Halloween is upon us, so we’ve dug up some spooky (and a few not-so-spooky) books in Special Collections and Archives to set the tone. Everything previewed below, plus a few extra titles, are available at Special Collections and Archives on the…
Written by Laura Sorvetti a few weeks ago
October is California Archives Month!
Every October we celebrate California Archives Month, part of the national American Archives Month, a collaborative effort by archivists and repositories across the nation to highlight the importance of archival records. Learn more about California Archives Month here. Special Collections and Archives…
Written by Courtney Thompson two months ago
The Evolution of Musty the Mustang
Can you imagine? “Ride high, mules!” Well, neither can we here at Special Collections and Archives. Be glad that the Class of 1925 determined the mustang a better fit for their mascot. Cal Poly, established in 1901, did not have a…
Written by Laura Sorvetti two months ago
Move-In: 100 years of Cal Poly dorm living
It’s mid-September, that energetic time when thousands of students return to San Luis Obispo after the summer break. Here’s a look back at campus living since the first move-in in 1903. Cal Poly’s first on-campus living Dormitory Row Three more dorms were added…
Written by Charlie Williams two months ago
Falling Down the Archive “Rabbit Hole”
Charlie Williams (HIST ’19) is a student assistant in Special Collections and Archives. Here she looks a variety of sources from the University Archives that were all created to capture a single event in Cal Poly’s history. “What is it like…
Written by Ella Worley eight months ago
Celebrating Women’s History Month with the Women’s Zine Collection
A shining portion of feminist (recent) history is kept where you’d least expect it — in the back corner of the fourth floor of Kennedy Library, under lock and key, and separated into well kept, archival folders. Special Collections and…
Written by Laura Sorvetti nine months ago
The streets of Cal Poly: Take a historical walk
Cali Vance (HIST ’19) is an intern in Special Collections and Archives. During Winter Quarter she is researching Cal Poly history for the upcoming exhibit Building the Cal Poly Campus. This is the second in a series of blog posts in which she shares…
Written by Ella Worley ten months ago
Comeback Construction
As a student assistant in Special Collections and Archives, I spend many hours a week scanning correspondence between architect Julia Morgan and client William Randolph Hearst, who wrote approximately 3,700 letters, telegrams, and drawings to each other between 1919 and 1945. I am…
Written by Laura Sorvetti eleven months ago
Picturing California: A Visual Tour Through the Golden State
Indigenous Californians were the state’s earliest image-makers. Their sacred, ancient rock art includes elaborate depictions of animals and human figures combined with symbols, patterns, and geometric shapes. These stunning markings in paint and chiseled rock are believed to be visual…
Written by Laura Sorvetti one year ago
Cal Poly Alumna Sophie Huchting Cubbison – Creating a Thanksgiving Tradition
This Thanksgiving, as you head down the busy grocery store aisles, keep an eye out for Mrs. Cubbison’s boxed dressings and stuffings. “Mrs. Cubbison” was indeed a real person–and a Cal Poly alumna. Long before women became regulars in the…