A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day...11-14-03...California ~ The Golden State

Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dansangel, dutchess, Aquamarine ~

Please join us as we make a cyber-visit to another great state in this Union of ours. As we present each of our 50 states we also salute the proud FReepers who call their state 'home'.

Over the past few months each "Finest" hostess has profiled her home state and I will be presenting the other states in random order. Please FReepMail me if you would like to participate in spotlighting your state. I would love to have your input on what you would like to see highlighted.

These are the states we have presented to date:

05-23-03 Alabama 06-27-03 Maryland 07-11-03 Vermont 07-25-03 Utah 08-05-03 Texas 08-22-03 Nevada 08-26-03 Wash DC 09-05-03 Tennessee

09-17-03 Florida 09-19-03 Minnesota 10-03-03 New Mexico 10-14-03 Georgia 10-17-03 Louisiana 10-22-03 Michigan 11-04-03 South Dakota

Today we are visiting
my neck of the woods ~

California as a state is only a little over 150 years old. It was admitted to the Union on September 9th, 1850, so its history is still visible even now. Here are a few historical events that have set the paradigm for the way that California would be.


The Missions of California (1769-1834)

200 years after the Spanish landed on California, the Spanish king Charles III was eager to set up local supply and trading posts for the Spanish gallons and to convert the native Indians to Christianity. In 1769, Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola and Father Junipero Serra were dispatched to California to establish missions.

Over a period of 60 years, 21 California missions were established, and many Spanish priests were sent there with an intent to bring the local Indians to live at the missions and to cultivate them with Spanish culture and skills. Unfortunately, tensions between the natives and the Spanish gradually increased due to the Spanish's cruel treatment of the Indians, resulting in Indian uprisings and the destruction of one of the missions. Today, many of the old missions have been restored, or rebuilt and serve either as active parish churches or historic ruins.


The road that linked the missions, pueblos, and presidios in early California was called El Camino Real. While typically called "The King's Highway" the term "camino real" is more usually used to denote a crude road, almost a trail, used mostly by wagons. Modern day U.S. Highway 101 follows the general route of the original trail.

Click on the map to see a larger version
with links to the California Mission websites.



The Gold Rush of 1849

On January 24th, 1848, a sawmill carpenter named James Marshall found a gold nugget at Sutter's Sawmill. When the word spread across America in 1849, fortune-seekers from the Midwest and other regions traveled in large numbers up the Sacramento River to the gold fields.



The truth is, very few people made any money out of the gold rush. Some of the fortune seekers went back home with nothing, or with less than they came with, but many of these folks stayed in California. Although the financial return was virtually zero to most people, it was the discovery of gold that hastened California's statehood.





Building of the Transcontinental Railroad

Following the US Pacific Railway Act of 1862 that authorized the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, four wealthy California men, Leland Stanford (Stanford University is named for his son), Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins began to invest in the building of the railroads. Many Americans would not be willing to take on the dangerous and hard jobs, so the Big Four hired many Chinese, and even sending to China for more immigrants. The money that these investors made from the railroads was such a huge fortune, that they became known as the Big Four. From then on, California was linked to the rest of the country.


Central Pacific locomotive No. 1

This is the first engine to be placed in construction service on the western end of the transcontinental railroad. The maiden trip was made at Sacramento, November 11, 1863, after having arrived from the East on a clipper ship via Cape Horn. This locomotive was named in honor of Leland Stanford, then California’s governor, and one of the “Big Four” builders of the Central Pacific.

Ten 'Cool' California Facts

1. Highest elevation in the 48 contiguous states - Mt. Whitney: 14,494 ft. above sea level.

2. Lowest elevation in North America - Death Valley: 282 ft. below sea level.

3. Highest recorded temperature in North America - Death Valley: 134 F on July 10, 1913.

4. Greatest snowfall in a storm in North America - Mt. Shasta: 189 inches on February 13-19, 1959.

5. Greatest depth of snowfall on the ground in North America - Tamarack: 451 inches on March 11, 1911.

6. Tallest living thing in the world (at Redwood National Park): a 367-foot coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)

7. Largest living thing in the world (at Sequoia National Park): the General Sherman sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), 272 ft. high, 36.5 ft. diameter above the base, estimated weight of 2,150 tons - That's 4,300,000 pounds!

8. Oldest living thing in the world (in Eastern California): a Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) estimated at nearly 5,000 years old.

9. Sky surfing started in 1980 in Southern California when skydivers decided to try something new by jumping with Styrofoam boogie boards.

10. According to the U.S. Ski Association, the forty-niners were the first to hold organized ski races in the United States. Scandinavian immigrants taught the miners how to use the huge wooden "shoes," as the skis were called then, some of which were as much as 13 feet long.

