Monthly Archives: May 2012

As we discussed last time, in 1769 Spanish explorers were charged with establishing a mission and presidio in both San Diego and Monterey. San Diego, apparently, was easy to find.…

Continuing on in the early history of Spanish exploration in California . . . After a few excursions by sea between 1542-43 (Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo) and 1602-03 (Sebastian Vizcaino), the…

Kevin Starr agrees with HH Bancroft that the name "California" comes from a 16th century Spanish novel. Indeed, after explaining how in 1862 Edward H. Hale (author of "The Man…

Last year I spent a lot of time researching California's El Camino Real. I was trying to discover the original route, hoping to retrace it on a bike ride with…