A Guide to the Records of
Clel Georgetta
Collection No. 99-42

Clel Evan Georgetta

Clel Evan Georgetta was the only child of Rose Grant Georgetta and David Georgetta. He was born in Salt Lake City on April 20, 1901 but grew up on his father's ranch near Cherry Creek, White Pine County, Nevada, returning to work there during summers between college years. David was one of the original surveyors and builders of the Lincoln Highway in eastern Nevada; he died at age 89. Clel's mother, Rose, was a follower of the Christian Science religion; she died at about age 84. Their last years were spent in Reno in an apartment provided by son Clel.

David began buying land in Deep Creek Valley on the Nevada-Utah state line in about 1904; this property, the Eight Mile Ranch, formed the nucleus of what would become the Triune Ranch, which was further developed by Clel.

Clel was educated in Salt Lake City because his mother wished him to have a good education. After high school graduation, Clel took over the operation of his father's sheep ranch and worked there for four years until he earned enough money to attend college. He continued to work on the ranch during summers, expanding the operation in ten years from 400 acres to more than 7,000 acres. He sold all of the Triune Ranch (except for the top of Mt. Cherry Peak) for $100,000 in 1940 to the U.S. government who used it to enlarge the Goshute Indian Reservation.

Clel attended the University of Nevada (in Reno) from 1920-1921; the University of Wisconsin from 1921-1922; and the University of Washington, where he graduated with a law degree. He returned to eastern Nevada and ran for the state Assembly in 1930, serving as White Pine County's Assemblyman for two terms. A life-long Republican and member of the Nevada Republican State Central Committee from 1935-1942, he was instrumental in passing the six-week divorce residency requirement and authored laws on range and water rights.

Georgetta began his Ely law practice in 1932 to supplement his ranch income. He moved the law practice to Reno in 1933 where he specialized in mining, land and water rights, range trespass, domestic relations, estates, and commercial contracts. Clel stated that in thirty-four years as an attorney, he lost only eleven cases. He was elected District Court judge for one term, serving from 1959-1963.

On July 25, 1937, Clel married Ruth Bedford of Boston; they had one daughter, Caryl, born Nov. 14, 1939. Clel and Ruth were divorced after five years, and Ruth and Caryl moved to the eastern part of the U.S. where Ruth remarried.

Georgetta entered the U.S. Army in 1942 and was commissioned a captain. He served as a judge advocate during World War II and was a lieutenant colonel when he left the Army in 1946.

After the war Clel returned to Reno where he built a commercial building on the southwest corner of State and Center Streets. His law practice was headquartered there, and he leased other offices for income. He resided on Gordon St. and in later years spent much of the winter near Palm Springs, California.

Clel always had an interest in writing; during his high school years he began a diary which he continued until his death. He furthered his writing skills with English classes at the University of Nevada in the 1960s and authored many books, short stories and articles, some of which were published: Golden Fleece in Nevada; Wool, Beef and Gold: Sheep, Cattle and Mining Stories of the West; Japan as Seen by an American; and Kelley of the Triune: Biography of a Sheep Dog.

In his later years, Georgetta spent winters at a home in the Palm Springs area of southern California. It was there that he died of cancer on April 20, 1979.

Scope and Content

The Clel Evan Georgetta papers were donated to the Special Collections Department in November, 1999 by the Georgetta Trust. The collection consists of 18.5 cubic feet of materials which date from 1919-1979. There are no restrictions on use of the collection.

The papers were divided into twenty-four series but the bulk of the collection consists of the writings of Georgetta, including his diaries, speeches, stories, articles, and book manuscripts. The diaries in particular are rich in content, documenting not only Clel's activities from 1924 until his death, but events in Nevada and the U.S. These diaries were transcribed from Clel's original manuscript sheets into bound typescripts. Each volume consists of one year. Volumes 1-8 (from age 15 until the summer before his enrollment at the University of Nevada) are not part of this collection and according to Roberta Jahnke, his secretary and estate trustee, were not transcribed at Georgetta's request. They are part of the manuscript collections of the Nevada Historical Society.

