They were huge flying boats named after the great sailing ships that in the 1800’s sailed the oceans of the world. The luxurious Pan American”Clipper” planes of the 1930’s took cargo, mail and passengers around the world in what was, for its time, considered a daring and pioneering feat. Pan American’s Treasure Island terminal and lagoon became the home port […]
One cool thing about living near the course of the American River is that it doesn’t take too much searching to find bedrock mortar sites. I’ve come across Indian grinding holes along both sides of Lake Natoma, on the shores of Folsom Lake, and on the banks of the South Fork of the American River. It never fails to thrill […]
California schoolkids learn all about the history of our state when they reach the fourth grade, and that includes the California missions. Throughout the three centuries since their construction, these 21 historic California missions have experienced destruction from fires, earthquakes, and neglect. Only this week the San Gabriel Mission in Los Angeles was devastated by a fire in the sanctuary. […]
I’ve developed a serious appreciation for mules ever since reading Rinker Buck‘s book The Oregon Trail, in which he describes how he and his brother traversed the 2,000 miles from Kansas City, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon, in a covered wagon pulled by three unforgettable mules — Jake, Beck, and Bute. So I couldn’t help enjoying this episode of California’s Gold, […]
Not all of the “gold mines” in California were actual gold mines! For more than 100 years, there was plenty of money to be made retrieving and refining the quicksilver necessary to processing gold, and in this episode of California’s Gold Huell learns something about the lives of the people who helped produce mercury in this once-thriving community. It’s great […]
My entry for Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge this week: Letter R – Needs to have at least six letters the letter R in the word.
If you follow this blog at all, you will know that I share a lot of old family photos, from those dating back to the early 1950s when my Dad was stationed in Japan to ones I shot myself in the 1980s and 1990s. So when I stumbled across this one-hour episode of California’s Gold, I knew I had to […]
A couple of weeks ago I posted an image of the Bayley house, a historic brick structure that sits beside Highway 49 not far from the town of Cool in El Dorado County. Last Friday, I went back for a closer look. Although the property is currently fenced off and seems abandoned, various attempts at restoration have been ongoing since […]
A few days ago I happened to see an episode of the Science Channel show Mysteries of the Abandoned, and they had a segment about the Salton Sea and the ghost town of Bombay Beach. The story seemed vaguely familiar — and then I remembered that Huell had featured the area in a couple of different episodes. I’m pretty sure […]