Jump to Content

Special Collections and Archives, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Robert E. Kennedy Library, Rm 409
San Luis Obispo, California 93407
Phone: (805) 756-2305
Email: archives@calpoly.edu
Collections with online items: 68
Physical collections: 81
Browse the Collections
From A to Z
0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 
B
Barneberg (Grace E.) Papers, 1912-1953

Papers of San Luis Obispo civic leader Grace E. Barneberg, comprised of correspondence, organizational records, legal documents, newspaper clippings, photographs, and ephemera. The collection documents her official activities as president of the Monday Club and activities in regional and statewide...

Barton, Arthur G. Papers

Contains records related to the life and career of California landscape architect Arthur G. Barton, FASLA (1907-1980.) Barton designed landscapes for many significant structures and sites such as Camp Pendleton, Dodger Stadium, and the San Gabriel River Wildlife Sanctuary. The...

 
Bongio (Enrico) Papers, 1952-1993(bulk 1983)

This collection contains papers and photographs relating to the environmental activism of San Luis Obispo resident Enrico Bongio. The collection contains correspondence with state and federal agencies, and local environmentalists, minutes and agendas of local non-profit environmental groups; articles and...

Boutelle (Sara Holmes) Papers, 1972-1999 (bulk 1983-1995)

This collection contains the papers of architectural historian Sara Holmes Boutelle, including extensive correspondence, research notes, photographs, interview notes, book drafts, articles, book reviews, presentation notes, and newspaper clippings, primarily relating to California architect Julia Morgan, women in American architecture,...

Brundridge, (Gaydon Moore) Papers

Photographs, diaries, diary transcripts, and correspondence related to Ms. Gaydon Moore Brundridge and her experience as a teacher at Carrizo Plain (Carrisa Plains) in 1918.

Butner (Charles E.) Papers, 1911-1957 (bulk 1917-1957)

The Charles Edgar Butner Papers contain sketches and drawings from the architect's travels in California and Europe, newspaper clippings, photographs, ephemera, and a scrapbook on his service as an aviator in World War I and limited information on Butner's commissions...

 
C
California Fairs Collection, 1856-1997 (1945-1982 bulk)

The Western Fairs Association, the California Joint Committee on Fairs Allocation and Classification, and Louis S. Merrill, former director of the Western Fairs Association gave the California Fairs Collection, one of the major archival collections on fairs and fairs management...

Carpenter Pacific Coast Landmarks Photo Collection

Photograph album containing early 20th century and late 19th century photographs of Southern California sites of interest.

 
Carrizo Plain Oral History Collection

Oral history audio recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted with residents of the Carrizo Plain region. Interviews conducted by Jacqueline Czapla and Craig Deutsche between 2008 – 2013. Collection also includes interviews conducted by Nancy Warner between 1990 - 1995,...

Central Coast Farm Labor Organizing Collection, circa 1960-2003

The Central Coast Farm Labor Organizing Collection contains materials relating to migrant farm workers on the Central Coast of California, including oral histories, reports, correspondence, strike ephemera, and secondary sources. Photographs taken by Manuel Echavarria documenting the United Farm Worker...

Central Coast Power Plants and Environmentalism Collection

Printed publications and ephemera related to California Nuclear Power Plants and environmental activism.

Central Coast Queer Archive Project

Documents related to the development and activities of the Central Coast Queer Archive Project. Includes photographs and personal statements used for an interactive exhibit during Central Coast Pride 2017.

City of San Luis Obispo Police Department Ledgers

Records of the City of San Luis Obispo Police Department, including affidavits, letters, summons, and arrest records relating to the Police Courts, Recorder’s Office, and jail of the City of San Luis Obispo.

Clyde (Norman) and Robert C. Pavlik Collection, 1906-2009

The Norman Clyde-Robert C. Pavlik Collection contains the research notes, correspondence, interview notes, vital records, background materials, and secondary sources compiled and created by Pavlik in the course of writing his 2008 biography, . Also included are original Norman Clyde...

 
Coastal Alliance on Plant Expansion (CAPE), Records of the

Records collected and created by the Coastal Alliance on Plant Expansion (CAPE) from 1986 to 2018 relating to the expansion of the Morro Bay power plant.

