Cheryl Anne Stapp
California: What's in a Name?
Many American states derived their names from native American Indian words, some from European monarchs; a few from early French or...
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California's Olden Golden Days
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Feb 73 min
Pirate Invades Monterey
In 1818, while the future Republic of Mexico and other Spanish-owned regions in South America were fighting a war of independence against...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jan 311 min
New Year Traditions
In the bygone days of the 19th century, Californians celebrated the coming of a new year much like we do today, with parties, games,...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jan 242 min
Gold Discovery Anniversary
Today, January 24, 2024, is the anniversary of the California gold discovery, an event that changed the known world 176 years ago. On a...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jan 173 min
1994 LA Earthquake
It remains one of the lesser-known neighborhoods in the huge San Fernando Valley— a sprawling vale that contains both city and county...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jan 32 min
To the Gold Mines by Sea
For the frenzied gold rushers who traveled to the California gold mines by sea, the voyage itself was truly a great adventure … just not...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 27, 20231 min
New Year 2024
NEXT SUNDAY NIGHT WE BID FAREWELL TO 2023 AND WELCOME THE NEW YEAR 2024 IN FAMILIAR, TIME-HONORED WAYS: WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY, WE TOAST...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 20, 20232 min
The Pioneers Brought Santa
The Americans who trekked to California in covered wagons in the 1840s and later made that arduous journey because they wanted to find a...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 13, 20232 min
Tokens for Christmas
During the chaotic early days of the California Gold Rush, the majority of the population were men who were far from home, seeking their...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Dec 6, 20235 min
Lost Love in the Early 20th Century
How much does it cost to ruin romance? Substantial money, apparently, because that’s what four women hoped to gain in 1914-15 when each...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Nov 29, 20233 min
Agriculture & Art at the Mid-Point
It is famous for its raisins, for its geographic centrality midway between northern and southern California; and as a gateway to...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Nov 15, 20232 min
Murphys
Most of them are still there, lining tree-shadowed Main Street, and still in operation: the now-historic structures that were built in...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Nov 8, 20234 min
Mountain of Gold
They said it was the greatest gold discovery since James Marshall’s original discovery at Coloma in 1848. In November 1855, following the...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Nov 1, 20233 min
Taylor's Pioneer Paper Mill
He turned out to be one of the lucky gold rushers . . . though it can certainly be said that he made his own luck. Three-plus years after...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Oct 25, 20232 min
Goin' Upriver to the Gold Mines
In 1849, gold rushers who went West by sea still had to travel upriver to reach the interior gold regions, after their ship landed at San...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Oct 18, 20232 min
Shipboard Grub
The stampede from America’s Atlantic Coast started in early December, 1848, when President James Polk publicly confirmed that the gold...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Oct 11, 20234 min
Battle of Natividad
The Mexican-American War came to Pacific shores in July 1846, when U. S. Navy warships invaded the seaports at Monterey and San Francisco...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Sep 27, 20233 min
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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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Sep 20, 20232 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, 20233 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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