Cheryl Anne StappJun 102 minChasing Horse ThievesHorse thieves harassed Californians for well over 100 years. Horse stealing began in the late 18th century, when Spanish missionaries and...
Cheryl Anne StappApr 22 minPegleg's Lost MineFew things inflame men’s imaginations as the idea of a hidden fortune in gold— so the tale of Pegleg Smith and his lost gold mine has con...
Cheryl Anne StappFeb 121 minMexican Pioneer Don Ignacio MartinezMartinez, California, and the adjacent town of Pinole, date their names, indeed their very existence, back to the days of Mexican rule. B...
Cheryl Anne StappDec 4, 20191 minSacramento's First SettlerSwiss immigrant John Augustus Sutter arrived in the Sacramento Valley in 1839, when California was still a province of Mexico. As a forei...
Cheryl Anne StappOct 23, 20191 minYankee Ships Capture Pacific TradeShortly after the close of the American Revolution, Boston whalers began navigating in California waters, hunting the prized sea otter. M...
Cheryl Anne StappOct 16, 20192 minPattie's Tall TaleAre tall tales accepted as fact just because the story is published in a memoir—and therefore, “must be” true? Consider the smallpox scen...
Cheryl Anne StappSep 18, 20191 minCalifornia's Original Southern BorderDuring the three hundred-plus years Spain claimed ownership of California by right of conquest, Spain’s official religion took a part in ...
Cheryl Anne StappSep 12, 20191 minThe Republic of Mexico Acquires CaliforniaMexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821—in general (though the specifics were different) for much the same political and econom...