Cody (William F.) Papers

The papers of California architect William Francis Cody, Fellow, American Institute of Architects, contain student work, architectural drawings and plans, office records, marketing and public relations materials for his practice, presentation drawings, photographs, correspondence, and project files from the architect's estate....

Cody (William F.) Papers 2

The William F. Cody Papers 2 collection contains records created and collected by Cody including personal papers, student work, awards, architectural drawings and plans, office records, marketing and public relations materials, presentation drawings, photographs, correspondence, and project files.

 
D
David A. Bainbridge Collection on Water Wall Passive Solar Design

Documents, plans, published articles, and photographs collected and created by David A. Bainbridge between 1980 and 2017 relating to water wall passive solar design, passive solar architecture, and renewable energy.

Densham, (Robert S.) Papers

Records of artist Robert S. Densham Cal Poly Emeritus Professor, commercial artist, and former Cuesta College advisor. Collection is unprocessed and requires advance notice for research access.

 
E
Eskijian, Luther Architectural Collection

Includes commercial and residential architectural drawings and plans created by Luther Eskijian, an Armenian architect, whose work is located primarily in southern California. His work included the Pasadena Jewish Community Center and the Armenian Cilicia Evangelical Church in Pasadena.

Evanoff (Mark) Papers on Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

Records documenting the activities of the Abalone Alliance and Mark Evanoff in opposing the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. The collection includes a full run of , photographs and slides of the Central Coast and rallies and civil disobedience actions...

 
G
Gerber House and Garden Collection

Photograph prints of Gerber House and Garden located in Oceano, CA. Fifty-two color prints with introduction and map. DVD of Garden Walk tour.

Goddard Jones (Kathleen) Correspondence, 1918-2002 (bulk 1926-1932)

Papers of environmental activist Kathleen Goddard Jones, including correspondence, photographs, a manuscript, and newspaper clippings, primarily relating to her years as a student and in her first marriage.

 
Goddard Jones (Kathleen) Papers, 1933-2001 (bulk 1964-1994)

Papers of environmental activist Kathleen Goddard Jones, including correspondence, clippings, research files, organization records, and 35mm slides, primarily relating to her efforts to protect the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes on the central coast of California, her participation in regional and national Sierra...

Guadalupe Speaks Oral History Collection MS0120

The Guadalupe Speaks Oral History Collection contains transcriptions, audio cassette, and video tape interviews of long-time residents of Guadalupe, California recorded in 2003 and 2004 by California Polytechnic State University students and faculty. The stories reflect history, culture, and life...

 
H
Hearst Ranch and Cayucos Photograph Collection, c.1890 - c.1930 (bulk 1920s)

The Hearst Ranch and Cayucos Photograph Collection contains nine vintage snapshots and 1 mounted print believed to have been taken by longtime Central Coast resident Clayton Leonard Morss (1891-1967). Includes black-and-white snapshots of construction of the Hearst Ranch in San...

Hearst (William Randolph) and Reilly (Emmett) Correspondence

Correspondence from William Randolph Hearst and Millicent Hearst to San Simeon chef Emmett Reilly.

Hearst (William Randolph) Caricatures Collection

Published caricatures and illustrations of William Randolph Hearst, an American newspaper publisher. Sources include illustrations published in Puck, Harper’s Weekly, and Judge.

Hearst-Grand Canyon Collection

Photographs, photocopies, and microfiche of federal records relating to property on the south rim of the Grand Canyon once owned by William Randolph Hearst.

Heavy Metal Magazine

Heavy Metal Magazine. A science fiction and fantasy comic created by founder Leonard Mogel largely based on the French science-fiction magazine Métal Hurlant.

Horner Architectural Photography Collection, circa 1920s

The Horner Architectural Photography Collection contains 307 vintage, black and white mounted photographs taken by Benjamin Bean Horner (1893-1971), an architect who practiced in Southern California, primarily Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. The photographs are from the 1920s; the majority...

Huber (Walter Leroy ) Consulting Papers for Miller (James Rupert) and Pflueger (Timothy L. )

Walter L. Huber’s files for his consulting engineering work for the San Francisco-based architectural firm, James Rupert Miller and Timothy L. Pflueger

 
J
Jack Family Papers

Correspondence, business records, and photographs relating to the Jack Family and San Luis Obispo, California.

