Category: History
Emperor Norton
San Francisco's self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States (reign: 1859-1880)
Chinatown in San Jose
“Oh, I didn’t know San Jose has a Chinatown” was my reaction when I heard the teaser for the KQED “Bay Curious” podcast episode on the topic. Well, it doesn’t. At least not today. As the episode and article detail, San Jose had five (yes, 5!) different Chinatown areas over the years. Sadly four of them burned down, likely victims of racist arson. Anti-immigrant sentiment pops up in waves in the United States and California…
Bruce’s Beach
City of Manhattan Beach pushes out Black residents and entrepreneurs who established a beach resort for Black people.
Villa de Branciforte
Established in 1797, the Villa de Branciforte – located in the modern city of Santa Cruz, CA (across the river from the mission) – was supposed to be a retirement town for the Catalan Volunteers. The plans were quite ambitious – utopian even (according to some historians). Following decades of military service on the edge of the known world, these service men would be rewarded with everything that they and their families needed. They would…