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Dora Thomas Ray Smith - Awaiting 100th Birthday
Dora Ray Smith, whose father captained an 1849 wagon train, lived to see her hundredth year approach.
Stories
True stories of the Plasketts and their neighbors — bears and gold, shipwrecks and weddings — drawn from letters, newspapers, and family memory.
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Three Mills Shipped from San Francisco by Sled
Three sawmills came down the coast by ship in 1886 — then went up the mountain to Los Burros by sled.
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Reil Dani First to Operate Automobile on Stage Route
Reil Dani drove the Jolon stage for years — and was the first to drive the route with an automobile.
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Evans Family Voyage on Sierra Nevada
The Evans family came down the coast on a side-wheeler with their cattle penned above the paddle wheel.
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Clinton Evans Lost at Sea
Clinton Evans took his new forty-foot boat out on October 10, 1959, and the sea kept him.
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Tony Fontes - Mission Indian Horseman
Tony Fontes's people heard the first Padres sing at San Antonio Mission. He became the coast's great horseman.
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Tony Fontes Jeep Accident
A jeep, a log, and a hard landing — Tony Fontes's closest call came on four wheels, not four hooves.
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S.S. Los Angeles Shipwreck at Point Sur
When the S.S. Los Angeles struck at Point Sur in 1873, Dr. Roberts rode from Monterey in three and a half hours.
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S.S. Ventura Shipwreck and Salvage
The S.S. Ventura went down with fine linens and wagon kits — and the coast ranches dressed well that year.
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Harlan Family Sea Adventure to Point Sur
Mrs. Harlan asked about packing a lunch for the boat trip to Monterey. She should have packed for a week.
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Mabel Sans Childhood at Mill Creek Sawmill
Mabel's childhood ran on sawdust and creek water at her father's mill among the redwoods.
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Jack Dempsey Breaks Cast Iron Skillet Over Mans Head
The Mill Creek rough named Jack Dempsey once settled an argument with a cast-iron skillet.