Cheryl Anne Stapp
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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California's Olden Golden Days
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Sep 20
- 2 min
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
- 3 min
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
- 3 min
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
- 3 min
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
- 2 min
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
- 2 min
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
- 3 min
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
- 3 min
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
- 2 min
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
- 2 min
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
- 1 min
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
- 2 min
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
- 3 min
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
- 2 min
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
- 3 min
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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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- May 24
- 4 min
Island Goats
There were no animals of any kind on the rocky island when explorer Sebastian Vizcaino stopped there in 1602, naming it Santa Catalina in...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- May 17
- 2 min
Auspicious Beginnings
Within a few months, the 1848 gold discovery turned pastoral California into a hotbed of mining and commercial activity. Seemingly...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- May 10
- 1 min
A Very Rare Gemstone
This gemstone—rarer than diamonds—is only found in San Benito County, California. Sometimes called the “blue diamond,” Benitoite...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- May 3
- 2 min
Civilizing Influences
In 1849, California’s Gold Rush population, statewide, was 92% male. As reported in the Eastern press, the state of affairs in that...
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