Cedar chest of Vigilante Days of San Francisco; Material: cedar; Color: covered with red leather; Period or Date: ca. 1850; Description: Painted red leather with flower design on edges. Nail head trim. Camphor chest. Belonged to wife's grandparents. The camphor chest was owned by Col. John W. McKenzie 1st police chief of San Francisco. From the History Information Station: Object: Three camphor wood chests made in Canton, China, for trade, circa 1850-1900. The adobe houses on the ranchos had no closets and little furniture, so trunks similar to this one were a valued household furnishing. These trunks usually had locks and were used for the storage of clothing, lace, silk, and other precious possessions. They were made of wood from the camphor tree, which grows in Asia, as it prevents moth infestation. History: For over two centuries the "Manila galleons" sailed from Acapulco following a route first established in the 16th century. Their destination was the port of Manila in the Philippines and their objective was to obtain profitable trade goods from the orient. When the Spanish ships ceased to sail in the early 1800s, the Manila trade was picked up by Yankee trade ships and other foreign vessels. Gift of Leonard Wilbur