FIREARMS: TOOLS THAT INFLUENCED THE DYNAMICS OF OUR NATION
FIREARMS: TOOLS THAT INFLUENCED THE DYNAMICS OF OUR NATION They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That certainly describes the innovations in firearms during the period from just before the Civil War through three decades following the conflict. Inventors...
THE SILVER DOLLAR APACHE MOCASSIN
As Anglos encroached into Indian territory, they recognized that the indigenous people all wore some form of a moccasin. There were many similarities in foot attire among the nations and tribes. The material used to construct them came from animal hides. Some were low...
THEY CROSSED THE COLORADO RIVER AT YUMA
The Colorado River was once a wild and turbulent waterway, unimpaired by many dams engineered in modern times to control its fury. These dams provide the system to divert the water to supply the thirsty agricultural communities contiguous to its path. Additionally,...
THE CALIFORNIA, OREGON AND WASHINGTON TRAILS
The journey took pilgrims through what are now more than eight States. However, the borders of these States became distinct sometime after the Gold Rush. In the mid-1850s, the Missouri River was the western border of the United States. The territories between the west...
TAKEN AT THE FLOOD BLOG- THE SONORAN DESERT
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert covering large parts of the Southwestern United States and Nothern Mexico. Its northern territory includes Arizona up to Prescott. Its southern region includes the northwestern portion of Mexico, inclusive of Guaymas on...
SAN FRANCISCO FIRES 1849-1851
San Francisco may well be the most resilient city that ever was. That statement I make after contemplating many factors. The location was not conducive to the formation of a major city. Gold seekers flocked to this unlikely spot in record numbers in just a few...
CARRERA DEL GALLO AND OTHER VAQUERO GAMES
It has been well established that the Californio cowboy, known as a vaquero, is and was the most accomplished horseman who ever lived. How to prove such a statement? One way would be to describe how they entertained themselves. The Carrera del Gallo, also called...
WATER LOTS IN SAN FRANCISCO
History is so much fun for me because it consistently reveals two of the most human of all natures-greed and ingenuity. A case in point is the history of water lots in San Francisco. Yerba Buena Bay was not really a very good deep water port to build a metropolitan...
MYTH OR MAGIC: A CHINESE LAUNDRYMAN FINDS A UNIQUE GOLD STRIKE
There is no doubt that the Chinese came to California to get rich in the gold fields. Some were successful. Many were not. In an effort to make a living, some enterprising Chinese began to launder the clothes of miners and city dwellers who did not want to perform...
VAQUERO
The Hispanic vaquero is and was the finest horseman to ever grace a saddle. This is what every vaquero will tell you. And I must say, there is substantial evidence to support the claim. The origin of what Anglos called “Mexican Cowboys” goes back hundreds of years....