Hawaii was not always the paradise the tourist sees. The history of Hawaii was turbulent and soul wrenching. Taboos were placed on commoners by royalty that would make slavery seem a pleasure. Women were forbidden to eat with men. Men and women had separate eating houses but a common sleeping house. Women were forbidden from entering the heiau (temples) or the men's house.

Place names can be serious or downright comical. Take the naming of the town of Moreno in Riverside County. The developer didn't want his name applied to the town fearing it would later become a slum. Town fathers used it anyway, translating the name Brown into Spanish "Moreno." California place names are often descriptive of the activity that takes place in a town. A good example is the town of Carpenteria. When Portola made his march to Monterey, diarists took note of Indians carving a canoe. They called it Carpenteria, which means carpenter shop in Spanish.

Lawmen in the old west played a juggling act as far as the law was concerned. It was necessary for a successful lawman to be both tougher and smarter than the outlaw. In reality, the lawman was guilty of committing offenses that would be punishable if committed by the outlaw. The Earp Brothers were no saints. Marshal Henry Plumber was hanged for crimes he committed while wearing a badge. Most of the sheriffs and marshals wearing badges also played at gambling, often even owning the gambling concessions in the town saloons. As one would suspect, it was gambling that caused much of the trouble...

Most outlaws were just natural killers, like John Joel Glanton, John King Fisher and John Wesley Hardin. Others, such as Jesse James were forced into it by circumstances, not by choice. The outlaw's life seldom lasted to old age. There was always someone ready to kill them for the reward, the reputation they would gain by doing so, or to protect themselves and their family. Author Alton Pryor has researched the meanest, most vicious of the outlaws holding forth in the Wild West. Come join us, but make sure your hands are in plain sight.

San Francisco grew from a tiny burg of 1,000 persons in 1848 to its present-day population of 825,863. The city was founded in 1776 when Spain built a fort at the site of Golden Gate Park. After World War II, San Francisco became a magnet for America's counter-culture. Hippies flocked to Haight-Ashbury in 1960 and peaked out with the Summer of Love in 1967. San Francisco's China Town is the oldest and largest in North America. The city's famous cable cars carry riders up and down the steep inclines and to Fisherman's Wharf below. People watch as the fishermen bring in their daily catches each...

Each state flag has its own meaning and usually depicts the industry or geography of the state.

John Sutter, who left Switzerland to escape debtor's prison, came to California and built a giant land monopoly. Again, he became heavily in debt and died destitute. The entire Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys were inundated for 300 miles long and 20 miles wide by the flood of 1862. The cholera epidemic killed more than 1,000 citizens, including doctors and others who were caring for the patients. The Old City Cemetery is an exciting place. As docents are quick to remind, "People are dying to get in here." The docents know their job. It's almost as though they are trying to bring the city's...

Americans have been intrigued with the idea of finding gold deposits since the California Gold Rush of 1848. There is a thrill to finding that first nugget in your pan, and an even bigger thrill at finding larger and larger nuggets. There are new metal detectors and dry washing equipment that make gold panning easier, even in arid areas where water is not available. Gold prospecting has become family affairs. It's a hobby that will bring the family together, especially when they find that first flake or nugget of gold.

Women in the California Gold Rush were scarce but played a vital role. Alton Pryor captures the plights, the disappointments and the joys of the women who first arrived in California. The author maintains that it wasn't the men who settled California. It was the women, who showed their strengths against formidable odds they faced in the trek to the gold fields. It was Jenny Wimmer who determined if that gold nugget James Marshall found was true gold or not. She did it by cooking it in the kettle of lye soap she was making.