Author Archives: nancyleek

I am getting around to some wonderful North State communities in the next few months. I love to talk to folks about history and am always happy to give presentations or sign books. Here’s what I have on my calendar: … Continue reading →

Last May I posted about a visit to Shasta State Historic Park, but at the time the Courthouse Museum was not open. Well, guess what? It’s open now, Thursday through Sunday. It’s a great time to visit. We went there … Continue reading →

The Society of California Pioneers has an online exhibit of a fabulous panorama of San Francisco Bay in 1853. Take a look. The panorama is a series of five photographs taken by William Shew. The first panel shows a collection … Continue reading →

Sebastian Keyser was granted Rancho Llano Seco in 1844 but he never lived there and never made improvements on the land. Why did he take title to a piece of land he never intended to use? No one knows. But … Continue reading →

Sebastian Keyser was a native of Austria and a rough-and-ready mountain man in the employ of the Hudson Bay Company when he met John Sutter in 1838. Sutter was making his way to the Oregon Territory when he met Keyser … Continue reading →

August 5th marks the 203rd birthday of John Bidwell, California pioneer and founder of Chico.  So wish him a “Happy Birthday!” (wherever he is), and maybe pay a visit to his home, Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park, sometime soon. It … Continue reading →

Considered the first ever American comic book, Journey to the Gold Diggins, by Jeremiah Saddlebags, is a humorous look at the California Gold Rush. It was written and illustrated by J. A. and D. F. Read (James Alexander and Donald … Continue reading →

My interview with Nancy Wiegman on Nancy’s Bookshelf was broadcast today on NSPR 91.7 FM. You can listen in by going to the NSPR Nancy’s Bookshelf webpage. Nancy interviewed me about my new book about black pioneer Alvin Coffey. You … Continue reading →