Pío de Jesus Pico influences California history for most of the 19th Century. Born in 1801, he is 31 years old when appointed governor —…
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Stories about the lives and landscapes of California
On December 18, 1879, One-Eyed Charley, one of the legendary stagecoach drivers of early California, dies of tongue cancer. As locals prepare the body for…
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On December 6, 1887, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues a patent for Dam and Reservoir Construction to Harriet Russell Strong, Whittier walnut farmer…
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It is late summer 1839, and John Sutter makes his first journey up the Sacramento River to establish a fortified colony that will be the…
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Emily Pitts Stevens occupies a hallowed position in the pantheon of early suffrage advocates in California. As a 25-year-old teacher of night classes for working women…
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“For the first time in the history of this nation a political party has chosen a Negro woman for the second highest office in the…
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On October 24, 1884, Marietta Stow declares her candidacy for vice president of the United States on the Equal Rights Party ticket, during a speech…
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In 1961, José Sarria runs for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and becomes the first openly gay candidate to run for…
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The oldest son of Chinese immigrants, vaudeville performer Lee Tung Foo is born on April 23, 1875 in Watsonville where his family owns a laundry…
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Miriam Matthews, often referred to as the “Dean of Los Angeles Black History,” is the first African American librarian in California. She’s hired as a…
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