The Lanterman Oral History Program

In 1979, shortly after La Cañada Flintridge became a city, the Historical Society of La Cañada Flintridge began interviewing residents and recording stories which might not otherwise have been told. These conversations provide diverse eyewitness accounts of a growing city, its community, and its institutions. These oral histories help to bring to life details provided by other primary sources, like photographs, manuscripts, and other historical materials in the Lanterman Archives.

Most of the oral histories completed between 1979 and 2018 are in the process of being digitized through generous grant funding from the California State Library. You can view the oral histories that have been digitized thus far on the California Revealed website.

Most recently, in the summer of 2020, eleven oral histories were added to the Lanterman Oral History Program through the first-ever Virtual History Internship Program. Eleven local high school students completed the 15-20 hour program, which included training in research methods, interview techniques, how to process and preserve the interview, and legal and ethical guidelines. They then each chose a member of the community to interview and used a free recording app on their cellphone to record the conversation.  The interviewees came from a wide range of backgrounds and discussed diverse local topics including education and schools, growing up in La Canada, local history and businesses, diversity, politics, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please view the press release here.

The Lanterman Archives is committed to preserving local history through the creation and preservation of oral history interviews. If you feel that you have contributed to the history of the city or community, please contact us at lantermanhouse@gmail.com to discuss creating an oral history.

If you would like to record an oral history for your personal family archives, here are three guides to assist you.