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Here's a list of all NPS lands in the state.

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By The Numbers

28 National Parks

39,620,672 Visitors to National Parks

$4,276,200,000 Economic Benefit from National Park Tourism "

$3,405,233,799 of Rehabilitation Projects Stimulated by Tax Incentives (since 1995) "

$329,024,588 of Land & Water Conservation Fund Appropriated for Projects (since 1965) "

67 Certified Local Governments "

283 Community Conservation & Recreation Projects (since 1987) "

14,157 Acres Transferred by Federal Lands to Parks for Local Parks and Recreation (since 1948) "

1,043,789 Hours Donated by Volunteers "

1 National Heritage Area "

10 Wild & Scenic Rivers Managed by NPS "

4 National Trails Administered by NPS "

2,872 National Register of Historic Places Listings "

147 National Historic Landmarks "

36 National Natural Landmarks "

3 World Heritage Sites "

3,929 Places Recorded by Heritage Documentation Programs "

27,546,471 Objects in National Park Museum Collections "

11,321 Archeological Sites in National Parks "

6 Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plans "

14 Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itineraries "

Print the summary "

These numbers are just a sample of the National Park Service's work. Figures are for the fiscal year that ended 9/30/2019.

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28 National Parks 39,620,672 Visitors to National Parks $4,276,200,000 Economic Benefit from National Park Tourism " $3,405,233,799 of Rehabilitation Projects Stimulated by Tax Incentives (since 1995) " $329,024,588 of Land & Water Conservation Fund Appropriated for Projects (since 1965) " 67 Certified Local Governments " 283 Community Conservation & Recreation

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An opinion-based article about popular National Parks in California

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It sounds like a place to avoid, but don't let the ominous name scare you away. Most of the year, this vast and rugged expanse of east Californian desert is brutally hot, but visit in winter or early spring (though even in the dead of winter, midday temperatures can hit 30C) and you'll find a surprisingly beautiful and vibrant place. First-time visitors are often awestruck by the desert's vivid colours. For thousands of years, the people of the Timbisha tribe thrived here, migrating seasonally between the valley floor and more fertile mountains. The name Death Valley was bestowed in 1849 by a band of lost California-bound gold rushers, one of whom did actually die while trying to cross it. The legend doesn't seem to deter runners of the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race across the vast valley held in mid-July.

It sounds like a place to avoid, but don't let the ominous name scare you away. Most of the year, this vast and rugged expanse of east Californian desert is brutally hot, but visit in winter or early spring (though even in the dead of winter, midday temperatures can hit 30C) and you'll find a surprisingly beautiful and vibrant place. First-time visitors are often awestruck by the desert's vivid colours. For thousands of years, the people of the Timbisha tribe thrived here, migrating seasonally between the valley floor and more fertile mountains. The name Death Valley was bestowed in 1849 by a band of lost California-bound gold rushers, one of whom did actually die while trying to cross it. The legend doesn't seem to deter runners of the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race across the vast valley held in mid-July.

The park has nine campsites and several air-conditioned lodges, including the historic Furnace Creek Inn (doubles from $365)and the Panamint Springs resort (doubles from $79, quadruples $94).

Top tip: One of the best places to experience Death Valley in all its multicoloured glory is Zabriskie Point, at sunrise or sunset. This easily accessible viewing point is only a short walk from a large parking area.
Death Valley links , , Badwater Ultramarathon

Yosemite national park

With its stunning glacier-sculpted geology, abundant wildlife and world-class recreational opportunities, Yosemite, 200 miles east of San Francisco, is one of the crown jewels of America's national park system. Yosemite's granite wonderland was carved by massive glaciers around three million years ago, when ice covered all but the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada.

Today, Yosemite valley is known for fantastic hiking, rafting, fishing and wildlife watching, not to mention being a mecca for big-wall rock climbing. A year-round destination, Yosemite is resplendent but often crowded in the summer; winter transforms the park into a quiet snowy paradise. Many park roads and trails are closed or inaccessible from mid-November until late spring, but Yosemite valley stays open year-round for snowshoeing, cross-country and backcountry skiing.

Yosemite is best explored over at least several days. Overnight accommodation ranges from wilderness camping to cabins to the luxurious Ahwahnee Hotel, with doubles from $360 a night.

Top tips Yosemite's towering granite walls are too tall to be seen through a car windshield; this park is best experienced on foot. The one-mile Glacier Point and 1½-mile Tuolumne Meadow trails offer short but spectacular strolls, or tackle the more strenuous 7.2-mile walk to the top of Yosemite Falls. The harrowing 14-mile hike up Half Dome requires clinging to cables bolted into the rock face, as well as luck in the much-coveted permit lottery.
* Yosemite links reservations, , how to apply for a Half Dome permit

Point Reyes national seashore

California is known for its beautiful beaches, but those preferring seals and solitude to bikini babes and boardwalks should head to Point Reyes national seashore, 37 miles north of San Francisco. Protected in 1962 to save the area from residential development, the peninsula is one of California's few wild beaches. The 180-square-mile park is nearly cut off from the mainland by Tomales Bay, an elongated body of water that sits in the rift zone created by the San Andreas fault.

Headlands and sea cliffs provide a sanctuary for wildlife, including raptors and nesting sea birds. A large herd of tule elk - a subspecies that once roamed throughout California - grazes in the northern highlands of the peninsula. Point Reyes is popular year-round, but especially from late December to mid-March, when as many as 20,000 grey whales migrate past the peninsula from their Alaskan feeding grounds to their breeding grounds off Baja California, in the longest migration undertaken by any mammal.

Point Reyes is only an hour north of San Francisco (as long as traffic is moving at a reasonable clip over the Golden Gate bridge), and the park offers backcountry and boat-in camping. Permits and a willingness to rough it are required; no car or RV camping is available. Hiking trails abound: short ones (less than a mile) include the Earthquake trail, which straddles the San Andreas fault, and the Kule Loklo trail, which takes in a restored coastal Miwok Native American village. Those with more time and energy can set off on the US's longest hike, the 6,800-mile American Discovery Trail, from Point Reyes all the way east to the Atlantic Ocean.

Top tips The only indoor lodging in the park is at the Point Reyes Youth Hostel, which offers dorm beds ($25) and private rooms (from $82, sleep up to five) to travellers of all ages. Reservations highly recommended.
* Point Reyes links, whale watching,

Joshua Tree national park

The park was named after the otherworldly trees that dot the landscape - actually an unusually tall species of yucca - but the real stars here are the rock formations: jumbled piles of outsize boulders that glitter with crystals in the southern Californian sun. Rock climbers come from all over the world to scale these boulders, but you don't have to be a pro to have a blast scrambling around this pink granite jungle gym.

The other stars of Joshua Tree are the stars themselves: with no humidity and skies devoid of light pollution, the Milky Way is overwhelmingly vivid. For an out-of-this-world experience, try scheduling your trip during a meteor shower, such as the Orionids in October, the Leonids in November, or the Geminids in December. Summers in the Mojave Desert are sweltering, but the weather in early spring, late fall and winter is usually delightful.

There are nine campsites scattered through the park. Only two - Black Rock and Cottonwood - provide running water, and none offers an RV hookup. The park is 125 miles east of Los Angeles, near the desert oases of Twenty-nine Palms and Palm Springs, which offer air-conditioned accommodations ranging from cheap dives to upscale hotels.

Top tips Keep an eye out for bighorned sheep on the 7.2-mile round trip trail to the Lost Palms Oasis, a strenuous but rewarding hike that follows an ancient Native American footpath to a cool oasis hidden deep in a boulder canyon.
* Joshua Tree links, , climbing and routes; climbing guides: joshuatreerockclimbing.com, cliffhangerguides.com, joshuatreeguides.com

Lassen Volcanic national park

Yellowstone national park in Wyoming is world-famous for volcanic features such as geysers, fumaroles and mud springs, but northern California boasts its very own version: Lassen Volcanic national park, 50 miles east of Redding.

The park is capped by 10,462-foot Lassen Peak, the world's largest volcanic dome. Lassen's 1915 blast makes it one of only two volcanoes to have erupted in the continental US in the 20th century (the other being Washington's Mount Saint Helens in 1980). After the eruption, which laid waste to vast swaths of surrounding land, Lassen Volcanic national park was created to preserve the devastated areas for future observation and study. Visiting the area now, nearly 100 years later, is a dramatic lesson in the Earth's own healing powers; it still bears vast scars of hardened lava, but between the rocks, the flora and fauna are flourishing.