A brief listing of the topics covered in the diaries includes student life at the University of Nevada, University of Wisconsin, and University of Washington; ranching; sheep ranching; lawyers and the practice of law in Nevada; the Nevada divorce industry (including his own divorce); water and property rights; medical practices of Christian Scientists; the life of Rose Grant Georgetta; the Reno entertainment industry; Clel's attitudes toward minorities and women; Clel's travel experiences around the world; thoughts about his parents, wife, and daughter; and many more. Georgetta may not have initially intended the diaries for public viewing but by the 1920s he seemed to have developed a consciousness that the diaries might someday be published. He exercised some discretion in his discussions but his attitudes and personal opinions about women and minorities, often derogatory, were frankly expressed..

An additional source of information about these topics is the collection of scrapbooks compiled by Georgetta, beginning with his year at the University of Nevada. Consisting of bound volumes, these clippings and some letters provide a snapshot view of Nevada and Clel's own personal interests.

Georgetta traveled extensively in the 1960s and 1970s, including two trips around the world and to various countries in South America, Scandinavia, and northern Europe; Hawaii; Taiwan; and Russia. He had separate transcripts of his travel accounts prepared by Mrs. Jahnke and bound in individual binders. Clel also compiled a partial index to his diaries, specifying "pages of interest" and where they were located.

There is very little material created by Georgetta's parents in this collection; however, there is one folder of autobiographical sketches composed by his mother, Rose Grant Georgetta which discusses her early life, provides background information on her parents, and examines Clel's early life experiences.

The collection contains little correspondence or other personal papers of Clel or his parents. Several diary entries in the early 1970s describe Georgetta's systematic effort to clean out and destroy all such personal material, including photographs and letters.

Seldom does one manuscript collection contain so much information about the life of an individual. Not only is this a rich source of biographical data about Georgetta, a person of significance in Nevada history, it also provides important information about other Nevada topics: ranching, the attitude of ranchers toward the federal government, politics, the urban development movement in Reno, the practice of law in northern Nevada, legislative history of the 1930s, and student life at the University of Nevada and at the Universities of Wisconsin and Washington. Georgetta hoped to memorialize himself but inadvertantly has given us far more than the biography of a Nevada man.

Processed by: Susan Searcy
Date: January 5, 2000

 

The papers of Clel Georgetta have been arranged in the following series:

IFive Sons Manuscript
IIRandom's Empire Manuscript
IIIPavement, Neon and Mink Manuscript
IVKelley of the Triune Manuscript
VGolden Fleece of Nevada Manuscript
VIWool, Beef and Gold Manuscript
VIIMiscellaneous Short Articles
VIIIMiscellaneous Speeches.
IXLetters to Caryl Georgetta and Family.
XMiscellaneous Letters.
XITaped Conversations from Caryl Georgetta to Clel Georgetta
XIIShort Stories Manuscripts
XIIISchool Themes and Early Literary Efforts
XIVArticles and Stories
XVThe High Tariff on Putty Manuscript
XVICampaign Speeches by Georgetta, District Judge #3
XVIIPolitical Speeches by Georgetta
XVIIIThis and That From Here and There Travel Diaries
XIXLife and Times of Clel Georgetta Pictorial Biography
XXDiaries and "Pages of Interest" Index
XXISpecs and Contracts, Georgetta Office Building, State and Center Streets
XXIIRose Grant Georgetta Autobiographical Sketches
XXIIIThe Star of Happiness Sheet Music.
XXIXScrapbooks

 

Series I. Five Sons Manuscript. n.d. 8 folders.

Georgetta followed the advice of many English teachers, "write about you know." The full title of this work is "Random's Empire: A Saga of the Early West being a [sic] Historical Novel of the Deep Creek Valley on the Utah-Nevada Line." Clel called this work "true-to-fact" historical novel; it was the first of his two stories about this geographic area. Georgetta placed no date on the title page of "Five Sons" but interested researchers could search his diaries and find the time period in which this story was written.

Box 1

I/1/1-5 Five Sons. Original.

I/2/1-3 Five Sons. Rough draft.

 

Series II. Random's Empire. n.d. 6 folders.

This manuscript appears to be a duplicate of Georgetta's Five Sons manuscript.

Box 1

II/1-6 Random's Empire. n.d.

 

Series III. Pavement, Neon and Mink: Stories of City Life. n.d. 3 folders.

