The California Frontier Project

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About Damian Bacich

Damian Bacich, Ph.D. writes about California and the West. He is also a professor, translator and historical researcher. You can learn more about Damian here.

San Francisco’s Overlooked Pioneer: William Alexander Leidesdorff

By Damian Bacich

William Alexander Leidesdorff

Although little known today, the name of William Alexander Leidesdorff is enshrined on streets in San Francisco and a town along the American River. He was also one of California’s pioneers of African descent and instrumental in bringing about the American annexation of California. Early Life and Ancestry Much of the information that we have […]

Filed Under: 4th Grade, Black History, Mexican Rule, U.S. Annexation Tagged With: Gold Rush, Leidesdorff, San Francisco

The Luiseño of Southern California

By Damian Bacich

Luiseño leaders at Pala in the 1880s

The Luiseño people are an indigenous group of coastal Southern California with a unique language and culture. The introduction of the mission introduced major changes into Luiseño life, including a new religion (Christianity) and the adoption of the farming and ranching lifestyle. Since its founding, the mission was supervised by Fr. Antonio Peyrí. Fr. Peyrí […]

Filed Under: 4th Grade, Native Americans Tagged With: Luiseño, Mission San Luis Rey, Native Americans, Southern California

Routes to Mexican California

By Damian Bacich

In the early decades of the nineteenth century, growing numbers of people came to Alta California. The routes they took and the lives they established changed the history of the region. Immigration by Sea After independence from Spain, the Mexican government relaxed trade and immigration rules. In the 1820s and 1830s, small numbers of English-speaking […]

Filed Under: 4th Grade

The Legend of Chief Solano

By Damian Bacich

“He was of gigantic stature, standing six feet seven inches–without his stockings, for he had none. And he was large all over in proportion, with the strength of several men. His name by baptism was Francisco Solano, and by that name he was best known.” – Platon Vallejo

Filed Under: California Indians, Hispanic Heritage, Native Americans Tagged With: California Indians (Standard 1), Gen. Mariano G. Vallejo, Mission San Francisco Solano, Patwin, Sonoma, Suisun

Todavía Estamos Aquí (We are Still Here)

By Damian Bacich

246 years ago a group of some two hundred people arrived at the Presidio of San Francisco after an arduous trek from Tubac in what is today southern Arizona.

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage

How We Almost Lost El Camino Real (and the Women Who Saved It)

By Damian Bacich

Imagine California with no landmarks from before 1848, no structures dating to the Spanish and Mexican periods. How different might the state be?

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage

“The Americanos Played for Keeps”

By Damian Bacich

The Battle of San Pascual

In his memoirs about life in rancho era California, José Jesús López describes how his father joined the “California Army.”

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage Tagged With: Californios, Daily Lives (Standard 5), Los Angeles, Pio Pico, Primary Sources

Bad for the Lungs but Wonderful for Memories

By Damian Bacich

If doors and windows were primitive in Californio homes, you can also imagine that furniture was not much better.

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage Tagged With: Californios, Daily Lives (Standard 5), Los Angeles, Primary Sources

Tar Roofs and Whale Intestine Windows

By Damian Bacich

José Jesús López grew up in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in the 1850s, in the neighborhood of *El Paredón Blanco* (today’s Boyle Heights).

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage Tagged With: Californios, Daily Lives (Standard 5), Los Angeles, Primary Sources, Rancho Era, Ranchos

The Forgotten Lives of a California Adobe

By Damian Bacich

Preserving historical landmarks means more than just saving old buildings. It often means preserving the link to the lives lived there.

Filed Under: Californios, Field Trips, Hispanic Heritage, Mexican Rule Tagged With: Daily Lives (Standard 5)

Tiburcio Vásquez and Vaquero Vengeance

By Damian Bacich

Shortly after the end of the Mexican-American War, William Rich Hutton recalled visiting Doña Angustias de la Guerra Jimeno in Monterey…

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage

The Castaway of Whalers Cove

By Damian Bacich

After coming to Mexican California in 1822 on a whaling ship, Englishman William Richardson decided to stay.

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage

The Bear Flag Revolt: California’s Insurgency

By Damian Bacich

The Bear Flag Revolt is one of the central episodes in the events leading to the U.S. annexation of California.

Filed Under: Californios, Mexican Rule Tagged With: Bear Flag, Frémont, Ide, Mexican-American War, Osos, Sonoma

Juan Bautista de Anza: Son of the Frontier

By Damian Bacich

Juan Bautista de Anza was a military officer, governor, explorer and diplomat. His life had an enormous impact on the history of California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico, as well as Northern Mexico.

Filed Under: 4th Grade, European Settlements, Hispanic Heritage

Indian Vaqueros in Alta California

By Damian Bacich

Vaqueros were the most important workers in the mission and rancho eras. And some of the first vaqueros were Native American. Learn more about these unique figures on the California frontier. What Does “Vaquero” Mean? The word vaquero is usually translated as “cowboy” in English, and literally means “someone in charge of cows.” It also […]

Filed Under: Daily Lives, Mexican Rule, Native Americans, Spanish Missions Tagged With: horses, Ranchos, soldados, Vaqueros

Rebuilding a Presidio: Interview with Jarrell Jackman

By Damian Bacich

Soldiers and presidios played a key role in establishing the Spanish presence in California, but they are still misunderstood. Jarrell Jackman has been at the forefront of preserving and documenting this crucial element of the California frontier. Jarrell C. Jackman Dr. Jarrell C. Jackman was Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation for […]

Filed Under: Californios, European Settlements, Hispanic Heritage, Podcast Episodes, Soldiers and Presidios, Spanish Exploration and Colonization Tagged With: Santa Barbara

Ramona, the Novel that Changed California: Interview with Jonathan Alcántar

By Damian Bacich

The novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson sparked an interest in California’s Mission Era that attracted visitors from all over the country. But Jackson’s novel was much more than nostalgia for a bygone era — it was a cry for human rights. The story of the author, her work and how Cuba’s most famous exile […]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage, Native Americans, Podcast Episodes Tagged With: Helen Hunt Jackson, José Martí, Ramona

Indian Life at Mission Santa Cruz

By Damian Bacich

What was daily life like for Native Americans at Mission Santa Cruz? What did they eat? What jobs did they do? An introduction to life at Alta California’s 12th Spanish Mission. Where is Mission Santa Cruz Located? Mission Santa Cruz is located near the northern coast of Monterey Bay, on the west side of the […]

Filed Under: Native Americans, Primary Sources, Spanish Missions Tagged With: Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, Interrogatorio, mission santa cruz, Ohlone

The Spanish Legacy in California and the Mexican War for Independence

By Damian Bacich

This is a special episode of the California Frontier podcast. The shoe is on the other foot this time, and I am the one being interviewed. My host is Jordan Mattox, a California junior high school teacher who his passionate about California history. He has an excellent podcast, appropriately titled “History of California.” In this […]

Filed Under: Mexican War for Independence, Podcast Episodes, Spanish Exploration and Colonization

The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: Interview with Elisabeth Rareshide

By Damian Bacich

The story of the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island was made famous by Scott O’Dell’s novel The Island of the Blue Dolphins. In this episode of the podcast, we learn more about her real life with archeologist Elisabeth Rareshide, along with a new exhibit at the Mission Santa Barbara museum. Elisabeth Rareshide Elisabeth Rareshide […]

Filed Under: 4th Grade, California Indians, Native Americans, Podcast Episodes Tagged With: Island of the Blue Dolphins, Juana María

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I’m Dr. Damian Bacich, and I started the California Frontier Project. Learn more about me and the project here.

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