Description
The material in the Lodi Women's Club Collection affords insights into the organization and civic involvement of women in
Lodi, California, starting in the early years of the twentieth century. The collection consists of cookbooks, programs, and
yearbooks that the Club published, as well as articles and memorabilia collected in scrapbooks that reveal impressions of
the Club and its activities from within and outside.
Background
The Lodi Women's Club, originally the Ladies' Improvement Club, came into existence in 1906. Establishment of the organization
in that year represented a significant step in the City's development from a sleepy agricultural hamlet to a bustling business
center. Other notable institutions and buildings dating from that period include Lodi's Opera House (1905), Library (1910),
City Hall (1912), High School (1913), and jail and first city park (1914). At the outset, the Club's purpose was to assist
in the City's progress and betterment. In 1913, it changed its name to the Women's Club of Lodi, and two years late commenced
construction on its current building, which continues to stand at 325 West Pine Street, in Lodi. A plaque attached to the
building in October 1988 in recognition of its placement on the state and federal Registries of Historic Places credits the
Club for helping to make "Lodi the livable place it is today."