 
Jones, Robert L. Papers on Morro Bay

Documents and newspaper clippings created and collected by Robert “Bob” L. Jones, an environmental activist, for whom the Bob Jones City to Sea Trail between Avila and San Luis Obispo, is named.

 
L
Laumann Yosemite Collection, circa 1908, 1923 (bulk circa 1908)

The Laumann Yosemite Collection consists of photographic prints and glass plate negatives of two of the Laumann family's visits to Yosemite National Park and the Sierra, the first in circa 1908 and the second in 1923. Photographs taken by Frank...

 
Little Leather Library Collection

The Little Leather Library Collection consists of 101 books, 3-1/4” x 4,” published by the Little Leather Library Corporation of New York. The miniature books are bound in imitation leather and characteristic of the Redcroft edition published between 1920-1924. There...

Louis Family Papers

The Louis Family Papers contains nineteenth- and early twentieth-century business records and personal papers of the Louis family, a prominent and pioneering mercantile family in San Luis Obispo, California. Born in China, Wong On (Ah Louis) migrated to the United...

 
M
Manzanar Collection, 1942-1994 (bulk 1942-1946)

Materials relating to the forced relocation to Manzanar, California, of Miriko Nagahama and Honey Mitsuye Toda, including correspondence, photographs, and newspapers, donated in 1981 and 1995.

Martin (Alice) Papers, 1937-2004 (bulk 1943-1993)

The personal papers of Alice Martin, a civic-minded African-American woman known for her charitable nature and community service, consists primarily of correspondence, employment and war records, photographs, and realia. Donated by the estate of Alice Martin in 2004. Martin...

 
McMillan (Ian) Papers, 1925-1990 (bulk 1960-1990)

Papers of naturalist and environmental activist Ian McMillan, including personal and professional papers, correspondence, government documents, field notes, manuscripts, galleys, publications, and maps. Materials on his environmental advocacy efforts, affiliations with a number of wildlife and environmental organizations, and McMillan's...

McMillan-Wreden California Condor Collection, 1953 (bulk 1953)

Contains correspondence between naturalist and environmental activist Ian McMillan and rare book dealer and rancher William P. Wreden and other conservationists and government officials on the conservation of the California condor. Wreden owned the Pinole Land and Cattle Company near...

Messinger Pacific Theater World War II Collection, August-October, 1945

The Messinger Collection contains 100 black-and-white photographs that record one soldier's views of Japan in the closing days of World War II, including 14 aerial photographs of Nagasaki after the atomic bombing on August 9, 1945.

Mills (Mark) Papers

The papers of Architect Mark Mills are comprised of correspondence, legal documents, photographs, architectural drawings and plans, marketing and public relations materials for his practice, and presentation drawings. Architectural plans and drawings for single-family residences, ranging from 1950-1995 make up...

Miossi (Harold) Papers, 1942-1990 (bulk 1975-1990)

Papers of California native and environmental activist Harold Miossi, containing extensive correspondence with other environmentalists, government employees, elected officials, and leaders of non–profit environmental groups, legal proceedings, government documents, photographic prints, maps, and text and notes for many of Miossi's...

Monday Club of San Luis Obispo, Records of the

Records of The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo, a civic and social non-profit organization founded in 1925. Records include meeting minutes, presidents' papers, operations and financial records, fundraising events, social activities, scrapbooks, and ephemera relating to the mission of...

 
Moore Collection of Underground Comix

Comic book publisher and collector Michael Moore donated this collection of underground comix in 1993. The collection contains comics from 1907 to 1993, with the bulk of issues representing underground comix in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Topics include...

Morgan (Julia) and Sara Holmes Boutelle Collection, 1877-1958 (bulk 1901-1940)

Julia Morgan practiced architecture in California during the first half of the twentieth century. The architectural drawings and plans, office records, photographs, correspondence, project files, student work, and personal papers created by or belonging to Julia Morgan in this collection...

Morgan (Julia) and Walter T. Steilberg Collection, 1908-1974 (bulk 1918-1935)

Collection of architect and engineer Walter T. Steilberg, who worked for Julia Morgan in the 1920s and 1930s, including vintage photographic prints of Morgan projects and Steilberg's published and unpublished recollections of Morgan and her practice.

