The Museum exhibits American Indian cultural materials, primarily focused on cultures of the Southwestern, Great Basin and Californian culture regions, which were connected by a major trade route from circa 4,000 BP. One of the largest collections is from the California coast and Channel Islands. Seven thousand artifacts are represented, ranging in age from 8-9,000 BP to ethnographic/historic…

The institution has Special Collections including: 1) Local history; 2) American religious history; and 3) history of the American west. Under Local History, the Azusa-Foothill Citrus Collection consists of manuscripts, legal and business papers, financial journals and ledgers, photographs and maps dating back to 1844. The Sayre MacNeil Collection contains family papers and correspondences, and…

The Yosemite Archives contain historical records and manuscripts related to Yosemite's history, including the donated papers of ethnographers and scientists, resource management records, historic park administrative records, and slide, photo, and film collections.