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Reseda Chamber of Commerce Papers
URB.RCC
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Reseda Chamber of Commerce Papers
Creator:
Reseda Chamber of Commerce (Reseda, Los Angeles, Calif.)
Identifier/Call Number: URB.RCC
Extent:
5.10 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1935-1989
Abstract: The Reseda Chamber of Commerce was
formed by area merchants in 1935 to promote the welfare of the community, and to cultivate
the business and social interests of its members. The records of the Reseda Chamber of
Commerce document the functions of the organization through meeting minutes, correspondence,
financial records, newsletters, business directories, event records, newspaper clippings and
photographs. The collection dates from 1935 to 1989 and illustrates various chamber
activities such as community outreach, municipal development, street improvements, merchant
promotions, clean-up campaigns, beauty pageants, and civic awards.
Language of Material: English
The Reseda Chamber of Commerce was formed by area merchants in 1935 to promote the welfare
of the community and to cultivate the business and social interests of its members. In the
1920s and 1930s, Reseda was a small agricultural community in the San Fernando Valley, and
was known for its sugar beets, lima beans, and lettuce crops.
Billed as "the ideal home community" in 1943, the area began to attract a larger
residential population. In response to that growth, the chamber involved itself in such
municipal concerns as parking, flood control, street development, and zoning issues. The
organization also promoted local business by providing information about the community to
attract potential commercial and residential growth.
The
Reseda Chamber of Commerce Papers document the functions
of the organization through meeting minutes, correspondence, financial records, newsletters,
business directories, event records, newspaper clippings and photographs. The collection
dates from 1935 to 1989 and illustrates various chamber activities such as community
outreach, municipal development, street improvements, merchant promotions, clean-up
campaigns, beauty pageants and civic awards. The collection includes information from other
local and state chambers of commerce and the Reseda Merchants Association, including
numerous newspaper clippings from 1955-1957 about Reseda chamber activities. Of interest are
correspondence and reports on San Fernando Valley freeway and surface street development.
The collection is divided into four series:
Administrative Records
(1935-1989),
Chamber Activities and Subject Files
(1946-1986),
Historical Scrapbook (1955-1957; 1981-1982), and
Non-Manusccript Material (1956-1983).
Series I,
Administrative Records, includes Articles of
incorporation, board of directors meeting minutes, business directories, by-laws,
correspondence, financial records and officers' reports. The series also includes records of
the Reseda Retail Merchants Association and the United Chambers of Commerce of the San
Fernando Valley. The files are arranged in alphabetical order.
Series II,
Chamber Activities and Subject Files, contain
correspondence, newspaper clippings, beauty pageant and civic award nominations,
newsletters, statistics, reports, and related items that document the various activities of
the Reseda Chamber such as the Fernando Award, the Miss Reseda Beauty Pageant, the Fun Fair
and the annual Golf Tournament. Also included are documents recounting municipal issues such
as the widening of the Reseda Boulevard-Sherman Way intersection, freeway development in the
San Fernando Valley, population figures and zoning issues. The files are arranged
alphabetically by subject.
Series III,
Historical Scrapbook, contains newspaper clippings
copied onto acid-free paper from two RCC scrapbooks. The newspaper clippings date primarily
from 1955 to 1957 and detail Reseda Chamber activities and sales promotions. The series
also contains miscellaneous newspaper clippings from 1981-82. Files are arranged in
chronological order.
Series IV,
Non-Manuscript Material, consists of oversized maps
and photographs.
Series I: Administrative Records, 1935-1989
Series II: Chamber Activities and Subject Files, 1946-1986
Series III: Historical Scrapbook, 1955-1957, 1981-1982
Series IV: Non-Manuscript Material, 1956-1983
Digital reproductions of selected items in this collection are available electronically as
a part of the
San Fernando Valley History Digital Library
.
Related Material
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.
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.
2003
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Reseda Chamber of Commerce, 04/28/1987
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Robert G. Marshall and Cathy Sluter, 1987
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documents
Photographs
Scrapbooks