Teaching Collection: California’s Industrial Transformation—Snapshots 1860–1939
Completion of the transcontinental railroad in the late 19th century facilitated the growth of budding industries that shaped California history, bringing in new waves of immigrants and migrants from diverse cultures along with new businesses and fresh ideas. California seemed like a golden land of opportunity, inspiring dreams of sunny days perfumed by orange blossoms—an ideal that would persist. While opportunities for wealth did exist, so too did many challenges for both newcomers and people already living on the land.
These primary sources offer a snapshot of life in California during this transformative period, after California became the 31st state and before the onset of World War II in 1939.
Central Pacific R.R. and views adjacent
Rare Books
An album of 48 mammoth plate photographs by Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) of scenes along the California-Nevada route of the Central Pacific Railroad, from ports in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada mountain passes. The majority of views were made in 1876, with a few made later, approximately 1879-1880s. The album begins with a photograph of a locomotive that has just traveled across the continent and has arrived at the Oakland Long Wharf, followed by scenes of a train and its passengers being transported on a railroad ferry. Other Central Pacific Railroad views depict a massive wooden bridge being built over the American River, with one view prominently featuring Chinese workers hauling rock in wheelbarrows. Trains are shown navigating through a mountain pass at Cape Horn, and railroad workers are seen posed with locomotives. Other scenes on the Central Pacific route include Soda Springs recreation area, with views of Mark Hopkins cabin, a man and two women under a gazebo, and a croquet game set up in a meadow. There are a series of views of Lake Tahoe, including two hotels with people posed outside; scenic views of the mountains, lake and surroundings from multiple viewpoints; Emerald Bay; Fallen Leaf Lake; boats and docks; and a lumber mill on the shore at Glenbrook. A narrow-gauge lumber railroad is shown in the mountains near Spooner Summit, and there are two birds-eye-views of the town of Reno, Nevada, that include the train station, buildings and boardwalks.
RB 137501
Chinese emigration to America: sketch on board the steam-ship Alaska, bound for San Francisco
Visual Materials
Image shows food being served and eaten by Chinese emigrants between decks. Reprinted a month later in Harper's Weekly, May 20, 1876. "LR or RL"--signature, lower right corner of image. "A 15"--in ms., in pencil, upper right corner of sheet. "40- ixgA"--on mat, in ms., in pencil, lower right corner.
priJHK 00208
The unique map of California
Visual Materials
Image of a map of the state of California with counties and railroad routes identified; twenty vignettes of eye-level views of scenic destinations including the Hotel Del Coronado, the Hotel Del Monte, the state capitol, the Lick Observatory, and wilderness areas and bodies of water throughout the state; with three insets of the state outline with printed references about soil, temperature, and the area of California as compared to ten eastern states; vignette of the seal of the State of California in lower right margin.
priJLC_TRAN_001059
California Brand
Visual Materials
Image of a California map bordering oranges and flanked by lemon strands.
ephJLC_CIT_000096
Universal City. Entrance to the "City of Wonders."
Visual Materials
View of the entrance to Universal City movie studio with administrative buildings in view, which was promoted as a tourist destination. A woman is seen next to a sign "University City 'Capital of the Film World'" and an automobile, and several people are near the gated entrance.
photCL_555_01_1037
Big Creek Huntington Lake Dams
Visual Materials
Big Creek Huntington Lake Dams - Concrete train on dam.
photCL SCE 02 - 04741
The habitations of the unemployed in Los Angeles County, 1931-1932
Visual Materials
A collection of photographs taken at the sites of several temporary encampments throughout Los Angeles County during the Great Depression. Several of these images show a "Hoover Town", or Hooverville, in the Graham neighborhood of Los Angeles.
photCL 396
Orange packers, San Fernando Heights Citrus Packing House, Los Angeles County. 1938
Visual Materials
Young women pack crates of oranges in the San Fernando Heights Citrus Pack House. Wearing aprons and gloves, the young women stand in front of orange crates picking out oranges from a conveyor belt on their right. Each of the oranges is wrapped in paper and placed in the crate which has "Sunkist California Orange" labels on the ends, and the same stamped on the sides.
photCL Whitt 1615 ; Whitt neg. 1028