In the summer, Lassen offers over 150 miles of hiking trails to a wide range of volcanic features such as Sulphur Works and Bumpass Hell, the park's largest hydrothermal feature. Despite all the underground heat, Lassen is also known for receiving epic snowfalls - sometimes 900 inches in one season! - that turn the park into a winter wonderland popular with snowshoers, cross-country and backcountry skiers. Lassen has eight seasonal campsites and rustic cabins are available at Manzanita Lake from May to October.

TOP TIP Sign up for a photography, geology or birding workshop through the non-profit Lassen Association's Field Seminar Program at Lassen national park.
* Lassen links , c amping and cabins, Lassen Association

Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks

California has a lot of parks but you can cross two off your list at once by visiting Sequoia and Kings Canyon, just south-east of Yosemite. They are two distinct parks, but are co-managed and share a border and an entrance fee ($5 a head). Both offer lodges and campsites, but keep in mind that only a very small fraction of these remote and rugged parks are accessible by road. To really see them, you'll need to take a hike.

Sequoia is home to the largest tree in the world, by volume. Redwoods are taller, but giant sequoias win for sheer mass: the General Sherman's trunk has a volume of 1,487 cubic metres and is estimated to weigh over 2,000 tonnes. Sequoia also boasts 4,421m Mount Whitney, the high point of the John Muir Trail, which runs through Sequoia and Kings Canyon on its way up to Yosemite.

Kings Canyon national park protects the headwaters of the south and middle forks of the Kings river and the south fork of the San Joaquin river, two of the most picturesque and pristine rivers in California. The south fork section of Kings river - known as Kings Canyon, one of the deepest in the country, dropping down more than 2,500m - was carved out of solid granite by glaciers during the last ice age.

TOP TIP The Giant Forest in Sequoia national park is home to five of the 10 largest trees in the world, including the General Sherman. Pay your respects to these 3,500-year old sentinels along the 40 miles of trails that weave through the grove.
* Sequoia and Kings Canyon links , , , John Muir Trail

Pinnacles national park

Until recently, these dramatic cliffs 40 miles southeast of Salinas were known as Pinnacles National Monument, but in January 2013 they became the nation's newest national park. The massive spires and sheer canyons are actually the remains of an ancient volcano that was split in two by the San Andreas Fault and hauled 150 miles from its original location. The spectacular walls attract rock climbers as well as bats, falcons and one of the rarest birds in the world: the California condor . A type of vulture and the largest bird in North America, it became extinct in the wild in 1987 due to poaching, poisoning and habitat destruction. Captive breeding programmes have helped reintroduce dozens of the big black birds into parks in Arizona, Utah and California. At the last count, in 2012, this park was home to 32 wild condors.

Pinnacles has one campsite on the east side of the park, which is more developed than the western entrance. Roads run from the east and the west, but don't connect in the middle, which helps keep the heart of Pinnacles wild.

TOP TIP Don't miss Pinnacle's unique talus caves, Bear Gulch in the east and Balconies Cave in the west. They formed when steep, narrow canyons filled with boulders, leaving passages between the rocks. The caves are home to colonies of Towson's big-eared bats and may be closed during pupping season or after rains due to high water.
* Pinnacles links condors recovery programme, , ,

Devils Postpile national monument

The Devils Postpile, near Mammoth Lakes on the east side of Yosemite, looks as if it might have been created by some satanic sculptor, but really it's just one of the world's best examples of columnar basalt, a similar geological feature to the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. The Postpile's 18m columns were created when a mass of basaltic lava cooled at a relatively uniform rate. As the lava cooled and contracted, it split along joints into columns, most of which are pentagonal or hexagonal, with a few three, four, and seven-sided columns scattered throughout.

The half-mile walk from the campsite to the base of the Postpile is easy and the hike to the top takes only about 15 minutes of moderate uphill hiking. The John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails also pass through, and many through-hikers use the park as a place to rest and refuel before continuing to Canada or Mexico.

TOP TIP Definitely plan to put the extra effort into climbing to the top of the Postpile. The hike is only moderately difficult and is the best way to see the polygons end-on.
Devils Postpile link s , , Pacific Crest Trail

King Range national conservation area

Look at a map of California and you'll see that Highways 1 and 101 run along the entire coast, except for a 65-mile slice between Eureka and Rockport known as the Lost Coast. This section, protected by the King Range national conservation area, is the longest stretch of wild beach in California.

Since there are no roads into the Lost Coast, you have to walk to see it. A potholed gravel road runs to a campsite at the mouth of the Mattole river and from there you can wander south down the coast for 25 miles before you come to the next road, at Shelter Cove. The hike is mostly flat, but walking on sand with a pack is tiring and you'll need tide charts to help navigate past the towering headlands. Bear canisters are required for all food, not just because of the bears, but also the seagulls, which will rob you of every last crumb.

TOP TIP The six-and-a-half-mile round trip trek from the Mattole river campsite to the elegant ruins of the Punta Gorda Lighthouse, built in 1912 and decommissioned in 1951, might be one of the most beautiful beach walks in the world. This area is also popular with surfers, though you'll definitely need a wetsuit in these rough, cold waters.
Lost Coast links hiking trails, bear safety and canister regulations, history of the Punta Gorda lighthouse

Redwood national and state parks

If you've been to Sequoia, you've already seen the largest trees in the world, but the Redwood national and state parks in northern California boast the tallest trees, including 115.7m Hyperion, the world's tallest living tree. The exact location of Hyperion is a closely guarded secret, but standing at the base of any one of these giants is a truly humbling experience.

Giant redwoods once covered more than 5,000 square miles of coastal California, but as much as 96% of all old-growth redwoods were logged between 1850 and 1920, a staggering statistic that becomes even more tragic when you learn that redwoods are practically immortal and can live for thousands of years. Today, nearly half all remaining redwoods are found in these adjoining national and state parks.

Four developed campsites are scattered through the parks, but no indoor accommodation is available inside the park boundaries. Quaint lodgings can be found in the nearby small towns of Klamath, Requa and Orrick, with larger hotels in Crescent City, Arcata and Eureka.

TOP TIP Put a crick in your neck on the easy walking trails through the Ladybird Johnson Grove trail and Tall Trees Grove trail in the southern portion of Redwood national park.
Redwood links, the search for the tallest tree, Redwood canopy tours: northcoastadventurecenters.com and redwoods.info
Mary Caperton Morton is a freelance writer and photographer who makes her home on the back roads of North America, living and working out of a tiny solar-powered Teardrop trailer Topics

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It sounds like a place to avoid, but don't let the ominous name scare you away. Most of the year, this vast and rugged expanse of east Californian desert is brutally hot, but visit in winter or early spring (though even in the dead of winter, midday temperatures can hit 30C) and you'll find a surprisingly beautiful and vibrant place.

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Another opinion-based article about National Parks in CA

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Out-of-this-world scenery, ethereal landscapes and beguiling wilderness entice visitors from all over the globe to delve into the beautiful and diverse Californian National Parks.

Including volcanic peaks, strange rock formations, lush meadows and dry deserts, the diversity of the landscape in California comes to life in these national parks. A huge spectrum of animals lives within many of the park's boundaries, providing incredible opportunities for visitors to catch a glimpse of rare wildlife. With anything from whales to owls, the varied habitats are ideal mating grounds, with different species able to be spotted at different times of the year.

Map of National Parks in California

Spending time among the often cinematic scenery is hugely popular, and many of the national parks in California have seen visitor numbers rise in recent years. But as the parks span such a massive area, there is room for everyone to enjoy a piece of California's beautiful natural bounties. From hiking and swimming to caving, skiing and even stargazing, there's something to allure everyone to these beautiful national parks.

See also: 9 Best Day Trips from San Francisco

In the heart of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range lies the bewitching Devils Postpile National Park. The park's main draw are the impressive columns of basalt rock that spire skywards and have fascinated people for generations. The strange structures were in fact formed by the aftermath of an ancient volcanic eruption, when lava streamed down the mountainous slopes and left these crazy columns. Icebergs helped to mold the hexagonal shape that now attracts so many people to come and gaze in awe at the force of nature.

Nowadays, the columns make for the ideal place to have an adventure - hikers enjoy coming here to try out the selection of trails that crisscross the landscape. Hikes that wind past the 100-foot Rainbow Falls or Mammoth Lakes are very popular in the summer months. The fascinating, naturally-occurring geological formations are what draw people here, and the pure fresh air and unbelievable scenery make the local towns fun places to enjoy during the summer months, when festivals and swimming become very popular.

