Plaza Park 5th Street and C Street Oxnard Ca to Oxnard Performing Arts Center Opac
Oxnard Compages Video!
View our off-white urban center's architecture, created and narrated by ane of Oxnard's own librarians!
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Oxnard Public Library Local History Room
251 South 'A' Street
Oxnard, CA 93030
(805) 385-7532
Downtown Oxnard
The Oxnard Public Library is dedicated to the preservation of local history and civilisation. Oxnard has a rich cultural history dating back to the days of the California ranchos.
The Local History Collection is housed in the Special Drove Room in the Principal Library. All related materials may be viewed past engagement with a reference librarian.
Please visit our Oxnard Mayor's Gallery for digital photos of Oxnard's mayors from 1903 to the present, including their years of incumbency.
Quick Links
- Purpose
- A Brief History of Oxnard
- Collection Policies
- Books
- Periodicals
- Newspapers
- Files of Research Materials
- Digital Images
- Local History Fee Chart
Purpose
The Local History Collection is an accumulation of materials which provide information concerning Oxnard and Ventura Canton history. Materials include books, photographs, periodicals, and files of pertinent information. The maintenance of the collection involves acquisition of, preservation and protection of, and provision for equitable public access to materials.
Send an e-mail request to use the room or a local history question at LocalHistory@oxnard.org
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A Brief History of Oxnard
Prior to the visit of explorer Juan Cabrillo, the area at present known as the Oxnard Manifestly was inhabited past Chumash Indians. When Cabrillo reported to the Queen of Spain in 1542, he described the area as the "country of everlasting summers." At that place were approximately 50,000 Indians in the vicinity at the time. Early Spanish settlers enjoyed the benefits of the lush, fertile soil and spoke of "mustard stalks higher than a vaquero'due south horse."
Then other European immigrants began to settle in the expanse and farming became a major industry. Lima beans made up the primary crop but then Albert Maulhardt invited Henry T. Oxnard, who was in the sugar cane and beet sugar business organization, to visit. Mr. Oxnard agreed that sugar beets would grow well on the fertile obviously. He agreed to teach the farmers how to raise the crop successfully, and the Oxnard Brothers built a factory in the middle of the fields to process the beets. Land for the mill was purchased from Thomas A. Rice. A town quickly sprang up nigh the factory to meet the needs of the construction workers and their families. The Oxnard Comeback Company was created in 1898 to pattern the town site which was laid out, European style, around a town square (at present Plaza Park). The land for the town was purchased from J. One thousand. Hill. The factory began operation in 1899, with Major J. A. Driffill equally the plant manager.
The first church was congenital in 1900, and the Ventura County Railway was congenital to transport beets from the fields. The Oxnard Wedlock High Schoolhouse Commune was formed in 1902, and the city incorporated June 30, 1903. In 1906, educator and starting time mayor of Oxnard, Richard B. Haydock, applied for assistance from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation to construct a library building.
Early businesses included the Bank of A. Levy, Lehmann Brothers Department Store, Poggi's Drug Store and a big hotel. The factory operated for lx years only closed its doors in 1958 when vegetables had replaced carbohydrate beets equally the primary local field crop.
During the 1930s, those interested in commercial h2o aircraft took advantage of the deep channel extending out from Port Hueneme Harbor. The Oxnard Harbor Commune was formed in 1938 and congenital a commercial and yacht harbor. Canneries came to the port, and steamship companies lined up for regular coastal service.
Oxnard experienced its greatest growth during World War Ii. The U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Middle was established at the harbor, and the kickoff U.Due south. Naval Air Missile Test Center was constructed at Point Mugu in 1946. Former Oxnard Mayor, Edwin Carty, was a major real estate developer during the 1940s and 1950s. Oxnard Air Force Base was established in 1952. Martin V. Smith began building restaurants and motels in the 1940s. His Colonial House on Oxnard Boulevard attracted the Hollywood crowd during the 1950s. Smith subsequently built the 2 tall buildings ascension up out of the Oxnard Plain in the area known as Financial Plaza.
Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County. It is the centre of the vast alluvial evidently, now known as the Oxnard Plainly, 180 square miles of some of the richest agricultural country in the State of California.
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Drove Policies
The choice and buy of new materials volition exist an ongoing activeness, with responsibility assigned to the librarian in charge of the Local History Collection. Option of items will be limited to those dealing with the history of the Urban center of Oxnard or the Canton of Ventura, with special emphasis on Oxnard. In accord with the Collection Evolution Policy of the Oxnard Public Library, specialized genealogical references will non be purchased.
Gifts and Donations volition be received, following the library's gift policy. The patron donating the item or items will be advised that once the materials go the possession of the library, disposition will be left to the discretion of the Local History Librarian. Receipts will be provided upon asking.
