Governor Juan B. Alvarado, Life in California Under Three Flags
By Robert Ryal Miller

Although Juan Alvarado was California's youngest governor and the only chief executive in the Mexican era to serve his entire six-year term, this colorful figure is little known or remembered today. Written and researched by Robert Ryal Miller, this article is basded upon his just-released book, the first biography of Alvarado.

Stephen Watts Kearny, The Army of the West, And the Battle at San Pasqual
By John W. Robinson

After war broke out between the United States and Mexico General Kearny and the Army of the West left Fort Leavenworth under orders from President Polk to occupy New Mexico and proceed from there to secure California. After occupying Santa Fe they set out for California where they fought in the Battle of San Pasqual.

Mortars, Miners and Forbidden Archeology, A Preliminary Study
By Paul D. Bowman

A recently published book entitled Forbidden Archeaology asserts that “modern” humans have inhabited the earth for millions of years. Paul Bowman re-examines the basis for this theory, stone globular mortars that were discovered in Tertiary gravels by gold miners at Cherokee, California in 1853.

Ordeal of the Sobobas
By John W. Robinson

The Soboba Indians are one of the few tribes that still inhabit their ancestral lands on their 5116-acre reservation in Riverside County. John Robinson examines the repeated attempts to take their lands and how author Helen Hunt Jackson helped them.

Donner Summit Bridge Rededication
Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party Plaque Dedication
August 22, 1998
By Leon Schegg

On August 22, 1998 a large crowd witnessed the rededication of the Donner Summit Bridge and plaque commemorating the first emigrants to cross the Sierra Nevada with their wagons.

The Long March of the Mormon Battalion, 1846-1847
By John W. Robinson

Three weeks after Kearny's Army of the West reached San Diego (See DTQ #35), a second American military contingent completed its long march to California via the southern overland route. The Mormon Battalion reached San Diego on January 29, 1847--too late to engage in battle. California was already conquered. Although they missed the fight, they nevertheless made a noteworthy accomplishment by opening a new wagon road from New Mexico to California.

Elizabeth Leary of Columbia, A Remarkable 19th Century Woman
By Frances A. Rohrbacher

During the decade between 1853 and 1863 Elizabeth Leary survived two disastrous fires, the murder of her husband, financial ruin, betrayal, and victimization by her late husband's supposed friends. A risk taker and an independent woman, Elizabeth was one of California's first married women to take advantage of The Sole Trader's Act of 1852 by starting her own business enterprise.

John Bidwell, Reluctant Indian Fighter, 1852-1856
By Michelle Shover

While dictating his memoirs to his wife Annie, John Bidwell made the statement: “Now with the Indians I never had any trouble.” Although Bidwell dreamed of a ranching empire with happy and contented Indians as his workforce, in reality some of his early experiences in Butte County were quite different than the dream.

The River Trip, Sutter's Fort Mobile Living History Program
By Bob Carter & Ken Falletti

Each year volunteers from Sutter's Fort State Historic Park recreate and portray the life and times of Captain Sutter's 1843 trapping expedition for the benefit of elementary students from throughout northern California. This year nearly 4,000 students participated in two-hour living history programs over a two-week period.

Ice Harvesting in the Truckee Basin
By Tom Macauley

The development of the ice harvesting industry in the Truckee Basin played a pivotal role in providing a scarce luxury for the commercial and residential needs of the California-Nevada area. Tom “The Iceman” Macauley's research over the past 18 years has documented the life and times of the ice harvesters.

Curry's Camp Baldy, “The Yosemite of the South”
By Willis Osborne

Willis Osborne presents a nostalgic histotry of the popular Southern California resort known as Camp Baldy, “The Yosemite of the South,” which was operated by the Curry family.

The Many Passions of Joaquin Miller
By John W. Robinson

Known as “The Poet of the Sierras,” Joaquin Miller was one of California's most colorful characters. Although literary recognition eluded him, Miller's endeavors and accomplishments were interesting, to say the least. John Southworth prents “The Many Passions of Joaquin Miller.”

John McKinstry Smith; Argonaut, Entrepreneur and Agriculturist of Long's Bar
By Haskel McInturf

The lure of gold brought John McKinstry Smith to California in June 1850, most likely as the result of letters he received from a relative, George McKinstry, Jr., who was at Sutter's Fort when the California Gold Rush began.

