About the Stanislaus Archive

The Stanislaus River Archive was created to make clear the importance of the river and the campaigns to save it during the 1970s and 1980s.

With a robust archive of photos, documents, videos and more together with many other resources, the Stanislaus Archive shows what dedicated people can do when they fight for a place they love – and how they use that inspiration throughout their lives.

Learn more about what you can do on this site in this two minute video tutorial.

Keep up with what’s going on for the Archive by subscribing to our newsletter, and by reading our blog  – and, please donate to help support this effort!  You can review past copies of newsletters here.

Background

In 2013, river guide and Stanislaus activist Roy Tennant created the first Stanislaus River Archive. He laboriously digitized over a thousand photos and documents, showing the potential for this kind of resource.

In 2015, a group of long time river activists gathered to consider how to expand the Archive and broaden its appeal. Following this meeting, sufficient funds were raised for Larry Orman, an ex-ARTA guide and Friends of the River board chair, to work with GreenInfo Network (the nonprofit mapping and data organization he created in 1996), to rebuild and expand the Stanislaus Archive. Over the next several years, this work resulted in a first generation web site, focusing on uploading, cataloging and displaying the large existing trove of images and documents, and substantially adding to them. A periodic e-newsletter was also created. from 2018-2025, the inventory of items on the site grew to over 3,000 and the new website design allowed extensive searching, viewing and sharing options.

From 2025-26, the Archive took its next major step, adding in a much stronger emphasis on stories about the river and it’s importance. Those stories continue to be developed and highlighted through outreach. Larry Orman continues as the volunteer manager of the web site.

All of the material in the Archive has come from scores of generous individuals who have shared their slides, photos, documents, videos and more.  In addition to Roy Tennant’s work, special recognition also goes to   Marty Blake, who passed away in May 2022, and whose Stanislaus River Museum in Sonora, California, showcased extensive printed material, much of which is digitally available in the archive.

 

 

 

Status

As of 2026, the Stanislaus Archive site is fully functioning with a rich variety of information – over 3,000 items, including the brand new Stories section!  We are always looking for and adding new photos, videos and documents so check back often!

We welcome contributions of images and documents and are happy to help scan original slides, photos and documents – talk to us about what you have!

 

Donations

A small group of Stanislaus lovers have helped fund this site over the years, with very generous donations of the funds needed for the technical work on building and maintaining the web site. The funders include several individuals from the river community, and the rafting company, ARTA. We couldn’t have done this without each of them!

But we do still need support to keep growing the Archive and doing outreach to introduce it to others.  The easiest way to donate is to use this PayPal link. If you need to send a check, please make it out and send to:  GreenInfo Network/Stanislaus, 2201 Broadway, Suite M5, Oakland CA 94612. All contributions are tax-deductible as GreenInfo Network is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Contact

To get in touch with us, start by sending us email to: stanislaus@greeninfo.org – it may take a few days or so to get back to you. Thanks!