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California's Olden Golden Days
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 25, 20241 min read
Christmas 2024
WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 18, 20242 min read
Christmas 1880
In California, and probably much of the nation, the 1880 Christmas season was a welcome return to the norm of years past. Said the...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 11, 20242 min read
Christmas 1870
Christmas Day 1870 was a bit unusual, in that it could be celebrated on either one of two days (or both, according to individual whim)....
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Nov 13, 20242 min read
A Day of Thanks
Two weeks from tomorrow, we celebrate our national Thanksgiving Day.
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Oct 30, 20244 min read
Gold Rush Ghosts
California does have its share of ghosts, perhaps because of its turbulent, sometimes violent, gold rush era. All of the ghosts listed here,
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Oct 16, 20243 min read
Spiritualism in the 19th Century
Its detractors said it was fraudulent; said it was some sort of diabolical magic. Said it was witchcraft. Nevertheless,...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jul 31, 20243 min read
Calistoga's Spas Origins
For centuries, the Upper Napa Valley was home to several villages of indigenous people, hunter-gatherers who recognized the beneficial...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jun 26, 20243 min read
First Transcontinental Railroad
Dropped into a pre-drilled hole and gently tapped into place, a 17.6-karat golden spike ceremoniously joined the Central Pacific Railroad...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Mar 27, 20243 min read
Mary Pickford
In a career that spanned several decades, her various nicknames included “Goldielocks,” “The Girl with the Curls,” and most of all,...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Mar 20, 20242 min read
Architect Lilian J. Rice
She died young but her influence endures, not least because several of her works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Mar 6, 20243 min read
Poet Laureate Ina Coolbrith
She was a poet, an editor, a teacher, a librarian, and a prominent figure in San Francisco’s literary community in the 19th and early...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jan 31, 20241 min read
New Year Traditions
In the bygone days of the 19th century, Californians celebrated the coming of a new year much like we do today, with parties, games,...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 20, 20232 min read
The Pioneers Brought Santa
The Americans who trekked to California in covered wagons in the 1840s and later made that arduous journey because they wanted to find a...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 13, 20232 min read
Tokens for Christmas
During the chaotic early days of the California Gold Rush, the majority of the population were men who were far from home, seeking their...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 6, 20235 min read
Lost Love in the Early 20th Century
How much does it cost to ruin romance? Substantial money, apparently, because that’s what four women hoped to gain in 1914-15 when each...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Nov 29, 20233 min read
Agriculture & Art at the Mid-Point
It is famous for its raisins, for its geographic centrality midway between northern and southern California; and as a gateway to...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Oct 18, 20232 min read
Shipboard Grub
The stampede from America’s Atlantic Coast started in early December, 1848, when President James Polk publicly confirmed that the gold...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Sep 27, 20233 min read
Bitter Ambrose Bierce
He is still famous for two reasons - his cynicism and distinctive writing style: dark imagery, with so-called “trick endings” in his...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Sep 20, 20232 min read
Questionable Title
As early as 1850, San Francisco was firmly established as California’s premier commercial center, and its port the greatest maritime...
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