California State Archives

Meet Corinne McCoy, who joined the California State Archives in 2024 as an archivist on the outreach team! Corinne helps coordinate the State Government Oral History Program, develop exhibits, and organize the Archives’ participation in community events like the annual Sacramento Archives Crawl. Her favorite part of the job? Diving into research rabbit holes and uncovering the personal stories that bring historical records to life.
Corinne earned her MLIS from San José State University and previously interned with the Napa County Historical Society. Before joining the Archives, she spent five years as a children’s librarian with the Solano County Library, where she developed programs and conducted outreach for children, teens, and families. She also worked at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco as the museum store coordinator, helping design products and support museum operations.
Corinne holds degrees in visual communication and art history from Northern Arizona University, bringing both creativity and curiosity to her work preserving and sharing California history.

This intricate puzzle ball, balanced atop a stand of sculptural horses, was gifted to California Secretary of State March Fong Eu sometime between 1974 and 1994.
Chinese puzzle balls are renowned for their extraordinary craftsmanship and astonishingly fine detail. Take a close look at the multiple concentric spheres, each delicately carved and nested within the next, as well as the intricate designs etched into their remarkably thin surfaces.
Dragons are a common motif in traditional Chinese puzzle balls and are often hidden among the carvings. Do you spot anything that looks like a dragon in these images? Let us know what you find!

Caption: Photographs of Chinese Puzzle Ball and Stand and Detail
of Chinese Puzzle Ball, unknown artisan, gifted circa 1974-1994, from March
Fong Eu Collection, 94-02-33 (068, 070), California State Archives.

In 1900, France hosted one of the world’s great international expositions in Paris, drawing participation from nations across the globe. While the United States took part, California stood out as the only state to send its own official representation to the fair.
To support this effort, the California Paris Exposition Commission was established to prepare and maintain exhibits showcasing the state’s industries and resources, while also producing promotional literature about California. Among the most fascinating pieces created was this map, Viticultural Districts of California.
The map was one of six promotional maps produced by the commission, alongside maps highlighting California’s agricultural, oil and petroleum, climatic, mineral, and forestry districts. Each map featured descriptive text in English, French, and German to reach an international audience. Today, the California State Archives is proud to preserve copies of all six maps in our collections.

http://gencat.sos.ca.gov/minerva/permalink-d.html?key=24136

Map of California Issued by California-Paris Exposition Commission of 1900 (Viticultural Districts). 1900. (ID: MC2:8-4)

Time for some art from the California State Archives! These sculptural Fu Dogs, also known as Chinese guardian lions, were gifted to California Secretary of State March Fong Eu in 1980 “with the compliments of Hsien-Ching Chan, Director General, Coordination Council for North American Affairs Office in San Francisco.”

The Coordination Council for North American Affairs was established in 1979 following the closure of the Consulate General of the Republic of China (Taiwan) after the United States formally recognized the People’s Republic of China.

Traditionally displayed in pairs at entrances, guardian lion Fu (or Foo) Dogs have symbolized protection and strength in Chinese culture for nearly 2,000 years, dating back to the Han Dynasty.

Caption: Photograph of sculptural Chinese guardian lions (Fu Dogs), unknown artisan, gifted in 1980, from the March Fong Eu Collection, 94-02-33 (004), California State Archives.

Today, we honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. The California State Archives will be closed today in observance of Memorial Day. Regular business hours will resume tomorrow, Tuesday, May 26.

Originally observed as “Decoration Day” in the 1860s to honor those who died during the Civil War, Memorial Day later expanded to recognize fallen service members from all U.S. conflicts.

This 1906 image from our collection shows the entrance to the San Francisco Presidio, a former U.S. Army fort and home to the San Francisco National Cemetery.

Today is Harvey Milk Day, honoring pioneering LGBTQ activist and politician, the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States. Though he served only 11 months before his assassination in 1978, Milk’s advocacy and public service helped pave the way for future openly q***r elected officials.

This letter from our collection was written by Naval Captain Pamela S. Kunze in 2012 in support of naming a Navy ship after Milk, recognizing his military service and lasting impact on LGBTQ history.

You can read more about Harvey Milk in our online exhibit, https://artsandculture.google.com/story/BwUxTe_lqZJLKg

From our Trademark collection comes this illustration mark for “Oyama Japanese Fancy Rice,” filed by Andrew A. Brown in 1904. The design features Japanese General Oyama and was stamped onto bags of rice sold throughout California.

This trademark offers a glimpse into early 20th century advertising, commerce, and the visual branding used on everyday products in California.

Oyama Japanese Fancy Rice, Trademark No.1305, 1904,
Secretary of State’s Office, California
State Archives

Angel Island is an island in San Francisco Bay measuring 1.2 square miles. In 1910 an immigration station opened on the island. Over the next thirty years, thousands of immigrants from Asian countries passed through Angel Island, including about 175,000 Chinese immigrants (the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 reduced immigration from that country). Immigrants were sometimes interrogated and detained on Angel Island for months or years. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 removed many barriers to emigration from Asia, and today the immigration station is a part of Angel Island State Park (about fifteen percent of California’s population is of Asian or Pacific Islander descent). This blueprint of the immigration station is one of many blueprints and maps from the Parks and Recreation Dept. records at the California State Archives: http://gencat.sos.ca.gov/minerva/permalink-d.html?key=3955



Credit: Angel Island Immigration Station Blueprint, 1978, Office of the State Architect, Parks and Recreation Dept. Records, R191.60(1), California State Archives.

Don't forget to register to vote! California Secretary of State

Make Your Vote Happen: Voter Resources & What’s on the Ballot Join California Secretary of State, Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., and the Elections Division for an information session about voting and to discuss what will be o...