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
- 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 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
- 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 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 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 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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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Apr 26
- 1 min
The Blacksmiths
The mighty smith of folklore was the blacksmith, who worked with iron and steel and whose hammer wielded more force than his fellow...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Apr 19
- 3 min
Sarah's Grand, Mysterious House
Seen from the outside, Winchester Mystery House is an enormous, grand jumble of fanciful turrets and spires. Inside, the sprawling...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Mar 15
- 2 min
Inventor Harriet Russell Strong
Harriet Russell Strong was a brilliant woman who overcame personal heartbreak and financial catastrophe to become an agriculturist, a...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Jan 18
- 3 min
The First Californians
Many centuries before European explorers found California—for at least 10,000 and possibly as many as 20,000 years—an indigenous people...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Jan 11
- 2 min
Reform Dress for Ladies
The upstart new style in ladies’ fashions was quite unconventional. Yet it was seen everywhere across America throughout the 1850s...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Dec 28, 2022
- 2 min
Noisy New Year's Eve 1922
There’s something about the coming of a new year that inspires us to symbolically shed the ups and downs of the past twelve months and...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Dec 21, 2022
- 1 min
Old Fashioned Christmas Dinner
Merry Christmas, everyone! May your holiday be a joyous one with family and friends. What are you having for Christmas dinner? A big...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Dec 7, 2022
- 2 min
Her Crowning Glory
In July 1849, as hordes of gold-rushing men were swarming into California, a French hairdresser arrived in San Francisco and immediately...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
- Nov 23, 2022
- 1 min
Tomorrow, A Day of Thanks
President Abraham Lincoln decreed Thanksgiving as an official national holiday in 1863. Before then, New England and other regions...
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