Haskel McInturf began his research of Smith as a family history project and he privately published his manuscript for distribution to family members. He gave us a copy of his manuscript which was reviewed by our historical advisors and other historians. Haskel's revised article, as presented here, is the result of a collaborative effort by many people to confirm the facts and details concerning John McKinstry's gold mining endeavors in Northern California and his connection to George McKinstry Jr. and John Bidwell.

Quartz Mining in California
From Hutchings' California Magazine, October 1857

The Politics of the 1859 Bidwell-Kibbe Campaign
Northern California Indian-Settler Conflicts of the 1850s
By Michele Shover

Northern California settlers and Native Indians came into conflict as the result of sealer encroachment upon traditional Indian territories which in many cases, they had controlled for hundreds of years. When the Gold Rush started the California Indians suffered even more, being driven from their homes and food sources along canyon rivers and streams by gold seekers.

When the Indians retaliated with vengeance upon the settlers' farms and ranches local men formed private pursuit parties that went after the Indian ra iders who escaped into the rugged canyon country just east of the Sacramento Valley.

Michelle Shover's article examines the brutal 1859 campaigns of northern California Indian fighters, both private and military, which in many cases indiscriminately punished inoffensive Indians.

A Spectral Rescue: Napa Valley Extra-Sensory Perception
By Richard H. Dillon

Mountain man George Yount claimed to have foreseen the tragic entrapment of the Donner Party from his home in Yountville, California and made preparations for a rescue mission before the news reached Sutter's Fort. Was it ESP or a mountain man's tall tale?

Colonel Edward J. C. Kewen: Los Angeles' Fire-Eating Orator of the Civil War Era
By John W. Robinson

Citizens in Southern California, particularly in Los Angeles, were decidedly pro-Southern in the years leading up to the Civil War. One gifted orator who expoused their sentiments was Edward Kewen.

Massacre on the Colorado River
By Dr. Edgar C. Smith

The California gold rush offered uncertain riches for those willing to endure the hardshoips of mining. Dr. Abel Lincoln planned to make his fortune by ferrying goldseekers across the Colorado River.

Chinese in the Gold Rush
By JoAnn Levy

JoAnn Levy examines the documentary evidence that shows how the Chinese were accepted in California during the earliest years of the gold rush and how they later suffered deplorable discrimination.

The Worthless Gold Mine That Changed Southern California
By Thomas H. Core

E. J. "Lucky" Baldwin made millions by investing in Comstock mining stocks and owned the fabulously rich Ophir Mine in Virginia City, Nevada. When it was announced that Baldwin was financing a new strike in Southern California at Gold Mountain, the entire mining district was rejuvenated and gold miners rushed into the area.

California's New Ireland, El Proyecto Macnamara
By John Fox

Father Eugene Macnamara's plans for an Irish colony on a Mexican land grant6 in the San Joaquin Valley came to an abrupt end when Commodore Sloat ran up the U.S. flag at Monterey on July 7th, 1846. Leaving California on the British ship HMS Collingwood, Macnamara seemingly disappeared into history. Oxford historian John Fox has uncovered Macnamara's roots and his trail after he left California.

The Taming of San Fernando Pass
By John W. Robinson

San Fernando Pass presented a formidable obstacle in the 1840s and '50s between Los Angeles and points north because it was so steep that travelers had to go up and over the crest of the ridge. John Robinson chronicles the development of San Fernando Pass.

The Man Who Turned Dust to Gold
By John Kenner

California has long been known as a place where fast talking promoters took advantage of unsuspecting folks who were subsequently relieved of their money or possessions. One such gifted character was the man who became known as Death Valley Scotty, whose creative and colorful life, even if it was a bit on the shady side, is brought back to life by the exceptional writing talents of John Kenner of San Francisco and by the illustrations of artist Robert Allan McClay of Daly City, California.

Patrick Reddy, Frontier Lawyer
By John Southworth

Pat Reddy was a gold and silver miner in the rough and tumble West until he lost his arm to a lead slug in 1864 on the streets of Virginia City, Nevada. John Southworth weaves the tale of how he was forced to switch occupations, studied law, was admitted to the Bar and excelled in that profession until he became what some of his enemies referred to as "the notorious Pat Reddy."

