Archaeology, History and Museums

New Additions:

Archaeological Investigations at the 19th Century River Station in LASHP
Museum Collections Management Handbook, Volume II: Practices & Procedures
Publications in Cultural Heritage: The Human History of Red Rock Canyon SP
California History Plan: Telling the Stories of the Californians - Part I
California History Plan: Telling the Stories of the Californians - Part II
Guidelines for Writing a Scope of Collections Statement

Go to Cultural Resource Management in California State Parks Page

Cultural Resource Management in California State Parks
California State Parks is the steward of many of California's most significant cultural treasures. Whether preserving historic structures, archival documents, shipwrecks, gold rush towns, ancient villages or museum collections, the job of managing heritage resources can be described in three steps.

Cultural California

California's wealth lies in the diversity of its land and people. Our cultural heritage is derived from at least 300 indigenous tribal groups and explorers and immigrants from many continents, including '49ers seeking gold and settlers seeking a new life. There were many reasons why people chose to come to this part of the world, but all brought their skills and dreams.

Cultural Landscapes Planning and Stewardship
California State Parks and the National Park Service (NPS) have signed an agreement to create a Cultural Landscapes Planning and Stewardship Program. In this program, the NPS is providing technical assistance to help develop cultural landscape management and treatment plans.

Historic Building Condition Assessment
Historic Cemetery Assessment Watch Video
Historic Orchard Assessment

Archaeological Resources
California's long human occupation of over 12,000 years has created tens of thousands of archaeological sites, representing villages, hunting, gathering and fishing areas, religious and ceremonial locations, trails and rock art sites. The cultural complexity of ancient California is unmatched in North America.
Historical Archaeology
Rock Art
Underwater Archaeology

Cultural Landscapes
Cultural landscapes portray how humans have used and adapted natural resources over time, whether through agricultural, mining, ranching and settlement activities, or traditional Native American cultural practices.

The Built Environment
The built environment includes an array of historic buildings, structures, and objects all, serving as physical connections to the past, reflecting the history and impact of California's diverse cultures.

Museum Collections
California State Parks is responsible for the management of over one million museum objects, two million archaeological specimens, and more than three million archival documents throughout the state in more than 140 different parks.

General Information:

California State Parks P.O. Box 942896 Sacramento, CA 94296

For information call: (800) 777-0369 (916) 653-6995,
Outside the U.S. 711, TTY Relay Service

Public notice