Cheryl Anne Stapp6 days ago1 minDog Town DiggingsMore than one gold rush mining camp was dubbed “dog town” by its inhabitants—miner’s slang for coarse, thrown-together encampments of...
Cheryl Anne StappMar 93 minAn Ordinary WomanTeenaged Eliza Marshall emigrated with her family from England to the United States in 1839. They settled in Pawtucket, in the section of...
Cheryl Anne StappFeb 23 minStriking Gold in Angels CampMark Twain said he based his short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” on what he thought, at the time, was a...
Cheryl Anne StappJan 263 minGolden IslandNot long after Marshall’s January 24th gold discovery at Coloma, three men stumbled upon a second gold find downriver—which became one of...
Cheryl Anne StappJan 192 minThe Luckless Gold DiscovererOn a chilly winter day 174 years ago this month, a construction site foreman named James Marshall picked up a few small flakes of gold...
Cheryl Anne StappDec 15, 20212 minChristmas in the Gold Mines, 1849Whether they came to California overland or by sea in 1849, hordes of predominately young men were joyfully exuberant, for they were...
Cheryl Anne StappNov 3, 20213 minEarly & Ongoing Partition TroublesCalifornia’s north-south cultural split began as early as 1821, the year Mexico won its independence from Spain and acquired the province...
Cheryl Anne StappSep 8, 20213 minCreating California's CountiesIn the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, California existed in a state of political limbo. The peace treaty, signed in February 1848...
Cheryl Anne StappAug 18, 20212 minGolden State CheeseThere is no doubt that Americans have a passion for cheese: in snacks, sandwiches and main dishes. Why, Crayola even named one of its...
Cheryl Anne StappAug 11, 20212 minThe Sloughhouse GraveyardJared Sheldon, a carpenter by trade, officially received a Mexican land grant of 22,130 acres along the Cosumnes River in 1844—in payment...
Cheryl Anne StappJul 28, 20212 minThe Splendid California Stage CompanyThe California Gold Rush revitalized the stagecoach industry, which was waning in New England by the end of the 1840s, due to the rise of...
Cheryl Anne StappJun 23, 20213 minSteamboats on the RiversDuring the California Gold Rush, a number of steam-powered ships chugged up and down between San Francisco Bay and the major northern...
Cheryl Anne StappJun 2, 20212 minCharley's SecretSo many legends surround the nineteenth century stage driver Charley Parkhurst that it’s difficult now to separate fact from fiction. In...
Cheryl Anne StappMay 26, 20213 minBayley's Grand DreamThe palatial hotel that A. J. Bayley built long ago in California’s gold country still stands, though it’s empty now, and encircled by a...
Cheryl Anne StappApr 14, 20212 minBad Odds for BachelorsNineteenth century singles had limited ways in which to meet someone to marry, especially those singles who lived in rural areas. This...
Cheryl Anne StappMar 31, 20213 minVirginia Reed MurphyVirginia Reed was twelve when her parents and younger siblings set out for California from their Illinois home in April 1846, traveling...
Cheryl Anne StappMar 24, 20213 minDame Shirley's Gold MinePraised as the most delightful first-person account of California’s gold mines, The Shirley Letters is a collection of 23 letters written...
Cheryl Anne StappMar 17, 20213 minMargaret Frink, Pioneer HousewifeIn the spring of 1850—bedazzled by sensational reports coming back from the California gold fields—Margaret and Ledyard Frink excitedly...
Cheryl Anne StappMar 3, 20213 minReformer Eliza FarnhamIn her own lifetime Eliza Farnham was nationally known as an author, and as an exceptional woman on the leading edge of several social...
Cheryl Anne StappFeb 10, 20212 minGold Rush ValentinesValentine’s Day was not completely unnoticed in gold-crazed California, although females—only 8 percent of the statewide population in...