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Peek in the Stacks

Photo of one of two species of rose native to California

The route for the transcontinental railroad, constructed between 1863 and 1869, crossed the distance from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California, but before construction could begin, land surveys had to be performed. In 1853, the United States Congress appropriated $150,000 to fund land ....

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Photograph of a crumbled St. Luke's Episcopal Church w

On April 18, 1906 at 5:12 in the morning a large earthquake shook the people of San Francisco awake. The residents of San Francisco and the surrounding areas arose to a devastating view of their city. Buildings crumbled, water mains were broken, and fires erupted throughout the city...

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Image of Horatio Alger, in Horatio's Boys

Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899) was a 19th century American author who had much success after his death. He specialized in writing young adult novels, but also wrote poetry, short stories, and a few biographies. Alger was born in North Chelsea, Massachusetts to Horatio Alger, Sr. and Olive Fenno....

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Photograph of Richard Fish

The Richard Fish Collection documents the career of professional photographer Richard Fish. Fish’s work combined the technical and philosophical influence of his mentors with a personal sense of artistic and emotional depth, creating a complex and distinctive style of ...

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