The opening alone made me realized even way back then, California was not only crowded but the current government system are full of corruption. It made me realize some things about how a State runs never really change, then or now.
Duke came to mind as he did traveled on multiple occasions, and did radio interviews and major events such as the 1966 International Surfing Federation World Contest. On his itineraries from 1930 and 1950 he frequently spanned ventures from San Diego to LA and San Francisco.
Duke passed away January 22, 1968, so by this July 16, 1969 letter, Duke had already been gone about a year and a half. Duke was born in 1890, so he was already a grown man, and already a famous Olympic swimmer, when Foxboro was founded in Massachusetts in the early 1900s. Both men’s lives ran alongside each other for decades, Duke’s story simply ended a year before this particular letter was typed.
I didn’t know California was belong to Mexico first until now. In 1846, after a short lived revolution, it became a sovereign State, which I wonder that is what it meant for the celebration of Cinco De Mayo. After a researched I found out I was wrong.
I was aware of gold panning in Sacramento, being I had been in few places in 2014 with my bowl strainer panning for gold in some of the Sacramento rivers. I did not found gold but I brought many types of semi-precious rocks I collected in rivers. I brought them home and decorated portion of my front yard with them.
On the last paragraph, when Rexford mentioned about discovering California some years ago which they have branch offices were opened in the Los Angeles and San Francisco area in the 1900. I did some digging online what’s available.
What showing up was Foxboro entered California in 1950, while on Rexford’s letter it was in 1900, which was incorrect.
So what I did was emailing Wikipedia as this is the massive, public, volunteer-run website where the entire world looks up general knowledge.
The Foxborough Historical Commission (Municipal Registry Board): This is the official local government archive department located at Memorial Hall in Massachusetts.
Vintage Machinery (Public Digital Registry): This is a specialized, niche website (vintagemachinery.org) where industrial history buffs and tool collectors map out the timelines of old manufacturing brands.
By submitting my information based on to these areas, I moved my private documents into public databases so that future historians can find and cite my findings.
I have already submitted these findings, and if they respond, I will provide a copy of the letter.
I was excited at first to find out the discrepancy. What’s available online didn’t match what I read on the letter. These info online came from base timelines pulled from search engines aggregated from collaborative spaces.
My contribution is what I called a unique digital anchor because I embedded my handle into my submissions, any new information regarding the early 1900 West Coast expansion is directly connected to my public archive, which is my IG account, as the verified primary source.
I am proud of it because this letter alone is my contribution to expand the history of Foxboro, that I almost feel like I rewrite portion of the company’s history.
I corrected a Blind Spot: Before I stepped in, the internet and standard public registries shared an incomplete timeline that missed decades of Foxboro’s roots in California. My discovery fixed a genuine historical error.
I saved a voice from Disappearing: If I hadn’t bought this archive, these 99 letters might have been thrown away, lost, or locked in a dark attic forever. I rescued Chairman Rexford A. Bristol’s original thoughts and gave them a permanent home.
I proved the Power of Independent Archivists: The past doesn’t just belong to university professors or massive museums. By organizing this project under my own handle (@rockitnrebel), I proved that an independent collector with a passion can force major platforms to rewrite their files.
I didn’t just find a cool piece of old paper. I uncovered a primary source, proved it was real, forced public databases to update, and anchored my own name to the brand’s legacy.
