Description
The bulk of the collection consists of newspaper clippings arranged by county and by topic. Subjects covered include the
Gold Rush, transportation, and biographies. There is a strong emphasis on the California parlors of the Native Sons of the
Golden West, Native Daughters of the Golden West, Daughters of the American Revolution, and women's clubs. The WPA survey
work sponsored by the California State Historical Association includes a compilation of materials on California place names
and landmarks. There are also many term papers written by Coy's students and arranged by subject. ca. 1925-1950
Background
Owen Cochran Coy (1884-1952) had a long career in the field of history. He taught at Eureka High School in Northern California
(1909-1913). He served as the secretary and subsequently as director for the California Historical Survey Commission from
1915-1923. He was a professor of history at the University of Southern California from 1925-1950. Following the commission’s
administrative restructuring, he served as director of the California State Historical Association (CSHA) from 1923 to 1950.
He served as a state technical director of the Historical Records Survey, W.P.A. in 1936. His publication work included editing
Pictorial History of California and serving as editor for the CSHA serial publication, California History Nugget.
Extent
(Boxes: 157 legal, 12 letter, 7 record storage, 1 oversize)
Restrictions
Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder
Availability
Research is by appointment only