Guide to the Loma Prieta earthquake collection MS.189
Zoe MacLeod
University of California, Santa Cruz
2023
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz 95064
speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Title: Loma Prieta earthquake collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS.189
Physical Description:
4.34 Linear Feet
2 cartons; 2 flats
Date (inclusive): 1989-1990
Abstract: The Loma Prieta earthquake collection
documents how Santa Cruz County was affected by the Loma Prieta earthquake, which took place
on October 17, 1989. The collection contains personal accounts of the earthquake and
material from goverment agencies, local businesses, and UC Santa Cruz.
Physical Location: Collection stored off-site at NRLF:
Advanced notice is required for access.
Language of Material:
English .
Access Restrictions
Collection open for research. Audiovisual media is unavailable until reformatted. Contact
Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access to audiovisual media.
Use Restrictions
Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs.
Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair
use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to
determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more
information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.
Preferred Citation
Loma Prieta earthquake collection. MS 189. Special Collections and Archives, University
Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Acquisition Information
Acquisition information for this collection is unknown.
Historical Note
The Loma Prieta earthquake was a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that took place on October 17,
1989. The earthquake was centered in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park on a section of
the San Andreas Fault. In Santa Cruz, the Pacific Garden Mall was severely damaged and
several buildings listed on the Santa Cruz Historic Building Survery were damaged enough to
warrant demolition.
Scope and Contents
The Loma Prieta earthquake collection documents how Santa Cruz County was affected by the
Loma Prieta earthquake. The collection contains personal accounts of the earthquake, such as
journals, poems, and photographs, from community memebers; materials from both the local and
national government, such as bulletins and information about aid for repairing historic
buildings; material that documents how local businesses were affected, such as updates on
businesses' operations and flyers and t-shirts from fundraising events; and material on the
effects of the earthquake on UC Santa Cruz, including items issued by the campus Public
Relations Office.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four series:
- Series 1. Community response and accounts
- Series 2. Government response
- Series 3. Local business response
- Series 4. UC Santa Cruz response
Materials in each series are arranged alphabetically.
Processing Information
The Loma Prieta earthquake collection was processed by Zoe MacLeod in 2023.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Loma Prieta Earthquake, Calif.,
1989
Earthquakes -- California -- Santa Cruz County
Community response and accounts
1989-1990
Access Restrictions
Audiovisual media is unavailable until reformatted. Contact Special Collections and
Archives in advance to request access to audiovisual media.
Scope and Contents
This series contains personal accounts of the earthquake, such as journals, poems, and
photographs, from members of the Santa Cruz County community. Also included are writings
and drawings from students at Mintie White School in Wattsonville and material from
community gatherings.
Box 1, Folder 10
A Quake Journal and Some Photos - Jeff Marshall
1989
Box 1, Folder 1
Audiocassette recording of Mozart choral piece interupted by Loma Prieta
earthquake
ms0189_rec_0001
1989 October 17
Box 1, Folder 5
Barabara Paige diary copy
1989 October 19-28
Box 1, Folder 6
Community events and earthquake stress relief programs
1989
Box 1, Folder 40-43
Earthquake damage photographs taken by Hans Schermann
1989
Box 1, Folder 12
Earthquake Journal - Patricia Rain
1989 October 17 - December 25
Box 1, Folder 4
KQED - "Jolted Lives: Santa Cruz After the Quake"
1990
Box 1, Folder 17-18
Mintie White School students' writings and drawings about the
earthquake
1989
Box 2
Newspaper clippings scrapbook
1989
Box 1, Folder 13
Personal accounts of earthquake - journals, poetry, and
photographs
1989
Box 1, Folder 11
Personal accounts of the earthquake
1989
Box 1, Folder 15
Personal accounts of the earthquake
1989
Box 4
Reclaiming Our Common Ground t-shirt
1989
Box 4
Recovering Our Common Ground - Peace Day t-shirt
1989
Box 4
Restore Santa Cruz t-shirt
1989
Box 4
Shift Happens t-shirt
1989
Box 1, Folder 6
"The Earthquake of 1989; Our Family's Story" - Galt/Woodsorrel
family
1989
Government response
1989-1990
Scope and Contents
This series contains materials from the national and local government, such as
bulletins, resources for relief services, information about traffic and transportation,
and resources for repairing and rebuilding historic buildings. Also included is material
from and photographs of the Army Corps of Engineers Santa Cruz headquarters.
Box 1, Folder 34
Assessing and repairing damaged historic buildings
1989
Box 1, Folder 36
Assessing and repairing damaged historic buildings
1989-1990
Box 1, Folder 38
Assessing and repairing damaged historic buildings
1989
Box 4
Can of water handed out in the aftermath of the earthquake
1989
Box 1, Folder 31
City of Santa Cruz notices
1989
Box 3, Folder 1
Common Reactions to Disaster
1989
Box 1, Folder 3
Department of Interior Geological Survey, Western Region - Aftershock
Sequence Observations and Forecast
1989 October 31
Box 1, Folder 14
Earthquake Resources Directory for the Santa Cruz County Area
1989 November 13
Box 1, Folder 39
Funding for reparing historic buildings
1989
Box 3, Folder 7
Getting from here to there
1989
Box 1, Folder 37
Grants and loans for repairing historic buildings
1989-1990
Box 1, Folder 35
Grants for repairing historic buildings
1989-1990
Box 1, Folder 27
Headways bus schedule - special earthquake edition
1989-1990
Box 1, Folder 16
National Trust for Historic Preservation
1989
Box 1, Folder 32
Photographs of Army Corps of Engineers headquarters, Holiday Inn, Santa Cruz,
taken by Rita Bottoms
1989 November
Box 1, Folder 33
San Lorenzo River levee repair
1989 October - November
Box 1, Folder 2
Santa Cruz County Transportation Commission
1989 October - November
Local businesses response
1989
Scope and Contents
This series contains material that documents how Santa Cruz businesses were affected by
the earthquake. Included in this series are updates from businesses' about their
opperations, as well as flyers and tshirts from fundraising events that businesses
had.
Box 3, Folder 2
Bookshop Santa Cruz 23rd birthday flyer
1989
Box 3, Folder 4
Business Santa Cruz
1989 November
Box 3, Folder 3
City Quake Report: A Special Report to Santa Cruz City Employees
1989 December
Box 1, Folder 29
Earthquake relief events from local businesses
1989
Box 1, Folder 28
Local businesses news
1989
Box 4
Pacific Garden Mall memorial t-shirt (2 t-shirts)
1989
UC Santa Cruz response
1989-1990
Scope and Contents
This series contains material that documents the effect the earthquake had on UC Santa
Cruz, including items issued by the campus Public Relations Office. Also included are
materials issued by the library and information on resources for students.
Box 1, Folder 24
Campus bulletins and announcements
1989
Box 3, Folder 8
City on a Hill
1989 October 21, 27
Box 1, Folder 25
Counseling and psychological services
1989
Box 1, Folder 9
Earthquake history and educational slide set compiled by Jeff Marshall, Earth
Sciences Board, UC Santa Cruz
1990
Box 1, Folder 23
"On Campus" special earthquake issue
1989 October 27
Box 1, Folder 19
UC Santa Cruz Campus Emergency Response Team status reports
1989 October 19-25
Box 1, Folder 22
UC Santa Cruz flyers
1989
Box 1, Folder 8
UC Santa Cruz Public Information Office material
1989
Box 1, Folder 20
UC Santa Cruz Public Information Office campus status reports
1989 October 26 - November 3
