Selections from the Collections of the Oakland History Center, 1842-1967, bulk Circa 1885-1930

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Summary

Creators:
Oakland Public Library. Oakland History Center (Oakland, Calif.)
Abstract:
The collections of the Oakland History Center include images, manuscript materials, photomechanical prints, news clippings, ephemeral items, programs, sheet music, monographs and serials and archival materials in audio-visual and digital formats that document the history of Oakland, Emeryville and Piedmont, Calif. and the metropolitan East Bay area of Northern California. The maps division of the collections of the Oakland Public Library holds an extensive run of historic maps of the Oakland area dating from 1852-present.
Extent:
200 items 199 online items
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English Spanish
Preferred citation:

Selections from the collections of the Oakland History Center. Oakland Public Library, Oakland, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collections of the Oakland History Center include images, manuscript materials, photomechanical prints, news clippings, ephemeral items, programs, sheet music, monographs and serials and archival materials in audio-visual and digital formats that document the history of Oakland, Emeryville and Piedmont, Calif. and the metropolitan East Bay area of Northern California. The maps division of the collections of the Oakland Public Library holds an extensive run of historic maps of the Oakland area dating from 1852-present.

Items from the collections chosen for this project include a set of original manuscripts from the papers of the Peralta family, the transcription of the deposition of Domingo Peralta for Land Case 100 in the United States District Court, a map and accompanying description of the northern portion of the Rancho San Antonio, now occupied by the western and northern portions of Oakland, and the cities of Piedmont, Emeryville, Berkeley and Albany, Calif.

In addition, a selection was made of photographs originally collected by Hon. Joseph R. Knowland, former publisher of the Oakland Tribune, that include scenic views and depict specific news events, such as the visit of Charles Lindbergh to Oakland, the arrival of Kelly's Army from San Francisco on its cross-country march protesting joblessness in 1914, the earthquake of 1906, visits of presidents William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1910, the influenza epidemic of 1917-1918, and various activities of celebrity authors and others, including Jack London, Edwin Markham, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lillie Langtry, Joaquin Miller, et al.

Items were chosen from other parts of the larger collection to add breadth to contribute to the breadth of the Online Archive of California, with images documenting significant achievements in the history of aviation, industrial development and the cultural arts, with specific contributions of portraits of local residents with great historic significance to the state, including Anthony Chabot, Laurentine Hamilton, Lucia and Arthur Mathews, Ina Coolbrith, James Gamble, Cliff Durant, Herman Whitaker, William T. Shorey, J. Ross Browne, et al. Other images were selected to reflect the history of the industrial expansion of the California, most notably through the development of the railroads, the port facilities, the retail trade sector (with stores such as MacMarr Stores, Piggly Wiggly, National Dollar Stores, Money Back Smith's menswear, etc.), manufacturing and food processing (California Cotton Mills, Duchess Sandwiches, etc.) and high technology (Magnavox, etc.), for which Oakland served as a vital hub.

In response to preferences solicited from members of the community, images reflecting the richness of Oakland's architecture were chosen, along with historic scenes from its neighborhoods and hills. Maps and birds'-eye renderings were chosen that illustrate historic uses of the waterfront, the Key System and other means of light-rail transit, early street grids and geographic boundaries for defunct municipalities, such as San Antonio. For conservation purposes, two scarce and rapidly deteriorating pictorial monographs, Picturesque Oakland by Britton & Rey and Oakland, Calif. illustrated in photo-gravure from recent negatives by Adolph Witteman were selected.

Acquisition information:
This collection was selected and created by staff of the Oakland Public Library, led by Steven Lavoie with the technical assistance of Richard Tan, as part of the Local History Digital Research Project, 2005-2006, supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Jean Langmuir and Doug Smith of the Oakland Public Library supplied administrative support throughout the project.
Processing information:

The materials in this collection were selected from the larger collections of the Oakland History Center as part of the California Local History Digital Resources Project for 2005-2006 using guidelines determined under the parameters of that project and after solicitation of suggestions from active users of local historical collections. Strict compliance to copyright law was required when making selections, with Steven Lavoie of the Oakland History Center directing the selection, research and cataloguing and authoring all documentation and narrative reports. Digitization was performed by Northern Micrographics in LaCrosse, Wisc. as vendor on the project. Richard Tan of the staff of the Oakland Public Library provided the technical assistance and staff members Jean Langmuir and Doug Smith lent administrative support. The Local History Digital Resources Project is supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research during the regular posted hours for Oakland Main Library.

Terms of access:

Property rights reside with the Oakland Public Library. The content of the items are in public domain, except where noted. Where copyright applies, the creators of the images and documents included in the collection retain the rights. For permission to publish or reproduce anything in this collection, please contact the Oakland History Center.

Preferred citation:

Selections from the collections of the Oakland History Center. Oakland Public Library, Oakland, California.

Location of this collection:
125 14th Street
Oakland, CA 94612, US
Contact:
(510) 238-3222
eanswers@oaklandlibrary.org
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