California's Olden Golden Days

Cheryl Anne Stapp

Nov 1, 20233 min read

Taylor's Pioneer Paper Mill

He turned out to be one of the lucky gold rushers . . . though it can certainly be said that he made his own luck. Three-plus years after...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Oct 25, 20232 min read

Goin' Upriver to the Gold Mines

In 1849, gold rushers who went West by sea still had to travel upriver to reach the interior gold regions, after their ship landed at San...

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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

Oct 11, 20234 min read

Battle of Natividad

The Mexican-American War came to Pacific shores in July 1846, when U. S. Navy warships invaded the seaports at Monterey and San Francisco...

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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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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Sep 13, 20233 min read

Wicked Drinkeries

For almost 70 years in the 19th century, San Francisco contained a unique criminal district which was the scene of much viciousness and...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Sep 6, 20233 min read

The Barbary Coast

San Francisco’s infamous Barbary Coast began as Sydney-Town as early as mid-1849, so named for the glut of escaped or released men from...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Aug 30, 20233 min read

James Lick's Legacy

When he died October 1, 1876, James Lick was the wealthiest man in California. From his deathbed in Lick House—the sumptuous San...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Aug 23, 20232 min read

Unlikely Soulmates

Sometimes strong bonds of affection develop between members of the animal kingdom. A case in point is the 1855 story of Nevada City...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Aug 16, 20232 min read

True Friend to Dogs

Ever since the westward migration of the 1840s and 1850s brought dogs in large numbers to California, stray and abandoned animals have...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Aug 9, 20233 min read

Animal Cruelty Curtailed

History books rarely say anything about it, but the pioneers who trekked overland in the 1840s seeking a better life in the West brought...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Jul 26, 20233 min read

Canine Celebrities

In days long ago, San Francisco had a horrific stray dog problem as hordes of scrapping, feral mutts roamed the city unrestrained. Most...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Jul 19, 20232 min read

State Fair 2023

This year, the California State Fair—touted as the State Fair & Food Festival—runs from July 14 through July 30. As in past years, the...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Jul 12, 20232 min read

Rise & Decline of Sutterville

It was supposed to be the realization of a dream: a dynamic new town laid out on a low bluff overlooking the Sacramento River, where a...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Jul 5, 20231 min read

Old West Aphorisms

We call them Aphorisms: those pointed, succinct, pithy observations through which we express a truth or general wisdom of what is, not...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Jun 21, 20232 min read

Sunkist Growers

There have been citrus groves in California since the late 18th century, when the Spanish mission-builders brought seeds with them from...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Jun 14, 20233 min read

His Excellency Norton I

The self-proclaimed Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, was a colorful citizen of San Francisco from the...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

Jun 7, 20232 min read

The Works of H. H. Bancroft

Hubert Howe Bancroft is one of the most famous names in western America, as the man who became one of the first important and respected...

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Cheryl Anne Stapp

May 31, 20233 min read

Outposts on the California Trail

The intrepid individuals who traveled 2,000 miles overland from the Missouri frontier to California in the 1840s had very few waystations...

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