Be Prepared to Visit Libraries & Historical Societies:
To gain access to many of these useful resources, you will need to actually go to local libraries and historical societies, because most of this old, local information is not available online.
Historical Societies for California and Local Resources
Historical societies are a great source for finding local information. I recommend you call them before you plan a visit to let them know you'd like to use their archives for a school research paper.
The California Historical Society, founded in 1871, is a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire and empower people to make California's richly diverse past a meaningful part of their contemporary lives.
Located in downtown Modesto, their phone number is: (209) 577-5235. The Historical Society has a wonderful local history publication entitled, Stanislaus Stepping Stones, which our library also has.
Their phone number is: (209) 765-8996. Their volunteers can help you research old county records in the Special Collections Room at the Stanislaus County Free Library.
