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HISTORIC SITES IN CALIFORNIA
Founded in 1859, this California mining town once had 2,000 buildings and 8,000 people. This ‘ghost town’ still preserves abandoned beds, toys, books and vintage suppliesBodie, a historical ghost town in California, draws interest with its well-preserved mining heritage. The discovery of gold and silver in 1...
In 1898, a Stanford geology student married a young mining engineer and began a life of travel. 30 years later, she became America's First LadyLou Henry Hoover’s journey to the White House was far from ordinary. After becoming the first woman to graduate from Stanford University wi...
Abandoned since 1989, American buys Spanish village for $363,000 as he plans $7 million tourism revival with 44 homes, church, school and barAbandoned since 1989, Spain’s Salto de Castro village has a new owner after American Jason Lee Beckwith bought the historic settlement for ...
In 1862, silver transformed Aurora in Nevada Territory from a mining camp into a town of about 7,000 people; years later, only about 500 remained, and many mills had been dismantledOnce an empty expanse, Aurora surged into a thriving community of seven thousand within two short years, thanks to promising silver mines. ...
In March 1945, USS Trigger sank in the East China Sea; 81 years later, restoration work on USS Silversides uncovered a flood valve that appears to connect the surviving boat to its lost sisterHistoric submarine restoration has uncovered a remarkable World War II mystery. Workers found a flood valve stamped with the name USS Trigg...
In 1928, a US Navy personnel came to a California island and lived alone for 28 years as an unofficial caretaker. Today, a popular spot in the Channel Islands bears his nameRaymond LeDreau held the title of Anacapa Island's unofficial caretaker for nearly 3 decades. A Spanish-American War veteran, he endured de...
In 2018, the U.S. Air Force signed a 35-year lease for underused Mojave desert land. 8 years later, the site hosts 1.9 million solar panels, turning a historic aircraft testing ground into a massive renewable-energy hubIn 2018, the U.S. Air Force signed a 35-year lease for underused desert land at Edwards Air Force Base in California. What happened next wa...
By the mid-2010s, California agencies had placed more than 200,000 tons of gravel below Keswick Dam, restoring egg-laying habitat for endangered salmonIn an initiative aimed at revitalizing the spawning grounds for the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon, California has been transporting ...
By the mid-2010s, California agencies had placed more than 200,000 tons of gravel below Keswick Dam, restoring egg-laying habitat for endangered salmonThe construction of dams along the Sacramento River hindered the natural flow of gravel that is essential for salmon spawning. Efforts are ...
In 2011, a California hotel owner refused to sell to a $400 million shopping complex; so the city nearly took his 55-room hotel insteadA Glendale mall owner sought to expand his property in 2011. The adjacent Golden Key Hotel owner refused a substantial offer for his busine...
In 1977, California removed the last herbivores from San Miguel Island after years of overgrazing. Decades later, the barren landscape produced a stunning ecological comeback, transforming into an island covered with native vegetationSan Miguel Island tells a powerful conservation story. Once called a “barren lump of sand,” the 9,500-acre California island suffered more ...
A ghost town disappeared beneath 60 feet of water after Hoover Dam was built; Lake Mead’s decline is bringing it back to lifeA submerged ghost town named St. Thomas is reappearing as Lake Mead's water levels drop. This former Mormon settlement was flooded after th...
James Marshall's 1848 discovery set off California's greatest migration; Sutter's Mill is now a historic landmark with a visitor influxJames W. Marshall discovered gold flakes in California in 1848, initiating a massive migration. Thousands traveled overland and by sea to s...
In 1933, California began building an aqueduct that would pump Colorado River water 493 meters uphill and carry it 389 km across the desert to supply its fast-growing citiesLos Angeles faced water shortages due to its growing population in the early 1920s. Planners chose the Colorado River as a vast water sourc...
In 1857, a carpenter given six months to live moved into Yosemite; he survived 53 more years and spent five decades protecting its giant sequoiasGalen Clark moved to Yosemite seeking health and found a new purpose. He discovered the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias and began protecti...
In 1863, a deadly US massacre killed hundreds of Native Americans. 160 years later, the Shoshone are restoring the site of the attackIn 1863, the Bear River Massacre became the deadliest slaughter of Native Americans in US history, leaving hundreds of Shoshone men, women ...
Thousands of children, sponsors arrested by ICE after tips from US child migrant agencyAn investigation found that the US Office of Refugee Resettlement has shared more than 460,000 leads with Immigration and Customs Enforceme...
For 40 years, a Sicilian immigrant dug an underground California world, carving 65 rooms, tunnels, and fruit gardens beneath FresnoBaldassare Forestiere built an underground complex in Fresno to escape summer heat. He dug approximately sixty-five rooms and gardens by ha...
What to know about Trump's order shrinking the size of two national monuments in UtahUS President Trump reduced Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. These actions reversed prior proclamations m...
How California’s solar farms are helping save the endangered San Joaquin kit fox: Inside the surprising conservation success giving one of America’s rarest foxes a fighting chanceMassive solar farms in Central California are now protecting endangered San Joaquin kit foxes. These projects offer safe havens, reducing p...