History
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Nov- 2019 -18 November
The Chronicles of Mark Twain in California – Part 1: The Stories Behind the Pen Name
People dream of coming to California to become the next Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks, but hardly the “father of…
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Oct- 2019 -31 October
Take a Walk Through History in this Ghost Town just Outside Redding, California
Brought to you by Visit Redding Shasta State Historic Park. Photo: Visit Redding In the mid-1800’s, the town of Shasta…
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28 October
City of Eureka Transfers Indian Island Back to Wiyot Tribe in Historic Ceremony
Facebook/ Wiyot Tribe In December of 2018, the Eureka City Council unanimously voted to return Tuluwat, or Indian Island, back…
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Sep- 2019 -4 September
Video Explores the Human History of Lassen Volcanic National Park
In an installment of Lassen NPS’s video newsletter, Lassen Peek, they give a brief introduction to the human history of the…
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3 September
This Beautiful Northern California Site was Once a World War II Internment Camp
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941, it started World War II, sending the United…
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Aug- 2019 -28 August
The History of the McCloud River and its World-Famous Fish
Photo: California Trout It’s the strangest feeling. I can be standing for hours in a rushing trout stream totally absorbed…
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7 August
Take a Historical Audio Tour Through the Modoc War
In the 1870’s, the national headlines set there eyes on the Modoc War, a bloody battle between the army and…
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Jul- 2019 -23 July
Eat a Historic Burger and Fries at Redding’s Damburger
https://www.facebook.com/EatingNorCal/videos/327242764799898/ In 1938, 18-year-old Bud Pennington had the idea to sell hamburgers to the thousands of construction workers building Shasta…
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Apr- 2019 -11 April
A Piece of NorCal History: Redding’s Diestelhorst Bridge
Considering its place adjacent to the recently added Lake Redding Bridge, you might overlook Redding’s storied Diestelhorst Bridge. Without scanning…
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5 April
NorCal History will Come Alive at Lava Beds’ Living History Event
Photo: NPS/Angela Sutton Press release provided from Lava Beds National Monument: History will come alive on Saturday, May 11th, during…
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Jan- 2019 -26 January
Wiyot Tribe Reclaims “Sacred” Indian Island in Humboldt Bay
Located off the shore of Eureka in Humboldt Bay sits an island called Duluwat, better know as Indian Island, which…
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15 January
Did the Real-Life Tarzan Dive Off Burney Falls?
BThe story was well known to me, but we at Active NorCal always check our sources. If you Google “Tarzan,…
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Dec- 2018 -21 December
Remembering Babe Ruth’s 1924 Exhibition Game in Dunsmuir, California
Photo by Paul J. Standar The Babe. The Sultan of Swat. The Great Bambino. The legend of Babe Ruth has…
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8 December
The Conflicted History of the Lava Beds National Monument
By Ryan Loughrey This past summer, we visited the desolate and beautiful Lava Beds National Monument to try to escape…
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Nov- 2018 -17 November
History Reduced to Rubble: Remembering the Honey Run Covered Bridge
The Camp Fire took many victims as it spread through Butte County on November 8th, the most significant being lost…
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Oct- 2018 -17 October
Digging for Answers-Where Did The 60-Foot Hole in the Side of Mt. Shasta Come From?
