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Guide to the Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter Records, 1939 -[on-going]
BANC MSS 71/292 c  
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Collection Details
 
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  • Collection Summary
  • Information for Researchers
  • Administrative Information
  • Administrative History
  • Scope and Content

  • Collection Summary

    Collection Title: Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter Records,
    Date (inclusive): 1939 -[on-going]
    Collection Number: BANC MSS 71/292 c
    Collector: Sierra Club. Mother Lode Chapter
    Extent: Number of containers: 3 cartons Linear feet: 3.75
    Repository: The Bancroft Library
    Berkeley, California 94720-6000
    Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
    Languages Represented: English

    Information for Researchers

    Access

    Collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter Records, BANC MSS 71/292 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

    Related Collections

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    Title: Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter Records,
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    Administrative Information

    Acquisition Information

    The Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club began donating its historical files to the The Bancroft Library in 1976.

    Funding

    The Sierra Club Records Project was made possible by a major grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

    Administrative History

    The Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter was founded in 1939. The chapter encompasses the Sacramento Valley as well as the foothills and Sierra Nevada region of Northeastern California. The chapter is one of the oldest in the state, and contains within its borders much public-owned land, which its members strive to preserve and enjoy. Of the nearly 50 charter members, half were women, and most were from the Sacramento-Davis, California, area. Charlotte Mauk, later a long-time member of the national Sierra Club Board of Directors, served as the first chapter chairperson.
    Mother Lode Chapter members wrote chapter histories in 1970 and 1975. Most recently, LaVerne and Luis Ireland prepared A History of the Mother Lode Chapter, The First 50 Years, 1939-1989. All three of these histories can be found in carton 1, folder 61.

    Scope and Content

    This collection documents the internal affairs, activities, and conservation concerns of a chapter which is based in Sacramento, but which includes most of northeastern California as well as the upper San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. Because of the large geographical size of the chapter, much of the work takes place in regional groups and activity sections.
    This geographical region contains some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in California, much of it national forest lands. The chapter's conservation activities reflect concern over how these public land will be utilized. Lake Tahoe Basin planning, ski resorts, use of all terrain vehicles, and evaluation of roadless areas for inclusion in wilderness are some of the issues documented in the second and largest series, Conservation Records.
    In addition to its Conservation Committee, the chapter continues to have an active Outing Committee. Activities include car camping, day hikes, knapsacking, and peak and gorge "scrambling."