There’s yet another group that wants to split up California. Their idea is gaining traction, and enough people signed a statewide petition to get the measure on the November ballot. This isn’t the only effort to split the state. In fact, the man behind this particular campaign tried to do this before, back …
Category: California History
The California Trail
If you’re driving to or from California this summer, you’re following one of the great wagon trails left by our forefathers. Consider taking a little time along the way to learn about the route and the intrepid travelers that built this nation. Most of the California emigrants took the northern route from St. Louis …
An Unlikely Hero of the West
When we think of Western heroes, there’s a slew of them to consider. Men like Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Juan Bautista de Anza, or Crazy Horse - all were larger than life and stand tall in the history of our land. There’s one more to add to that list. He’s an unlikely candidate, a Catholic …
The Emperor of the United States
California is known for some pretty odd characters. It started in the early days; the crazy time of the 49’ers brought out some outrageous personalities. One of the biggest was Joshua Abraham Norton - The Emperor of the United States. Norton was an Englishman that grew up in South Africa. He was a successful …
The Flames in Glen Ellen
One of my favorite places in the world is a little town called Glen Ellen. It’s just a wide spot in the road, a way-stop on a 2 lane highway that cuts through the hills of northern California. There’s a lodge, a restaurant and bar, next to a general store. Down a side road …
Owens Valley Fights Back
There’s a long painful history in the Owens Valley, of an area that has one major landlord who could care less about the people who live there. That landlord is the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and they stepped over the bounds again in their treatment of Inyo County - and this …
Drought Busted?
After all these years of drought, it’s strange to hear the dire forecasts of the last week - the words ‘atmospheric river’ create a powerful mental image of a flood of rain flowing up from the south Pacific. It’s a so much better of a phrase than ‘Pineapple Express’, which sounds to me like a train owned and operated by the Del Monte corporation.
