Cheryl Anne Stapp

The Americans who trekked to California in covered wagons made that arduous journey because they wanted to find a better life for...

Whether they came to California overland or by sea in 1849, hordes of predominately young men were joyfully exuberant, for they were...

Genuine settlers might have been the minority of the California Gold Rush-era population, but in the years before the gold discovery...

The press treated the accident as a sensation—and why not? All the elements were there: women of ill-repute, stampeding horses, and a...

Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving Day with friends, family, and a table loaded with the traditional fare: roast turkey with all the...

During the centuries it belonged to Spain, and the few decades it was a province of Mexico, California had no homestead laws that gave...

California’s north-south cultural split began as early as 1821, the year Mexico won its independence from Spain and acquired the province...

Quilt making in the nineteenth century was more than just the home-crafted production of usable warm bedding: it was more often than not...

Thanks to abundant product and clever ad campaigns from the 1890s forward, Death Valley, California, is arguably the world’s most famous...

In the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, California existed in a state of political limbo. The peace treaty, signed in February 1848...

Traveling medicine shows that peddled miracle cures were common in 19th century America, especially in the western states. Part...

There is no doubt that Americans have a passion for cheese: in snacks, sandwiches and main dishes. Why, Crayola even named one of its...

As Civil War hostilities rapidly escalated in July 1861—and United States Army personnel stationed in California left for eastern...

One hundred fifteen years ago last Sunday, on April 18, 1906—a Wednesday—a devastating earthquake struck the northern coast of California...

Nineteenth century singles had limited ways in which to meet someone to marry, especially those singles who lived in rural areas. This...

Praised as the most delightful first-person account of California’s gold mines, The Shirley Letters is a collection of 23 letters written...

In her own lifetime Eliza Farnham was nationally known as an author, and as an exceptional woman on the leading edge of several social...

Valentine’s Day was not completely unnoticed in gold-crazed California, although females—only 8 percent of the statewide population in...

Although it was the second newspaper published in California, the California Star was the first newspaper published in San Francisco. Its...

During the early, chaotic days of the California Gold Rush, New Year’s Eve celebrations were mostly improvised: lonesome men in out-back...