Collections: Archives

Point Reyes National Seashore archival documents, log books, maps, aerial photographs, architectural drawings, and archives collections storage areas.

NPS / Point Reyes National Seashore Museum

The Point Reyes National Seashore Archives has over 754,690 records in its collections. Formats include documents, plans, studies, manuscripts, photographs, maps, drawings, and audio and video recordings for both historical and contemporary materials dating from the 1850s to the early 2000s.

The museum's archival collections include:

• Point Reyes National Seashore Administrative Archives;
• Natural and Cultural Resource Management Archives;
• RCA and Radio History Archives;
• Photographs and Negatives;
• Maps, Plans, and Drawings;
• Special Collections; and
• the Oral History Collection.

Policy and procedures for archival collections are outlined in NPS Management Policy (2006) and the Museum Handbook, Part II, Appendix D: Archives and Manuscripts Collections. In general, NPS archives also follow best practices as outlined in the Basic Manual Series as published by the Society of American Archivists. Policy and procedures for NPS records management are outlined in NPS Management Policy (2001), Directors Order 19: Records Management (2001); Records Management Handbook (2005) and Appendix B: Records Disposition Schedule (2005).

If you are interested in doing research using the Point Reyes National Seashore Archives, please contact the park's Museum Curator. As of 2021, the museum curator position is vacant.

Government Records

Point Reyes National Seashore's archival government records trace the legislative history and planning documents of the park, beginning in the late 1950's, and the administrative, environmental, and resource management of the Seashore since its establishment in 1962.

Manuscripts & Documents

Natural Resource archives include, but are not limited to studies, projects and administration of biology, geology, paleontology. Cultural Resource archives include, but are not limited to studies, projects and administration of archeology, art, history. Records related to field work, studies, permits, and expeditions conducted by staff, permitted researchers or volunteers may also be collected.

Maps, Plans, & Drawings

Maps, plans, and drawings in the park's archives contain early Coast exploration maps of the 16th century through present day, reflecting the historical and environmental history of the Peninsula. Collected materials document historical exploration and geographical surveys of the area, land use, water, vegetation, and wildlife resources. The holdings also include structural and utility system plans, roads and trail inventories, and topographical, fire history, boundary, and parcel maps. Additionally collected are navigational charts, maps designating wilderness areas, planning maps and county and state development maps with information related to the Peninsula.

Oral Histories

Point Reyes National Seashore's Oral History collection began in the 1980s when the park Historian interviewed local ranchers and their families to develop an historic resource study that included each ranch in the park. The park Historian also interviewed men who worked at the Lighthouse, Lifeboat Station, the RCA radio stations, and the town of Hamlet for additional resource studies. Several interviews were conducted in the 1990s by fisheries to record memories of watershed resources, particularly steelhead and coho salmon in park. Another group of about twenty recorded and transcribed interviews were collected in 2007, during the production of Managing a Land In Motion: An Administrative History of Point Reyes National Seashore.