in the Reno-Tahoe Region. 1937.
7/28 Glass Globes - Japanese Net Floats. 1935-1938.
7/29 Gold-Bearing Tertiary Silicified Wood.
7/30 Great Basin, Life in the.
7/31 Heavy Minerals Research . 1937.
7/32 Hubnerite-Markleeville, Calif.
7/33 Hunt Fund. 1936-1939.
7/34 Igneous Fusion.
7/35 Index Media and Equipment.
7/36 Magnetic Conglomerate - McCloud River.
7/37 Majuba Hill (and other Tin Occurrences in Nevada). 1940-1941.
7/38 The Marlette Tertiary River Channel and Geologic Features Between Lake Tahoe and Washoe Mountains. 1938.
7/39 Meteorites. 1936-1937.
7/40 Minerals - Dana Collection, Museum teaching collection.
7/41 The Mineralogist - H.C. Dake. 1936-1942.
7/42-45 Minerals - Nevada (a collection of material related to all known occurrences in the state). Ca 1941.
7/46 Pegmatites in Nevada.
7/47 Piedmonte (see also student papers in Series 9).
7/48 Selenium Limestone (Southern Pine Nut Mountains). 1940.
7/49 Silver Camel Mine.
7/50 Society for Research on Meteorites. 1939.
7/51 Staining Methods and Techniques.
7/52 State Geological Surveys.
7/53-55 Steamboat Springs. 1916; 1936-1943.
7/56 Sulphur.
7/57 Summer field courses at other institutions. 1936.
7/58 Supplies. 1937.
7/59 Talapoosa (Stibnite).
7/60 Thin Section Preparation (and materials). 1929-1936.
7/61 Thulite.
7/62 Tourmaline.
7/63 Uranium. 1951.
7/64 Vivianite, Ruth, Nevada. Solid Silver Tunnel, Virginia City.
7/65 Vulcanism (Quaternary).
7/66 Zeolites.

 

[Box 16] Geology research notes.

 

[Box 17] Geology bibliography.

Series 8. College and Teaching Materials. 1911-1948. 1 cu. ft.

This series contains lecture notes Gianella made as a student at Oregon State College, the University of Nevada, Yale University, and Columbia University. Also included are materials from classes which Dr. Gianella taught at the University of Nevada, including his lecture notes, student notes and research papers, and examinations. Arranged loosely by date.

Box 10

8/1 Chemistry and assay notes. [1911].
8/2 Notes as a student at Oregon, 1911. Notes as a student at the University of Nevada. 1916-1924.
8/3 Flotation and milling binder. 1916-1924.
8/4 Chemistry and assay notes from binder in 8/3.
8/5 Geological research notebook.
8/6 Notes made by Gianella as a student: Geology 205, Stratigraphy.
8/7 Notes made by Gianella as a student: Stratigraphy of North America. 1926-1927.
8/8 Notes made by Gianella as a student: Geology 201, Petrology. 1927-1928.
8/9-10 Student notes and untitled papers from geology classes taught by Gianella.
8/11 Student paper: Peavine. 1930, 1931.
8/12 Student paper: Tonopah Mining District. n.d.
8/13 Student paper: Petrography by J. J. Taylor. 1948.
8/14 Student paper: Truckee River. 1923, 1932.
8/15 Student paper: Geologic Map of Dog Valley Creek.
8/16 Student paper: Study of Piedmontite and Its Occurrence North of Reno, by Ellis Gates. 1937.
8/17 Student paper: An Occurrence of Piedmontite in Western Nevada by J. D. Swearington.
8/18 Student trip: Cortez Underground Works. 1939.
8/19 Work of students.
8/20-24 Gianella's teaching materials and exams.

Series 9. John C. Fremont and Early Exploration of Nevada. ca 1921-1971. .5 cu. ft.

Gianella initially became interested in Fremont's exploration of the Great Basin region because of geological descriptions in Fremont's reports of the 1840s. His curiosity and familiarity with northwest Nevada culminated in several articles citing the exact locations where Fremont entered Nevada from Oregon in 1844 and where he crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains from Nevada into California that same year. Gianella's interest led him to research other explorers of the Great Basin, and in particular, those who crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

This series contains Gianella's research notes on Fremont and exploration of the Great Basin, several articles by Gianella and others on the subject, and copies of articles or book abstracts. Arranged into two subseries: Fremont articles and notes, and exploration of the west.

