California-1938: A River With A Dam And White Water Rapids

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Year1938
Decade1930s
LocationCalifornia, United States
Duration6s
Price$149 USD
Collection1938 California

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

A River With A Dam And White Water Rapids — Clip Details

A vintage 8mm home movie from 1938 captures a wide river flowing through a rugged, arid landscape in California. A low dam or weir creates a series of white water rapids across the river, with dark rocks and a small island visible in the foreground. The background features a large, barren hillside covered in scrub brush, under a hazy sky. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 film grain, color shifts, and a slightly soft focus, conveying a nostalgic, archival feel of mid-20th century American nature footage.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Exterior
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 6s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 127417671

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Commercial Direct license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

No recognizable people, logos, or music are flagged. Lower-risk for commercial use, subject to your own review.

People visible: No
Logos / trademarks: No
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel 1153 · 8mm · 5″ reel
Original reel label: bucks lake,lake tahoe,emerald bay,martins lodge
Reel-level year note: 1938
Reel-level location note: california
Date: 1938 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level note shows the same year, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Location: California, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level location note is linked, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

View source reel context Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: 1930s California home-movie river scenery for documentary inserts about water, landscape, infrastructure, or travel in the American West.
Period detail: The footage may show a 1938 visitor view of a broad California river, with a low dam or weir and arid hills visible beyond the water.
Home-movie behavior: The camera holds a simple scenic view from a distance, preserving an unstaged traveler or family-film observation of water moving through the landscape.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a wide river, white water below a low dam, dark rock formations, a small island or gravel bar, dry hills, and soft hazy sky.
Film character: The 8mm scan has soft focus, visible grain, slight color fading, frame-edge darkness, and modest handheld instability consistent with small-gauge home movies.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a brief cutaway, transition, or memory beat for California river landscapes, water control, or rural travel sequences.
Historical context: The clip offers visual context for a prewar California river scene, showing water, rugged terrain, and modest infrastructure without identifying a specific landmark.
Research note: No people, logos, or clear private property are visible, but users should still assess copyright status and location or property questions for their project.
Research search match: Useful search matches include 1930s California river 8mm footage, vintage dam rapids home movie, and arid western landscape water scene.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then other 1938 California water or landscape scenes, then broader vintage river and dam footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1938 California 8mm frame showing a broad river, white water below a low dam, dark rocks, and barren hills beyond. — A distant river view shows white water spilling below a low dam or weir, with dry hills behind it.

Wide 1938 California river scene with white water, a low dam or weir, dark rock outcrops, and scrub-covered hills. — White water spreads across the river below the low structure, framed by dark rocks and a dry hillside.

1938 California home-movie frame showing a river below a low dam, with foaming water, rocks, and a small island in front. — The camera catches the river from a slightly shifted angle, with rocks and a small island visible near the rapids.

Final 1938 California 8mm frame of white water below a low river dam, with dark rocks, a small island, and dry hills behind. — A final wide view holds on the white water, dark rocks, and island below the low dam or weir.

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