California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties. Collected by Sidney Robertson Cowell
Collection Overview
California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties is a multi-format ethnographic collection that contains more than 35 hours of recorded folk music, as well as still photographs, drawings, and written documents. European ethnic, Spanish- and English-speaking communities are represented.
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Special Features
These online exhibits provide context and additional information about this collection.
- The Ethnographic Experience: Sidney Robertson Cowell in Northern California
- Glossary of Musical Instruments
Historical Eras
These historical era(s) are best represented in the collection although they may not be all-encompassing.
- The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877
- Development of the Industrial United States, 1876-1915
- Emergence of Modern America, 1890-1930
- The Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945
Related Collections and Exhibits
These collections and exhibits contain thematically-related primary and secondary sources. Also browse the Collection Finder for more related material on the American Memory Web site.
- American Life Histories, 1936-1940
- American Variety Stage, 1870-1920
- California as I Saw It: First Person Narratives, 1849-1900
- Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865
- FSA/OWI Photographs, 1935-1945
- Hispano Music and Culture of the Northern Rio Grande
- Map Collections, 1500-2004
- The New Deal Stage: Federal Theater Project, 1935-1939
- Panoramic Maps, 1847-1929
- Southern Mosaic: The Lomax Southern States Recording Trip
Other Resources
Recommended additional sources of information.
- The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress
- Folklife Sourcebook: A Directory of Folklife Resources in the United States
- Folklife and Fieldwork: A Layman's Introduction to Field Techniques
- A Teacher's Guide to Folklife Resources for K-12
Search Tips
Specific guidance for searching this collection.
Search for items using keywords, or by selecting from lists of Subject Index, Ethnic Groups, Performers, Musical Instruments, and Audio Titles.
For help with search words go to the Synonym List. For help with search strategies, see Finding Items in American Memory.
**Note: Some folksongs portray stereotypes to varying degrees, and some contain profanity, while others clearly present a certain religious point of view.
Last Updated: 06/23/2009