It is very hard to pick out the most important accomplishments of the Shinn family.  There are so many. So these are the highpoints that we chose for out letter:

The Shinn family’s history tells many personal stories of the development of the San Francisco Bay Area, the state, and the country. The archives cover the Gold Rush era, the coming of the Transcontinental Railroad, the growth of California agriculture, the study of child psychology, and the development of forestry in California, and WWII. Issues of the day - agriculture, water, labor, immigration, education, psychology, women’s suffrage, and conservation - can be seen through the eyes of this family. 

Eldest son, Charles Howard Shinn, was a journalist, historian, author, horticulturalist, and forester. He wrote about  the history and growth of California. While at Johns Hopkins University, he was Woodrow Wilson’s roommate. He knew John Muir and was a founding member of the Sierra Club.

His sister, Milicent Shinn, was one of the first women to study at the University of California in the 1870s. After graduation, Milicent was editor of the Overland Monthly, a literary magazine devoted to the  development of the country and of California. She was the first woman to receive a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Her dissertation was based on child development observations of her niece, one of the first studies of its kind in the United States. Her work was done here at the Shinn Ranch and was, and still is, recognized nationally and internationally.  Milicent was added to Where Women Made History

Youngest brother, Joseph Shinn, took over the operations of the fruit ranch. He and his wife were active in the local community. Joseph was the first president of the board of the Alameda County Water District in 1914.

The second son of Joseph and Florence, Vice Admiral Allen M. Shinn, concluded his long and distinguished career in 1968 as head of the world's largest naval air command (Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific Fleet), having previously served, inter alia, as a Carrier Air Group commander in WWII; Commander USS Saipan; Commandant of Midshipmen at the US Naval Academy;  Commander of the first "super carrier,"  USS Forrestal; and Chief, Naval Air Systems Command in Washington DC.

The archives also have precious fragments that tell the stories of the Chinese workers on the Shinn Ranch who were essential to the success of the nursery and the fruit ranch from 1870 to 1960. The letters and ledgers give voices to these forgotten people who worked in the Shinn family home and in the orchards for almost 100 years. This important history was lost over time, and we are continuing to bring it to light in exhibits and articles.