EUREKA! It’s the smoking gun! It comes from the ship’s log of American Captain Reynolds. He was anchored at Kealakekua Bay on the island of Hawaii at King Kamehameha’s royal compound. The captain wrote on this day that he paid off Joseph Chapman for some work he’d done on his ship out of Boston, the Sultan. Who knows, maybe Joseph had...
This Day in El Pueblo’s History 1818
Apr 2, 2018
December 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the first two illegal immigrants hiding out in colonial Spanish Los Angeles — believe it or not, they were despised American pirates! Follow their twisted tale in the blog “El Pueblo.”
Walt Disney’s Barn Studio
Jun 6, 2016
This next weekend — June 12 — is the third Sunday of the month. That means you can visit a little piece of the Magic Kingdom! Or where some of the ideas for model trains in the kingdom were being worked out by Walt Disney in this little studio. The barn was moved to Griffith Park from Disney’s home in Holmby Hills. As one author has dubbed it,...
The Oak of Peace Played a Huge Role in U.S. History
May 15, 2016
The San Fernando Valley was the location of the biggest transfer of territory to the United States after the Louisiana Purchase. In 1846, the Mexican Californios found themselves deserted by the central government in Mexico City. They were ordered to fight off the invading U.S. army, but did not have a trained militia. They armed their own cowboys, servants,...
The Mother of California at Cahuenga Pass
May 14, 2016
When you visit Campo de Cahuenga at the base of Universal hill and the 101 (which has changed drastically from the historic drawing), you meet all the characters who were involved in the U.S. takeover of California from Mexico. The names Pico and Fremont are familiar to us, if for nothing else than towns and streets are named after them. But forgotten to most...