Leslie Crow papers, 1850-2006, bulk 1978-2006

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Summary

Creators:
Crow, Leslie Ellen (1954-2006)
Abstract:
Collection consists of materials collected and written by Leslie Crow primarily concerning local history and historic preservation in California.
Extent:
25 linear feet
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

Leslie Crow papers. MSS 316. Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of materials collected and written by Leslie Crow. Of special interest are its research files, whose contents range widely from maps, plans, photocopied newspaper articles, and handwritten notes, to photographs, slides, and applications for historic registration. Geographically, the focus varies from Alameda, Calaveras, and San Francisco Counties to Lodi and the City of Sacramento. However, the richest, fullest, and most numerous files involve Stockton and San Joaquin County.

Biographical / historical:

Stockton, California, resident Leslie Ellen Crow was a local historian, archivist, and civic activist. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on April 11, 1954, she graduated from high school in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1972, and moved to California the following year. After attending Santa Monica College from 1973 to 1975, she entered the University of the Pacific in 1976. Two years later, she received a bachelor's degree in history with honors.

In 1979, Crow entered the graduate program in history at the University of the Pacific. Although she never finished, the program led to her involvement in an oral history project conducted by the California Youth Authority. This launched her career in public history, or the practice of history in non-scholarly settings. In subsequent years, she held jobs as Historic Inventory Coordinator for the City of Vacaville (1979-80), Historic Preservation Specialist for the Central Sierra Planning Council (1980-82), and Archivist for the Bank of Stockton (1991-98). From 1980 to 2006, she also worked intermittently as a freelance researcher and consultant.

As a consultant, Crow conducted research to designate as Stockton City Landmarks the First Church of Christ, Scientist; the Philomathean Club; and Stockton Children's Home. Among other projects, she also spearheaded efforts to nominate as California Historical Landmarks the Lockeford, California, Schoolhouse, and Stockton's Western Pacific Depot. Crow's efforts also proved crucial in placing on the National Register of Historic Places the California Building (Stockton); Commercial and Savings Bank (Stockton); Quarters A, Albert Lindley Residence, U.S. Navy, Rough and Ready Island; Stockton's Little Manila neighborhood and Sikh Temple, and the Woodbridge, California, Masonic Lodge. In addition, she conducted surveys of historic resources for the City of Ripon, California, and Sacramento, and did historical studies of Stockton's City Hall and Stockton State Hospital's Superintendent's Residence in preparation for renovation.

In 1989, Crow was appointed to Stockton's Cultural Heritage Board, which she chaired from 1990 to 2006. Her appointment exposed her to revitalization efforts aimed at Stockton's aging inner city and waterfront. It also gave her a platform to promote historic preservation and plunged her into a period of civic activism. During the 1990s, she served on Stockton's Women Veterans' Memorial Task Force, the Friends of the Fox Theatre, the Mayor's Waterfront Revival Task Force, the Stockton Waterfront Committee, the Fundraising Committee for the Weber Point Events Center, the City of Stockton Sesquicentennial Committee, and Stockton Mid-Town Task Force. Meanwhile, she also held membership on the College of the Pacific Alumni Advisory Council and served in a variety of voluntary positions at the San Joaquin County Historical Society.

Crow died in May 2006, at the zenith of her career.

Arrangement:

Collection is organized into six series: 1. Biographical Files; 2. Voluntary Service Records; 3. Research Files; 4. VHS Cassettes; 5. Oversize; and 6. Rolled Oversize Maps and Plans

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection open for research.

Terms of access:

Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections 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 researcher.

Preferred citation:

Leslie Crow papers. MSS 316. Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library.

Location of this collection:
University of the Pacific, Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University Library
Stockton, CA 95211, US
Contact:
(209) 946-2404
Website