The Northern California Indian Association, formed in 1894, was a branch of the Women’s National Indian Association, which formed in Philadelphia in 1879. The Northern California Indian Association, based in San Jose, CA, campaigned for “the physical, moral, and educational advancement” of the California Indians. This collection consists of newsletters and bulletins from the Northern California Indian Association in the early 20th century. Many of the items focus on the Zayante Indian Conferences held annually in Mount Hermon, California beginning in 1906. There is also information about the Association’s efforts to start an industrial school for Indians and a report from the Indian Board of Co-Operation.

The Northern California Indian Association, formed in 1894, was a branch of the Women’s National Indian Association, which formed in Philadelphia in 1879. The Northern California Indian Association, based in San Jose, CA, campaigned for “the physical, moral, and educational advancement” of the California Indians. The organization considered itself non-denominational Christian. In 1901, the national organization’s name changed to the National Indian Association, though its membership remained mostly female. The following people were officers in the San Jose branch: Mrs. Josephine Gilchrist, Mrs. Mary Edwards, Mrs. Jessie Knight Jordan, Mrs. E.D. Van Denburgh, Miss Jennie Farwell, Mrs. Fred Smith, Mr. Charles E. Kelsey, Mrs. Edith Beasly, Miss Cornelia Taber, Mrs. Mary Bacon, and Mrs. Ed Williams.George Wharton James (1858-1923) was born in Gainsborough, England. He became a preacher for the Methodist Church before coming to California in the 1880s. While in California, James abandoned the ministry and traveled throughout the United States. He was well known as a writer, explorer, book collector, artifact collector, and an Indian civil-rights activist. Like Charles Lummis, James was considered an eccentric of the American West. The two men had a notable rivalry though James served as editor of Lummis’s Out West magazine beginning in 1912.

0.1 Linear feet (2 folders)

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