Most roads were unpaved in the early twentieth century, meaning that a storm could rapidly turn a previously sound route into a mire of mud and clay. This automobile is trying to force its way through such a bog on a road in San Diego County, in about 1915
Photo Credit: California State Archives - Records of the Department of Public Works, Division of Highways, District VII
September 5, 2016 - SACRAMENTO – As Californians hit the road this Labor Day weekend, the California State Archives has released “California Road Trip” their latest digital exhibit hosted by the Google Cultural Institute. The exhibit traces the early history of California’s car culture, dating all the way back to the first state highway built in 1895. The State Archives is a division of the California Secretary of State’s office.
“Today enjoying a scenic road trip is a quintessential California experience, but we’ve come a long way since the first automobiles hit the road,” Secretary of State Padilla said. “The State Archives’ latest digital exhibit takes a look back at some of the Golden State’s earliest motorists and the efforts to build roads equipped to handle the automobile age. The hard work of State Archives staff, and our partnership with Google, brings this unique look at California history to a global audience online.”
Click here to view the “California Road Trip” exhibit
The “California Road Trip” exhibit includes rare photographs from the Department of Public Works, California Highway Association, and others to illustrate the challenges faced by California’s first motorists.
In late June, Secretary of State Padilla and Google announced a partnership to make State Archives exhibits available online. “California Road Trip” is the latest exhibit released as part of this partnership. The first three exhibits released focused on the history of California state parks, the office of the California Secretary of State, and the nation’s first political consulting firm, Campaigns Inc.
To view all of the State Archives’ exhibits available via the Google Cultural Institute visit: https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/partner/california-state-archives
As part of this partnership, the State Archives will continue to digitize exhibits for inclusion on the Google Cultural Institute website.
About the California State Archives:
California's first legislature, meeting in 1849–50, charged the Secretary of State to receive "…all public records, registered maps, books, papers, rolls, documents and other writings . . . which appertain to or are in any way connected with the political history and past administration of the government of California." The California State Archives, a division of the Secretary of State’s office, continues to serve in the spirit of those early instructions, providing a repository for the state's permanent governmental records as well as other materials documenting California history.
About the Google Cultural Institute:
Since its launch in 2011, the Google Cultural Institute has worked closely with museums, foundations, archives, and others—from Carnegie Hall to the Musee D'Orsay in Paris to the British Museum in London. The Google Cultural Institute now has more than 1,000 partners from over 70 countries making a total of 6 million artworks, photos, videos, manuscripts and other documents of art, culture and history accessible to all online and by doing so, preserving it for future generations.
Source: SOS