Box 11

9/1/1 Gianella, Vincent P. "Where Fremont Crossed the Sierra Nevada in 1844." Sierra Club Bulletin, Oct. 1959. Also, Francis P. Farquhar, "Fremont in the Sierra Nevada." Sierra Club Bulletin, 1930.
9/1/2 Gianella. "The Carson Tree and 'Replica' at Carson Pass." 1958.
9/1/3 Fremont's Report, From Dec. 16, 1843 (Oregon) to Mar. 8, 1844 at Nueva Helvetia (Sacramento, Calif.). Typescript and Gianella's notes.
9/1/4 Fremont, John C. "Report of the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the Year 1842 and Oregon and North California in the Years 1843-1844." 1845. Partial, copies.
9/1/5 Early Nevada history notebook.
9/1/6-8 Fremont research notes.
9/1/9 Exploring and Marking the Fremont Trail by the Washoe Jeep Squadron. 1962.
9/1/10-12 Notes and xeroxes of Fremont articles.
9/2/1 Applegate, Lindsay. "Notes and Reminiscences of Laying Out and Establishing the Old Emigrant Road into Southern Oregon in the Year 1846." Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 22, 1921.
9/2/2 Browers, Don. The Trail Map.
9/2/3-5 Bruff, Joseph G. Gold Rush Diary (extracts and notes).
9/2/6 Cline, Gloria Griffen. Exploring the Great Basin (bibliography).
9/2/7 Farnham, Thomas Jefferson. Travels in California (bibliography).
9/2/8 Gianella. "Railroad Across the Sierra." 1969.
9/2/9 Gianella's letter to Cook, 1952, discussing Brewer's account of his 1863 Sierra Nevada trip.
9/2/10 Correspondence and notes on the Sonora Trail and William Brewer's route. 1952.
9/2/11 Gianella. Speech, "Place Names and Early Exploration in the Great Basin."
9/2/12 Jones, David Rhys. "Trails of a Trapper." Motor Land Magazine, Jan. and Mar., 1931.
9/2/13 Lander, F. W. and William H. Wagner. "Honey Lake Wagon Road."

Box 12

9/2/14-15 Paden, Irene. Prairie Schooner Detours. 1949, notes; and In the Wake of the Prairie Schooner (bibliography).
9/2/16 Price, Glen. "The Questions Jedediah Smith Asked." The Pacific Historian, Feb. 1959.
9/2/17 Shirley, Dame. The Shirley Letters (extract and notes).
9/2/18 Stinchfield, Moses. "Two Letters from Red Dog [Calif.]." 1961.
9/2/19 Sullivan, Maurice S. "The Travels of Jedediah Smith." 1934.
9/2/20 Williams, Glyndwr, ed. "Pete Skene Ogden's Snake Country Journals, 1827-28 and 1828-29." 1971.
9/2/21 "The Camels Were Coming," and "The United Church of Christ-Squaw Valley." Institute of Far Western Culture. 1966.
9/2/22 Early Nevada (Captain Walker's routes). 1941.
9/2/23 Post Offices in Nevada. n.d.
9/2/24 Bibliographies - exploration of the West.
9/2/25 Conference of California Historical Societies. Proceedings, June 1958. Articles on emigrant trails and passes.

Series 10. Books. 1859-1982. 15 vols.

The following books were retained with the manuscript collection because they were extensively annotated by Dr. Gianella, were gifts to him, or were related to an unusual topic which interested him, such as bee keeping. Arranged alphabetically by author's name.

Box 13

Adams, Frank Sawson. The Birth and Development of the Geological Sciences. Dover Publications, Inc., 1954. Gift of Gianella's daughter, Faith, to her father.

Bowen, N. L. The Evolution of the Igneous Rocks. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1928. Gift of the author to Gianella.

Chaston, Alston Hurd and Henry Phillips Jr. A New Introduction to Greek, revised edition. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1954.

Comstock, John L. An Introduction to Mineralogy; Adapted to the Use of Schools.... New York: Pratt, Oakley and Company, 1859. A gift of William Boyle to Gianella.

Creely, Robert Scott. Geology of the Oroville Quadrangle, California. Bulletin 184. San Francisco: California Division of Mines and Geology, 1965.

Dake, H. C., Frank L. Fleener and Ben Hur Wilson. Quartz Family Members. New York: Whittlesey House, 1938.

Dana, Edward Salisbury. A Textbook of Mineralogy with an Extended Treatise on Crystallography and Physical Mineralogy. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1932.

Gill, Mario. La Conquista del Valle Del Fuerte. Mexico: no publisher, 1957.

Hill, Mary. Hunting Diamonds in California. Healdsburg, Calif: Naturegraph Publishers, 1972. Signed by the author.

Box 14

King, Clarence. Report of the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel. Vol. VI, "Microscopical Petrography" by Ferdinand Zirkel. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1876.

Lindgren, Waldemar. Mineral Deposits. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1928.

Lindgren Volumes, Committee on, eds. Ore Deposits of the Western States. Lindgren Volume, 1st ed. New York: American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, 1933.

Box 15

Longwell, Chester R., Adolph Knopf and Richard F. Flint. Physical Geology. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1948.

Lopez, Barry Holstun. Of Wolves and Men. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978. Contains Gianella's hand-written account of seeing a wolf as a child.

Murdoch, Joseph and Robert Wallace Webb. Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966). Bulletin 189. San Francisco: California Division of Mines and Geology, 1966.

