Western Americana
Western Americana consists of two components: manuscript collections and a specialized book collection.
The primary focus of the manuscript collections is California history, emphasizing Stockton and the northern San Joaquin Valley. More than 400 collections of unique primary sources support research in a wide variety of disciplines. Letters, photographs, diaries, maps, personal papers, business papers, and other archival records document topics such as the Gold Rush, pioneer experiences, agriculture, business, crime, politics, ethnic history, and women's history from the mid-nineteenth through the twentieth century.
The book collection consists of over 22,000 volumes on the American West with extensive coverage of California literature and history. Non-fiction works include essential books on the early history of California, such the first English translation (1759) of Venegas's Natural and Civil History of California, the first English translation (1798) of La Perouse's The Voyage of La Perouse Around the World. Fictional works include first editions by Mark Twain, Bret Harte, John Steinbeck, and Jack London. Western Americana books can be searched through the Library's online catalog.
Search Finding Aids to Pacific manuscript collections
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