This is a collection of short stories about city life in America. Each main character is from a different occupation. Georgetta stated in his forward that "These are stories clean enough for children and sophisticated enough for adults." He anticipated their publication in an anthology (and in fact, this work was published sometime prior to 1979) and republication of individual stories in other anthologies. Again, this manuscript is undated. Many of the stories are accompanied by an illustration; the artist is unknown.

Box 1

III/1-3 Pavement, Neon and Mink. n.d.

 

Series IV. Kelley of the Triune. 1979. 1 folder. Box 2

"Kelley of the Triune: Biography of a Sheep Dog" was Georgetta's true story of his beloved sheep dog. The story was set on his Triune Ranch between 1923-1938. This appears to be a final manuscript of the book which was published in 1979 by Venture Publishing Company, which was Georgetta's company. This manuscript contains illustrations by Stewart Walters and Ron Galloway.

 

Series V. Golden Fleece in Nevada. 1972. 8 folders.

This is a corrected manuscript version of the book for which Georgetta is best known today. Georgetta conducted in-depth research in many primary resources - in county records, court cases, and state and national legislation; and in many secondary resources. The resulting manuscript was divided into two major sections: Part I, The Public Domain, and Part II, Sheep Empires of Nevada. The book was widely distributed by Georgetta throughout Nevada and soon was sold out. This manuscript copy includes illustrations by Stewart Walters and Ron Galloway.

Box 2

V/1/1-4 Golden Fleece in Nevada, Part I.

V/2/1-4 Golden Fleece in Nevada, Part 2.

 

Series VI. Wool, Beef and Gold. 1956. 3 folders.

Wool, Beef and Gold: Sheep, Cattle, and Mining Stories of the West was published in 1956. It consists of short stories; some of the research for this book was also used in Georgetta's book, Golden Fleece in Nevada.

Box 2

VI/1-3 Wool, Beef and Gold. 1956.

 

Series VII. Miscellaneous Short Articles. 1919-[1970]. 4 folders.

This series contains a variety of articles, both fiction and non-fiction. The earliest was written while Clel was in high school, later stories look back over his lifespan. The subjects vary from law and current events to a thinly disguised soliloquy about his wife and daughter's roles in his life.

Box 2

VII/1-3 Misc. short articles.

 

VIII. Miscellaneous Speeches. 1924-1977. 7 folders.

Georgetta prided himself on his ability to prepare and deliver effective, entertaining speeches and kept copies of many, if not most of those he presented, beginning with his winning oration given in 1924 at a national oratorical contest at the University of Nevada, against the speech team from Oxford University. His later audiences included civic and fraternal organizations, agricultural groups, the Washoe County Bar Association, political organizations (although there is a separate series of his political campaign speeches), banquets honoring individuals, new citizens at naturalization proceedings, and college graduates.

This series is arranged chronologically. All speeches appear to contain information about the audience and occasion.

Box 3

VIII/1//1-4 Misc. speeches. Vol. I.

VIII/1/1-3 Misc. speeches. Vol. II.

 

IX. Letters to Caryl Georgetta and Family. 1936-1977. 3 folders.

Georgetta writes in his later diaries of destroying all the correspondence he'd accumulated over the years but in truth he kept many and had them transcribed, including some he sent to his then-to-be wife and later former wife Ruth, and to his daughter Caryl. Many details of their estranged relationship are revealed, as is Clel's hurt over his relation with Caryl. Also included are details of the life and health of his parents and events in Clel's personal and professional lives.

Arranged chronologically.

Box 3

IX/1-3 Letters to Caryl Georgetta and family. 1936-1977.

 

X. Miscellaneous Letters. 1925-1977. 8 folders.

This series contains correspondence Clel sent to friends, acquaintances, and his parents; and a few which are "open letters" to target audiences. A few are business letters. These are typescript copies of the originals, often annotated with the full name and relationship of the recipient to the sender.

Box 3

X/1/1-4 Misc. Letters. Vol. I.

X/2/1-4 Misc. Letters. Vol. II.

 

Series XI. Transcripts of Taped Conversations from Caryl Georgetta to Clel Georgetta. January 1, 1961 - June 1962. 1 folder. Box 4.

Clel gave his daughter, Caryl, a tape recorder for Christmas in 1960, hoping to encourage better communication between them. Clel had the tapes transcribed and included the date and place at which they were recorded. Caryl comments on events in her life and on news received from Clel. Arranged chronologically.

