Monthly Archives: May 2022

My Book about Alvin Coffey

I have been out peddling my book around town. So far I have placed it at Made in Chico, ABC Books, Bidwell Supply Co., the Chico History Museum, and the Bidwell Mansion gift shop. Those places are all in Chico … Continue reading

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Yay! My books are here!

I just picked up my shipment of Alvin Coffey: The True Story of an African American Forty-Niner. It’s real! It’s here! Would you like to get a copy? Boy, do I have them. I will soon have it on Amazon … Continue reading

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On the Nobles Emigrant Trail

Last Sunday I enjoyed a field trip on a portion of the Nobles Emigrant Trail. This trail, first developed by William Nobles in 1852, proved to be a desirable alternative to the rigors of the Lassen Trail. It brought gold-seekers … Continue reading

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More about Phoebe Colburn

When Phoebe Colburn died in 1876 she left her dresses to a niece in Mobile, Alabama, and her considerable estate, some $3000, “to her best friend of all others on earth”, Col. William Magee. Phoebe Colburn probably met William Magee … Continue reading

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Phoebe Colburn

Phoebe Colburn is buried in Shasta Pioneer Cemetery. She is known to have been a free person of color who succeeded in the rough-and-tumble world of the California Gold Rush. What can we find out about her? Her tombstone spells … Continue reading

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A Visit to Shasta State Historic Park

On Sunday I visited Shasta State Historic Park along with a group of trail enthusiasts from the Oregon-California Trail Association. We were in Anderson for a “Spring Symposium” and our field trip was to drive 40 or so miles on … Continue reading

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A Forty-Niner Daguerreotype

I am always on the lookout for illustrations of life in Gold Rush California, and what I like best are authentic photographs or drawings from the period. Whenever I do a picture book set in California history, I have to … Continue reading

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