Clyde Arbuckle California History Research Collection, 1840-1996

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Summary

Creators:
Arbuckle, Clyde, 1903-1998
Abstract:
The Clyde Arbuckle California History Research Collection represents the regional history of San Jose and Santa Clara County, California. This collection contains rare books, scrapbooks, news clippings, photographs, historic newspapers, correspondence, various pamphlets and printed matter, facsimiles of original documents relating to the early history of San Jose, California, and abstracts of title for property in and around San Jose, California. Notable among the documents in this collection are handwritten letters by J. B. Randol, manager of the Quicksilver Mining Company as well as the overland diary of a Milpitas woman named Marion W. Battey. This collection has been minimally processed. The collection contains documents relating to a wide variety of subjects, ranging from the Donner Party to San Jose's Police Department to Santa Clara County Ranchos. There is an alphabetical index for Series I. Subject Files.
Extent:
143 boxes, 101 linear feet
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English Spanish
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Clyde Arbuckle California History Research Collection 1840-1996, CR-2010-04-15, California Room, San José Public Library.

Background

Scope and content:

The Clyde Arbuckle California History Research Collection primarily represents the regional history of San Jose and Santa Clara County, California. This artificial collection was assembled by Clyde Arbuckle throughout his lifetime. It contains rare books, scrapbooks, news clippings, photographs, historic newspapers, correspondence, various pamphlets and other printed matter, facsimiles of original documents relating to the early history of San Jose, California, and abstracts of title for property in and around San Jose, California. Notable among the documents in this collection are handwritten letters by J.B. Randol, manager of the Quicksilver Mining Company as well as the 1852 overland diary of a Milpitas woman named Marion Battey. The collectoin contains documents relating to a wide variety of specific subjects ranging from the Donner Party to San Jose's Police Department to Santa Clara County ranchos. Additional subjects represented in this collection are materials on viticulture, local women's organizations, railroads, historic maps, surveys, the 1915 San Francisco World Fair, images relating to the San Jose Police Department 1849 through 1983, and a 1924 San Francisco Chamber of Commerce pamphlet.

Biographical / historical:

Clyde Arbuckle was the descendent of one of the earliest Anglo families in Santa Clara County, California. His father was the owner of the Santa Clara Hotel and his half brother was the silent film actor Fatty Arbuckle. Clyde Arbuckle attended he California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, CA, and shortly after began writing free-lance for the Pony Express magazine. Clyde Arbuckle also was an accomplished road bicycle racer and on April 3, 1921 broke the United States record by biking 60 miles, from Gilroy, CA to San Jose, in two hours and 45 minutes.

In 1929 Arbuckle joined the Masonic Lodge in Santa Clara and became a member of their history committee. He not only wrote a history of the lodge, but contributed and edited the Centennial History of the Masonic Lodges for the State of California in 1950. In 1945 Clyde Arbuckle became the official City Historian for San Jose, CA and in that capacity served as the director of the San Jose Historical Museum. He was City Historian for over 50 years, as well as the secretary of the Historic Landmarks Commission until 1970.

Clyde Arbuckle wrote several books, including Clyde Arbuckle's History of San Jose: The Culmination of a Lifetime of Research, Historic Names of Persons and Places in Santa Clara County (written with Roscoe D. Wyatt), and Santa Clara County Ranchos. In addition to this, Arbuckle wrote articles in various Western history periodicals and also a column in the San Jose Mercury News that ran from 1970 to 1973 called "Nostalgia," which detailed historic people, places, and sites. Arbuckle was a co-founder of The Conference of California Historical Societies. Later in life, Clyde Arbuckle taught history classes and guided tours of the Oregon and California trails.

Clyde Arbuckle died in January 1998 and the collection was subsequently acquired by San Jose Public Library's California Room in 1999.

Acquisition information:
Clyde Arbuckle was the official City Historian for San Jose, CA for over 50 years. Given the relevance of the collection to Santa Clara County history, a recommendation by the San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission was made to the San Jose City Council to purchase it. On May 13, 1998 the Rules Committee agreed to appropriate funds in the 1999-2000 city budget. The collection was acquired by San Jose Public Library in May, 1999.
Processing information:

Processing and guide prepared by Diana Kohnke. Guide encoded by Diana Kohnke, 2010.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into 10 series: Series I. Subject Files, 1860-1996; Series II. Correspondence, 1847-1996; Series III. Yearbooks, 1905-1930; Series IV. Miscellaneous Items, 1852-1967; Series V. Ephemera, undated; Series VI. Masonic Materials, 1931-1963; Series VII. Abstract of Titles in Santa Clara county, California, 1871-1925, 1955; Series VIII. Scrapbooks, 1920s-1980s; Series IX. Historic Newspapers and Journals, 1892, 1903, 1906-1936; and Series X. Postcards, undated.

Physical location:

California Room's Vault 4
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Although San José Public Library's California Room does physcially own all archival materials in its possession, it does not necessarily own the intellectual property rights (copyright) associated with all items (Title 17, Chapter 2, Section 202, "Ownership of copyright as distinct from ownership of material object). Publishing materials from our holdings requires written permission from the San José Public Library, along with proper credit given to our institution. For permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Lead Librarian of the California Room. Users may reproduce materials for teaching, research, and private study in accordance with fair use on the condition that they give proper credit to the California Room, San José Public Library.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Clyde Arbuckle California History Research Collection 1840-1996, CR-2010-04-15, California Room, San José Public Library.

Location of this collection:
150 East San Fernando Street
San Jose, CA 95112, US
Contact:
(408) 808-2167
cal.sjpl@sjlibrary.org
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