Discover the scenic seashore of Point Reyes, the jagged point that juts out into the Pacific, where a depth of wildlife and plant species make this place a haven for nature-lovers. Along the coast, remote bays and wild meadows are home to wild elk and rare plant life; the national park is the ideal spot for children to discover and learn more about nature. Whale-watching is particularly popular here, and usually takes place in the winter months, whilst the wild blooms come out in the spring. Point Reyes is perfect for romantic beach walks, where visitors might be able to spot some of the beautiful birdlife along the lengthy shoreline. Located at the westernmost tip of Marin County, it is a doable day trip from San Francisco, but also worth visiting as a destination on its own.

Nicknamed "America's Galapagos," the Channel Islands National Park is made up of five islands that are scattered along the coast of Santa Barbara. It's home to over 2,000 species of plants and animals, 150 of which are found only on these islands, making this park truly the perfect place to spot some wildlife. Whales and dolphins pass by the islands in this richly diverse marine park, and many different types of birds call this place home. Every season offers visitors slightly different glimpses into the life of the park: summer brings warm waters and humpback whales, as well as blue whales, while autumn is ideal for kayaking and diving. The park is also known for its spectacular sunsets, when the dropping sun illuminates the landscape and reveals the true beauty of the oceanic vista.

This steaming, sulphur-infused national park entices visitors all year round with its sputtering sulphur vents, misty hot springs and bubbling pools of mud. The volcanic landscape of the park means plenty of verdurous forests and crystal-clear lakes for visitors to enjoy. But don't worry, the volcano after which the park is named hasn't been active since it erupted in 1914. Take a wander along the many hiking trails; those who are brave enough can attempt the climb up the volcano itself. Lake Helen, at the base of the volcano, is a spectacular spot for viewing the scenery. The lake's high altitude means that in winter it is often covered by ice, but as summer comes and the ice melts, translucent turquoise waters appear and it makes an enchanting spot for a picnic.

The newest national park in California, Pinnacles National Park consists of craggy rock formations and steep cliffs. The contrasting landscape was created by volcanic activity over 23 million years ago, when a collection of volcanoes erupted and their lava flowed into the rocky formation. The scenery lends itself to diversity and, with the changing seasons, swathes of colorful wildflowers bloom under clear blue skies as temperatures soar in the heat of summer. At night, temperatures fall, making ideal camping conditions for visitors who enjoy a spot of stargazing. The Pinnacles itself is actually made up of two halves and, whilst visitors are not able to drive through the park, it is possible to hike from one side to the other. Rock-climbing is another popular activity, as well as exploring the park's many limestone caves and caverns that have been created over millennia.

Although technically Sequoia and Kings Canyon are two separate national parks, they generally operate as a single unit and one fee allows entrance to both adjacent parks. The towering sequoia forests that soar above the rapid rivers in these parks are super-sized. As the largest trees on the planet, the sequoia are giants that grow alongside a hugely diverse range of plant and animal species. Sun-drenched foothills and snowy elevations create a wilderness that is an amazing experience for all those who visit. The parks' subterranean cave networks are also extraordinary, and the glistening crystal caverns are easy to explore - visitors can take an educational trip though marble caves with a guide.

Rugged mountains, big boulders and arid flats create the strange surroundings of the Joshua Tree National Park, which has been bewitching nature-worshippers, artists and sunset-seekers for years. Situated at the point where the heights of the Mojave Desert connect with the lowlands of the Colorado Desert, the park's diverse desert flora includes the bizarre looking tree from which the park takes its name. The Joshua trees that thrive in this area create strange and majestic shapes that appear to change as the sun sets. Those looking for a bit of peace and quiet will love this park. For something a little more energetic, there is the option to walk the Indian Cove Nature Trail, or to try out rock-climbing at Echo Cove. The park has also become synonymous with music, with many musicians spending time among the Joshua trees in order to find inspiration; local roadhouses put on live music performances and welcome people to join in with the musical traditions of the park.

Impressive and imperious, the commanding redwood trees tower above everything else as the tallest living thing on earth. Redwood National Park, situated up in the northern coastal region of California, is home to a huge 35 percent of the coastal redwoods left standing on the planet. The park is a haven for wildlife and is home to many intriguing animals, including owls, salmon and sea lions. Trails weave their way through the ferns that carpet the forest floor below the bows of the trees, and open out into the spacious meadows. If you aren't yet convinced that this place is otherworldly, it was made famous in Star Wars as the location for the Forest Moon of Endor.

Its name might sound a little eerie, but the stunning snow-capped mountaintops and desolate deserts make Death Valley an imposing yet magnificent site. In what is possibly one of the most extreme landscapes on the planet, the park's low-angled winter light, huge rain storms and blossoming spring flowers makes this park really quite unbelievable. The valley is known to be the hottest and driest place in North America, but the heat attracts steady streams of visitors to its surreal wilderness. Strange sand formations and layers of rocks make a fantastic playground for photographers. Hiking trails and viewing points allow visitors a glimpse into the otherworldly terrain, where most days are drenched in sunshine and night-time brings fantastic stargazing opportunities.

World-famous Yosemite National Park has become the iconic hangout for keen wilderness hikers, who enjoy spending weekends attempting the many trails that crisscross the parks. Well-known by wanderlust seekers, Yosemite is high on many bucket-lists, with people drawn to its dramatic scenery and beautiful wildlife, powerful waterfalls, impressive sequoias and jaw-dropping cliffs. This is the place to come for adventure and serenity in equal helpings. The park is also popular with groups and families who visit all year round - as well as to enjoy skiing opportunities. Many visitors stay in lodges in nearby towns or camp out in the summer months and spend time among the striped, sheer cliffs. The views from up high at Glacier Point are immensely impressive, as are the strange rock structures of Half Dome and Sentinel Rock.

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10 Most Beautiful National Parks California

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Out-of-this-world scenery, ethereal landscapes and beguiling wilderness entice visitors from all over the globe to delve into the beautiful and diverse Californian National Parks. Including volcanic peaks, strange rock formations, lush meadows and dry deserts, the diversity of the landscape in California comes to life in these national parks.

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You can learn a lot about a place at its local festivals. Consider the Kinetic Grand Championship, a cosmically silly three-day battle between human-powered works of art (...

From rainforest canopies to luminous kelp beds teeming with sea life, California's zoos and aquariums give you unforgettable glimpses of amazing animals in naturalistic...

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Ask a local the best things about California, and somewhere at the top of the list would be the sheer beauty of the place.

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This is where you'll find all the state parks here in California.

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Our Mission

To provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state's extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation.

Start booking your next adventure with us on ReserveCalifornia

Our new reservation system improves service delivery to our visitors online and in our park units. You'll be able to explore California's outdoor recreational opportunities in a more modern way via interactive maps and other online tools. Go invent your adventure! View the FAQs.

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Buy your annual pass now

Are you a frequent visitor to a favorite state park, or love to sample the beauty of the state from north to south? A California State Parks Annual Pass may be for you. Our Annual Passes offer something for everyone, and make great gifts throughout the year! Please visit our passes page for additional information.

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More about CA State Parks

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California State Parks, State of California

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This is where you'll be able to search for specific locations for state parks.

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California Department of Parks and Recreation manages 280 park units, which contain the finest and most diverse collection of natural, cultural, and recreational resources to be found within California.

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So. Many. State. Parks.

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List of California state parks - Wikipedia

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This is a list of parks, historic resources, reserves and recreation areas in the California State Parks system.

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More state parks!

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List of parks in California. Featuring Fort Point National Historic Site, John Muir National Historic Site, Manzanar National Historic Site, Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters, Kings Canyon National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park Headquarters, National Park Service Headquarters

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Here's a list of the Mission trail

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From their humble, thatch-roofed beginnings to the stately adobes we see today, the missions represent a dynamic chapter of California's past. By the time the last mission was built in 1823, the Golden State had grown from an untamed wilderness to a thriving agricultural frontier on the verge of American statehood.

The 21 missions that comprise California's Historic Mission Trail are all located on or near Highway 101, which roughly traces El Camino Real (The Royal Road) named in honor of the Spanish monarchy which financed the expeditions into California in the quest for empire. From San Diego to Los Angeles, the historic highway is now known as Interstate 5. From Santa Clara to San Francisco, the road is called State Highway 82. North of San Francisco, Highway 101 again picks up the trail to the mission at San Rafael. From there, State Highway 37 leads to the last mission at Sonoma.