Morgan (Julia) Papers, 1835-1958 (bulk 1896-1945)

This collection contains architectural drawings and plans, office records, photographs, correspondence, project files, student work, family correspondence, and personal papers from the estate of California architect Julia Morgan, who practiced in San Francisco during the first half of the twentieth...

Mothers for Peace, Records of the

Records related to the activities of Mothers for Peace to educate and inform the public of the dangers of nuclear power, weapons, and waste as well as legal resistance to eliminate the propagation of nuclear power. Records include work related...

Murguia Chicano Latino Periodicals Collection

Collection of periodicals created by and about Chicano and Latinos collected by Alejandro Murguia, faculty San Francisco State University, and founding member and first director of the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Collección de revistas creadas por y sobre...

 
N
NAACP Convention Collection, July 1949

This collection contains black and white photographs taken by an unknown photographer – most likely a delegate – to the 40th annual National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Convention held in Los Angeles, California, from July 12-17,...

 
Neutra Notebook Collection, c. 1950 (bulk circa 1950)

Collection contains a bound volume with holographic notes, probably in the hand of noted architect Richard Neutra's son, Dion, relating to the proposed relocation of the family's architectural practice to Glendale, California, circa 1950. Neutra is referred to in the...

 
P
 
Painted Rock Pictograph Collection

This collection contains four India ink drawings from tracings made of the original pictographs found on the formation known as the Painted Rock (La Piedra Pintada; also called the Carisa Rock), located on the Carrizo Plain in eastern San Luis...

Pan-American Exposition Photograph Collection, 1901

Contains 36 photographs of the Pan-American Exposition, including candid snapshots of the Midway and various concessionaires, street views of the Exposition, and prominent buildings, including the Electric Tower. The photographer is unknown. Also included are two souvenir books: and ,...

Perkins (Hayes) San Simeon Diaries

Five volumes of typescript diary entitled Here and There: The Diary of Hayes Perkins. Perkins worked for publisher William Randolph Hearst at both his San Simeon and Wyntoon estates; biographical ephemera and correspondence on Perkins.

 
R
Re/Collecting Project Archive

The Re/Collecting Project (Re/Co for short) is an "ethnic studies memory project of California's Central Coast." The project's aim is to digitally capture and make publicly accessible the rich history of the diverse - yet under-documented - communities of the...

Rible (Ulysses) Architectural Collection

Student work of California architect Ulysses Floyd Rible.

Robert C. Pavlik Papers

Records related to the Carrizo Plain National Monument Advisory Committee and the California Condor project. Includes correspondence of committee members Robert Pavlik and Bob Binnewies. Also includes clippings related to the San Luis Obispo Poetry Festival, poets, and local historians.

Rodriguez Manuscript

Typescript memoirs of Edward Walter Rodriguez regarding the Rodriguez family history in Alta California.

 
S
San Luis Obispo Building Permits Collection

Select building permits for the City of San Luis Obispo, California for years 1906-1937 with yearly alphabetical indices for 1923 and 1928-1937. The permits are not a complete issue.

San Luis Obispo County Historic Lithographs Collection, 1883

This collection contains 48 sheets of hand-tinted lithographs, each approximately 11 ¾ x 8 ½ inches, depicting 61 different ranches, residences, hotels, commercial and civic buildings throughout San Luis Obispo County in 1883. These lithographs illustrated the produced in 1883...

San Luis Obispo County Regional Photograph Collection, 1850 - c.1980 (bulk 1890-1930)

The San Luis Obispo County Regional Photographs Collection contains photographs, artwork, and postcards of San Luis Obispo city and county. The collection, comprised of both amateur and professional work, captures daily life and popular scenes and locations in the county....

 
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, Records of the

Contains documentation of the early activities, legal actions, and expenses of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office including arrest records, meal counts, court records, and sheriff’s actions.

 
San Luis Obispo Foundation for the Performing Arts Center, Records of the

Records created and collected by the San Luis Obispo Foundation for the Performing Arts Center. Includes photographs of Foundation events and construction of the PAC, clippings files, Foundation publications, PAC programs, and reports commissioned by the Foundation.

