Category Archives: Uncategorized

I am available to speak to groups and classes about California history and my books. I have a few presentations lined up — maybe you can make it to one of them. Saturday, March 5th at 10 a.m. at the … Continue reading →

There are some fabulous images from the Gold Rush, and this is one of them. It’s so crowded with activity and life, even though the daguerreotypist must have told them to stand as still as possible. Look at the variety … Continue reading →

Delilah L. Beasley tells this story in her ground-breaking book The Negro Trail Blazers of California: Robert Anthony came with his master to Sacramento, California, in 1852, from St. Louis, Missouri, by ox team across the plains. Two years to … Continue reading →

In the great bachelor party that was Gold Rush California, women were scarce. Here’s a cartoon of the era that gives an idea of how rare and sought-after a pretty young lady could be. Do any of those men look … Continue reading →

Happy Birthday to President Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12, 1809. I remember when this day was a school holiday, but now it has been absorbed into Presidents’ Day. It’s still a good day to remember this great leader. John … Continue reading →

The Gold Rush brought men from all over the world to California. About 2000 of those men were black Americans — both enslaved and free. One group of African American miners banded together and called their mine the “Sweet Vengeance … Continue reading →

And wouldn’t I love to browse in that one. Something for everyone, including musical instruments, at the Pioneer Book Store on Montgomery Street in San Francisco. The image is from the “Robert B. Honeyman, Jr. Collection of Early Californian and … Continue reading →

We get a glimpse of Chico in the 1860s from a profile of John Bidwell published in the San Jose Mercury on April 7th, 1864. It was written by John C. McPherson, whom Bancroft described as “a Scotchman of good … Continue reading →

A cold, clear morning in January 1848. Jim Marshall goes out early to check the tailrace of the sawmill that he is building for John Sutter on the American River. The night before he had turned the water from the … Continue reading →