The first leg of El Camino Real was forged by General Gaspar de Portola on his journey from San Diego to find Monterey Bay. Tracing his path, missionaries, colonists and soldiers all traveled its dusty stretches; it was the only road between the few civilized outposts. The road was later identified with the missions because the padres maintained the roadway and offered hospitable lodging to all. It served as the north-south stagecoach route after California became a state in 1850, and in the 1920s bronze mission bells were placed along the highway to let motorists know they were traveling the historic El Camino Real.

Largely reconstructed after the ravages of time, weather, earthquakes and neglect, most of the missions still operate as active Catholic parishes, with regularly scheduled services. Booklets for self-guided tours are usually available; hours of operation and fees may vary.

Traveling from south to north from San Diego to Sonoma the missions are as follows:

San Diego de Alcala, 1st mission
The mission trail in California began here on July 16, 1769, when Fathers Serra, Palou and Parron dug a hole eight feet into the beachhead near the mouth of the San Diego River and planted a large cross. A bell was suspended from the limb of a nearby tree and the site was dedicated to St. Didacus. Today, the mission's own priests bless the trio of bells which ring each Sunday before mass. Bougainvillea cascades over adobe walls surrounding the gardens and California's first historic cemetery. The gardens contain centuries-old hibiscus, succulents, olive trees, citrus and avocado.
10818 San Diego Mission Rd., San Diego, 92108-2429, (619) 281-8449

San Luis Rey de Francia, 18th mission
Known as the King of the Missions, San Luis Rey de Francia lies in a sheltered valley just east of Oceanside on State Highway 76. Named for Louis IX, the crusading King of France, the cross-shaped church was dedicated on the Feast of St. Anthony in 1798 by Father Lasuen. Architecturally the most graceful of California's missions, it has been restored according to the original plans and designs. Today the mission gardens include a fruit orchard where California's first pepper tree still grows. The church, which seats 1,000, is adjacent to a six-acre enclosed central square that includes a sunken garden, elaborate stone terrace and octagonal mortuary chapel.
4050 Mission Ave., San Luis Rey, 92068, (760) 757-3651

San Juan Capistrano, 7th mission
Named for Crusader Saint John of Capistrano and designed in the shape of a cross, the great stone church once held seven domes and a bell tower so tall it could be seen from ten miles away. Severely damaged by an 1812 earthquake, the ruins are currently being preserved by archaeologists and engineers. Ivy covers the broken walls, willows sway over the fountain in the quadrangle and orange Birds of Paradise grace the mission gardens. A gilded altarpiece illuminates the Serra Chapel of 1777, the oldest building still in use in California and the only surviving church where Father Serra said mass. Each year on St. Joseph's Day, March 19, the mission celebrates the return of the cliff swallows from Argentina with a traditional Mexican fiesta.
Ortega Hwy. at Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 92693, (949) 234-1300

San Gabriel Arcangel, 4th mission
Founded in 1771 by Junipero Serra, this fortress-like structure with five-foot thick walls and narrow windows is a design not found in any other mission. Located nine miles east of downtown Los Angeles, at one time it covered several hundred thousand acres; one fourth of the wealth of California missions in stock and grain was credited to San Gabriel. The original vaulted roof was of a Moorish design patterned after the cathedral at Cordova, Spain, with slender capped buttresses and a six-belled campanario. One bell, which weighs a ton, can be heard eight miles away. The hammered copper baptismal font was a gift of King Carlos III of Spain and the six priceless altar statues were brought around the Horn from Spain in 1791. The winery, kitchen gardens and graveyard are still intact and the museum exhibits old books, Indian paintings and parchments.
428 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, 91776, (626) 457-3035

San Fernando Rey de Espana, 17th mission
Father Lasuen named this mission in honor of King Ferdinand III of Spain in 1797. Located 25 miles north of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, the convento is the largest freestanding adobe in California, and was originally used as a hospice for travelers. Today, the church, school, convento and workshops have all been restored to their original purposes and are open for viewing. Above the church altar is a statue of Saint Ferdinand brought from Spain 300 years ago. In the old mission plaza sits the original flower-shaped fountain.
15151 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, 91345, (818) 361-0186

San Buenaventura, 9th mission
The ninth mission in the chain was founded on Easter Sunday in 1782 by Father Serra and dedicated to St. Bonaventure. It was the last mission the humble priest would christen. Restored in 1957, the facade exhibits an unusual triangular design which opens into the gardens. A museum exhibits artifacts that include two old wooden bells, the only ones of their type known in California. Situated three blocks from the ocean, the mission fronts on the main street of Ventura.
225 E. Main St., Ventura, 93001, (805) 648-4496

Santa Barbara, 10th mission
Founded in 1786, the "Queen of the Missions" was the first to be christened by Father Lasuen, and has continuously served as a parish church for the local population since its founding. The church was destroyed in 1925 by earthquake; however, restorations have returned it to its original grandeur of wrought iron, terra cotta and carved wood. Patterned after an ancient Latin chapel in pre-Christian Rome, its twin bell towers and Doric facade present an imposing impression of strength. Located on a hilltop overlooking the city, the mission provides a spectacular view of the ocean. The museum contains a vast store of historical material and displays many original items.
2201 Laguna St., Santa Barbara, 93105, (805) 682-4713

Santa Ines, 19th mission
Named for a 13 year-old Roman martyr, St. Agnes, who refused to sacrafice to the pagan gods in 304 AD, Santa Ines was dedicated in 1804 by Father Estevan Tapis. Amazingly, it survived the numerous earthquakes. The museum contains a notable collection of vestments, church records and missals, and the church displays some of the original decorations on a wall behind the altar. A historic grape arbor shelters a walkway that transports the visitor back in time, emerging in the lovely gardens that appear today much as they did nearly 200 years ago.
1760 Mission Dr., Solvang, 93464, (805) 688-4815

La Purisima Conception, 11th mission
Founded in 1787 by Father Lasuen the mission is located 50 miles west of Santa Barbara. Considered to be the best example of mission architecture, it has 37 rooms that have been completely restored and furnished. Volunteers perform living history demonstrations of mission life such as candle making and weaving. In the garden area, water flows through a series of pools and a fountain before passing through the lavandareas where the mission women washed clothes. Plants were brought from the 20 other mission gardens to form one of the finest collections of early California flora in existence. Horses, cattle, burros and the four-horned Churro sheep graze in the quiet pastures.
2295 Purisima Rd., Lompoc, 93436, (805) 733-3713

San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, 5th mission
The humble chapel built of logs was dedicated to St. Louis, Bishop of Tolosa in 1772, and was the first mission to use tiles extensively on the roof due to repeated attacks by Indians who used flaming arrows to ignite the original thatched roof. Situated in the fertile, well-watered Valley of the Bears, the mission produced an abundance of crops, and two water-powered grist mills processed foods normally ground by hand. The mission underwent an extensive restoration program in the 1930's and today welcomes visitors to its nearly-original condition. The museum features a rare collection of early California photographs, authentic Serra relics and specimens of Chumash Indian craftsmanship.
782 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, 93401, (805) 543-6850

San Miguel Arcangel, 16th mission
Founded in 1797 by Father Lasuen to complete the mission chain from San Luis Obispo to Mission Dolores in San Francisco, San Miguel was located in the Salinas Valley as a mid point between the San Luis Obispo and San Antonio Missions. Under the direction of Esteban Munros, the Indians painted the walls and ceilings with ornate designs; the original murals are today the best preserved in California. San Miguel had no bell tower, its 2,000 lb. bell rang out from a wooden platform in front of the mission and now sits in its own campanario behind the church. The mission has an annual fiesta on the third Sunday in September to celebrate the Feast Day of its patron, Saint Michael, chief of the Archangels and Prince of the Heavenly Armies.
801 Mission St., San Miguel, 93451, (805) 467-3256

San Antonio de Padua, 3rd mission
Located 40 miles north of Paso Robles this picturesque mission is nestled in the grasslands and oak trees of the San Antonio Valley. Named for a saint known as the 'miracle worker', it was dedicated in 1771 by Father Serra. The church is known for its campanario and archway bells, and is today largely restored to its original condition. The fertile soil, water and climate produced excellent wheat and pasture for herds of cattle and horses. The valley comes alive with wildflowers each spring when poppies, lupines and the Golden Blazing Star begin to bloom.
Mission Creek Rd., Jolon, 93928, (831) 385-4478

Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, 13th mission
The padres named this mission for Our Lady of Solitude in 1791, which fits the isolated location of Soledad. Settled next to the Salinas River in the pastures and rolling hills 45 miles south of Monterrey, this lonely outpost was cold, damp and frequently whipped by winds. The soil was rich and the water plentiful however, and by 1805 Soledad was producing more than 100,000 bushels of wheat per year, owned nearly 17,000 head of livestock, and had become well-known for its hospitality. The chapel and one wing of the quadrangle have been completely restored and the church still has the original title floor. A small museum is housed is the quadrangle.
36641 Ft. Romie Rd., Soledad, 93960, (831) 678-2586

San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, 2nd mission
Founded by Father Serra in 1770 on Pentecost Sunday, this m ission was considered to be his favorite, and both he and Father Lasuen are buried here. It served as the ecclesiastical capital of California and also as Father Serra's headquarters for administrative duties as presidente of the missions. Set against the sea and mountains 115 miles south of San Francisco, this beautiful mission presents the complete quadrangle courtyard typical of mission architecture. The architecture is Moorish in design and the facade holds a star-shaped window directly above the main entrance. The gardens include culinary and medicinal herbs, citrus and olive trees, roses, Mexican sage and bougainvillea.
3080 Rio Rd., Carmel, 93923, (831) 624-3600

San Juan Bautista, 15th mission
Founded by Father Lasuen in 1797 this mission was unwittingly located directly above the San Andreas fault. Much of the original structure remains and has been restored to once again be the largest California mission church and the only one with three aisles. It was named for John the Baptist. Musical arts were taught here and the mission owned many instruments, which the Indians readily took to. Father Tapis developed a colored musical notation system and taught the Indians to read music as well as play it. Some of the parchments with colored notations still survive and the reredos behind the altar is so well-preserved that the paint is still brilliant.
Second and Mariposa Sts. in San Juan Bautista, 95045, (831) 623-4528

Santa Cruz, 12th mission
Although the soil was excellent and the location ideal, this mission never reached its potential. The dedication of Mission la Exaltacion de la Santa Cruz was made in 1791 by Father Lasuen at a site that was unfortunately located next to Branciforte pueblo, a community of ex-convicts and thieves. Shaken by earthquakes and frustrated by the influence and behavior of the colonists, the padres abandoned the mission. The chapel was eventually rebuilt to service the town that had grown up around the mission plaza, and today a half-scale replica of the 1794 Santa Cruz Mission Church sits about seventy-five yards from the original site.
126 High St., Santa Cruz, 95060, (831) 426-5686

Santa Clara de Asis, 8th mission
Located on the Guadeloupe River, the log chapel was founded in 1777 by Father Serra in honor of St. Clare only three months before his death. In 1851 the work began which ultimately produced Santa Clara University as we know it today. Located about 40 miles south of San Francisco, the main garden is devoted to tree roses, a mission tradition, and the string of willows planted along the miles between the mission and the pueblo of San Jose is today a well-traveled San Jose street known as The Alameda. Some initial mission walls exist and the bell tower holds the original bells sent from Spain. The University is rich in relics of the mission with a library of notable archival material.
500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, 95953, (408) 554-4023

San Jose, 14th mission
The most recent mission to have its church restored, the work truly captures the look and feel of its 1830's prosperity. Founded in 1797 by Father Lasuen, the fertile site was chosen because of its view of Mission Dolores and Yerba Buena Island. At one time the mission lands reached north almost to Oakland and east to include the Sacramento Delta. The mission was named after Joseph, spouse of Mary and while nothing remains of the original church, the $5 million remodel has closely reproduced the 1809 structure. A parish church now stands on the site with relics including a hammered baptismal font, altar bells and vestiments
43300 Mission Blvd., Fremont, 94539, (510) 657-1797

San Francisco de Asis, Mission Dolores, 6th mission
On a site selected by Juan Bautista de Anza, the first mission church was a 50-foot long log and mud structure that was eventually moved to higher ground, adjacent to Lake Dolores which gives it its second name, Mission Dolores. Dedicated to Saint Francis by Father Serra in 1776, today the mission sits in the heart of San Francisco and is the oldest building in the city. Much of the original church interior is intact and the guilded reredos and colorful wall paintings are good examples of early California art.
3321 16th St., San Francisco, 94114, (415) 621-8203

San Rafael Arcangel, 20th mission
This mission is located 20 miles north of San Francisco at the foot of Mount Tamalpais. It was established as a sanitarium and hospital for San Francisco neophytes suffering from depression and disease. The one padre in California who had medical training, Luis Gil y Taboado was so successful that other missions soon began sending their sick Indians. Within five years it was raised to full mission status and dedicated to the patron of health in 1817. The small church with star windows was modeled after Carmel, however the structure was torn down in 1870 to be used for firewood. Today a chapel at the site duplicates most of the original mission church.
1104 Fifth Ave., San Rafael, 94901, (415) 454-8141

San Francisco Solano, 21st mission
Founded in 1823 on July 4 by Father Jose Altimira, this historic mission is the site of the Bear Flag Revolt and the effort to establish the Republic of California in 1846. The church seen today is a parish church built in 1840; the original was mostly washed away by a tremendous thunderstorm. A small portion of the original quadrangle exists, and the world-famous Sebastiani Vineyards include much of the original mission vineyard. The annual Vintage Festival is the oldest in the state, and each year the blessing of the grapes is performed by a Franciscan priest in front of the mission. A small museum is housed in the former padres wing with a display of California mission paintings.
20 E. Spain St., Sonoma, 95476, (707) 938-1519

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California State Parks, State of California

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California State Parks, State of California

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Stretching from San Diego to Sonoma, the 21 missions of Alta California are storied reminders of California and our nation's past. Few regions of the world have such a physical, visual timeline of a nation's growth and development.

In 1769, under order of the Spanish king, sea and land expeditions departed Mexico for California, meeting in San Diego where the first fort and mission were established to serve as frontier outposts. The King sent military troops and Franciscan missionaries to the new land to colonize the territory and convert its Indian inhabitants to Christianity.

Over 54 years, four forts, or presidios, and twenty-one missions were founded along the California coast. Some of these sites eventually evolved into the state's major cities, including San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Jose and San Francisco.

Founding of the California missions began seven years before the American Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and ended 25 years before gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848. Mission expansion came to an end in 1823, when mission bells rang in Sonoma.

The California Missions Foundation was created in 1998 as the only organization dedicated to restoring and protecting all 21 mission structures and their contents, with the goal of preserving California's rich history.

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Stretching from San Diego to Sonoma, the 21 missions of Alta California are storied reminders of California and our nation's past. Few regions of the world have such a physical, visual timeline of a nation's growth and development.

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The California missions began in the late 18th century as an effort to convert Native Americans to Catholicism and expand European territory. There were 21 missions in all, lasting from 1769 until about 1833.

The California missions began in the late 18th century as an effort to convert Native Americans to Catholicism and expand European territory. Spain was responsible for the missions, which scholars believe were attempts to colonize the Pacific coast of North America. There were 21 missions in all, lasting from 1769 until about 1833. The mission system brought many new cultural and religious ideas to California, though critics charge the systematic oppression of Native Americans amounted to slavery.

Junipero Serra

Although Spain claimed California as its territory in 1542, Spaniards didn't try to occupy the land until the late 1700s.

Around the time of the first missions, Spain had a considerable presence in Mexico. In 1769, the Spanish king ordered land and sea expeditions to depart from Mexico to California. He also sent military troops and Franciscan missionaries to the new land.

Franciscan priest Father Junipero Serra founded the first mission in 1769. This was known as Mission San Diego de Alcalá and was located in present-day San Diego.
San Diego Mission

The native Indians who occupied the region were initially resistant to the mission. In 1775, hundreds of local Tipai-Ipai Indians attacked and burned the San Diego Mission, killing three men, including Father Luis Jayme. The missionaries rebuilt the mission as an army fort.

Junipero Serra went on to establish eight more missions before his death in 1784.

Goals of the Missions

The main goal of the California missions was to convert Native Americans into devoted Christians and Spanish citizens.

Spain used mission work to influence the natives with cultural and religious instruction.

