RESOURCES
Local History Museums, Societies, & Organizations
- Santa Clara County History Facilities
- California History Center
- History San Jose
- Sunnyvale Heritage Park
- Saratoga Historical Foundation
- Mountain View Historical Association
- Campbell Historical Museum
- Mountain View Historical Association
- Los Altos Hills Historical Society
- Los Altos History Museum
- De Saisset Museum
- Japanese American Museum of San Jose
- Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
Regional Research Resources
- A Guide to Researching the History of a House
- City of Cupertino
- Cupertino Chamber of Commerce
- Cupertino Library
- Santa Clara County Library
- Santa Clara County Library District
- Silicon Valley Librarian
- Santa Clara County Archives Research and Collections Resources
- Library of Congress is a superb site for American history, containing primary and secondary documents, exhibits, map collections, photographs, sound recordings and motion pictures.
- California As I Saw It This research collection from the Library of Congress centers on eyewitness accounts of life in California between the Gold Rush and the turn of the twentieth century. Its foundation consists of texts and illustrations of 190 works documenting this formative period.
- California Pioneers
- California Pioneers Film Archive
- Fremont Older Open Space Preserve History
- History Matters A production of the Center for New Media and History, History Matters is a fantastic online resource for history teachers and students. Contains lesson plans, syllabi, links, and exhibits.
- The Gold Rush This PBS film companion website includes various classroom resources, a map, a timeline, and “fun facts” for kids. Special features include stories from native inhabitants, an online poll on routes to the West Coast, and an online role-playing game on striking it rich. Enjoyable site for younger students.
- The West (PBS) This Web site is a supplement to Ken Burn’s documentary. Includes a timeline, glossary, biographies, a photo gallery, maps, documents, and much more.
- Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History This site includes: a U.S. history e-textbook; over 400 annotated documents, primary sources on slavery, Mexican American and Native American history; U.S. political and social history; classroom handouts, chronologies, and glossaries. One very unique feature, the site’s Ask the Hyper Historian, allows readers to pose questions to professional historians.
Native American History Research Resources
- Index of Native American Resources on the Web The Index is a large gateway to many Native American resources in various categories, such as History, Government, Culture, Education, Bibliographies, and more. The site is organized by geographic regions and “to make it useful to the Native American community and the education community.” There is a useful search engine and the webmaster blogs regularly with news about the site.
- First Nations Histories provides a geographic overview of First Nation (Indian) histories as well as a location list of native tribes in the United States and Canada. Has a search function as well.
- NativeWeb is a comprehensive site for Native American studies whose purpose is to disseminate information from and about indigenous nations, peoples, and organizations. Go to the “History” database under Resources for chronologically organized collections of American Indian resources. NativeWiki, a new NativeWeb project, allows users to contribute information on Indigenous peoples around the world.
Asian American History Research Resources
- Moving Days: The Japanese American Experience in the Santa Clara Valley, 1942-2012
- Chinese and California: 1850 – 1925 This research collection from the Library of Congress includes 8,000 images and pages of varied primary source materials. It focuses on experiences of Chinese immigrants in California along with a section on westward expansion. This link takes you directly to the “Chinese and Westward Expansion” section.
Local Publications
Media Resources
Better Part TV - CUPERTINO HISTORICAL SOCIETY + MUSEUM
The Cupertino Historical Society has set up a a new festive exhibit that gives residents a window into what Christmas and other holidays were like in Cupertino many decades ago. The “Christmas in Cupertino” exhibit was set up earlier this week at the historical museum in the Quinlan Community Center and includes a Christmas tree, ornaments, garlands and vintage toys, and other festive items.
A description of the Cupertino Historical Society, including its founding and development, current programs/exhibits, and plans for the future. The show also includes a brief description of several people who played significant roles in Cupertino history. This program was aired on KMVT15 Community Media.
Cupertino Historical Sites
The video describes many of the historical sites in the City of Cupertino. This video is an eagle project by Michael Masri, Troop 476. A special thanks go to the Cupertino Historical Society and Troop 476.
Cupertino Winemakers
Cupertino is the heart of Silicon Valley, famous as the birthplace of technology giants. It does, however, have more than computers to offer. The Chamber of Commerce and the Historical Society recently celebrated another point of pride: their winemakers!
We had already discovered some fun wineries in the Santa Cruz mountains near Cupertino, including Savannah Chanelle Vineyards, Cooper Garrod Vineyards, House Family Vineyards, and Vidovich Vineyards. When the Cupertino Historical Society invited us to attend their event, Salutè! A Toast to Cupertino Winemakers – Past & Present, we were thrilled!
The Historical Society Museum is part of the Quinlan Community Center, so there was plenty of parking, with lots of open space inside the facility, bathed in sunshine. We arrived to a bustling crowd of Cupertino citizens, happily exploring the event and greeting each other to a background of Italian accordion music. The mood was set within seconds.
Once we checked in with the Historical Society folks, we made our way to the exhibit room and to meet some winemakers. We soon discovered that all of these fine wineries were located along Montebello Road, which was an interesting factoid. A little wisdom to drop during our next tasting tour.
We first met Noël Relyea and William Wood, owners and wine makers at R & W Vineyards. We learned that Noël and William chose wine making as a second career after bio-technology, now producing about 300 cases of wine a year. Their friends and family are instrumental in helping with many of the steps in producing wine, from harvesting to bottling. After tasting the result, we could understand everyone’s willingness to pitch in. A little manual effort for a bottle of this lovely wine? Count me in!