Corner of fifth and A Streets, 1939
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Books
The Local History Collection at the Oxnard Public Library includes books that are valuable to the recorded history of the City of Oxnard and the County of Ventura.
The Special Collection Room houses a variety of school yearbooks, but mostly from Oxnard Loftier Schoolhouse. For many years the books were caused through donations simply take become so popular the library has begun ownership the Oxnard High School books each year. Since for many years they were acquired through donations, at that place are some gaps in the drove and we are however interested in receiving donations in the hopes of filling in the gaps. The collection includes the range from the very first yearbook in 1906 to the nowadays.
There are a number of personal memoirs of individuals who have made their home in Ventura County and one very fine scrapbook of notes and photographs of a French-Immigrant family.
The library contains several biographical dictionaries of prominent citizens who settled in the expanse at the plow of the 20th century, a history of the first farmers who planted crops in the area and individual biographies of people such as banker Achille Levy and Senator Thomas Bard.
Information technology was the construction of the American Beet Sugar Company refinery, in 1898, that spurred the evolution of the town called Oxnard. The library has a fine collection of books that talk over the raising and processing of sugar beets.
We have a grouping of street and phone directories beginning with 1908. As with our loftier school yearbooks, in that location are some gaps in the collection, but these tin can be very useful in genealogical enquiry or in identifying the location of a particular business that is no longer open up.
Parade at corner of 5th and B Streets,
Bank of America Levy building in groundwork.
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Periodicals
The Oxnard Public Library subscribes to The Ventura County Historical Society Quarterly. The quarterly is indexed and may be searched through the library'south online catalog. Articles and photographs inside the quarterly are indexed past discipline and keyword. The quarterly may be viewed in the Special Collection Room in the Chief Library. A photocopy machine is available within the room. Or, if you are located outside the area, you may contact your local public library and inquire well-nigh requesting a copy of an article through interlibrary loan. The library will need the name of the journal, date of event, and page numbers of the desired article.
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Newspapers
The library has The Oxnard Printing-Courier on microfilm from Jan 1900 through its final solar day in June of 1994. Offset with June 1994, the library began microfilming the Ventura County Star. Some indexing of the newspapers has been completed and is bachelor on the library's online catalog. Indexing from 1954 through 1996 is bachelor equally is 1900 through 1904.
The library as well has The Los Angeles Times on microfilm from 1972 to the nowadays.
Microfilm may be viewed in the library. If a particular commodity is desired by patrons living exterior the Oxnard area, and the name of the periodical, title of article, the appointment and page numbers are known, the library will photocopy the article for mailing.
Oxnard High School freshman form 1908
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Files of Research Fabric
In addition to published books and periodicals, staff has created files of information not otherwise pulled together in 1 resources. The library has a collection of Biography Files in the Special Drove Room. They are indexed according to the biographee'due south name and discipline. For example, in the case of Erle Stanley Gardner information is institute nether his proper noun as well as the careers of lawyer and author.
As with biography files, Ephemera Files accept been created for the purpose of pulling together information on particular subjects into one easily-accessed folder. Library users can find a file of newspaper and journal articles written most the founding of the City of Oxnard, the Oxnard High School, Saint John's Regional Medical Heart and many, many more places. Ephemera Files are indexed according to the subject matter of the file and may be viewed in the Special Collection Room.
Unfortunately, nosotros do not have staff available to practise research for patrons. Notwithstanding, for people not living in the area, some brief assistance is bachelor. For instance, those needing copies of obituaries for genealogical research may request such. The staff will search for an obituary provided we have at to the lowest degree the month and twelvemonth of the date of death. The library will post upwardly to 10 pages of photocopied material anywhere in the continental U.Due south. free of accuse.
Henry T. Oxnard
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Digital Images
In 1998, Oxnard was one of nine libraries chosen from across the land to conduct a photograph history projection as part of the "Shades of California" program. Library patrons were invited to bring in collections of their family photos, and project volunteers made selections equally well every bit gathered information near the private photographs. W. P. Photographic Services duplicated the images for the project and added them to the library existing digital collection too every bit sponsoring an Open up House and Showroom at the library in August 1998.
Y'all tin access Oxnard digital images online anytime at: the Oxnard Public Library'southward Photograph Collection on the University of California'due south Calisphere website.
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Local History Fee Chart
| Activeness | Fee/Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| To use an image: | Personal Employ | $200/each |
| Commercial Use | $200/each | |
| Recovery fee | $45/image | |
| Photocopy and Printing | $0.10/copy | |
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page last updated: January 20, 2022
Source: https://www.oxnard.org/library/oxnard-public-library-local-history-collection/
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