 

XII. Short Stores. n.d. 2 folders.

Clel wrote many short stories, most based on his experiences in the west. No dates are attached to the title pages but those credited as authored by "Major" Georgetta may be attributed to the period of 1942-1945; others might be dated by reading his diaries. These stories were originally housed in a red pasteboard binder labeled "Volume I;" there appears to be no Volume II.

Box 4

XII/1-2 Short Stories. n.d.

 

Series XIII. School Themes and Early Literary Efforts. Vol. I. 1924-1926. 1 folder. Box 4.

This series contains essays, themes, and speeches written by Georgetta as class assignments while attending the University of Nevada and the University of Wisconsin. Arranged in chronological order - there is no Volume II.

 

XIV. Published Stories and Articles. 1924-1978. 13 folders.

Contained in this series are articles and stories, most by Georgetta.

Box 4

XIV/1 "Divorce in Nevada" speech. 1938.

"Names of Characters and Places used in the Writings of Clel Georgetta."

Photocopies of published articles (by Georgetta, unless noted otherwise):
-Official Livestock Brand Book. 1976.
-"The Black Face Ewe" in Calif. Livestock News. Jan. 1971.
-"I Sure Was Surprised" in Calif. Livestock News. Feb. 1971.
-"Sheepherder, Cowboy, Miner, Lawyer, Soldier, Judge - Clel Georgetta," and "Ten Days in the W.P.A." in Calif. Livestock News, April 1971.
-"Watered Gold" in Calif. Livestock News, June 1971.
-Book review of Golden Fleece in Nevada in Nev. Magazine, Winter 1972.
-"Golden Fleece in Nev." [excerpt], in Calif. Livestock News. May 1972 and July-Aug. 1973.
-"John ‘Happy Jack' Jackson, 1841-1947, The Last of the Pony Express Riders" by Effie Mona Mack in Nevada Magazine, Sept. 1947.

XIV/2 "Fair Enough," by Clel Georgetta.

XIV/3 "Journal of a Trip to Idaho Territory in 1865 via the Red Bluff and Chico Route" by Gorham Gates Kimball, edited by Edward N. Wentworth. [1953].

XIV/4 "The Debate with Oxford" in Desert Wolf [Univ. Of Nev. literary magazine]. 1924.

XIV/5 "On the Range in Nevada" by Clel Georgetta, from research compiled by Velma Stevens Truett.

XIV/6 "A Range History of Nevada" by Ben Hazeltine et al. n.d.

XIV/7 "Sheep in Nevada" by Clel Georgetta, written for an historical conference.

XIV/8 "A Sheepherder's Diary" by Clel Georgetta, from Delta Chi Quarterly, May, 1932.

XIV/9 "The Nail Letter" and others by Clel Georgetta. 1945-1953.

XIV/10 "Explication" by Clel Georgetta. 1978. [Explanation to Caryl of certain provisions of Clel's will].

XIV/11 "Major Issues in a Guest Case" by Clel Georgetta, in Insurance Law Journal, Sept. 1954.

XIV/12 "Observations from the Bench" by Clel Georgetta, in The Nevada State Bar Journal. April 1963.

XIV/13 "Common Errors of Nevada Lawyers," by Clel Georgetta, in The Nevada State Bar Journal. July 1964.

 

XV. The High Tariff on Putty (Manuscript). n.d. 1 folder. Box 4

Georgetta was a long-time observer of the legislative process in Nevada and decided to write a book about the topic. Rather than write a straight-forward nonfiction piece, Clel thought it would be more entertaining to write a novel with fictitious characters based on combined attributes of characters he'd observed. The finished work is set in 1932.

 

Series XVI. Campaign Speeches by Clel Georgetta, District Court Judge #3. 1958. 1 folder. Box 4.

Georgetta was appointed Washoe County District Court Judge for District 3 in 1958 by Governor Charles Russell to fulfill an unexpired term. Clel successfully ran for the same office that fall. This series contains a letter sent to attorneys in Sacramento, speeches for television ads, and letters sent to Republican Committees by Mrs. Carl Esping (on behalf of Georgetta) protesting their handling of candidates.

