A German immigrant to California's Gold Rush, F. A. Hihn is considered by many as the County's most influential entrepreneur, from arrival in Santa Cruz (1851) to his death (1913).
Charles Bruce Younger Sr. was Hihn's principal attorney and dean of the legal community, and the two families were united by the marriage of Agnes Hihn, Therese and F. A. Hihn's youngest daughter, and C. B. Younger Jr.
Several collections have been donated, including maps and records of F. A. Hihn, the F. A. Hihn Company, and related corporate enterprises: the Capitola-Hihn Company, the Santa Cruz Rail Road Company, the Santa Cruz Water Co., the Valencia-Hihn Co., artifacts, correspondence, documents, memorabilia and photographs of the Hihn and Younger families. Many of these donations await processing beyond the initial inventory.
Librarian Emeritus Stanley D. Stevens provides reference assistance, directs the work of Archive Assistants, coordinates the receipt of gifts of material and other contributions, and is the compiler-editor of publications related to the subjects of the Archive. The Coordinator may be reached as follows: Stanley D. Stevens (home phone: 831-475-9172 or E-mail: sstevens@library.ucsc.edu)
These collections are being inventoried, described, and organized for use by the public. Research and processing are supported financially by two sources: The Hihn-Younger Archive Fund, for immediate and short-term projects of the Coordinator, and the income from the Louis Edwin Hihn Endowment which supports the acquisition of materials, as well as the compilation, publication, and distribution of publications about F. A. Hihn, the Correspondence of Charles Bruce Younger (Senior and Junior), and related subjects. Contributions to the Hihn-Younger Archive Fund enable the University Library to hire Archive Assistants to transcribe and index the collections.