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.
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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
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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!
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