California newspaper collection, 1848-1994, bulk 1890-1960

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Summary

Creators:

UCI Libraries. Department of Special Collections and Archives

Abstract:

This intentionally accumulated collection of scattered issues of newspapers printed in California consists of approximately 100 Orange County titles and approximately 160 titles from other urban, rural, and remote locations, primarily in Southern California. Significant but chronologically limited coverage can be found for papers from Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Diego counties. The newspapers range from popular weeklies and dailies to more overtly political publications. Issues documented in these newspapers include the concerns of agricultural, seaport, mining, and industrial workers; Native Americans; political campaigns; artist communities; and the military. Coverage of the Antebellum and Civil War periods in American history is particularly strong in issues of the Daily Alta California. Also of interest is the relatively comprehensive coverage of the socialist weeklies Upton Sinclair's Epic News and Upton Sinclair's National Epic News from the 1930s, in addition to issues of Utopian News and Upton Sinclair's End Poverty. The collection also features scattered, rare issues of Spanish-language weeklies published in Orange County during the middle of the 20th century, such as Accion and Noticias (Fullerton), and El Anunciador Mexicano, Latin American, and El Nuevo Mundo (Santa Ana). Titles range from those issued by large publishers to independents. The collection also includes a small number of German-language publications.

Extent:

14.8 Linear Feet (27 boxes)

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

California newspaper collection. MS-R70. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

The earliest publication is the April 1, 1848 issue of San Francisco's California Star, an early specimen of the city's first newspaper. The collection contains copies of the earliest issues of Orange County's first newspaper, the Anaheim Gazette, founded by George W. Barter (a partner with Henry Hamilton of the Los Angeles Star).

For further information on several of the newspapers in this collection and their publication history, see Muir Dawson, History and Bibliography of Southern California Newspapers, 1851-1876 (Los Angeles: Dawson's Book Shop, 1950) and Edward C. Kemble, A History of California Newspapers, 1846-1858 (Los Gatos, Calif.: Talisman Press, 1962).

Acquisition information:

This intentionally accumulated collection was created by Special Collections and Archives staff to provide more efficient storage of and access to the department's holdings of early California newspapers from a variety of sources. A significant portion of the newspapers in this collection were given to the library by Velma Dunlap in 1971 along with the papers of her husband, John "Sky" Dunlap (MS-R21), who was an Orange County newspaperman. Others were relocated to this collection from the Don Meadows Papers (MS-R01). Rare issues of Spanish-language newspapers published in Orange County during the middle of the 20th century were a gift to the UCI Libraries from Hector Tarango via UCI Social Sciences professor Gilbert Gonzalez. The remaining newspapers were added by Special Collections staff from a variety of sources.

Processing information:

Processed by Linda Akatsu, Michael Lee, and William Landis in 1998 and 2000. Guide edited by Adrian Turner in 2001.

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Socialism -- California -- Newspapers.
Newspapers -- California -- 19th century.
Newspapers -- California -- 20th century.
Places:: California -- Newspapers.
Los Angeles County (Calif.) -- Newspapers.
Sacramento County (Calif.) -- Newspapers.
San Diego County (Calif.) -- Newspapers.

Access and use

Restrictions:: Collection open for research.
Terms of access:: Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and University Archives.