Another motivation for the missions was to ensure that rival countries, such as Russia and Great Britain, didn't try to occupy the California region first.

California Missions List

The 21 California missions, listed in the order they were founded, are:

1. (1769) Mission San Diego de Alcalá
2. (1770) Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
3. (1771) Mission San Antonio de Padua
4. (1771) Mission San Gabriel
5. (1772) Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
6. (1776) Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores)
7. (1776) Mission San Juan Capistrano
8. (1777) Mission Santa Clara de Asís
9. (1782) Mission San Buenaventura
10. (1786) Mission Santa Barbara
11. (1787) Mission La Purísima Concepción
12. (1791) Mission Santa Cruz
13. (1791) Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
14. (1797) Mission San José
15. (1797) Mission San Juan Bautista
16. (1797) Mission San Miguel Arcángel
17. (1797) Mission San Fernando Rey de España
18. (1798) Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
19. (1804) Mission Santa Inés
20. (1817) Mission San Rafael Arcángel
21. (1823) Mission San Francisco Solano

Life in the Mission

The missions created new communities where the Native Americans received religious education and instruction. The Spanish established pueblos (towns) and presidios (forts) for protection.

The natives lived in the missions until their religious training was complete. Then, they would move to homes outside of the missions.

Once the natives converted to Christianity, the missionaries would move on to new locations, and the existing missions served as churches.

The native converts were known as "neophytes." After they were baptized, they were expected to perform labor. Typically, men worked in the fields, and women cooked. Both learned Spanish and attended church.

Farming was an especially important job in the mission community. Wheat, barley and maize were some of the staple crops that were grown. The Spanish missionaries also brought fruits from Europe, such as apples, peaches and pears.

Other jobs included carpentry, building, weaving and leather-working.

Padres, or religious leaders, oversaw the mission. They were assigned six soldiers to protect them and the mission properties.

Mission Architecture

The mission period greatly influenced architecture in California. Many of the buildings, houses and churches still exist today.

Native Americans used all-natural materials, such as stone, timber, mud brick, adobe and tile to build mission structures. Typically, buildings had large courtyards with tall adobe walls. Missions were built around patios that contained fountains and a garden.

The buildings of this period are sometimes labeled as "mission style" to describe the signature design and craftsmanship.

End of the Mission System

By 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain. For several years, there was debate about what to do with the mission system.

In 1833, the Mexican government passed a law that secularized and ended missions. California was part of Mexico during this time.

Some of the mission land and buildings were turned over to the Mexican government. While much of the property was intended to be given back to the natives, private owners ended up with the majority of land.

Later, missions were used as U.S. military bases in the 1846 war with Mexico.

After gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848, Americans began to migrate by the masses to California. In 1850, California officially became a state.

Abraham Lincoln granted the Catholic Church ownership of some of the California missions in 1865.

Today, many of the missions are tourist attractions with their own museums.

Impact of the Missions

The California missions, which stretched from San Diego to Sonoma, had a significant impact on the Native Californians.

The mission era influenced culture, religion, architecture, art, language and economy in the region.

But, the missions also impacted California Indian cultures in negative ways. Europeans forced the natives to change their civilization to match the modern world. In the process, local traditions, cultures and customs were lost.

Some critics have charged that the Spanish mission system forced Native Americans into slavery and prostitution, comparing the missions to "concentration camps."

Additionally, Spanish missionaries brought diseases with them that killed untold thousands of natives.

Prior to the California missions, there were about 300,000 Native Californians. By 1834, scholars believe there were only about 20,000 remaining.

Sources

A History of California's Missions, Los Angeles Times.
The California Missions, California Missions Foundation.
California Missions: A Journey Along the El Camino Real, California Museum.
Spanish Exploration, The Spanish Missions of California.
California Missions History - 5 Facts You Need to Understand, Old Mission San Luis Rey.
Map of the California Missions, California Missions Resource Center.
Easter Sunday protest over Serra planned at Carmel Mission. Monterey Herald.

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The California missions began in the late 18th century as an effort to convert Native Americans to Catholicism and expand European territory. There were 21 missions in all, lasting from 1769 until about 1833. The California missions began in the late 18th century as an effort to convert Native Americans to Catholicism and expand European territory.

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List of largest California cities by population - Wikipedia

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Note: The population figures are for the incorporated areas of the listed cities, as opposed to metropolitan areas, urban areas, or counties. Also, the United States Census Bureau and the California Department of Finance use different methods for estimating population, so state estimates will differ from those given here.

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California (USA): State, Major Cities, Towns & Places - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information

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State of California with population statistics, maps, charts, weather and web information.

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Top 10 Cities in California by Population

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Los Angeles, Los Angeles California travel information.

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Map Of California Cities | Science Trends

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The map of California cities gives you a sense of just how expansive California is, from San Diego in the south to San Francisco in the middle to Crescent

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California is a state of contrasts with the top 12 things to do in the desert, along the coast, and in the mountains, including Disneyland and Death Valley.

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Floyd Øydegaard won't let me leave his bookstore.

He's talking to two fellow bearded reenactors and me about Lincoln's outhouse.

"You see, he used a barrel so his coattails could hang off the back edge," Øydegaard says, his lips smacking with excitement. "He was such a smart man."

The 19th century has a way of working its way into the most casual of conversations here in Columbia, California, one of a trio of gold-rush towns- Sonora and Jamestown are the others-clustered together on the fringe of Yosemite National Park.

All three are worth exploring-whether you use one of them as a home base while you're touring the Valley (each is well under an hour's drive to the park's Tioga Pass entrance, sans peak-season traffic) or tack an extra day or two on to your Yosemite trip to soak up a bit of living history in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mother Lode.

Here are a few highlights from each:

The county seat of Tuolumne County, Sonora is the largest and liveliest of this trio of California gold-rush towns. Its main drag is a stretch of the Gold Country Highway (aka California State Route 49), and lined with gift shops, saloons, and creekside restaurants.

It's a real mix. One store offers scones and freshly roasted coffee beans, while a sign in an old-timey bar nearby alerts passersby to the fact that guns, knives, ammo, and beer can be bought on the premises.

I stay at the hillside Barretta Gardens Inn, a early 20th-century farmhouse with a Swedish flag flying from its porch. The bed-and-breakfast is run by Astrid Stone, who moved to California from Scandinavia in 1972, and her husband, Dan. "You could never find the time t o do everything here," Astrid says as we sit sipping a local wine she's poured for us.

I immediately see what she means. Looking at the -a free supplement of the town's Union Democrat newspaper-I see Sonora's social calendar is crammed with events: an opera, a fall fair, a sci-fi gathering, an exhibit of French landscapes painted by a local artist, and a one-man show about Alexander Hamilton at Stage 3.

I go with the play (the theater is located next door to a new bourbon bar, which I happily visit for a pre-show nip), and for $15 watch as Tom Maguire portrays one of the least understood figures in United States history on the eve of his fateful duel with Vice President Aaron Burr in 1804. It's excellent.

Afterward, I talk with Tom. He tells me all about why America's first secretary of the treasury should never be taken off the $10 bill ("People have no idea what Hamilton did for the country!") and how he moved here from Los Angeles to do a Sam Shepherd play decades ago, found a healthy theater scene in Sonora, and just stayed.

The current (and ongoing) California drought has produced one small silver (or should I say gold?) lining. Lowered river levels have loosened some nuggets, setting off a prospecting renaissance of sorts.

A popular place to learn how to pan for gold is the Columbia State Historic Park. Visiting the town (the "park" is actually a working town, where people live) feels like walking through Branson's Silver Dollar City -except it's real.

During the 1850s and '60s, Columbia, located four miles north of Sonora, grew to become the second largest city in California. And, unlike most mining towns that flourished in the era, it never died.

Most visitors make a pit stop here to walk the town's main street, a collection of mid-19th-century buildings that now house an ice cream parlor, a few saloons, a theater, a bookshop, and a gold-panning shack.

I'm staying the night. I saunter into the Columbia City Hotel. Reenactors are lunching in the restaurant as I climb the squeaky staircase to deposit my bags in my room. I find it comes with a balcony that looks out over Main Street. I spy on a bearded man dressed like a 19th-century businessman who scans his cellphone, then pops it inside his plaid vest. This is fun.

I wander the street a bit, past a guy playing "Drift Away" on an acoustic guitar, and end up at a bookstore, where I meet Floyd Øydegaard, who, as I mentioned, is more than eager to talk about the dusty 1800s.

