The Caltrans Transportation Library holds a collection of selected historical materials such as documents, photographs, maps, and artifacts that track the history of the Department. In the collection are two oral history series that have been digitized through the California Revealed project.
The "Highway Recollections" series consists of tape recordings and transcripts of interviews with retired engineers, highway maintenance workers, administrators, and other personnel. The participants shared their insights on past highway development and changes within the Department. They were produced by Department volunteers, Caltrans History Preservation Committee and District 3 History Committee members in the late 1970s. There are 21 recordings that have been digitized and are available via streaming.
In the wake of the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, Caltrans commissioned an oral history project to document the personal and professional experiences of 258 Caltrans employees who worked to restore the State's damaged transportation system. Caltrans District 4 staff produced the “Loma Prieta series.” It was organized quickly and the informal interviews were completed within three months of the earthquake while memories were fresh. The selected employees cover a cross section of job titles and geographic areas to better illustrate the size and scope of the disaster. Nearly all of the 258 interviews have been digitized and available via streaming.The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) collection contains audiovisual material (moving images and audio) from the 1970s to the 2000s. These recordings include an oral history collection conducted with caltrans employees in the wake of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and another oral history collection entitled Highway Recollections, which chronicles the experience of people who worked on California highways.
