History 124 Blog

for the california history enthusiasts

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Here are some photos from a trip to Yosemite I made a while back! What a beautiful national park - its unlike any other. Not to mention it has such a long history behind it, and it was (of course) talked about in our Rawls & Bean textbook. 

"Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity." (as you can see in my photos)

You can even thank Yosemite for the development of the idea of a "national park." Those who lobbied to protect this valley from developers were signed the Yosemite Grant in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln. Although most people associate the park with John Muir's movement to protect much of the surrounding mountains and forests as well and his paving the way for the national park system.

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So, I just remembered I have these photos! A few summers ago I road tripped with some friends up the 101 - and we visited the great redwood forests in northern California!

For some background on the Avenue of the Giants: "The Avenue of the Giants is a scenic highway in Northern California, U.S.A., running through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It is an old alignment of U.S. Route 101, and continues to be maintained by the state as State Route 254." Some of the trees we are photographed with are nearly 1,000 years old! Now that tree has seen some history :)

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Should SeaWorld stop breeding orcas?

The question arises after announcement that 9-year old Kalia is pregnant with her first calf.

So, I thought I would post this because its so relevant to San Diego as a community as well as an animal rights or endangered species issue. I personally believe that orcas should not be put on display at Seaworld or used for entertainment. A law was recently passed that was going to outlaw orcas being used in shows but then they decided to revise the law so it is not in effect, I believe. (Correct me if I'm wrong!) Anyways, this article on the union-tribune discusses some of the both sides of the argument. OR at least stating how SeaWorld officials or scientists say they are bolstering their knowledge of this species and helping it by breeding. In opposition is quite a popular public opinion against breeding or using orcas in entertainment.

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First photo is of my sister and I, with the mission dam to the right of us. Not only is this a historical site - it's also a great place to enjoy some San Diego nature and go on a hike. The dam was constructed from 1813-1816 so its been basically 200 years!

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Article on LA Rally against Prostitution (Sex Trafficking)

The hundreds of people marching against prostitution on Saturday, along one of the city's busiest sex-for-sale corridors, were a sign of how the tide has turned and the weapons have changed in the battle against what used to be considered a "victimless crime."

It's crazy to me that this still goes on in our day and that it is so widespread. This article documents the Rally that took place recently in South L.A. - a location where this type of sex trafficking and prostitution is very rampant and well-known. Anyways, thought it was interesting news and something that didn't have to do with Sterling (I can't believe how popular of a topic it is!) and something we can all probably be more aware about.

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Redwood Poaching in California

At Redwood National and State Parks, thieves have been stealing burls, protrusions on trees that are prized for their intricately patterned wood.

This isn't a full article because its in slideshow form with a picture for every few sentences of information. But, on the topic - I think its a terrible thing that some people are doing. California Redwood trees are very unique and very old and we should preserve them and protect them as best as possible! Its unfortunate people are taking advantage of the wonderful things nature has given us. Not only are these trees beautiful to look at, they too provide oxygen to us and house animals in their vast forests.

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California schools are rolling out new standardized tests

Schools across California are set to begin administering new standardized tests Tuesday that are designed to demand more of students and offer a clearer picture of how much they are learning.

The article states that more than 3 million students will be tested in English and Math and the interesting thing is that they will all be tested either on computers, laptops or tablets! After all, it is the age of technology. Unfortunately, the article says that testing conditions will vary from school to school (or district to district) and the point of a standardized test is that nothing varies! Because this is their first attempt at these tests, they will not count towards anything yet in the future they will be used to rate schools as well as teachers! I'm interested to see the results of these new standardized tests! Keep an eye out for me. :)cation

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Mt. Helix!