Around 10 years ago, a 60-foot hole mysteriously appeared in the side of Mount Shasta. Even with its incredible size,…
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15 October
A History of Yosemite Park in Photos
Yosemite National Park, filled with flush meadows, epic rock faces and mesmerizing waterfalls, is one of the most popular parks…
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9 October
Bulls vs. Bears: Northern California’s Bloody Spectator Sport of the 19th Century
In the 1800’s, when Spanish conquistadors and early gold rush optimists flocked to the newly settled areas of Northern California,…
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9 October
The Lockhart Ferry Massacre: Northern California’s Bloody War of the 1850’s
Peering into the lives of the first non-Native people in Northern California, dreams, imaginings and real history clash in a…
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Sep- 2018 -24 September
Rare Collection of Ansel Adams Photography Donated to the Yosemite Museum in Yosemite National Park
A rare collection of 45 photographs by acclaimed 20th century photographer Ansel Adams (1902-1984) has been donated to the Yosemite Museum in Yosemite National…
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12 September
A Beacon Of Northern California History: The Battery Point Lighthouse
A D.C. socialite, the Gold Rush, shipping lines, San Francisco, Crescent City and Battery Point Lighthouse intertwine in history to…
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Aug- 2018 -8 August
Explorers Study Ancient Underwater Forests with a Submarine at Fallen Leaf Lake
Mapping out the history of our the outdoors can be a difficult task, one that requires time, money, and maybe…
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Jul- 2018 -9 July
Exploring the Car Graveyard of Mt. Shasta
By Ryan Loughrey Walking through the car graveyard felt like walking through an ancient time. Even though the cars couldn’t…
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9 July
The Turbulent History of Mt. Shasta’s Old Ski Bowl
It was in 1959 when ambitious developers leased land from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and opened a two-person chairlift on the…
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Jun- 2018 -26 June
Watch President JFK Dedicate the Whiskeytown Bridge Weeks Before his Assassination
We know that our area holds significant landmarks for the state as well as the country, and no event signifies…
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22 June
Remembering the Devastating Chemical Spill that Killed All the Wildlife on the Upper Sacramento River
It was July 14th, 1991 when a Southern Pacific tank car spilled 19,000 gallons of the soil fumigant metam sodium…
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19 June
How Did Weed, CA Get It’s Name? A Story of Achieving the American Dream in the Wild West
You see many people snicker when you bring up Weed, California. After all, it seems to be named after Cheech and Chong’s…
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14 June
Capturing History: 10 Mind-Blowing Photos from the Lassen Peak Eruption
When Lassen Peak Erupted in 1914, there were no advanced photographical instruments. There were no DSLR’s or drones or GoPro’s,…
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11 June
What’s in a Name? The Story Behind Hat Creek
Names almost always make for a good story, and Hat Creek is no exception. Of course, not everyone may agree that…
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2 June
A History of Bigfoot Sightings in Northern California
Stories and legends of Bigfoot and similar creatures pervade the history of the Pacific Northwest. In Teddy Roosevelt’s book, The…
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2 June
How Did Whiskeytown Get Its Name?
Whiskeytown began much like most other 1849 Gold Rush mining communities – as a modest collection of shabby tents. Young…
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1 June
The Heartwarming Story of President JFK Feeding Deer in Lassen Volcanic National Park in his Pajamas
When President John F. Kennedy visited Northern California in 1963, just months before his assassination, he made the rounds to…
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May- 2018 -9 May
What’s a Lemurian and Why Do People Believe They Live in Mount Shasta?
We like to hypothesize about the paranormal activity surrounding Mt. Shasta. From Bigfoot sightings to alien activity, there is no…
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Apr- 2018 -25 April
Photos of NorCal Waterways During the Last Two Droughts are Astonishing
During the drought of 2014, photos emerged of Northern California waterways that showed just how desperate we were for water.…
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23 April
Humboldt’s Lyons Ranches Finally Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Redwood National Park Superintendent Steve Mietz is proud to announce the listing of Lyons Ranches Historic District on the National…
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20 April
Mark Twain’s Account of the Naming of Yreka, California
The small town of Yreka, California, sitting just to the north of the mighty Mount Shasta, has a prominent history…
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Oct- 2017 -12 October
Watch this Incredible Video of the Lassen Peak Eruption in 1914
My interest with our surrounding volcanic activity has turned from curiosity to obsession. The last eruption of Mount Shasta occurred in 1786,…
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11 October
Once a Northern California Boomtown, Now a Sunken City at the Bottom of a Lake
Kennett, California was once a boomtown in Northern California, prospering in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, with numerous stores,…
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