 

Series XVII. Political Speeches by C. Georgetta. Vol. I. 1931-1957. 2 folders.

This series contains copies of speeches made by Georgetta in the Nevada Assembly, to political rallies and meetings, and on local radio and television stations, addressing political topics and candidates. Arranged chronologically. There appears to be no Vol. II.

Box 4

XVII/1 Political speeches. 1931-1946.

XVII/2 Political speeches. 1954-1957.

 

Series XVIII. This and That from Here and There Travel Diaries. 1954-1971. 1 cu. ft.

In 1954 Georgetta took the first of many major trips to foreign countries which he documented extensively in his diaries. In addition to the regular diary entries (Series XX of this collection) Clel abstracted the accounts of his oversees travels, probably with the intention of publishing them someday. Diary entries describe the mode of travel, people he met, and incidents along the way; give travel tips (his favorite: "the more you travel, the less luggage you take"); and express Clel's opinions on the countries in which he traveled. Arranged in Georgetta's original order. Each volume title begins with "This and That from Here and There" but in the listing below, only the destination is named.

Box 4

XVIII/1/1-2 This and That from Here and There. Vol. 1: A Trip Around the World. 1954.

XVIII/2/1-2 Second Trip Around the World. 1973. Vol. I: Reno-San Francisco; Vancouver, B.C. - Hawaiian Islands; American Samoa - Fiji Islands; New Zealand - Australia; Tasmania - Singapore - Ceylon.

Box 5

XVIII/3/1-2 Scandinavia, Russia, Berlin, England, Scotland, and Ireland. 1971.

XVIII/4 Taiwan. 1964.

XVIII/5 Hawaii. 1967.

XVIII/6 A Trip to Alaska. 1965.

XVIII/7/1-3 South America. 1970.

XVIII/8/1-4 Hawaiian Islands, Japan, Taiwan. 1967.

 

Series XIX. Published Biographical Material. 1940-1964. 1 folder. Box 5.

This series includes two short, published autobiographical/biographical pieces. Aspiration: Portrayed in a Bookplate by Clel Georgetta describes the symbolism in the bookplate he designed as a fairly young man; symbolism which also describes the "qualities I would like to possess." The other publication is excerpted from A Dozen Sierra Success Stories by W.K. Bixler which contained biographies of a dozen notable Nevadans [1964]. Georgetta's biography, "The Life and Times of Clel Georgetta, a Pictorial Biography" was reissued as an off-print.

 

Series XX. Diaries and "Pages of Interest" Index. 1924-1979. 11.5 cu. ft.

Georgetta started his first diary in about 1915 when he was 14 years old and continued daily entries until a few days before his death (the last entries were made by his companion). Each book contained one year's worth of entries and was given a volume number. The first eight volumes, 1915-1923, are missing from this collection; according to Roberta Jahnke, they were given to the Nevada Historical Society.

These diaries provide a wealth of information about Georgetta, his parents, life philosophy, religion, business and social life, marriage and divorce, political career and opinions, war-time experiences, ranching career, college life, travel, and opinions on all of the above plus many additional topics. At some point a friend suggested these diaries might be published so the reader should assume that possibility governed how much Clel wrote on what he considered touchy subjects. Despite his sometimes expressed discretion, Clel's attitudes toward women and minorities are candidly voiced and especially interesting, as are his political sentiments and opinion of friends, associates, and enemies.

Arranged chronologically. The diaries were removed from their original pasteboard covers and each volume was split into several folders.

Box 5

XX/1-8 Diaries. 1924-1925.

Box 6

XX/9-32 1926-1930.

Box 7

XX/33-60 1931-1935.

Box 8

XX/61-83 1936-1939.

Box 9

XX/84-107 1940-1943.

Box 10

XX/108-128 1944-1947.

Box 11

XX/129-152 1948-1951.

Box 12

XX/153-176 1952-1954.

Box 13

XX/177-201 1955-1960.

Box 14

XX/202-241 1961-1967.

Box 15

XX/242-271 1968-1971.

Box 16

XX/272-308 1972-April 20, 1979.

XX/309-313 Pages of Interest (Index to selected diary entries). 1916-1951.

 

Series XXI. Specs and Contracts, Georgetta Office Building. 1946. .25 cu. ft.

