A couple of days ago I stumbled upon a news article describing the history of Sacramento’s Japantown and how it was basically erased in the period following World War 2. I was amazed to learn that at one time there were more than 30 flourishing Japantowns throughout California — now there are only three, in San Francisco, San Jose, and […]
The area around Santa Cruz has seen plenty of changes over the decades, and the latest bit of change means saying goodbye to the beloved pier at Seacliff State Beach (seen in the photo above). It’s due to be demolished any day now because of heavy storm damage that occurred earlier this year. Although it appears only briefly in this […]
This is another one of those episodes of California’s Gold that I could have sworn I’ve already featured. Mono Lake is certainly a fascinating, beautiful, and unique feature, one that I can’t say I’ve ever visited, but it’s definitely been in the news at various points throughout my lifetime, given the delicate nature of its ecosystem and the importance of […]
This Classic episode of California’s Gold first aired back in 1998. This wasn’t Huell’s only visit to the area; two years later he returned to explore Under Lake Arrowhead in an episode which I previously featured in 2018. The Arrowhead Resort reached the height of fame and glamour many decades ago, and since then has been somewhat in decline. After […]
In this California’s Gold Classic episode from early 1995 Huell takes a trip out to the Death Valley Ranch — better known as Scotty’s Castle. Even though I visited Death Valley with my family as a young child, I don’t have any memories of seeing this amazing mansion. I do have a memory, from a few years later, of spending […]
Back in August 2018 I was pretty thrilled to see the small group of buffalo in the Bison Paddock at Golden Gate Park; there have been American bison living in the park ever since the 1890s, and their existence even helped to bring the species back from the brink of extinction. In this Classic episode of California’s Gold from 1991, […]
I happened to catch this Classic episode of California’s Gold the other day on television. It’s great to be able to hear the memories of people who were on the spot when these structures were first built and used; and that includes Huell, who clearly had his own experience with quonset huts. As for the origin of the word quonset, […]
I chose to feature this Classic episode of California’s Gold, first aired in 1992, because I recently saw an Instagram post by California State Parks highlighting the town of Allensworth as part of Black History Month. One thing that struck me during this episode was the number of people who said they had only recently learned of Col. Allensworth and […]
I swear I’m not trying to drop any hints, but since Valentine’s Day is coming up next Monday (yes, that soon!) I thought today would be a good time to feature this Classic episode of California’s Gold. Although the historic Polk Street location is no longer a See’s Candy store, you can still find three retail outlets within San Francisco. […]