Friends of the W. K. KelloggArabian Horse Library
Dear Arabian horse enthusiast:
The W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library is a collection of Arabian horse materials
located on the campus of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. The
site has long been associated with the Arabian horse. In 1925 breakfast food
millionaire W. K. Kellogg purchased 377 acres for $250,000 in Pomona as the
location for his Arabian Horse Ranch. Mr. Kellogg acquired only the best of
stock, many head coming from Lady Wentworth's historic Crabbet Stud in England.
The high quality animals together with the striking architecture of the facilities
created an attraction that prompted many notable personalities to visit. The
Ranch featured an airport which was "christened" in 1927 when flown
over by Charles Lindbergh in the Spirit of St. Louis. Hollywood personalities
flocked to Pomona to have their pictures taken with the horses. Mary Pickford,
Clara Bow, Gary Cooper, Olivia de Havilland, Tom Mix, and Loretta Young were
among them. The celebrities often made use of the Kellogg Arabians in feature
films. The most significant one for the Ranch being Son of the Sheik in which
Rudolph Valentino rode Jadaan.
Over the years the fame of the Kellogg Ranch and its Arabian horses grew. It
was where many members of the public first saw an Arabian horse and where breeders
came to buy their foundation stock. Two years before the death of Mr. Kellogg
in 1951, the land and horses were transferred to the State of California. In
the deed, Mr. Kellogg expressed the wish that the public be educated about the
Arabian horse. It was due to this desire an Arabian horse library was created
and eventually became the largest public collection of its kind.
As the world’s foremost repository of information about the Arabian horse,
the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library’s mission is to safeguard the history
of the Arabian horse. The Library attempts to collect and preserve all types
of Arabian horse information in printed and non-printed formats and includes
books, pamphlets, art work, brochures, newsletters, videotapes, magazines, newspapers,
digital files, photographs, letters, manuscripts, and reports. The collection
is designed for use as a research facility by university students and personnel
as well as interested persons throughout the Arabian horse community.
As with any treasured collection there are many requirements necessary to its
successful operation and maintenance. Funding is needed in order to purchase
additional items on an ongoing basis and in order to provide support for the
Library’s educational webcasts and seminars. There are books, manuscripts,
and publications that need to be cataloged. There are rare editions that should
be restored and preserved.
It is through your membership that these needs of the Library are met. Your
gift, and others like it, helps the Library by providing the means to purchase
specialized equipment and essential archival supplies such as acid free tape
and glue, file folders, and ph-buffered storage boxes. Every single gift is
important. A $15 membership may allow the acquisition of historical postcards
on Ebay. A $50 membership may pay for a magazine subscription for a year. Please
know that every gift, no matter the size, is very much appreciated.