"History is like a beautiful tapestry," he explains. "We can pull a couple threads, and assume we understand. But it's only a couple threads."

After listening to a couple of Floyd's threads, I continue down Main Street. I pass kids queueing up outside a Victorian-era bowling alley to knock down wooden pins (it's free!), then breeze through the photo archives at the wee (and also free) town museum and stop off for some coffee. The young man selling it tells me I should "go to the Labyrinth."

I follow his directions to a jumble of exposed limestone rocks, huge ones, some of which are coated in moss. These are the remains of hydraulic mining efforts from the golden days of gold prospecting when there were dozens of saloons and a few "hurdy-gurdy houses" (where German girls entertained lonely miners by dancing with them for a fee) in town.

It's lovely, and-unlike Main Street-there's no one else around.

A few miles southwest of Sonora, Jamestown is another gold-era landmark with a couple of blocks of historic buildings strung along a main street. To boot, it boasts a train attraction for fanatics, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. The undisputed star of the park is Sierra No. 3, a circa 1891 steam locomotive that made appearances in Back to the Future Part III and among other films. On weekends, April through October, visitors can ride behind an "iron horse" for a 45-minute trip through the scenic hills of California's Mother Lode country.

When I go, my guide is dressed like a pirate, with a fake parrot on his shoulder, a hook for a hand, and a fluffy shirt tucked into his (real) acid-washed jeans. "It has water in it," he says dryly as we pass a historic water tower (which made a prominent appearance in television's Petticoat Junction). "What more can I say about it?"

I overnight at the National Hotel, one of the first permanent structures in this early gold-rush town. The Main Street guest house has been in continuous operation since 1859 (despite sustaining damage from two fires), and has been run by Stephen Willey since 1974.

Stephen's a character. I join him for a drink in the hotel's original back bar (which comes complete with a working cash register dating to 1881), and he tells me of other local characters like Wimpy Jones ("He founded Drunks Against Mad Mothers," Stephen jokes) and about his idea to rename Tuolumne County "Yosemite County" owing to the fact that no one can quite figure out how to spell or say it. (If you're curious, it sounds a bit like "To All o' Me," with a silent N.)

Stephen tells me he's contemplated allowing guests to settle their bills in gold nuggets. "Why the hell don't I?" he asks, almost to himself.

We notice Tom Maguire, the actor who played Alexander Hamilton back in Sonora, eating in the dining room with his cousin, and join them. A bottle of wine appears. Talk flows from history to local politics, acting, and travel. The night runs late.

That's just how things are done out here.
Robert Reid is National Geographic Travel's Digital Nomad, exploring the world with passion and purpose. Follow his adventures in Yosemite Country on Twitter and Instagram.

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Three California Gold-Rush Towns Worth Visiting

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The 19th century has a way of working its way into casual conversation in Columbia, California, one of a trio of gold-rush towns-Sonora and Jamestown are the others-clustered together on the fringe of Yosemite.

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California Mining Towns

California Mining History

The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. Of the 300,000, approximately 150,000 arrived by sea while the remaining 150,000 arrived by land.

These early gold-seekers, called "forty-niners," (as a reference to 1849) traveled to California by sailing boat and in covered wagons across the continent, often facing substantial hardships on the trip.

While most of the newly-arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush attracted tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. At first, the prospectors retrieved the gold from streams and riverbeds using simple techniques, such as panning. More sophisticated methods of gold recovery developed which were later adopted around the world.

At its peak, technological advances reached a point where significant financing was required - increasing the proportion of corporate to individual miners. Gold, worth billions of today's dollars, was recovered, which led to great wealth for a few. However, many returned home with little more than they started with.

The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. San Francisco grew from a small settlement to a boomtown, and roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. A system of laws and a government were created, leading to the admission of California as a free state in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850.

California Mining History

The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. Of the 300,000, approximately 150,000 arrived by sea while the remaining 150,000 arrived by land.

These early gold-seekers, called "forty-niners," (as a reference to 1849) traveled to California by sailing boat and in covered wagons across the continent, often facing substantial hardships on the trip.

While most of the newly-arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush attracted tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. At first, the prospectors retrieved the gold from streams and riverbeds using simple techniques, such as panning. More sophisticated methods of gold recovery developed which were later adopted around the world.

At its peak, technological advances reached a point where significant financing was required - increasing the proportion of corporate to individual miners. Gold, worth billions of today's dollars, was recovered, which led to great wealth for a few. However, many returned home with little more than they started with.

The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. San Francisco grew from a small settlement to a boomtown, and roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. A system of laws and a government were created, leading to the admission of California as a free state in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850.

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California Mining Towns The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.

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Gold Rush History | Historic Towns - Visit El Dorado

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The Gold Rush Trail, and retain their early architecture and charm, living reminders of the rich history of the Mother Lode. You can still discover historic hotels and 19th-century saloons, stagecoach rides and places to pan for gold and keep the nuggets.

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List of indigenous peoples in California - Wikipedia

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The indigenous peoples of California are the indigenous inhabitants who have previously lived or currently live within the current boundaries of California before and after the arrival of Europeans.

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The territory of the present State of California was discovered in 1542 by a Portuguese navigator in the Spanish service, J. R. Cabrillo. In 1578 Sir Francis Drake landed at Drake's Bay, opened communication with the natives, and took possession of the country in the name of England, calling it New Albion. It was explored by the Spaniard S. Viscayno in 1602, but no attempt was made at colonization until the Franciscan Fathers established a mission at San Diego in 1769. Within the next 50 years they founded 21 missions and gathered 20,000 Indians about them, but the number of neophytes continually fell off and the power of the missions declined with them, especially after Mexican government had succeeded to Spanish. Transfer of the country to the United States and the rush of immigrants following upon the discovery of gold in 1848 was still more disastrous to the Indians and this disaster extended to parts of the State which the Spaniards had not reached. From this time on the history of the Indians of this area is one long story of debauchery and extermination. Reservations were set aside for most of the tribes, but the greater part of the survivors live scattered through the country as squatters or on land purchased by themselves.

In dealing with the tribes of California, I have adopted the names given by Dr. Kroeber in his Handbook of the Indians of California (1925). An inspection of these shows us at once. however, that the tribal concept in most parts of the State is one imposed upon the Indians as a result of ethnological investigation rather than something recognized by themselves. It has a dialectic rather than a governmental or ceremonial base, but it is the best that can be done unless we adopt the impracticable alternative of treating each village group as a tribe. It is to be understood that, from the ordinary point of view as to what constitutes a tribe, this expedient is largely artificial. Under these circumstances it has seemed best not to follow a strictly alphabetic system throughout, or rather, to enter those tribes defined by their names as parts of larger groups under the more common group names, the qualifying word following, as: Paiute, Northern, and Yuki, Coast, instead of Northern Paiute and Coast Yuki.

Connections in which they have become noted. That few names of California tribes have found permanent lodgment in the geography of the region is not surprising when we consider the small number of names of this kind at all prominent. This is in keeping with the fact that tribal organizations as they were known in eastern North America were wanting over much of the State, and that where they existed they were generally small and insignificant. It also happens that a few real tribal names, or names that have been used to cover tribal groups, include peoples which extended into neighboring States and have been treated elsewhere. Under this head come the names of Modoc County, Klamath River, Mohave River, Mono County and Lake, and Piute Peak. Still other names are derived from villages and small tribes, mere subdivisions of the main bodies. Among these may be mentioned Tuolumne County, Mokelumne Peak and River, Cosumnes River, Kaweah River. While the designation of the Shasta is a conspicuous one it is rather the mountain which has given name to the tribe than the tribe to the mountain, though in fact both are derived from a chief of the Shasta people. Following from the use of the term for Mount Shasta we have Shasta River, Shasta, Shasta Retreat, Shasta Springs. The history of the name Hupa has been somewhat similar. It has remained attached to the valley to which it was originally applied and to the tribe secondarily. Nevertheless, the valley name now serves to preserve in memory that of the people who occupied it.

Achomawi Indians . From adzúma or achóma, "river."
Kō'm-maidüm, Maidu name, meaning "snow people."
Shawash, Yuki name for the Achomawi taken to Round Valley Reservation.

Connections. The Achomawi were originally classed with the Atsugewi as one stock under the name Palaihnihan, the Achomawan stock of Merriam (1926), and this in turn constitutes the eastern branch of the Shastan stock, which in turn is now placed under the widely spread Hokan family.

