Cheryl Anne Stapp
Gordon's Ferry
Gold was discovered on the American River in January, 1848. By the end of that year, this original gold district had swollen to encompass...
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California's Olden Golden Days
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jul 313 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 263 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
Jan 32 min read
To the Gold Mines by Sea
For the frenzied gold rushers who traveled to the California gold mines by sea, the voyage itself was truly a great adventure … just not...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Feb 15, 20232 min read
The Old Stage Lines
Stagecoach travel in California’s 1850s Gold Rush era— and beyond—was no sedate buggy ride in the park. Passengers frequently complained...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Feb 8, 20232 min read
Fatal Contest
Haste was the imperative to bedazzled gold-rushers, men near-frantic to get to the gold fields and stake their claim on a promising slice...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Nov 30, 20222 min read
Calamity in Jackson
Years after the railroad came to Ione, the stagecoach was still a primary transportation mode in Amador County, and horses used for...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jul 27, 20222 min read
Historic Riverboat
It’s a hotel, restaurant and special events facility permanently moored at the Old Sacramento Riverfront now, but ninety-odd years ago...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jun 8, 20223 min read
The Sacramento: River of Gold
At 447 miles in length the Sacramento River is the longest river that flows through California, with a watershed that encompasses more...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jun 1, 20223 min read
Ocean Shore Railroad
In May 1905, the public was thrilled when newspapers announced that a new enterprise was to build a railroad on a scenic route between...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
May 11, 20222 min read
Foiled Intrigue
Perhaps it’s only myth or legend (for sure, certain story elements are questionable), but nonetheless it’s a romantic tale, published as...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Apr 27, 20222 min read
Legendary Hank Monk
Gregarious, quick of mind and firm of hand on the reins, stage driver Hank Monk was a legend in his own lifetime—revered across the West...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Apr 19, 20223 min read
Serving California by Sea
In the Age of Sail, not everyone who entered California’s harbors came to settle. In the early 1820s, the ships of many nations began...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jan 12, 20222 min read
The Pretty Girl Stage Driver
The stage arrived in Oroville right on time that morning in October 1893; yet at the first sight of it, the townsfolk were astounded....
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 1, 20213 min read
Accident on the Cliff House Road
The press treated the accident as a sensation—and why not? All the elements were there: women of ill-repute, stampeding horses, and a...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Nov 17, 20213 min read
He Robbed the Wrong Woman
The old mining town in Nevada County is gone now, but Red Dog had its heyday in the 1860s, when the place had nearly two thousand...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Sep 22, 20213 min read
Icon of Days Gone By
Thanks to abundant product and clever ad campaigns from the 1890s forward, Death Valley, California, is arguably the world’s most famous...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Sep 15, 20212 min read
Stagecoach Accidents
Oftentimes, stagecoach accidents resulted in lawsuits for injuries received. This one, Sprague vs. Dillon, went to trial in San...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jul 28, 20212 min read
The Splendid California Stage Company
The California Gold Rush revitalized the stagecoach industry, which was waning in New England by the end of the 1840s, due to the rise of...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jun 23, 20213 min read
Steamboats on the Rivers
During the California Gold Rush, a number of steam-powered ships chugged up and down between San Francisco Bay and the major northern...
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