Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Biography / Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Separated Material
Descriptive Summary
Title: Leslie Crow papers
Dates: 1850-2006
Bulk Dates: 1978-2006
Collection number:
MSS 316
Creator:
Crow, Leslie Ellen (1954-2006)
Collection Size: 25 linear feet
Repository:
University of the Pacific. Library. Holt-Atherton Dept. of
Special Collections
Stockton, California 95211
Abstract: Collection consists of materials collected and
written by Leslie Crow primarily concerning local history and historic
preservation in California.
Physical location: For current information on the location
of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
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.
Biography / Administrative History
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.
Scope and Content of Collection
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.
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
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Alameda County (Calif.) -
History
Alpine County (Calif.) -
History
Amador County (Calif.) -
History
Calaveras County (Calif.) -
History
Calaveras River Watershed
California Youth Authority
Historic preservation -
California
Lockeford (Calif.)
Lodi (Calif.) - History
Ripon (Calif.)
Sacramento (Calif.) -
History
San Francisco (Calif.) -
History
San Joaquin County (Calif.) -
History
San Joaquin County Historical
Society
Solano County (Calif.) -
History
Stockton (Calif.) - History
Stockton (Calif.) - Politics and
government
Trinity County (Calif.) -
History
Tuolumne County (Calif.) -
History
Yosemite National Park (Calif.) -
History
Separated Material
Records of the Stockton Cultural Heritage Board have been removed from
this collection and added to the Stockton Cultural Heritage Board Papers,
1977-2005, MSS 210.