Reinhart, C. Dean and Ward C. Smith. Genny Smith, ed. Earthquakes and Young Volcanoes Along the Eastern Sierra Nevada.... Palo Alto, Calif.: Genny Smith Books, 1982. Inscribed by Ward and Genny Smith; letter to Gianella from Genny pasted inside front cover.

von Frisch, Karl. Bees: Their Vision, Chemical Senses, and Language. Ithica, New York: Great Seal Books, 1950.

[Manuscript Map Case] [United States. Geological Survey.] Description of the Colfax Quadrangle. n.d. [post 1900]. Includes text and maps. Annotated by Gianella.

Series 11. Maps. 1916-1930. 21 items.

The Gianella collection originally contained about one hundred maps. Those maps which were commercially printed but not annotated by Gianella were transferred to the Special Collections map archive or to the Mines Library. Maps which were annotated by Gianella, or which were manuscript maps were kept as a manuscript collection and placed in manuscript map case drawers.

This selection of printed and annotated maps, and original manuscript maps was compiled by Gianella for several uses. The first map listed below is typical; it designates both sites where Gianella conducted geological investigations and traced John C. Fremont's route across Nevada. Most of the manuscript maps are of a particular mining site, such as Copper Canyon in Lander County. Maps which seemed to have been part of a report in Series 5, 6 or 7 were given the series and file number of that report, a separation sheet inserted into the report file, and the map itself placed in a manuscript map case drawer. Those maps are not included on the following list.

Manuscript Map Case:

11/1 General Highway Maps of Nevada. Prepared by the State of Nevada Department of Highways. 1937. Approved 1940. Arranged by name of county. Contains pencil notations for mine sites for which Gianella prepared reports, and for routes taken by Fremont across Nevada.
11/2 Mitchell Vibrating Screen Setting Details. Stimson Equipment Company. n.d. Blueprint.
11/3 United States. Geological Survey. Wadsworth, Nevada, Quadrangle (Reconnaissance map). Edition of Sept. 1894, reprinted 1921. Inked additions of geological details and place names.
11/4 U.S.G.S.. Reno, Nevada, Quadrangle. 1950. Inked notations added to the area around Stead Air Base.
11/5 Union-Sierra Nevada Mines Project owned by Pardners Mines Corporation. Virginia City, Nevada. n.d. Blueprint.
11/6 "Glory Hole." (No location given, probably part of the Copper Canyon set which follows.) Ink on linen.
11/7 Plan of unidentified underground mining works. n.d. Ink on linen.
11/8 Map of the Gold Ridge Group of Claims. Battle Mountain Mining District, Lander County, Nevada. Drawn by F. E. Browne. 1936. Blueline.
11/9 Township No. 42N, Range 8E (northwest Nevada). U.S. Surveyor General, Reno, Nevada. Aug. 30, 1916, with later survey additions to 1914. Photostat.
11/10 Copper Basin Sulphide Development. Glory Hole-Chase-Goff-Widow [claims]. December 22, 1918. Blueprint.
11/11 Plan of Underground Workings, Copper Canyon Mine. n.d. Blueline.
11/12 Plat of Frank Paul Connection, Copper Basin. O. P. Adams, Surveyor. n.d. Pen and colored ink on linen.
11/13 The Copper Basin Property, Lander County, Nevada. Owned by Copper Canyon Mining Company. Surveyed by Charles A. Liddell, retraced Sept. 6, 1916 by O. P. Adams. Blueprint and blueline (2 copies).
11/14 Plan of Workings, Copper Basin. Surveyed by K. D. Johnson. Nov. 20, 1917. Blueline.
11/15 The Copper Basin Property, Lander County, Nevada, owned by the Estate of the Glasgow and Western Exploration Co., Ltd. and Joseph Ralph. Surveyed by Charles A. Liddell. 1913. Brownline.
11/16 No title. [Works at Copper Basin?] n.d. Ink and pencil on linen.
11/17 Copper Basin Plan, Glory Hole Underground Workings, 120' Level. Surveyed by O. P. Adams. Oct. 26, 1918. Colored pencil on paper.
11/18 Copper Basin Assay Map, Chase Workings. Survey map, Samples - Schmidt and Nelson. Assays - Hatter. Feb. 16, 1919. Blueline.
11/19 Map of the Property of the Glasgow Western Mining Company, Copper Canyon, Lander County, Nevada by Charles A. Liddell. n.d. Blueline.
11/20 Copper Canyon Mining Company Map of Copper Basin Property, Showing Claims, Topography, Geology, Section Lines, and Surface and Mine Workings. Geology by J. C. Jones. n.d. Photograph.

Series 12. Photographs. 4 boxes.

The Gianella papers include an extensive collection of photographs and slides, many of them made by Dr. Gianella. The subjects include documentation of earthquakes in western Nevada and eastern California, geological features of western Nevada, mining sites which he was investigating as a consult, and the route of John C. Fremont in Nevada in 1844. All of the photographs have been transferred to the Special Collection's photo archives.