The Jackass Mail
The Pony Express of the South
By John W. Robinson

Mail deliveries in early California were sporadic at best until the first regular overland transcontinental mail and passenger service was organized by James E. Birch in 1857. John Robinson's article examines the development of regular mail service to California and the hardships the stage lines faced in keeping them operational.

Butterfield's Overland Mail in California
By John W. Robinson

California's phenomenal jump in population caused by the gold rush brought statehood to California in 1850. Communication with the East by ocean steamers was slow, taking two to three months to travel 6,000 miles from New York to San Francisco via the Isthmus of Panama. California newspapers repeatedly called for an overland express and mail route between East and West until the U.S. Post Office awarded a contract for transcontinental mail and stage service to a consortium led by John Butterfield in September 1857.
John Robinson examines the formation and operation of the Overland Mail Company and takes the reader along for the first ride on the westbound stage through the eyes of Waterman Ormsby, a correspondent for the New York Herald.

The History of a Letter
The San Francisco Post Office in 1858
From Hutchings California Magazine

This article, published in 1858 in San Francisco, gives a contemporary account and illustrations of the arrival of the mail steamer and the distribution of the U.S. Mails to all points in California and Oregon and Washington Territories.

The U.S. Mint's Statehood Quarter Program Fuels a New Generation of Coin Collectors
By Bill Anderson

Starting in 1999 the U.S. Mint began releasing a new series of Washington statehood quarters bearing individual designs for each of the fifty states.

DTQ Book Reviews:
Macnamara's Irish Colony and the United States Taking of California in 1846 by John Fox
Rush for Riches: Gold Fever and the Making of California by J.S. Holliday

John Bidwell and the Rancho Chico Indian Treaty of 1852
Seduction, Betrayal, and Redemption
By Michele Shover

Treaty negotiations with California's Native Americans began shortly after the state's admission to the United States in September 1850. John Bidwell of Rancho Chico helped to convince local area Indian tribal leaders in the Northern Sacramento Valley that a reservation and treaty with the United States government was in their best interests.
Michele Shover examines Bidwell's advocate role in the 1851 treaty negotiations and has uncovered evidence that proves the Chico rancher was guilty of double-dealing when he used his political connections to help secure the defeat of the same treaties in 1852.

Guardians on the Mountaintops
The Fire Lookouts of Southern California
By John W. Robinson

California's first fire lookout was erected in 1878 by the Southern Pacific Railroad on Red Top Mountain overlooking Donner Pass to protect the railroad's wooden snow sheds.
John Robinson presents an overview of Southern California's fire lookouts which have been built with both private and public funds.

Some Transitional Alcaldes of Northern California
By Anne Homan

When the United States government took control of California in 1846 the existing Mexican legal system was kept in effect until statehood was achieved in 1850. During this time Americans and some Californios were appointed to the position of alcalde, the Mexican equivalent to an American judge.
Anne Homan of Livermore examines some of the trials and tribulations experienced by some of the transitional alcaldes in Northern California.

William Bradshaw's Road to Gold
By John W. Robinson

The discovery of gold along the Colorado River by Pauline Weaver in 1862 led to the opening of the Bradshaw Road from San Bernardino across the desert to the Colorado diggings near present-day Blythe, California.
John Robinson examines the historical background of the Bradshaw Road and takes us on a present-day photographic journey to some of the stage stops and watering holes along the way.

A Portrait of an Irish Miner During California's Gold Rush, Charles F. McGuirk, 1834-1911
By Richard and Frances A. Rohrbacher

What can a researcher do when confronted with the task of fleshing out incomplete or at best fragmentary information about a relatively unremarkable and obscure person?
Richard and Frances Rohebacher of Columbia, California have accomplished this diligent task with their satory about an Irish miner named Charles Francis McGuirk, who came to California in 1856 to make his fortune in the goldfields.

From San Francisco to Sacramento City
From Hutchings' California Magazine, July, 1859

Hutchings' California Magazine was one of the very first journals to chronicle the history of California as it was happening in the 1850s. This eyewitness travelogue takes the reader from San Francisco Bay, up the Sacramento River to the recently relocated capital, then known to Californians as Sacramento City.
The writer of this article and two companions chartered a small sailing craft to allow them the opportunity of sailing when and where they pleased, and captured contemporary sketches of some of the scenes they encountered along the way.

