The San Joaquin, California Public Documents collection consists of
printed matter relating to various aspects of twentieth century San Joaquin
County agencies and activities. Included is information on: agriculture,
commerce, crime, demographics, education, elections, finances, government,
housing, planning, transportation, and various other topics. Dates range from
1927 to the 1990's. MSS 250 was created by Holt Atherton staff as a convenient
location for local government publications. Periodic additions to the
collection are anticipated.
San Joaquin County is one of the 27 original California counties
established in 1850. The name San Joaquin derives from the Spanish for St.
Joachim, father of the Virgin Mary. The first European settlers in the region
were French-Canadian fur trappers. In 1845 German immigrant, Charles Weber, and
his business partner, William Gulnac, received a Mexican land grant to much of
the region. Weber subsequently (1847) founded the city of Stockton, which
became the county seat in 1850. San Joaquin County served as an important
transportation link to the southern mines during the Gold Rush. Lodi (founded
1869) is the northernmost city in the county, while to the south of Stockton
lie the cities of Tracy and Manteca. Several rivers flow through San Joaquin
County including the county's namesake, the San Joaquin River, which passes
near Stockton and empties into the great Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, which
forms the western portion of San Joaquin County and serves as a pathway between
the county and San Francisco.
Collection is open for research.