Keene Reel 9, Campsite, Town, and Animal Footage
Title
Keene Reel 9, Campsite, Town, and Animal Footage
Identifier
2021-1.9 AV (Keene Reel 9)
Source
Herman Keene Collection, 2021
Funding support for the digitization of this material was generously provided by The Schwemm Family Foundation.
Accession No.: 2021-1
Description
Black-and-white footage of camping and general frontier life, some disturbing and graphic, featuring a variety of animals, interspersed with scenes of activity in and around a newly developed town.
Men cook, roll cigarettes, pose for portraits in campsites; some camps are set along dry hills, others in the shade beside small creeks. The longest section of the camping footage focuses on one elaborate creekside campsite, with a large tent, shaded dining area with a hammock, a private bathing area. Later, men guide horses to a campsite with a large flagpole, bearing an American flag and a plaque that reads, "Forest Fireman Station – Maps, Information and Campfire Permits."
In town, the camera focuses on a large, two-story house, and captures various men posing in front of it. Various people are pictured in front of their homes; men socialize in the street. Later, a small café appears, with a neon sign noting "Dick's Sandwiches." An employee in a clean white paper hat, shirt, and apron steps outside and poses before the building.
One section shows a zoo or wildlife preserve of some sort, where men inspect a snake, an African lion cub, and a field of beehives. Elsewhere, men feed and pet donkeys and horses before large barns. One man feeds a large crowd of swans and other birds; another man guides a small wagon driven by (and full of) dogs. A taxidermist examines a dead mountain lion; a kitten studies a dead coyote. A small child climbs onto a stuffed mountain lion (later became part of the Museum of Ventura County collection). A bearded man in a cap, possibly Herman Keene, later poses beside the same taxidermized lion.
Men cook, roll cigarettes, pose for portraits in campsites; some camps are set along dry hills, others in the shade beside small creeks. The longest section of the camping footage focuses on one elaborate creekside campsite, with a large tent, shaded dining area with a hammock, a private bathing area. Later, men guide horses to a campsite with a large flagpole, bearing an American flag and a plaque that reads, "Forest Fireman Station – Maps, Information and Campfire Permits."
In town, the camera focuses on a large, two-story house, and captures various men posing in front of it. Various people are pictured in front of their homes; men socialize in the street. Later, a small café appears, with a neon sign noting "Dick's Sandwiches." An employee in a clean white paper hat, shirt, and apron steps outside and poses before the building.
One section shows a zoo or wildlife preserve of some sort, where men inspect a snake, an African lion cub, and a field of beehives. Elsewhere, men feed and pet donkeys and horses before large barns. One man feeds a large crowd of swans and other birds; another man guides a small wagon driven by (and full of) dogs. A taxidermist examines a dead mountain lion; a kitten studies a dead coyote. A small child climbs onto a stuffed mountain lion (later became part of the Museum of Ventura County collection). A bearded man in a cap, possibly Herman Keene, later poses beside the same taxidermized lion.
Creator
Unknown
Date
1900-1940
Format
Black and White Film
Home Movie
14 min., 12 sec.
Subject
Animal feeding
Farmyards
Campsites
Taxidermy
Cooking
Keene, Herman, 1878-1965
Coverage
California
Ventura County (Calif.)
Publisher
Museum of Ventura County
Rights
The copyright to this film has not been determined. These images are intended for personal or research use only. Please contact library staff for rights determinations and additional uses.
Type
Image
Language
English
Original Format
16mm film reel
Duration
14:12 at 18 fps
Collection
Citation
Unknown, “Keene Reel 9, Campsite, Town, and Animal Footage,” Research Library at The Museum of Ventura County, accessed April 25, 2024, http://photographs.venturamuseum.org/items/show/3814.