"Three prominent and highly regarded families, the Whites, the Yawkeys and the Fletchers, shaped the vision for the Park.  In 1917, Colonel Ed Fletcher, a successful businessman and visionary developer who owned the summit of Mt. Helix suggested that Easter sunrise services be held in the natural “bowl” on the eastern face of the mountain. Shortly before that 1917 Easter, American troops were deployed to Europe because of WWI so attendance was low.  In 1918 however, more than 8000 people made the trek up the footpath on Easter Sunday. Since then, the Easter sunrise service, which is rotated among various Christian churches in the area, has been held there every year.  It is considered the second oldest continuous Easter sunrise service in the country. " Source: http://www.mthelixpark.org/page/1mhsp/About_Us.html

For some more recent history on the location, in case you didn't know - there were some legal efforts to remove the christian cross on the top of the mountain. These were settled, however, and the cross remains! Here's a link to an article on the topic: https://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/san-diego-ends-nine-year-effort-keep-christian-cross-public-park

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Court rules for high school that asked students to remove flag shirts

SAN FRANCISCO - A Northern California high school that asked students to remove American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo acted reasonably to avoid igniting ethnic tensions, a federal appeals...

It's kind of crazy that this still happens today. Tension between students is avoided yet could have still easily occured due to white students wearing American flag t-shirts to school (that has a history of gang-violence) where they were targeted by students during a school-sanctioned celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

" 'I am pretty astonished that in this country you can't express your patriotic freedom without offending people of other national origins,' said William Becker Jr., who represented the students on behalf of FreedomX, a nonprofit he heads to advocate free-speech cases for conservatives and Christians. "

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Here are some photos of the La Mesa Depot - Pacific Southwest Railway Museum located in the heart of downtown La Mesa. Unfortunately the museum portion is only open on Saturday's so, I was unable to see inside the small building (museum) but I took pictures of the train, the signs and the depot itself. If you read the descriptions in the photo its really interesting how to depot was somehow found in Lakeside some 80 years after it was built in 1894! The train truly helped La Mesa grow after it was built and even helped teens commute to San Diego High School for their classes. The train eventually ceased its service in 1928.  For more info, the official website is: http://www.sdrm.org/la-mesa/

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NASA is partnering with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to develop and apply new technology and products to better manage and monitor the state's water resources and respond to its ongoing drought.

Published on Feb 25, 2014, this article addresses NASA scientists whose help has been enlisted by the DWR (California Department of Water Resources) to help alleviate the issue of California's increasing drought. For some background, "In January, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. declared a drought state of emergency and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for water shortages as 2014 shapes up to be one of the driest years on record in California."

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Here's the Knox House located in the heart of Downtown El Cajon (the current sign is just two blocks from the house).  The Knox House has historical significance because it was actually the very first commercial building built in El Cajon, in 1876. It was originally much bigger since it was not just a residence but also a hotel. If you check out the website: http://elcajonhistory.org/ it gives you the whole history and background to the place.  The place is free to visit on Saturdays!

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Hundreds to be hired to work at unemployment office

Help is on the way to California's unemployed, not in the form of jobs, but rather in improved unemployment services.

Good news for California! Though a short article, this small bit of information can bring some hope to getting more unemployed people jobs - not just because California's unemployment services are hiring more staff - but as a result, the department will be able to help more Californians.

In addition to hiring more staff, they will also be able to pay overtime so that workers can return and answer more phone calls! They plan on installing/updating new phone services that should be much more useful and efficient. This may not mean much to you personally but it's a step forward for our fellow Californians.

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Just some more proof I was there, here is myself siting near the Visitor Center. This is overlooking the bay and you get a really great view of downtown as well as the entire Point Loma peninsula!

Here are some interesting facts about the place for those who don't know! The site was designated as the 56th California Historical Landmark in 1932. In this photo I'm also adjacent to a big white statue of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo; this location is named after him to commemorate his landing at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542!

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Here is the well-known Cabrillo National Monument's Lighthouse! Inside the building is the home of the family that lived there, the Isreals, which consisted of the father who took care of the lighthouse, the mother, their three sons and their niece. This information can all be found in the descriptions of the rooms as you walk through the house which explained how life was like for them back in the 1800's! 

The lighthouse was built in 1854–1855 and remained in service until 1891. The lighthouse played a very important role to lead ships to safety into the San Diego Harbor as the cliffs and fog were very dangerous.