Transportation

California's Olden Golden Days

Cheryl Anne Stapp

Aug 14, 20242 min read

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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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

Jan 3, 20242 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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