Heyday Books: It's An Ohlone Thing

San Francisco, CA -- Heyday Books held their second annual New California Writing 2012 event at the California Historical Society headquarters.  It was a true gift to hear California writers read from their published stories that appear in the 2012 anthology.  But, I was there on a mission: to shake the hand of Malcolm Margolin, founder and owner of Heyday Books who wrote my favorite book on the California Indian The Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San Francisco–Monterey Bay Area published over 25 years ago and still relevant today.  There were plenty of people in line to say hello to Malcolm and when I got my turn, I babbled on about how much the book meant to me and that the view from my apartment at Basecamp overlooks the Emeryville Shell Mound and before I got a chance to tell him that sometimes I pretend that I am an Ohlone Indian wearing a deer skin coat, and grind acorns with the other women while singing songs someone else swooped Malcolm away, which was probably a good thing for him.  I raise my glass to a man who’s made a huge difference in California literature.  Here's to you Malcolm!

Carmel Bohemians: Romantic Thinkers

Carmel, CA -- Carmel’s abundant natural beauty has always inspired artists and writers to live in its village by the sea.  At the turn of the century, there were many artistic colonies around the country calling themselves Bohemians.  San Francisco was home to a large community of these high thinkers.  The cataclysmic earthquake and ensuing fires that ravaged the city in 1906 threw San Francisco's Bohemian community into disarray, and the refugees fled south to Carmel.

George Sterling, a charismatic poet was the central character in this utopian society, having arrived in Carmel in 1905 and setting up a cottage with enough room to entertain guests.  He convinced friends to abandon the city and forge a rustic community among the cypress trees and white sand beaches.  Among them were writers Jack London, Mary Austin, and Sinclair Lewis.   

San Francisco Bay Discovery Site: Sweeney Ridge

Pacifica, CA -- Captain Gaspar de Portolá and his expedition, consisting of 64 people, set out from San Diego, made their way to Monterey, and then arrived at Sweeney Ridge near the San Francisco International Airport.  On that hilltop, they discovered the largest estuary on the Western Coast of the United States.

Expedition engineer Miguel Costansó wrote in his journal:

“From the summit of this range we saw the magnificent estuary, which stretched toward the southeast.  The country was pleasant.  The hills west of the canyon were crowned with low live oaks, smaller trees.  There was sufficient pasture.  We halted on the bank of a stream of good water.  Some…natives…invite us to go to their villages, and offered us present of seeds and fruits.”

Discovering Lake Tahoe: Trailblazer John Fremont

Lake Tahoe, CA -- The first recorded discovery of Lake Tahoe by white explorers was on Feb. 14, 1844 when John Frémont and Charles Preuss climbed the dividing ridge of the Sierra crest to spot the second deepest lake in the United States.  It’s uncertain if they were impressed by the lake’s clarity and luminous blue color—their documented impression was rather nondescript: “beautiful view of a mountain lake…”   Frémont, along with his 23 men including explorer Kit Carson, simply wanted to get off the Sierra Nevada and make their way down to the fertile Sacramento Valley below. They’d been exploring unchartered territory since the spring of 1843 and their quest for food always kept them edgy.  The previous night Frémont wrote: “We had tonight an extraordinary dinner—pea soup, mule, and dog.”  Thank you trailblazers!