California - a land of sunny beaches, majestic redwood forests, great skiing, wineries ... I hardly know where to begin. Since they say "a picture is worth a thousand words", I will briefly describe the photos below and then let them speak for themselves.

California's beautiful coastline near Big Sur.
Lupine wildflower fields near Lancaster.
The Golden Gate Bridge.

Poppies and Lupine - found throughout California.
Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
Wine grapes from the Napa Valley.

California Quail - the state bird.
Lake Tahoe, bordering Nevada.
Horses on Gorman Ranch.

Mount Shasta in Northern California.
Beautiful Santa Barbara Harbor.
Malibu Beach at sunset.

"Earth laughs in flowers"
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

.....and I believe nowhere more joyously as it does each spring in the California foothills and deserts. The March rains blanket the hills and deserts in breathtaking colors of bright orange poppies and purple-blue lupine.

"The biggest surprise for many first-time visitors to the desert, especially in spring after the winter rains, is the subtle beauty and sheer variety of life that thrives in what is usually an arid environment. The spring landscape can be a palette of poppies, coreopsis, or goldfields, with appealing wildflowers stretching like a living carpet from underfoot to the horizon."

Learn more about the California desert HERE
Antelope Valley wildflower photos HERE

A Finest salute to our California FReepers who have worked and continue to work diligently to turn the tide of liberalism in our beautiful state. Your efforts give us hope that someday we may be able to bring sanity back to our government and reclaim our state.

Thank you to the following websites for facts and graphics:

A virtual Tour of the California Missions
San Diego Biographies - Father Serra
Driving the Last Spike
California State Symbols



Have a great FRiday
and a wonderful weekend!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 11-10-03 Military Monday 11-11-03 A Tribute to Our Veterans Past and Present 11-12-03 Sapelo Island, GA Lighthouse 11-13-03 John's Two Cents ~ JohnHuang2

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5)If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

Click on the photo to view the album. To
submit your photo, please contact dansangel or .45MAN danbh59@yahoo.com
and include Freeper Photo Album in subject line.

[deadhead]

Love your presentation of California, Mama_Bear. From as early as I could remember, I always wanted to go to California. My Mom always told me that one day I would fulfill that dream since I wanted to go so bad. Yea, California is truly the land of fruits and nuts ;-), but there are also beautiful folks that live there and it is a beautiful place. Been there twice. My first destination, San Diego. We rented a motor home and headed west. When we reached California, we headed straight for the beach, it was early morning, so pretty. Then we went to my cousins house. Never saw so many hummingbirds in my life!! Wonderful to see the naval base, my brother had been stationed in San Diego when he was in the Navy, so this made it even more special for me to see.

On my second visit there, I went to San Franciso to visit my friend, Chris. He writes for a Travel magazine. Beautiful yet weird place, yes, took a stroll down Haight-Ashbury, could be named Character Lane LOL. I walked so much in that city, came home aching and lost 10 pounds!! Loved Muir Woods, beautiful:

[deadhead]

"thousand million blessings upon you all this very good Friday...)"

And the same for you, jwfiv. Have a great day.

[deadhead]

"TEN REASONS WHY I NEVER MADE IT TO CALIFORNIA - - -"

Soooo funny, you are very clever. LOL

[deadhead]

"My Grandmother knows you guys. What a kick!! "

This is too cool! It really is a small world

[The Mayor]

Sad news on the front. Master Sgt. Kevin Morehead, 33, was one of two U.S. soldiers killed in a pre-dawn firefight in the town of Ramadi, officials said. Mrs Morehead is on this thread.

In all the years I have been here, saying Prayers for our Troops, Saying GoodBye to our Hero's, I have never had the spouse of one on the thread as I posted. I can't help but be emotional right now. I have tears like he was a member of my own family.

[The Mayor]

we have been doing alot of freepmailing. I just found out from my brothers e-mail. My Grandmother
gets a kick out of this stuff. She is the oldest living resident of Ashland Mass. 97 next week..

[dutchess]

HiMayor. Thanks for linking to the thread about Sgt. Moreland. I have not been around much and would have missed it. How very sad. Prayers for a true patriot.

Has there been a Russ update lately? Prayers for he and his family too.

[dutchess]

Maggie...LOVE your top ten reasons LOL!

Amy...LOVED YOUR response! (especially Just Frank is there LOL)

Colleen...glad to hear Lucy is on the mend...Giz might be sending a freepmail this weekend!

[Mama_Bear]

"My Grandmother knows you guys. What a kick!!"

This is too cool! It really is a small world

Yes, a very small world, deadhead!

I just had to ping all of you to share with you what an amazing coincidence this is. The Mayor and I have discovered that his grandfather and my grandfather lived in the same little Massachusetts town of Ashland, and that they actually knew each other and worked together at the same company and for over 25 years!!