Georgetta's law practice began to thrive after his return to Reno from World War II and he decided to build an office building for his own business offices and for rental income. This series contains specifications and contracts for the building, called the Triune after Clel's ranch, at the corner of State and Center Streets. There are several sets; some show changes. Also included are specifications for a house at 368 University Street in Salt Lake City, Utah. This house was owned by Clel's mother before her marriage and used while he attended school in SLC, as well as other times by his mother. Arranged chronologically.

Box 17

XXI/1 Specs and contracts, Gulling and Means, Architects and Engineers. Set. No. 2. Mar. 7, 1946.

XXI/2 Specs and contracts, set no. 15. Mar. 7, 1946.

XXI/3 Specs and contracts, set no. 2. Revised, June 1, 1946.

XXI/4 Specs and contracts, set no. 13. Revised, June 1, 1946.

XXI/5 Specifications for 368 University St., Salt Lake City. n.d.

 

Series XXII. Rose Grant Georgetta Autobiographical Sketches. 1937; n.d. 1 folder. Box 17.

Rose Grant Georgetta, no doubt encouraged by her son Clel, wrote several segments of her autobiography and a history of her family. In these brief "chapters," none of which are later than 1936, Rose usually refers to herself as Mrs. Georgetta or Rose Grant, rather than saying "I did this." She recounts several stories about the Georgetta's early ranching life, testifies about the power of her faith to heal her illnesses, and gives a brief genealogy of her maternal and paternal grandparents. Also included are two newspaper clippings: an obituary of Mrs. Pearl MacVichie, and an article and photo of city and county of Salt Lake City officials taking office.

 

XXIII. The Star of Happiness Sheet music. 1942. 1 folder. Box 17

This series contains sheet music for The Star of Happiness, lyrics and music by Maggie Mae Steele. The cover is signed "compliments of Maggie Mae Steele."

 

XXIV. Newspaper Scrapbooks of Clel Georgetta. 1924-1972. 13 vols.

Georgetta began collecting newspaper clippings for a scrapbook and continued for most of the rest of his life. The topics are generally those in which he had some direct interest: university events and people, local news, politics, his legal cases, his campaign for District Court judge, ranching, etc. Most of the news was local, with occasionally some of state-wide impact; however, major events of national and international news were also included, such as the beginning of World War II, assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and the death of Winston Churchill. One volume is devoted exclusively to articles about Clel's litigation; two volumes of the series were missing when received by the Special Collections Department. Arranged chronologically.

Box 18

XXIV/1 Vol. 1. Sept. 1924-1928. Primarily about events at the Universities of Nevada, Michigan, and Washington.

[Vol. 2 was missing when the collection was donated to the Department.]

XXIV/2 Vol. 3. 1926-1931. University of Washington events, Nevada ranching, politics.

Box 19

XXIV/3 Vol. 4. 1931-1934. Nevada politics and legislature, civil and criminal trials, national political events, campaign literature.

XXIV/4 Vol. 5. 1936-1942. Local news related to Georgetta's clients.

Box 20

XXIV/5 Vol. 6. 1937-1942; 1957. Nevada divorce industry, national events, Clel's invitations to royal events in England (1957).

Box 21

XXIV/6 Vol. 7. 1958-1952; 1962. District Court election and Clel's career as a judge, articles about cases tried in his courtroom.

Box 22

XXIV/7 Vol. 8. 1960-1962. Cases heard by Georgetta, local news, urban development of Reno.

Box 20

XXIV/8 Vol. 9. 1962-1963. Local news and cases.

Box 23

XXIV/9 Vol. 10. 1963-1964. Local news, politics, controversy over a new convention center for Reno, President Kennedy's assassination.

Box 24

XXIV/10 Vol. 11. 1964-1966. Death of Winston Churchill, new convention center, elections, wedding of Clel's daughter Caryl, Pioneer Theater construction, Reno earthquake.

[Vol. 12 missing.]

Box 25

XXIV/11 Vol. 13. 1967-1970. Court cases, elections.

Box 26

XXIV/12 Vol. 14. 1970-Dec. 1972. Local news, William Reggio controversy, cartoons, new Pioneer Bank in Triune Building.

Box 24

XXIV/13   Litigation scrapbook. 1946-1958.