The Stanislaus Region History and Culture Image Collection consists of two sets of photographic images and one commemorative scrapbook that depict in various ways the multifaceted history, geography, and culture of one specific region of the northern San Joaquin Valley. The images describe two differing but related perspectives on the Stanislaus County region of the Central Valley of California: 1. the early history of the village of Turlock (founded in 1871), illustrated by a collection of early photographs dating from the late 19th century through the 1930s; and 2. a more recent collection of photographs created by Modesto-based photojournalist and commercial photographer Manual Dias (1918-2005). The Turlock history photographs offer representative images on various thematic areas, including early agricultural practices, settlers of Turlock, schools, churches, and other public buildings, cultural groups and social life of residents, the Melon Festival, business and trade, city boosterism, etc. The photographs include images created by various local photographers and were drawn primarily from the collection assembled by Turlock businessman Howard Whipple. The collection originally was housed for many years in the Turlock City Library until the early 1990s when it was ceded to the University in order to be preserved and housed in the Library Special Collections. In addition, the collection includes the content of the Turlock Centennial Scrapbook (1971-1972), consisting of 93 pages of newspaper articles, photos, and memorabilia. The Dias photographs document the growth and economic development of the same region in the mid-twentieth century, as well as focusing on the Portuguese-American immigrant experience and the construction of regional dams and reservoirs. Formats include portraits, panoramic views, and aerial photographs. The aim of the collection is to provide a useful and informative community resource of historical images that will augment the community's understanding of its own history.