My mother was born and raised in Ashland and I have been passing on her recollections through Rus to his grandmother who still lives in Ashland and who will be celebrating her 97th birthday next week.

We are all getting such a kick out of this. What are the odds of this happening - that I should meet someone on FreeRepublic who's grandparents knew my grandparents?

[The Mayor]

Yes, here it is for you. Some really good things are happening, Thankyou for your Prayers.

Hello to all!
I want you all to know how powerful prayer is. As soon as I took the prayer against infection off the prayer list, Russ's white cell count went up. The only reason he is not on the rehab floor right now is b/c his white cell count is up and they want to be sure it is normal (I just found this out yesterday) . He started an antibiotic for it. So I am putting that back on the prayer list and leaving it there. His coughing is much better, but until it is totally gone and he doesn't have to be suctioned out, I am leaving it on the list.

Russ has made REMARKABLE gains just in the last 48 hours. He is talking, brushing his teeth, moving so much that he wont sit still, ripping his trachea tube off every couple of minutes and wanting to move and get out of bed desperately. Yesterday he moved his right toe. He also indicated that he could feel parts of his legs. Right now he is very frustrated at being stuck in bed. His memory is not good and from what I understand, it can take up to a year for him to regain his memory entirely.He pulled both me and his mom to his chest and gave us a big kiss yesterday! He is demonstrating a sense of humor, making faces at us when we ask stupid questions. He told me yesterday that I was asking too many questions.

I hope that my next news to you is that he is on the rehab floor where they can channel this energy that he has. I know that when he gets to rehab his progress will come quickly and it will be exciting to see. I hope that I can properly relate it to you all.

Under His Wing
Dawn

[LadyX]

(continuing your list of Reasons Why I Should Visit CA...)

5. jwfiv has a beach home a block from the ocean.

6. He might allow me to pet Miss Lucy, the cat who rules the roost.

7. I can 'borrow' Diver Dave's referee whistle, so he can't blow it on Nan and me..:))

Back to you folks -- -

[dutchess]

Good evening lovely sistahs. Wish I could stay BUT...family obligations....

Lori...again...an awesome presentation today..wish I had time to dig up some pictures of our Calif. visit. We took a small sailing whale watching excursion also (small boat with only 4 of us) It was spring whale running time and was SO COOL....Maybe I'll find some to scan this weekend....

Meekie....I FINALLY GOT MY PHOTO DELUX....I know you freepmailed me a link to your first lesson....Don't have time to see if it is still there...Any chance of re-freepmailing it?? Can't wait to catch up to you and Aqua!

Have a lovely evening everyone!

[Mama_Bear]

Hi Colleen. Thanks so much for posting your recollections of your trips to CA.

San Francisco was one of my favorite cities to visit, but I don't go there anymore. I don't want to dwell on what has happend to that beautiful city over the years, because it is just depressing. Decades of liberal policies have completely ruined this once beautiful city. It's just not what it once was.

Anyway, I am pleased that you enjoyed your visits here. There's sure a lot to see and do.

Lucy is doing better? That is such good news!

[Mama_Bear]

Oh, this is so very sad. I just went to the thread. Thanks for posting the link here.

[dutchess]

Oh Rus...great news...so glad that I checked back before I signed off...will pray against the infection and so glad to hear about all the progress Russ has made. God bless his wife too...she sounds like a trooper...

Looking forward to a cup of your coffee on what I hope is a lazy Saturday morning.

[Mama_Bear]

....wish I had time to dig up some pictures of our Calif. visit. We took a small sailing whale watching excursion also (small boat with only 4 of us) It was spring whale running time and was SO COOL....Maybe I'll find some to scan this weekend....

Oh, I hope you do. I've seen the whales migrating in the late winter from the beach, they were WAY far away. But I've never taken a whale watching tour. How I would love to see one of them up close. Beautiful creatures!

[Mama_Bear]

I think it is Upper Yosemite Falls, but I'm not sure.

That's what it looks like to me too.

I am going to go over to the P&P thread soon. Have a couple of pings from yesterday that I need to answer. See ya' there.

[MEG33]

Just took your tour of my second home.I love California.It has so many kinds of climate and beauty.One I especially liked was a view of the flower crops in and around Lompoc.(seed companies)

[Feiny]

Hello Ladies. Sorry I have not been around lately, but I had my parents in town visiting.

I took them to the first tasting rooms in California (1917) and the only winery left in downtown LA. Funny thing is....it is named the SAN ANTONIO WINERY. It was very fun & we drank lots of samples before the tour.

http://www.sanantoniowinery.com/homefr.html

[Mama_Bear]

Hi feinie!

It was very fun & we drank lots of samples before the tour.

Well, shucks, your link won't work. So, I'll just have to take your word for it. ;-)

Come visit with us whenever you can. Always happy to see you here.