Cheryl Anne Stapp
The Barbary Coast
San Francisco’s infamous Barbary Coast began as Sydney-Town as early as mid-1849, so named for the glut of escaped or released men from...
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California's Olden Golden Days
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Aug 30, 20233 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 23, 20232 min
Unlikely Soulmates
Sometimes strong bonds of affection develop between members of the animal kingdom. A case in point is the 1855 story of Nevada City...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Aug 16, 20232 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
Aug 9, 20233 min
Animal Cruelty Curtailed
History books rarely say anything about it, but the pioneers who trekked overland in the 1840s seeking a better life in the West brought...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jul 26, 20233 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, 20232 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 12, 20232 min
Rise & Decline of Sutterville
It was supposed to be the realization of a dream: a dynamic new town laid out on a low bluff overlooking the Sacramento River, where a...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jul 5, 20231 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 21, 20232 min
Sunkist Growers
There have been citrus groves in California since the late 18th century, when the Spanish mission-builders brought seeds with them from...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
Jun 14, 20233 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, 20232 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 31, 20233 min
Outposts on the California Trail
The intrepid individuals who traveled 2,000 miles overland from the Missouri frontier to California in the 1840s had very few waystations...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
May 24, 20234 min
Island Goats
There were no animals of any kind on the rocky island when explorer Sebastian Vizcaino stopped there in 1602, naming it Santa Catalina in...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
May 17, 20232 min
Auspicious Beginnings
Within a few months, the 1848 gold discovery turned pastoral California into a hotbed of mining and commercial activity. Seemingly...
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Cheryl Anne Stapp
May 10, 20231 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, 20232 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, 20231 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, 20233 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
Apr 5, 20232 min
Reality Check
California suffered its first painful economic readjustment in the mid-1850s, although the many reasons for it were not readily apparent...
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