California's State Capital Moved Several Times
Before Finally Settling at Sacramento
By James Lenhoff and Bill Anderson

The history of California's state capital began in September 1849 when the first Constitutional Convention was held in Monterey at Colton Hall. The constitutional delegates considered several competing offers before deciding on San Jose as California's first capital, although considerable controversy over its location would resurface over and over again through the early 1860s.
Just as contentious was the battle for a permanent capitol building to house government records and state officials. Offers were made by various individuals and towns who competed for the prize.

Latest from California
Diamonds, Platinum, and Emeralds In California
From the Independent Democrat, June 6, 1849

This timely newspaper article was published in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on June 6, 1849. Mentioned in the account are Lt. Edward Beale, Rev. Walter Colron, General Bennet Riley, General Persifor Smith, Lt. Col. John C. Frémont, General Mariano Vallejo, and Captain John Sutter, all participants in California's drive for statehood.

Traders, Travelers, and Horsethieves on the Old Spanish Trail
By John W. Robinson

Knowledge gleaned from American trappers and mountain men encouraged New Mexican authorities and Santa Fe traders to mount an overland expedition to California to trade woven woolen goods for California horses and mules. Beginning in 1829, the first annual commercial trade caravan to California was inaugurated by Antonio Armijo, a Santa Fe merchant. The following year, William Wolfskill and George Yount formed the first party to travel over most of what was to become known as the Old Spanish Trail.

Rushing for Gold Via the Southern Overland Route
By John W. Robinson

Southwestern trails to California have long been considered insignificant in the overall picture of gold rush migration by many historians. However, new research indicates that these trails to California were heavily used by both Sonoran and American 49ers. John Robinson details the routes of the three distinct branches of the Southern Emigrant Trail and tells us about some of the 49ers who used them.

Crazy Stoddard and His Sack of Gold!
By James Lenhoff

The rumor of a Gold Lake with nuggets covering its shores spread like wildfire through the mining camps of California and indirectly caused the discovery of numerous other gold deposits in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, even though Gold Lake itself was never found. Jim Lenhoff wrote this version of the Gold Lake legend in 1960 for his California history magazine known as The Feather River Territorial, and we reprint it here with his permission.

Dame Shirley
The Best of the California Gold Rush Writers
By Duane Spilsbury

One of the richest discoveries of gold in California was made by three German prospectors working their way back from the unsuccessful quest for Gold Lake. Known as Rich Bar, this historic mining camp became famous as the result of of the publication of 23 perceptive and humorous letters written by Dame Shirley "to her sister in the States." Duane Spilsbury of Carmichael tells her story.

Mountain Scenery in California
From Hutchings' California Magazine, 1856

Originally published in 1856, this article gives a contemporary view of many of the gold mining camps that sprang up as a result of the hunt for Gold Lake.

John Bidwell: Civil War Politics, and the Indian Crisis of 1862
By Michele Shover

We are pleased to present Michele Shover's fourth article in her series on John Bidwell and Indian-settler relations in the northern Sacramento Valley during the 1850s and 1860s.

In Part One, Michele examines a dispute in 1862 which began with an Indian and settler clash near Chico. Using contemporary accounts and memoirs, she shows how the Indian-settler problems became intermixed with Civil War issues and pitted rebel sympathizers against John Bidwell, the area's most prominent citizen and its leading supporter.

Part Two focuses on the tensions between rebel and Union supporters in Chico and the surrounding area during the years 1864 and 1865, when soldiers were stationed at Camp Bidwell to address the Indian-settler issues.

Granville Stuart, A Dogtown Miner's Memoir, 1852-1854
By Granville Stuart

Granville Stuart and his brother James came from Iowa overland to California in the spring of 1852 with their '49er father, Robert Stuart. After a short stay at Sam Neal's ranch south of Chico, they headed for the gold fields of the Sierra Nevada, and soon reached Dog Town, some sixteen miles from the ranch.

The Stuart's began their mining career at Dog Town, learning how to mine for gold from others they met. Fortunately, granville kept a daily journal (for over forty years) describing the scenery and their experiences which is one of the best and most descriptive account of early life in Dog Town.

The Stuarts prospected for gold in California for two years before eventually settling in Deer Lodge Valley in Today's Montana.

