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Bears, Cougars, and Wild Animals of Pacific Valley
Winter in Pacific Valley meant bears in the stock pens and cougars in the hills.
Today’s featured story
From Mabel’s pen
Quaint Big Sur Inn Is Work Of the ‘Master Builder’
Grandpa Deetjen's hand-built Norwegian inn at Castro Canyon — rustic rooms, record concerts, and the 'Master Builder' himself.
Family spotlight
Antonio "Tony" Fontes
Antonio "Tony" Fontes was a skilled horseman and ranch hand on the Big Sur coast. ANCESTRY: Of Mission Indian descent. His forefathers were among the "pagan Indians who stole silently from the hills to hear the first Padres sing the Canticle of Dawn at the San Antonio Mission." His father Gabriel F…
From the album
More to explore
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William Plaskett and Son Joseph Drown on Hunting Trip
William Plaskett Jr. and his son Joseph set out on a hunting trip in 1796. Neither came home.
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Pigeon Roost Massacre Letter
Days after the Pigeon Roost Massacre of 1812, William Plaskett wrote down what the survivors saw.
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Carl Sans Drowns in Well
Carl Sans was being hauled up from the bottom of a well when the rope failed him.
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Olive Plaskett Dies During Pregnancy
Olive Sans married at fifteen, dark-eyed and sun-browned from the coast — and died carrying her child.
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The Sans Divorce Scandal
A courtroom divorce was almost unheard of. Ed Sans got one, then left for Reno to start over.
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The Earthquake Girl
She picked her own birthday: the day San Francisco shook to pieces in 1906.
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