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Peek in the Stacks: urban archives

Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Collection

A group of five unions, cigar makers, printers, tailors, carpenters, and bakers, organized the Los Angeles Federation of Labor on June 23, 1889. The following year, the Los Angeles Typographical Union procured a charter from the San Francisco Federated Trades in order to form the Los Angeles Council of Labor. In 1894....

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Santa Susana Mountain Park Association

Less than seven miles northwest of the CSUN campus lie the Santa Susana Mountains, a craggy transverse range which runs east to west, separating the San Fernando and Simi Valleys, the Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and the Santa Clarita Valley to the northeast. Rich in natural, historical and cultural significance...

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Linked in Friendship, Connected in Service

Special Collections and Archives holds the papers of Links, Incorporated, Angel City Chapter, one of more than two-hundred eighty chapters across the United States. In 1946, Philadelphia residents, Margaret Hawkins and Sarah Scott, founded Links, Inc. envisioning a community service organization that would meet the needs and aspirations of inter-city African-American women. The ...

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Summer Vacation

Summer is arriving soon and for many that means taking trips with family and friends, or going to different events that are happening around town, otherwise known as a "stay-cation". In Special Collections and Archives, we have many collections that highlight summer travels and local activities. Some of these include ...

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On Strike!

The Urban Archives, part of Special Collections and Archives, collects materials that document the history of Los Angeles, and includes the records of many labor unions, guilds, and affiliated labor organizations that have operated within Los Angeles since the early 20th century. Many of these collections include records documenting labor strikes, or work stoppages ....

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Comisión Femenil San Fernando Valley Collection

In the United States, the 1968 East Los Angeles student walkouts began a rise of Chicano activism. A flash point was the Chicano Moratorium march on August 29, 1970 in East Los Angeles. On that day, the tragic deaths of four people included the celebrated Los Angeles Times journalist, Ruben Salazar. One organization to grow out of this turbulent period is Comisión Femenil Mexicana Nacional...

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A River Runs Through It

Members of the Portolá Expedition were the first Europeans to see the Los Angeles River, camping on its banks near what is now downtown Los Angeles in the summer of 1769. Franciscan missionary and diarist for the expedition, Fray Juan Crespi wrote, "...we entered a very spacious valley, well grown with cottonwoods and alders....

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Brad Pye, Jr., Los Angeles Sports Journalist and Community Advocate

In 1943, at the young age of 12, Brad Pye, Jr. paid a friend who transported cars to California $5.00 for a ride from his home in Plain Dealing, Louisiana to Los Angeles. Once in L.A., Pye continued his education, completing both junior high and high school while working as a gas station attendant in the evenings. During World War II, housing accommodations were tight and Pye rented space to sleep...

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S.F.V.S.C., November 4, 1968

Many are unaware that the campus unrest of the mid-1960s and early 1970s left a lasting impression on the campus of San Fernando Valley State College (now CSUN). Special Collections is home to several books and archival collections that discuss this discord, including two books representing different sides of what is known on campus as...

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Van Nuys, Then and Now

Los Angeles is a key shaped city spread cross a large swath of Southern California. Encompassing almost 470 square miles, the City has almost twice the landmass of Chicago. One of the more interesting aspects of the area is its multitude of smaller districts, towns, and neighborhoods that fan out from the city proper. Van Nuys is one of these towns....

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