California Stagecoaching: The Dusty Reality
By Dr. Robert J. Chandler

We are fortunate to present a new article by Dr. Robert J. Chandler, Senior Researcher for Wells Fargo Bank Historical Services in San Francisco. We can't think of anyone more eminently qualified to write a history of California stagecoaching than Dr. Chandler. He is a gifted researcher, writer and humorist who has daily access to Well's Fargo's extensive collection of early California and Wells Fargo documents and illustrations, many of which are included in this article.

Home, Home on the Grange: Napa Valley Farmers
By Richard H. Dillon

We are pleased to once again present an article by Ricgard Dillon, one of California's most prolific and popular historians. His article chronicles the rise of the farmer's movement in the Napa Valley and their evolution into the national Order of Patrons of Husbandry, more commonly known as the Grange.

Rough and Tumble Fighting: Perspectives on Violence in Gold Rush California
By Richard Ravalli, Jr.

We welcome Richard Ravalli, Jr. as a new contributor with his article about rough and tumble fighting—where literally anything went, including biting, choking, hair-pulling and eye gouging. From mountain men competing at rendezvous to dueling combatants in San Francisco, he reveals the brutality and violence exhibited by men during the Gold Rush in California.

A New Emperor Norton Note, 1870
By Dr. Robert J. Chandler

In his article in DTQ#25 entitled “A Journey to the Imaginary Empire of Norton I” Dr. Chandler listed seven known varieties of His Majesty's bonds. An eighth variety surfaced in February, 2001.

Francisco Garcés: Intrepid Missioinary-Explorer of Spanish California
By John W. Robinson

In the annals of Hispanic exploration of early California, no name stands ahead of the Franciscan missionary Francisco Garcés. John Robisnon examines the life of this mild-mannered man of God, who traveled, mostly on foot, the western half of Arizona and what are now the California counties of Imperial, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Kern and Tulare.

Land King: The Story of David Jack
By K.C. Jack

This is the story of David Jack, a Scotsman who emigrated to the United States in 1841 and eventually became one of the largest land owners in Monterey County, California. Written and researched by K.C. Jack, a police officer from Pitlochry, Scotland, and the great great great nephew of David Jack, his life was a true rags-to-riches story with some very interesting twists to it.

John Bidwell's Role in the 1863 Indian Removal from Chico
By Michele Shover

Chico rancher John Bidwell served as an Indian sub-agent who advised military authorities on the Indian-settler conflicts in northern Butte County in the 1850s and 60s. In her fifth article on Indian-settler conflicts, Michele Shover examines Bidwell's role in planning the second removal of northern California Indians to a reservation after a new round of both Indian and settler attacks occurred during the first six months of 1863.

Margaret Hamilton Smyth, M.D.
A Capable and Qualified 19th Century Woman
By Richard W. Rohrbacher, Ph.D.

Richard Rohrbacher of Columbia presents an interesting story about a remarkable 19th century woman, Margaret Smyth, the only woman to head a state hospital in the United States. The author has fond memories of Dr. Smyth, having been a young guest in her home with his parents at parties attended by Stockton area physicians.

The Hotel Del Monte Goes to War
By Dr. Edgar C. Smith

The interesting story of the Hotel Del Monte is presented by Dr. Edgar Smith of Carmel. First built in 1880, the hotel was one of the most elegant resorts in the west. Dr. Smith examines the history of the hotel until it was leased by the Navy during World War II for use as the Del Monte Pre-Flight School and Radio Technician School.

DTQ Adopts-A-Highway

The california Adopt-A-Highway program utilizes community-minded volunteers to clean up and care for various stretches of highways throughout the state. During 2001 the editors and publishers of the Dogtown Territorial Quarterly began taking care of a two-mile section of Highway 70 located at the entrance to the spectacular Feather River Canyon.

Gateway to Southern California:
Roads Old and New, Over Cajon Pass
By John W. Robinson

Centuries before the arrival of the white man, Indian footpaths climbed over the gateway to southern California we know today as Cajon Pass for trade with people of the coastal lowlands. Beginning in 1772, the first Europeans led by Captain Pedro Fages crossed the summit, and in 1827 the first Anglo-American, Jedediah Smith, surmounted the pass.

