Category Archives: History

California, California Historical Landmark, History, News

Missing for Decades, Claude Chana Statue Returns to Placer County

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Missing for Decades, Claude Chana Statue Returns to Placer County

The long-lost sculpture, which served as the model for Auburn’s famous 45-ton gold miner, has returned to the historic Colfax Hotel.
A statue of California Gold Rush pioneer Claude Chana has returned to Placer County after disappearing decades ago. The sculpture, created by Auburn dentist and artist Dr. Kenneth Fox during the 1960s, once stood outside the historic Colfax Hotel. Now it’s back, thanks to an unexpected discovery on Facebook.

Continue reading →

California, History

California … Birthplace of the Margarita

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

From Border Bars to Hollywood Cantinas: California’s Case for Cocktail Immortality

California played a significant role in turning the margarita from a regional Mexican novelty into an American icon. While the beverage evolved from a Prohibition-era drink known as a “Tequila Daisy” served at bars along the Mexican border, it was at La Jolla’s La Plaza Restaurant in 1947 that the first blended, salted-rim version we know today was made and popularized.

Continue reading →

California, History, Public Lands and Access, Public Lands Policy & Management, Wildlife

The Grizzly Bear Bill Is Dead. Here’s How California Lost the Real Thing

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Senate Bill 1305 would have required the state to study the feasibility of reintroducing grizzlies. It never got a vote – and the fight isn’t over.

California has a grizzly bear on its flag, on its state seal, and on the jerseys of two university mascots. It has not had a wild grizzly bear inside its borders in more than a hundred years. On August 13, a bill that would have taken the first real step toward changing that died in an Assembly committee room without a single public word said about it.

Continue reading →