Read Part 1 here. First Encounters with Europeans Early Explorations The Coast Miwok people’s encounters with Europeans date back to the sixteenth century. In 1579, the English privateer Francis Drake made landfall along the northern California coast. There, he probably met Coast Miwok people. Portuguese explorer Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho — also known as Sebastián Rodríguez […]
The Coast Miwok: People of the Northern California Coast (Part 1)
The Coast Miwok are indigenous people of the area north of San Francisco Bay. Coast Miwok Territory The name “Coast Miwok” refers to the Native American communities who lived along the California coast north of the San Francisco Bay, in what is today Marin and parts of Sonoma Counties. The terrain of that area is […]
Mission San Francisco Solano: 10 Interesting Facts
2023 marked the 200th anniversary of the founding of Mission San Francisco Solano. Nestled in the Valley of the Moon, in the heart of California’s wine country, the mission is an unmistakable landmark. The simple 2,400-square-foot church stands along Sonoma’s main square, across the street from the barracks that General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo built to house the […]
The Legend of Chief Solano
“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 Joining the Mission When young Sina was […]
The Bear Flag Revolt: California’s Insurgency
The Bear Flag Revolt is one of the central episodes in the events leading to the U.S. annexation of California.
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Military commander, town founder, politician, patriarch. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was arguably the most powerful man in northern Alta California. After the American takeover, he helped form the new state and fought to preserve the history of Spanish and Mexican California.
Fr. José Altimira and Mission San Francisco Solano
Fr. José Altimira was a Spanish Franciscan priest who founded Mission San Francisco Solano, the last — and most controversial — of the Alta California missions.
Soldiers and Presidios in Alta California (with video)
Who were the soldiers that came to Alta California? What was their life like? What were the presidios, and what was their role on the frontier?