RESEARCH GUIDES - California State Library

C ALIFORNIA S TATE L IBRARYC ALIFORNIA H ISTORY S ECTIONR ESEARCH G UIDESM ENDOCINO C OUNTY H ISTORYBYAustin Bristol, Library Intern

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One of the original 27 counties when California was admitted to the union, Mendocino County had an estimated population of 87,606 people asof 2018. The county was named for Cape Mendocino, which is located200 miles north from San Francisco and itself honors Antonio de Mendoza, the first viceroy of New Spain. In addition to being the historic homeof several Native American tribes, Mendocino is known for its beautifulredwood trees, many of which are located at the Russian Gulch StatePark. Also, Mendocino is the home of Lost Coast, a scenic stretch of California coastline, Fort Bragg, the site of a historic military post, MineralSprings, Black Bart’s Rock and many more unique spots. If you are looking for exciting local history resources in the California History Section’srich collections, then check out what we have for this county!Digitized Resources . .3General Research Tips. . . .5Specific Resources in our Catalog .7On-site Research Resources . . .8Other On-site Resources . . .9Other Places to Look . . . .10Enjoy Your Research!3

Can’t come to the library just yet? No worries! There are anumber of online resources you can explore related toMendocino County!Digitized PublicationsA few years ago we digitized some of ourmore fragile publications. You can nowsee documents related to MendocinoCounty on Internet Archive! URL: https://archive.org/Type in Search Box: (Mendocino County)AND collection:(californiastatelibrary)Select Option: “Search Full Text of Books”Digitized ImagesWe have scanned and digitized a portionof our extensive photograph collection,including images related to MendocinoCounty. You can see them on Calisphere! URL: https://calisphere.org/institution/51/items/Type in Search Box: (“Mendocino County”)4

California State Association of CountiesLike Wikipedia but locally grown, thisgovernment website will provide basicinformation about Mendocino County. URL: formationCounty WebsiteWant to learn about what MendocinoCounty residents have to say forthemselves? Check out the countygovernment’s website! URL: https://www.mendocinocounty.org/5

While many of our materials are online, even more are only inhard-copy. You can use the following resources to learn aboutour Mendocino County resources.CatalogIf you are looking for Mendocino Countymaterials, your best source is our catalog. Youcan do a general search on the catalog but alsobe sure to check out our specialized resourceson page 8 of this research guide! URL: ch?vid 01CSL INST:CSL&lang en&sortby rankType in Subject Box: (Mendocino County)California Information File IISometimes the catalog doesn’t provide asmuch detail as you might like. This is whywe created the California Information FileII, successor to the analog CaliforniaInformation File I. In this resource, youcan find indexing to individual articles, aswell as Mendocino County deeds,restaurant menus, pamphlets and more! URL: http://dbs.library.ca.gov/dbtext html/QueryCalinfo.htmType in Search Box:1. Mendocino2. Name of a city in Mendocino County6

City DirectoriesLooking for a person? How about thehistory of a location? You can trace thisinformation and more via our citydirectories! See what we have by checkingour specialized database. URL: http://dbs.library.ca.gov/dbtext html/QueryCityDir.htmType in Search Box:1.2.MendocinoName of a city in Mendocino CountyTelephone BooksAre you not finding what you need in ourcity directory collection? No worries, youmight find it in our telephone bookcollection. See what we have by checkingour phone book database. URL: http://dbs.library.ca.gov/dbtext html/QueryPhonebk.htmType in Search Box:1.2.MendocinoName of a city in Mendocino County7

Mendocino County has a long and distinguished history! Checkout our resources by type and by subject to learn more aboutthisTypeMapsBooksCounty ntFictionFishFolkloreForced ilroadsResidentsVitalsChinese AmericansNative WildlifeWine8

Our collection predates computers and so do some of our accesspoints! If you are in the library, be sure to check the followinganalog files for leads on more resources.California Information FileIn the library? Check the CaliforniaInformation File before you do anythingelse! This file indexes over 130 years ofCalifornia articles, books, and manuscriptcollections from all 58 counties. Subject Headings: Mendocino CountyMap FileLooking for a Mendocino county map?Our map file is a great place to start. Wehave a wide variety of maps, includingSanborn fire insurance maps. Some of ourmaps cover settlement patterns and evennatural history. Subject Headings: Counties: MendocinoPhotographic FileSometimes a picture is worth a 1000words and not all of our pictures areonline. To check the rest of the collectionsearch our picture file card catalog. Subject Headings: Counties: Mendocino9

Despite our best efforts, some of our resources defy completedescription. We suggest that you ask a librarian about Mendocinocounty information contained in the following resources.Vertical FilesOur massive collection of vertical filescovers a wide variety of topics includingindividual counties. You can check themfor pamphlets, certificates and evenposters related to organizations,individuals, and area histories. Subject Headings: Counties: MendocinoPostcard FilesSeparate from our photo collection, ourpostcard collection contains a number ofimages related to Mendocino County.Most are not online. Subject Headings: Mendocino County10

Of course, the California History Section doesn’t have everything,so we suggest that in addition to looking at our collections, youcontact the following organizationsOther California State LibrarySectionsGovernment Publications SectionWitkin Law LibrarySutro LibraryGeneral Information r Government OrganizationsMendocino County LibraryMendocino County MuseumMendocino Assessor, Clerk, RecorderMendocino County Historical SocietyPoint Cabrillo Light StationKelley House MuseumMendocino Coast Model Railroad andHistorical Society /www.mendorailhistory.org/11

C ALIFORNIA S TATE L IBRARYC ALIFORNIA H ISTORY S ECTIONCalifornia History Section900 N Street Room 200Sacramento CA 95814Phone: (916) 654-0176E-mail: cslcal@library.ca.govHours: 9:30-4 Monday-FridayThis guide is also available online esearch-guides/12

california state library california history section research guides mendocino county history by austin bristol, library intern