Award-winning author John Robinson chronicles the history of Cajon Pass from its origins as an Indian footpath, its successive development by various people as a horse and pack trail, a wagon road, and finally the progression of automobile highways of the 20th century.

John Bidwell's Role in the 1863 Indian Removal from Chico, Part 2, and Through 1866
By Michele Shover

Michele Shover continues her extensive series on Indian-settler relations in northern California with part 2 of John Bidwell's involvement in the 1863 Indian removal from Chico. Responding to the murder of two young Lewis boys in the Mesilla Valley, angry settlers demanded the removal of all the Indians of Butte County, including those who worked for Bidwell and lived on his ranch.

Michele re-examines the historical evidence surrounding Bidwell's involvement in planning the removal of Indians and his continuing refusal to include his Indian workers in the removal with the rest.

The Dogtown Territorial Quarterly name was changed to the California Terriorial Quarterly beginning with issue #51, Fall 2002.

Fighting Words: Censoring Civil War Journalism in California
By Dr. Robert J. Chandler

Although California escaped armed conflict during the Civil War, a battle of ideologies raged on in its newspapers. Dr. Chandler's research examines newspapers published in California that reflected the positions of the nation's major political parties and shows how some committed journalistic suicide by promoting unpopular views.

Acquiring the Power of Ready Thought:
The Educational Philosophy of John Swett, The Father of Public School Education in California
By Dr. Nicholas C. Polos

We welcome Dr. Nicholas Polos and his research describing the influence of John Swett as Superintendent of Public Instruction during the Civil War period. He helped to develop a public school system in California unlike that of any other region of the United States.

Sandberg's Summit Hotel on the Old Ridge Route
By John W. Robinson

John Robinson details the history of the Summit Hotel–the most famous rest stop on the Ridge Route, a new road that was opened in 1915 between Castaic and Lebec.

Their Horses Climbed Trees
A California Book Review
By Richard H. Dillon

Winged Feet in the Dust:
Long-Distance Trade Routes in Aboriginal California
By John W. Robinson

Long before the appearance of any Europeans in the West, native tribal groups of the Southwest and Pacific coast had established an extensive network of footpaths and trails used to trade goods with one another. In his extensive research, John Robinson describes the various routes they followed from waterhole to waterhole, the dangers they often encountered, and the kinds of goods they traded with each other for hundreds of years.

Gunny Sacks Galore
By Dr. Edgar C. Smith

California's extensive golden wheat fields fostered the growth of a new industry in the mid-1860s—that of making sacks to hold the grain. Ed Smith examines the birth of the private industry that gave employment to hundreds of people, including a large number of Chinese immigrants. Eventually it became the major industry for prisoners at San Quentin prison as well.

From Pipe Dream to Reality: A Personal Journey Through Time
By Larry & Keith Rogers

Most people are not aware that men from California fought in the Civil War. Neither was Larry Rogers until he decided to find out more about his great grandfather's pipe which had been given to him in his youth. Beginning in 1983 when he retired, he decided to learn more about his distant ancestor. To his great surprise he learned that his great grandfather, a Californian, had volunteered to serve in the CAL 100 with the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry during the Civil War.

After years of research and numerous trips to museums, libraries, and Civil War battlefields, Larry and son, Keith, decided to publish a new referenbce book containing all of the primary source information they found about the CAL 100—Their Horses Climbed Trees.

John Bidwell and California: The Life and Writings of a Pioneer, 1841-1900
First Emigrants on the California Trail
By Michael J. Gillis and Michael F. Magliari

From the moment he set out for California in 1841 with the Bidwell-Bartleson Party, John Bidwell assumed a leading role in the history of California and the West. Of all the American pioneers who settled in California before the gold rush, none enjoyed more subsequent fame and success than Bidwell, and none made as great a contribution to the state's economic, political, and cultural development during the late nineteenth century.

We presnt the firsat chapter of Michael Gillis and Michael Magliari's new book, John Bidwell and California, The Life and Writings of a Pioneer, 1841-1900, published by The Arthur H. Clark Company in Spokane, Washington. Entitled “First Emigrants on the California Trail,” the authors describe the formation of the Bidwell-Bartleson Party and their efforts to cross the plains into California by an overland route. Also included is an anthology of Bidwell's comments on the overland adventure.

