Recently, eleven descendants of James Z. Gilbert - his daughter, Mary, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren - have donated the family's collection of photographs relating to excavations at Rancho La Brea to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Dr. Gilbert was a pioneer in recognizing the importance of the asphalt deposits and in organizing and documenting an early excavation there. The gift of their descendants, now preserved in the archives of the Page Museum, will be an invaluable resource to scholars studying Rancho La Brea and Los Angeles on the early twentieth century.
J.Z. Gilbert, with his wife, Harriet Yoder Gilbert, and their children, from left, Harry, Walter, and Mary, circa 1910.
Photograph courtesy of the Gilbert family.
Recently, eleven descendants of James Z. Gilbert - his daughter, Mary, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren - have donated the family's collection of photographs relating to excavations at Rancho La Brea to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.