Highlights from the Collections in Special Collections
Department of the Robert E. Kennedy Library
Introduction
“Individuals shape the world in which they live.”
--Harold Miossi
Stewardship of the land has presented San Luis Obispo County ranchers
throughout history with many challenges requiring diverse solutions.
From the early days of the land grants, to the stories of the pioneers
who followed, these ranching men and women have cared for the land
and surrounding natural habitat, passing on these values generation
after generation.
This history has been preserved within the manuscript collections
of the Special Collections department of the Robert E. Kennedy Library.
These collections document the history and development both of county
ranching pioneers and the local environmental movement through original
correspondence, ranch records, and photographs.
San Luis Obispo County Environmental Archives:
The McMillan and Miossi Collections
Local rancher Ian McMillan, a native of eastern San Luis Obispo
County, California, had a lifetime of experience as a grain and
cattle grower. An active long-standing conservationist, McMillan
was a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, a member of
the California Parks and Recreation Commission, and belonged to
a number of other conservation organizations including the Cooper
Ornithological Society, National Audubon Society, and the Cholame
Township Sportsmen’s Association. McMillan dedicated his life
to the issues of land use, government accountability, wildlife protection,
and human ecology.
Harold Miossi was born on the family-owned La Cuesta Ranch in Cuesta
Canyon immediately north of San Luis Obispo, California. The Inheritance
Tax Appraiser for San Luis Obispo County, Miossi was also drawn
to environmental issues facing San Luis Obispo County. Miossi has
been a member of the Farm Bureau, the Democratic Central Committee,
the Montaña de Oro Advisory Committee, the Sierra Club, Coastal
San Luis Resource Conservation district board, the Grand Jury, as
well as many city and county advisory committees, usually in the
planning or environmental fields.
A close working relationship began with Ian McMillan and Harold
Miossi. Together they crafted a master plan to keep Montaña
de Oro an unfettered landscape in its natural state, and thwarted
efforts to develop intense recreational pursuits such as off-road
vehicular use. That original master plan is still in force today.
Pioneers:
Jack Family Papers
Sinsheimer Collection
Cal Poly Ranch Photo Collection
Local history is rich with stories of pioneer ranching families
who came to the county in the period between the California Gold
Rush in 1849 and the 1890s. Their experiences are documented in
several collections that reflect the changing agricultural history
of the county and its people.
The Sinsheimer brothers, Bernhard, Henry, and half-brother
Aron Zacharias (A. Z.), were a pioneering mercantile family
in nineteenth century San Luis Obispo County. Of German-Jewish
extraction, they came to post-Civil War California separately
after previously living in New York and Mississippi. The Sinsheimer
family, active in the business and political life of San Luis
Obispo for many decades, were leaders in ranching, agriculture,
and supplied other farmers and ranchers with goods, equipment,
and loans. |
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The Robert Edgar Jack family of San Luis Obispo, operated
the Cholame Ranch in eastern San Luis Obispo County, one of
many ranching interests associated with the family. The family
also had a home in San Luis Obispo on Marsh Street, built
in 1875. Besides their ranching interests, members of the
Jack Family were also active in politics, travel, banking,
and land development. This collection contains correspondence,
business records, and photographs from the 1860s to the 1920s,
found in the family home when it was converted to an historic
house museum in 1976. |
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When the fledgling California Polytechnic School was founded
on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo in 1901, school administrators
emphasized two courses of study: agriculture and mechanics.
After nearly six years of operation, local photographer Frank
Aston was hired to photograph students at work and play. There
are more 200 photographic images of Cal Poly and its environs,
including ranches, buildings, views of the campus, livestock,
special events, and athletics from those early days included
in this collection, offering a rich visual record of life
at this rural vocational school.
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