California State University, Chico

The California Historical Topographical Maps Colllection encompasses topographic quadrangles from the Meriam Library collection dated from 1888 to 1955. Maps in the digital collection are currently indexed by quadrangle name, county, and date. The collection includes 15' (1:62,500), 30' (1:125,000),and 60' (1:250,000) maps, as well a several of irregular scales. All of the maps images in this collection are in the public domain.

Institution: California State University, Chico

California Revealed is a State Library initiative to help California’s public libraries, in partnership with other local heritage groups, digitize, preserve, and provide online access to archival materials - books, newspapers, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and more - that tell the incredible stories of the Golden State. We also provide free access and preservation services for existing digital collections for partner organizations with in-house digitization programs. California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Institution: California State University, Chico

The Chico Army Airfield or Chico Army Flying School was located 5 miles north of Chico, Butte County, California during World War II. The city of Chico was approved as the site for the Army Air Corps Base on August 26, 1941. Construction began in January 1942 and the first cadre of troops arrived in April. The base opened April 15, 1942 and was officially named the Chico Army Flying School. After undergoing a ten week basic flight training course, cadets went to flying schools like Chico for additional flight training, and until it was closed in December 31, 1945 …

Institution: California State University, Chico

The John Nopel Collection is comprised of hundreds of images of Chico and Butte County, residents, landscapes, and industries. A lifelong Chico resident, teacher, and historian, John Nopel (1915-2006) collected these unique photographs over many decades and he did so with a passion to create a visual heritage of his hometown. The diverse subject collection of these images makes it unique and widely useful to all types of researchers and enthusiasts of early photography. The John Nopel photograph collection continues to grow through ongoing donations from the Nopel family.

Institution: California State University, Chico

The rich visual heritage of northeastern California is documented in the over 30,000 images held in the Special Collections photograph collection, many dating from the nineteenth century and representing a wide variety of early photographic processes. This extensive collection is a result of gifts and loans from individuals, historical organizations, as well as public and private agencies.

Institution: California State University, Chico

The Northeastern California Real Estate and Tourism Collection consists of pamphlets, booklets, and brochures for areas and communities located in the 12 counties of Northeastern California. The collection dates range from the 1880’s through the 1950’s. Many of the items in the collection were created to promote settlement in the more rural areas of Northeastern California. Others provide information for home seekers such as photographs and illustrations of county landmarks, descriptions of the area, city and town information. Agricultural opportunities, and land prices are often included. A smaller portion of the collection consists of travel guides and other tourism related …

Institution: California State University, Chico

The R. E. Wood Photograph Collection (MSS 174) was donated to Meriam Library, Special Collections in 1991 by Thomas L. Rodgers - Mary Elizabeth Olmstead Wade Wood's great-great grandson. The collection consists of over 400 collodion wet-plate glass negatives and albumen POP photographic prints - many of these images are stereographs - taken during the 1870s and 1880s. The prints were mounted in a "scrapbook" ledger book along with newspaper clippings, advertisements, and articles about and by R. E. Wood. These images contain views of early Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Placer, Napa, Sonoma, Glenn, Shasta, Lake, and Monterey counties, Lake Tahoe …

Institution: California State University, Chico

The Shasta Dam Digital Collection consists of photographs and images from photo albums donated to the Meriam Library's Northeastern California Collection, These photographs provide a visual record of the construction of Shasta Dam, the keystone engineering achievement of the Central Valley Project. Construction of the dam began in 1938 and work was completed in 1945. Construction of the dam was carried out by Pacific Constructors, Inc. under the auspices of the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Photographs in this collection include the work of Benjamin D. Glaha and R. A. Midthun. Photographs listed under MSS 307 the Paficic Constructors, Inc. …

Institution: California State University, Chico