Vasquez Rocks: The Southland's Most Famous "Rock Star"
By Marc Wanamaker

We are pleased to welcome film historian Marc Wanamaker as a new contributor to The California Territorial Quarterly. Marc presents a photo essay that describes over 90 years of film making at one of Hollywood's favorite movie and TV locations—Vasquez Rocks. Located at Agua Dulce near Santa Clarita, the tilted and jutting rock formations provided the perfect background for a variety of different types of films and television episodes.

Marc's article includes black and white and color photos from many of the motion picture and television episodes that have been filmed at Vasquez Rocks over the years.

Forty Million Dollars of Food & One Million Gifts
A History of the Friendship & Merci Trains in California
By Dorothy R. Scheele

We are pleased to welcome Dorothy Scheele of West Chester, Pennsylvania as a new contributor to The California Territorial Quarterly. Dorothy brings us the forgotten story about how American citizens came together after World War II to raise $40 million for food relief for the countries of France and Italy which had been devastated by the conflict. Then, sixteen months after the donated food arrived in France, one million gifts from the French people were sent to the United States in sincere appreciation for the assistance.

Father James Croke, Pastor, Mountain Man, Fund Raiser, Extraordinary
By Frances Rohrbacher

Father James Croke arrived in San Francisco in 1850 with a small group of Catholic missionaries bound for Portland, Oregon. Over the next 12 years Father Croke traveled all over northern California and southern Oregon, visiting remote mining camps where he ministered to Catholics in all walks of life. One of his greatest accomplishments was his traveling collection activities where he raised funds for a new San Francisco college which opened in July 1863 under the name of St. Mary's College.

The California Letter
By John Fox

This new article by John Fox was inspired by the discovery of several shoe boxes crammed full of letters from America dating back to 1871 which were found in the ruins of an Irish farmhouse in 1963. The letters were sent home to Ireland by John's distant relatives who had emigrated to California and Nevada following the Gold Rush.

These letters and three other collections of correspondence are used to give us the feeling of just how much the new immigrants longed for 'th 'oul country of their birth.

The Big Four Move South: The Building of the Southern Pacific Railroad
By John W. Robinson

After the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, the owners of the Central Pacific Railroad, commonly referred to as the Big Four, embarked upon a plan to obtain controlling interest in the several independent rail lines that branched our from Sacramento so they could have a monopoly on rail transportation into and out of California.

John Robinson examines the history of building the Southern Pacific Railroad by Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker and the heavy-handed way they accomplished their goal through stealth, promises, bribes, and strong-armed politics.

David Jack and the Robber Barons: High Profile Business Relationships of the 19th Century
By Kenneth Jack

We are pleased to present another interesting article by Kenneth jack of Pitlochry, Scotland about the Monterey County landowners David Jack and his business dealings with the Nevada Comstock's Silver Kings and California's infamous Big Four railroad tycoons, among others.

Known as “Robber Barons,” these high profile businessmen with their less than priveleged backgrounds, were drawn together by their common interest in obtaining land and property and the wealth that went along with it.

The Indian Removal to Round Valley in 1863: A Reconsideration, Part One
By Michele Shover

One of the darkest episodes in the history of northern California happened in 1863 when angry white settlers forced the removal of 461 Native Americans from Chico to the Round Valley Reservation. Reservation descendants remember it as the Nome Cult Death Trail, a 100-mile trek led by abusive soldiers who killed some 32 people.

Research by Michele Shover, however, documents a significantly greater tragedy with a much higher death toll, but challenges commonly accepted beliefs about how they may have met their demise.

The History of National Women's History Month
By Molly Murphy MacGregor

March is Women's History Month and we welcome Molly Murphy MacGregor, president and co-founder of the National Women's History Project with a short history of the organization.

Two Remarkable California Pioneers: Eliza Farnham and Georgiana Bruce Kirby
By Jo Ann Levy

Jo Ann Levy brings us another interesting story from her new book, Unsettling the West, which details the contributions of two California pioneer reformers, Eliza Farnham and Georgiana Bruce Kirby.

Revisiting Eugene Macnamara's Irish Colony Scheme in California
By John Fox

John Fox presents an update on Father Macnamara, who came close to acquiring 20,000 square miles of California for 3,000 Irish colonists prior to the American takeover of California in July 1846.