We next visited the table of Naumann Vineyards. Danielle told us that Naumann Vineyards was open only 4-6 times a year, so tasting their wine outside of this type of event required some diligence! They produce a bit more wine than R & W Vineyards, at about 500 cases a year. A few sips of their wine made us promise ourselves to bookmark their web site to learn about their next tasting.
Vidovich Vineyards was at the next table. We love their Cabernet Sauvignon, and they were pouring some. Color us happy! We renewed our acquaintance with two of the Vidovich brothers and winery manager Jessica as we sipped their delicious wine. It was great to see them again.
Ridge Vineyards was the first winery in Cupertino. They did not participate with a pouring table but did have an artistic display in the museum. The senior-most winery in the area, Ridge Vineyards dates back to 1885, when 180 acres at the top of the Monte Bello Ridge was purchased by Osea Perrone for a vineyard. As we spoke with the other wine makers, they each described their location relative to the original: Ridge Vineyards.
As a fun way to raise money for the Historical Society, home winemaker and Chamber board member John Zirelli demonstrated wine bottle corking on a single-bottle device. Attendees literally formed a line to donate to this good cause and take home a bottle of John’s lovely wine as a gift. As veteran of quite a few “bottle your own” events, we were very familiar with his gadget.
After a welcome from Cupertino’s Mayor and an introduction of new Chamber of Commerce members, the attendees networked, munched on some snacks and helped ensure that the wineries didn’t have any pesky partially emptied bottles left over.
A Brief History of Apple
Sponsored by the Cupertino Historical Society, this 20-minute video summaries the more-than-four-decade history of Apple Inc. It includes highlights of Steve Jobs' Stanford commencement speech and his visits to the Cupertino City Council, as well as thoroughly researched information, presented by Crystal Tai, a Stanford alum who once worked as a news reporter for the Cupertino Courier. Special thanks to the Cupertino City Channel.
The Lost Railroad Tunnels Of The Santa Cruz Mountains
South Pacific Coast Railroad train stopped for a photograph along Coon Gulch in San Lorenzo Gorge, c. 1880s. [Public domain, image from SantaCruzTrains.com]
On March 26, 2022, we had the distinct pleasure of welcoming local historian Brian Liddicoat, as he presented his research on the "Lost Railroad Tunnels of the Santa Cruz Mountains" on Zoom as part of the Cupertino Historical Society + Museum's free educational Speaker Series events. We learned about the history of the railroad, the Chinese Immigrants who build the tunnels, and the mystery surrounding the railroad. The mission of the Cupertino Historical Society and Museum is to preserve and share Cupertino’s past, strengthen our sense of community, and make Cupertino history available for all.
Articles about CHSM
Cupertino Museum Displays Local History
Historical Society Opens Its 'Christmas In Cupertino' Exhibit
By KRISTI MYLLENBECK | kmyllenbeck@bayareanewsgroup.com
PUBLISHED: December 2, 2016 at 7:00 am | UPDATED: December 2, 2016 at 7:27 am
The Cupertino Historical Society has set up a a new festive exhibit that gives residents a window into what Christmas and other holidays were like in Cupertino many decades ago.
The “Christmas in Cupertino” exhibit was set up earlier this week at the historical museum in the Quinlan Community Center and includes a Christmas tree, ornaments, garlands and vintage toys, and other festive items. “Christmas has become a national holiday celebrated in so many ways by so many cultures,” says Donna Austin, president of the Cupertino Historical Society. “The museum and society are just trying to share some of the symbols that remind us of why we have this holiday and why it is special to so many.” The display highlights multiple holiday celebrations. Read more at the link (unfortunately behind a paywall)
Happy Big SIX-OH, Cupertino!
This video features a 60-line poem, written and read by Crystal Tai, dedicated to the Cupertino Historical Society & Museum as well as residents of Cupertino. Cupertino was incorporated as a city on Oct 10, 1955.
An Early Celebration Of Cupertino's 60th Birthday
Crystal Tai in a denim Mandarin dress invented by herself (probably the first person thinking of using denim to make Mandarin dresses), custom tailored by Elegente.com, an online clothing vendor.
Read Full Article - An Early Celebration Of Cupertino's 60th Birthday by Crysal Tai, 2015
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The 'Cutest Little Museum' Gains A Volunteer
The name, Stevens Creek, is all over Cupertino and the area. Stevens Creek Boulevard, Stevens Creek Trail. Stevens Creek Dam. Not only is the former soldier, blacksmith, fur trapper and guide’s name misspelled all over West Valley, but he was only the Valley for less than 20 years. According to the Cupertino Historical Society, he homesteaded 160 acres on the eastern bank of the Arroyo de San Giuseppe do Copertino and bought 150 acres more from the Peralta family’s Rancho San Antonio. His 315-acre farm was called Blackberry Farm. Sound familiar? Volunteer Barbara Lecus talks about her experience at CHSM.
Read Full Article - The 'Cutest Little Museum' Gains A Volunteer by L.A. Chung, 2013
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Cupertino History Museum Celebrates City's Multiculturalism with an International Night
It was an educational and entertaining evening at Quinlan Community Center Saturday. The Cupertino Historical Society and Museum presented lectures and multicultural shows to illuminate Cupertino’s past, and inspire its future.
Read Full Article - Cupertino History Museum Celebrates City's Multiculturalism with an International Night by Crystal Tai, 2013
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