Sedgwick Reserve Collection

This collection consists of legal documents related to the ownership and use of what is now the Sedgwick Ranch Reserve, from the 1850s through 2006.

This collection includes four series:

The Administrative Records series includes former reserve director Mike Williams's files, publicity and clippings files, construction documents and building plans, fire management plans, reserve management and master plans, and subject files. Land use topics in this series include cattle grazing, farming, hunting leases, biological inventories, ecological research projects, and oak restoration.

The Historical Records series relates to three key topics: (1) land use and ownership of the current reserve site, (2) the land acquisition process that brought the ranch into the NRS in the 1990s, and (3) the Sedgwick family.

The Sedgwick Land Use and Ownership series consists of a thorough set of legal documents related to the site’s ownership, from the 1850s through 1975. It includes deeds, wills, maps, and other materials compiled through legal proceedings during the acquisition process, as well as correspondence and other documents from individuals involved with the NRS, the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County, and the Sedgwick estate that date from the 1960s. A set of news clippings also documents developments related to the creation of Sedgwick Reserve.

The Sedgwick Family series contains photographs, paintings, an appraisal of the family’s property, and news clippings.