The Indian Removal to Round Valley in 1863: A Reconsideration, Part Two
The Indians' Account: Soldier Savagery
By Michele Shover

Part two of Michele Shover's article about the 1863 Indian removal from Chico to Round Valley continues with an analysis of the various Indian oral accounts of the tragedy, and compares tyhem with published accounts by settlers, soldiers, and government officials.

James F. Eddy Ends His Journey
By Michele Shover

Recent research has revealed another tragedy that occurred a few months after the Indian removal—that of the death of James Eddy, the Special Indian Agent who was charged with protecting and caring for the 461 Indians who were force-marched from Chico to Covelo.

Joseph W. Palmer: Banker, Bank Robber, Huckster
The 19th Century's Highest Stakes Gambler
By Christopher Burchfield

Christopher Burchfield presents an interesting, although little-known story about the rise and fall of the infamous San Francisco banking firm of Palmer, Cook and Company, California's most powerful institution of the 1850s.

My Checkered Life
By Luzena Stanley Wilson & Fern Henry

Luzena Stanley Wilson traveled overland to Sacramento, California in 1849 where she and her husband bought an interest in a boarding house on what is now known as K Street. After losing everythiong they had in the January 1850 flood, they tried their luck in Nevada City before finally settling down in the Vacaville area.

Historian Fern Henry presents some of Luzena's memories from her new book and compliments them with other contemporary pioneer accounts and historical background.

New Light on the Life of Pierson Barton Reading
By Madge Richardson Walsh

Shasta County historian Madge Walsh presents some new information she has gleaned about Pierson B. Reading, owner of the 26,632-acre Rancho Buena Ventura land grant which was located along the west bank of the Sacramento River near today's Redding, California. In her quest to transcribe and publish Reading's account of his 1843 overland journey in book form, she uncovered some interesting revelations about Reading's background, including the California discovery of a family heirloom that dates back to 1513.

The West's Greatest Claim Jump
A Story of High Crimes in High Places
By Christopher Burchfield

Chris Burchfield presents an article from his yet unpublished book about the Mariposa Grant. A tremendous amount of misunderstanding and ignorance surrounds the history of the grant where Fremont is regarded as a local hero. Overall, when the expanse of land, the number of people dispossessed, and the enormous sums of money made and lost is taken into account, the Mariposa Grant ranks as the greatest claim jump in the history of the West.

Wells Fargo: A California Company Goes North of the Border
By Dr. Robert J. Chandler

Wells Fargo historian Dr. Robert Chandler presents new research derived from the archives of Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco where he has worked as their senior historical researcher since 1978.

Bob's new article focuses on Wells, Fargo & Company's expansion from California into Oregon beginning in 1852, and shows how the banking and express business developed in both states as competitors dealt with new challenges and circumstances throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Rails to San Diego
By John W. Robinson

Although talk of building a railroad from San Diego to Yuma, Arizona was discussed as early as 1845, work would not begin until April 21, 1873, when the Texas and Pacific Railroad agreed to lay track from Marshall, Texas, overland to San Diego, which would become its western terminus of a new transcontinental line.

John Robinson sorts out the various attempts by several railroad companies to build rails to San Diego and the obstacles they faced, including fierce opposition from the monopolistic Southern Pacific Railroad that wanted no competing railroads entering California.

Unlocking the Secrets of the Mariposa Grant
The Rise of Captain John Boling
The Fremonts Trapped Inside Their Bear Valley Home
By Christopher Burchfield

Two years after a secret survey flipped the Mariposa Estate from the less productive areas of Mariposa Creek, over the town of Mariposa onto Bear Valley, representatives of owner John C. Fremont began a systematic effort to eject individual miners between Mount Ophir and the Merced River from their claims.

Chris Burchfield continues his examination of the attempts by Fremont's representatives to enforce what they thought were his rights to the gold mining areas worked and developed by others.

What Do We Want? The Emperor Norton Bridge!
When Do We Want It? Now!
By Dr. Robert J. Chandler

A popular movement to rename the Oakland Bay Bridge the “Emperor Norton Bridge” is underway in the San Francisco Bay Area. The chairman of the Committee to Rename the Bay Bridge is none other thasn our illustrious historical advisor and frequent contributor Bob Chandler—who recently became a cartoon character!

Articles in the 2004 Winter Issue #60
The California Territorial Quarterly