California Stories

The following are a collection of interesting and historical stories from early California and the California Missions.

The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island

In 1853 an Indian woman speaking a language unknown to the mainlanders was found on San Nicholas Island by Captain George Nidever (1802-1883).


The Bear That Looked Like a Pig

The grizzly bear figured prominently in the early history of California, but the original flag looked a little different.


The Apostate Mormon

The story of Samuel Brannon and the Mormon pioneers who arrived in California on the Brooklyn.


How the Camel Came to California

A young U.S. Navy officer was the man who brought the first camels to California in from Tunis in 1857, introducing another colorful character into the annals of the west.


A Friendship Formed in Chocolate

The story of James Lick and Domenico Ghirardelli


They Learned in California - Generals and Admirals of the Civil War

A number of Civil War Personalities had California connections, though not all were celebrated as Californians.


Three-Thousand Irishmen

In 1847 196,224 Irish immigrants arrived in America and while most of the stayed on the east coast, hundreds made their way to California.


Movies and the Missions

The old Spanish missions were ideal settings for early movies but their role faded in the last half of the 20th century.


The Padre's Gold

Did the missionaries hide a fortune in San Fernando Rey?


Women Pioneers of Alta California

The remarkable stories of Maria Lopes Carillo, Joana Briones and Nancy Kelsey.


The Good Pirate

The story of Joseph Chapman, the pirate who stayed and helped build Alta California's mills.


Please Don't Go

The remarkable story of Fr. Antonio Peyri of San Luis Rey


Ramona Lives

How the character from Helen Hunt Jackson's book, Romona, took on a life of her own.


A Man Named Grizzly and Grizzly Named Ben

The story of a mountain man and his bear companion


The Wrong Roof at the Right Time

A story of the restoration and replacement of the San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo roof


The Ziegfield Follies and the California Missions

How William Randolph Hearst's infatuation with a Ziegfield Follies dancer led him to California and ultimately to help with the restoration of the California missions.