Yesterday I wrote about two very inspiring men who lived through the forcible relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War 2. Today I’m continuing that theme with this episode of California’s Gold from 2005. Manzanar War Relocation Center was located in the Owens Valley of the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, and although the camp barracks were dismantled long ago, the past […]
I recently finished listening to an audiobook called Enemy Child: The Story of Norman Mineta, written by Andrea Warren. Norman Mineta was born and grew up in San Jose, California; in 1942 he was an 11-year-old Cub Scout when he and his family were sent to Heart Mountain War Relocation Center in Wyoming. After the war his family were very […]
Every time I pass by Auburn’s old courthouse I want to stop and take pictures, but up until now I’ve never managed to actually do it. And even though a few things have changed in Auburn’s historic district since this episode of Road Trip first aired in 2003, watching Huell make the rounds has motivated me all over again. I’m […]
On her first trip back to Iowa in 2000, my mom spent a week and a half getting to know her half-brother, Everett, and his family. There were so many wonderful people to meet, and she also had the chance to revisit some familiar places from the years she spent there as a child. Of course, it still wasn’t nearly […]
I’m not sure where and when I first heard about Bloomer Cut — it may have been at the California State Railroad Museum — but I had been wanting to check it out for quite awhile. I had only a vague idea of its actual location, and I have to admit I didn’t do any real research before setting off […]
I’ve been wanting to visit Malakoff Diggins State Park for a very long time; back in 2017 I actually shared an episode of California’s Gold in which Huell explored the park and marveled at the sight of these cliffs and the machinery that created them. It’s one thing to view photos and quite another to actually stand in the pit […]
This old schoolhouse was built in 1884 by George W. Call, the wealthy rancher and businessman whose family made their home on the Fort Ross property from 1874 until the 1920s. It continued to be used as a school building for many years even after being relocated, and it now sits in the North Meadow at Stillwater Cove Regional Park. […]
Just when you think you know the history of California, along comes another piece of the story that you’ve never heard before! I’m pretty sure every fourth grader has learned about James Marshall’s 1848 discovery of gold in the American River; but the Holcomb Valley gold rush of 1860 was definitely news to me. In this episode of California’s Gold, […]
I’ve been out to Sacramento Bar on the American River quite a few times; but it wasn’t until this morning as I wandered along the maze of dirt trails that I just happened to catch a glimpse of this memorial sign in the shape of a flower. It was nearly hidden from view among the piles of dredger tailings and […]