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Be a History Scholar During Archives Month

SACRAMENTO - As California Archives Month gets under way, Secretary of State Debra Bowen is inviting Californians to learn about their own history by taking part in the many events hosted by state and local groups that highlight our state’s historical resources.

"Whether you want to research your own family history, have an interest in California's colorful past or want to know more about how our most precious historical records are preserved, Archives Month is a perfect time to discover your inner history scholar," said Secretary Bowen, the custodian of the State Archives.

To celebrate California Archives Month, the Secretary of State’s State Archives Division will host the following events.

• Sacramento Archives Crawl on Saturday, October 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. View rarely seen treasures and take behind-the-scenes tours of the State Archives during the third annual Sacramento Archives Crawl. Participants of the archives crawl will tour four host institutions in Sacramento (the State Archives, State Library, Center for Sacramento History, and Sacramento Central Library), view items from other northern California archives and visit with archivists.
• Family History Day on Saturday, October 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Guests will have the opportunity to meet with professional genealogists, learn how to research their family trees, and obtain tips for preserving cherished family documents. There will be short classes on a variety of genealogy-related topics.

Both events are free and will take place at the Secretary of State's State Archives building at 1020 O Street in Sacramento. The California Archives Month poster and additional information is at www.calarchivesmonth.org.

Since 1850, the Secretary of State’s office has been home to the California State Archives, which include the complete records of the official acts of the legislative and executive branches of state government, as well as Golden State history in the form of tens of millions of documents, maps, photographs, film and audio recordings, and other treasures. The State Archives hold approximately 118,000 cubic feet of records in secure, climate-controlled rooms stretching over six floors of a Sacramento building.

For more information about the California State Archives collections and upcoming events, or for assistance in a historical research project, go to www.sos.ca.gov/archives.

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