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California Tourism and Promotional Literature
Collection
SC.CTP
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: California Tourism and Promotional Literature Collection
Creator:
California State University, Northridge. University Library
Identifier/Call Number: SC.CTP
Extent:
7.50 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1860-1990
Abstract: Tourism and real estate promotion have
been longtime means of encouraging people to vacation and settle in California. The
California Tourism and Promotional Literature Collection includes
county, regional, and statewide promotional literature used to promote tourism and real
estate development across the state of California.
Language of Material: English
The library created this collection of materials for study and research.
The
California Tourism and Promotional Literature Collection
consists of promotional material aimed at attracting visitors, settlers, and real estate
investment to the state of California. The bulk of the material dates from 1880 to 1940, and
includes tour and event booklets, travel guides, personal journals, street and real estate
tract maps, posters, folded brochures, pamphlets, postcards, magazines, menus, drawings,
photographs, and souvenirs. The collection is made up of fifty-five series arranged by
region and county, the largest of which is for Los Angeles County. There are several series
dedicated to statewide promotional literature, one series dedicated to California tours and
excursions, and one series dedicated to souvenirs.
The collection offers a variety of materials illustrating many different reasons to travel
to California including tourism, health, and agriculture. In terms of tourism, the
collection includes many pamphlets from the late 19
th and early
20
th centuries, most of which are produced by the Southern
Pacific Company, which advertise cross-country trips by railway from places such as Boston
and New Orleans to California. These trips generally traveled throughout California and
advertise the scenic beauty of Yosemite and the Sequoia forest; the vast diversity of
climate; the plethora of outdoor activities; and famous hotels such as The Raymond in
Pasadena, the Palace in San Francisco, the Hotel del Monte in Monterey, the U.S. Grant Hotel
in San Diego, and the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
The collection also includes pamphlets containing information on the history and locations
of the various California missions, including those in San Diego, San Juan Capistrano, San
Fernando, and Santa Barbara. Additionally, there is much material describing the history of
the California gold rush and the tours of numerous ghost towns and related locations. More
recent items contain information regarding Hollywood and the film industry, the Cawston
Ostrich Ranch in South Pasadena, San Francisco's Chinatown, Catalina Island, and Inyo
County's Death Valley, as well as various posters and pamphlets for individual restaurants,
hotels, and theaters.
California's weather is sometimes referred to as the "eternal spring," and is generally
described to be a wonderland of health and goodness. Pamphlets issued by individual counties
advertise the beautiful beaches of Los Angeles and Orange County and describe various areas
as a wonderful respite from the harsher weather conditions in other parts of the country.
There are also handouts advertising winter resorts in places like Palm Springs, where
visitors may escape the cold of the winter months in order to spend time resting and
recuperating.
The collection also includes pamphlets and booklets promoting immigration, migration, and
settlement. These materials typically include information on agricultural in California,
especially the cultivation of olives, figs, cherries, peaches, oranges, grapes, almonds,
walnuts, and raising of livestock. Other economic opportunities described include oil,
lumber, dairy, and viticulture, with information on average wages and cost of living. Also
advertised are the various connecting railroads and, in the more modern booklets, the vast
highway system covering the state.
Series 1: California Tours and Excursions, 1881-1931
Series 2: Statewide Promotional Literature, 1860-1947
Series 3: California's Central Region, 1915
Series 4: Southern California, 1886-1936
Series 5: California Statewide Promotional Literature, 1886-1936
Series 6: Alameda County, 1901-1940
Series 7: Butte County, 1898-1926
Series 8: Calaveras Promotional Literature
Series 9: Colusa County
Series 10: Contra Costa County
Series 11: El Dorado County, 1940
Series 12: Fresno County, 1890-1925
Series 13: Glenn County, 1915
Series 14: Humboldt County
Series 15: Imperial County, 1910-1928
Series 16: Riverside County, 1902-1938
Series 17: Inyo County, 1912-1936
Series 18: Kern County, 1915-1934
Series 19: Lake County, 1898-1951
Series 20: Los Angeles County, 1885-1997
Series 21: Madera County, 1912
Series 22: Marin County, 1888-1919
Series 23: Mariposa County, 1915-1927
Series 24: Mendocino County
Series 25: Merced County, 1915
Series 26: Monterey County, 1891-1996
Series 27: Mono County
Series 28: Napa County
Series 29: Nevada County
Series 30: Orange County, 1949
Series 31: Placer County, 1880-1935
Series 32: Plumas County, 1910
Series 33: Sacramento County, 1911
Series 34: San Benito County, 1910-1915
Series 35: San Bernardino County, 1910-1937
Series 36: San Diego County, 1886-1935
Series 37: San Francisco, 1878-1947
Series 38: San Joaquin County
Series 39: San Luis Obispo County, 1940
Series 40: San Mateo County
Series 41: Santa Barbara County, 1906-1913
Series 42: Santa Clara County, 1871-1915
Series 43: Santa Cruz County, 1895-1938
Series 44: Shasta County
Series 45: Siskiyou County, 1910-1915
Series 46: Solano County
Series 47: Sonoma County, 1915-1931
Series 48: Stanislaus County, 1879-1925
Series 49: Sutter County, 1915
Series 50: Tulare County, 1920-1935
Series 51: Tuolumne County, 1888-1909
Series 52: Ventura County, 1915-1933
Series 53: Yolo County, 1915
Series 54: Yuba County, 1913
Series 55: Northern California, 1903-1933
Digital reproductions of selected items in this collection are available electronically as
a part of the
San Fernando Valley History Digital Library
.
The collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ephemera
Maps
Documents