Modesto History uses linked sources to support its articles and provides the following information about its visual references. Historical records, reference photographs, and editorial illustrations serve different purposes. Their context matters when interpreting what appears on a page.
Sources for the Stories
Article links point to the specific sources used for factual claims. The launch collection draws on the City of Modesto, the Modesto Irrigation District, the National Park Service, local museums, Lucasfilm, and the Library of Congress.
- City of Modesto historical overview
- Modesto Irrigation District water history
- McHenry Mansion National Register record
- McHenry Museum and Historical Society
- Lucasfilm’s American Graffiti production history
- Peter Krämer’s American Graffiti essay, published by the Library of Congress
Modesto Arch Architectural Reference
The arch’s architectural reference is Modesto Arch.JPG by Carl Skaggs, photographed on January 14, 2010 and made available through Wikimedia Commons. The source photograph was released into the public domain by its creator. It informed the depiction of the structure in this site’s editorial imagery.
McHenry Mansion Reference and Image License
The McHenry Mansion illustrations use Mc Henry Mansion 01.JPG by Miguel Hermoso Cuesta, photographed on April 3, 2015, as a reference. The source is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
The three mansion illustrations supplied with the site adapt the reference through changes to framing, lighting, and visual rendering. These adapted illustrations are distributed under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Attribution applies to the source photograph and does not imply that the photographer endorses Modesto History.
Then & Now and Other Editorial Images
The early and contemporary downtown scenes in the Then & Now comparison are illustrative scenes used to demonstrate visual comparison. They are not dated historical records or a documented pair of photographs taken from the same location.
Other visuals are original editorial illustrations created to support the subjects discussed. Period clothing, vehicles, furnishings, and streetscapes provide visual context; they do not establish that a specific event occurred or document the exact appearance of a place on a particular date. The article sources provide the basis for historical claims.