Saratoga Foothill Club Julia Morgan Blueprints

Blueprints and specifications of masonry, millwork, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical Work, for the "Saratoga Foothill Club House," July 1915. Designed by architect Julia Morgan

Sinsheimer Collection, 1868-1997 (bulk 1876-1959)

The Sinsheimer Collection contains nineteenth- and early twentieth-century business, personal, and political papers of the Sinsheimers, a prominent and pioneering mercantile family of San Luis Obispo, California. Of German-Jewish extraction, Sinsheimer brothers Bernhard and Henry and half-brother A. Z. migrated...

Sister's Inn Collection

Photographs related to the Sister’s Inn restaurant located in San Luis Obispo, California and owners Annabelle Warren, Alice E. Harris, and James Bowers. Magazines and newspaper clippings related to model and actress Annazette Williams Chase.

Slocombe (Reverend Samuel) Papers

Financial and personal papers of Reverend Samuel Slocombe, former pastor located in Cayucos, California.

Smith Family Papers on World War II, 1936-2005 (bulk 1942-1946)

Papers of two generations of the Smith family — Dr. Frank Herron Smith and his son Dr. Morris Eugene "Gene" Smith — including vintage broadsides and government reports on the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and correspondence from...

Solon (Camille) Drawings Collection, 1900-1952

This collection contains approximately 225 landscape sketches by English muralist and ceramist Camille Solon. Items in the collection include re-worked pencil sketches of rural locations and landscapes in Britain and northern California, where he lived most of his adult years....

Stoller (Ezra) Collection, 1947, 1987 (bulk 1947)

Collection contains 9 mounted vintage images by famed architectural photographer Ezra Stoller of the Clark residence in Lake Placid, New York, taken in 1947.

 
T
Trinkkeller (Edward G.) Papers, 1896-1999 (bulk 1905-1945)

Gustaf Edward Trinkkeller was born in Germany in 1872 and immigrated to the United States about 1890 where he began a successful career in Los Angeles as a craftsman in decorative wrought ironwork. This collection of family papers, office records,...

 
V
 
Valencia, Gabriel L. Farm Labor Collection

Photographs and audio recordings created and collected by the Valencia family of Arroyo Grande, California relating to the California Farm Labor and the United Farm Worker Movement (UFW). Fotografías y grabaciones de audio creadas y coleccionados por la familia Valencia...

Volny Collection on Central Coast Architecture

The San Luis Obispo Regional Blueprints Collection contains architectural drawings, blueprints and specifications, discovered during the remodel of an old warehouse once belonging to the Southern Pacific Milling Company in San Luis Obispo, California. The bulk of the collection is...

 
W
Waller (Kenneth L.) Bataan Prisoner of War Collection, circa 1941-1980

Kenneth L. Waller Bataan Prisoner of War Collection contains materials recording Waller's years as a prisoner of war (POW) in the Pacific Theater, from September 1941 to August 1945. The materials include photographs, an excerpt from a book, an annotated...

Wilson (Lee) Papers, 1956-1989 (bulk 1961-1972)

Papers of San Luis Obispo environmental activist Lee Wilson, including correspondence, research notes and materials, and photographs, primarily relating to the founding and early years of Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club, the creation of the Santa Lucia Wilderness...

Winslow (Carleton, Sr.) Papers, 1910-1946

This collection contains the correspondence, photographs, project files, and drawings of architect Carleton Winslow, Sr., who is known for his work on the Panama-California Exposition of 1915 in San Diego, the Los Angeles Public Library headquarters building, as well as...

With Our Own Eyes / Con Nuestros Propios Ojos Exhibit

Documentary photography exhibit titled With Our Own Eyes/Con Nuestros Proprios Ojos created in 2005.

Women Aviators Collection MS0103

Photographs and documents related to members of the San Luis Obispo Chapter of the Ninety Nines, an international organization of licensed women pilots.

Women's Zines Collection

The Women’s Zine Collection contains zines that were featured in a 2007 exhibit at the Wignall Museum at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga titled “Girly Show: Pin-Ups, Zines & the So-Called Third Wave”, and includes exhibit programs. The zines reflect...