Location. In the drainage area of Pit River from near Montgomery Creek in Shasta County to Goose Lake on the Oregon line, with the exception of the territory watered by Burney, Hat, and Horse or Dixie Valley Creeks.

Subdivisions
Kroeber (1925) gives the following:

Achomawi, on Fall River.
Astakiwi, in upper Hot Springs Valley.
Atuami, in Big Valley.
Hamawi, on the South Fork of Pit River.
Hantiwi, in lower Hot Springs Valley.
Ilmawi, on the south side of Pit River opposite Fort Crook.
Madehsi, the lowest on Pit River along the big bend.

C. H. Merriam (1926) says that Achomawi is the Madehsi name for the Astakiwi which occupied all of Hot Springs Valley, and he adds the names of two other tribes between the last mentioned and Goose Lake, the Ko-se-al-lak'-te, and, higher up, at the lower end of the lake, the Hā'-we-si'-doc.

Population. Together with the Atsugewi, the Achomawi are estimated by Kroeber (1925) to have numbered 3,000 in 1770; in 1910 there were 985. According to the census of 1930, the entire Shastan stock numbered 844, and in 1937, 418 "Pit River" Indians were enumerated, only a portion of the stock apparently.

Alliklik Indians . Designation bestowed by the Ventura() Chumash; meaning unknown.

Connections. The Alliklik belonged to the Californian group of the Shoshonean division of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic stock, their closest relatives probably being the Serrano.

Location. On the upper Santa Clara River.

Villages. Akavavi Kashtu, Etseng, Huyang, Küvung, and Pi'idhuku (on Piru Creek, the last mentioned at Piru); Kamulus (on Castac Creek); Kashtük Tsawayung (on a branch of Castac Creek).

Population. The Alliklik together with the Serrano, Vanyume, and Kitanemuk, numbered 3,500 in 1770 and 150 in 1910. The census of 1930 returned 361 southern California Shoshoneans.

Atsugewi Indians . Their own name or that which the Achomawi applied to them; significance unknown.
Adwanuqdji, Ilmawi name.
Hat Creek Indians, popular English name.
Tcunoíyana, Yana name.

Connections. With the Achomawi, the Atsugewi constituted the Palaihnihan or eastern group of the Shastan stock, more recently placed by Dixon and Kroeber (1919) in the Hokan family.

Location. On Burney, Hat, and Dixie Valley or Horse Creeks.

Subdivisions. Kroeber (1925) gives: Apwarukei (Dixie Valley people), Hat Creek people (native name unknown), and Wamari'i (Burney Valley people).
C. G. Merriam (1926) calls the Hat Creek people collectively At-soo-kā'-e (Atsugewi) and treats most of the Burney Valley Indians as part of the Atsugewi proper.

Population. Kroeber estimates that in 1770 there were 3,000 of the Atsugewi and the Achomawi together. The Shastan Indians numbered 844 in 1930.

Bear River Indians . A body of Indians living along Bear River in the present Humboldt County for whom no suitable native name has been preserved. Also called:
Nī'ekeni', name they applied to themselves and to the Mattole.

Connections. The Bear River Indians belonged to the Athapascan linguistic family, and were most closely connected with the Mattole, Sinkyone, and Nongatl tribes to the south and east.

Location. As given above. (See North Carolina for a tribe similarly named.)
Villages
From the mouth of Bear River inland as given by Nomland (1938):

Population. Included with the Nongatl (q. v.). 1,129 were returned in the census of 1930. The United States Office of Indian Affairs reported 23 "Bear River" Indians in 1937.

Cahuilla . A name perhaps of Spanish origin, but its significance is unknown. Also spelled Kawia.

Connections. The Cahuilla belonged to the southern California group of the Shoshonean division of the Uto-Aztecan stock.

Location. Mainly in the inland basin between the San Bernardino Range and the range extending southward from Mount San Jacinto.
Subdivisions
Desert Cahuilla, at northern end of the Colorado Desert.
Mountain Cahuilla, in the mountains south of San Jacinto Peak.
Western or Pass Cahuilla, centering in Palms Springs Canyon.
Villages
Duasno, on or near the Cahuilla Reservation.
Juan Bautista, in San Bernardino County.
Ekwawinet, at La Mesa, 2 miles south of Coachella.
Kavinish, at Indian Wells.
Cahuilla, on the Cahuilla Reservation.
Kwaleki, in the San Jacinto Mountains.
Lawilvan or Sivel, at Alamo.
Malki, on the Potrero Reservation in Cahuilla Valley east of Banning.
Pachawal, at San Ygnacio. Palseta, at Cabezon.
Paltewat, at Indio in Cahuilla Valley.
Panachsa, in the San Jacinto Mountains.
Sechi, in Cahuilla Valley.
Sokut Menyil, at Martinez.
Sapela, at San Ygnacio.
Temalwahish, at La Mesa. Torres, on Torres Reservation.
Tova, at Agua Dulce.
Wewutnowhu, at Santa Rosa.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates 2,500 Cahuilla in 1770; in 1910 there were about 800. (See Alliklik.)

Connection in which their name has become noted. The name Cahuilla is preserved in that of a village called Kaweah in Tulare County.

Chemehuevi Indians. The Yuman name for this tribe and for the Paiute; significance unknown. Also called:
Ah'alakåt, Pima name, meaning "small bows."
Mat-hat-e-vátch, Yuma name, meaning "northerners."
Tä'n-ta'wats, own name, meaning "southern men."

Connections. The Chemehuevi were a part of the true Paiute and were associated with them and the Ute in one linguistic subdivision of the Shoshonean division of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic stock.

Location. Anciently in the eastern half of the Mohave Desert. At a later date the Chemehuevi settled on Cottonwood Island, in Chemehuevi Valley, and at other points on Colorado River.

Subdivisions
(So far as known)

Hokwaits, in Ivanpah Valley.
Kauyaichits, location unknown.
Mokwats, at the Kingston Mountains.
Moviats, on Cottonwood Island.
Shivawach or Shivawats, in the Chernehucvi Valley, perhaps only the name of a locality.
Tumpisagavatsits or Timpashauwagotsits, in the Providence Mountains.
Yagats, at Afnargosa.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates between 500 and 800 Chemehuevi in ancient times. In 1910, 355 were returned of whom 260 were in California.
Chetco. The Chetco extended slightly across into northern California from its home in Oregon.

Chilula Indians. An American rendering of Yurok Tsulu-la, "people of Tsulu," the Bald Hills.

Connections. With the Hupa and Whilkut, the Chilula formed one group of the Athapascan linguistic stock.

Location. On or near lower Redwood Creek from near the inland edge of the heavy redwood belt to a few miles above Minor Creek.

Villages. The following are known and are given in order beginning with the one farthest down Redwood Creek: Howunakut, Noleding, Tlochime, Kingkyolai, Kingyukyomunga, Yisining'aikut, Tsinsilading, Tondinunding, Yinukanomitseding, Hontetlme, Tlocheke, Hlichuhwinauhwding, Kailuhwtanding, Kailuhwchengetlding, Sikingchwungmitanding, Kinahontanding, Misme, Kahustanding.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates 500 to 600 Chilula before White contact. Now reduced to two or three families and a few persons incorporated with the Hupa. (See Bear River Indians.)

Chimariko Indians. From the native word chimar, "person." Also called:
Kwoshonipu, name probably given them by the Shasta of Salmon River.
Meyemma, given by Gibbs (1853).

Connections. Originally considered a distinct stock, the Chimariko are now classed in the Hokan linguistic family.

Location. On the canyon of Trinity River from about the mouth of New River to Canyon Creek.

Villages
Chalitasum, at the junction of New and Trinity Rivers.
Chichanma, at Taylor Flat.
Himeakudji, at Big Creek.
Hodinakchohoda, at Cedar Flat.
Maidjasore, at Thomas.
Paktunadji, at Patterson.
Tsudamdadji, at Burnt Ranch.

Population. The Chimariko were estimated by Kroeber (1925) at 250 in 1849; only a few mixed-bloods are now living.
Costanoan Indians
Cupeño Indians. From Kupa, the name of one of their towns.

Connections. The Cupeno spoke a dialect belonging to the Luiseno-Cahuilla branch of the Shoshonean division of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic stock.

Location. A mountainous district on the headwaters of San Luis Rey River, not over 10 by 5 miles in extent.

Villages
Kupa, near the famous hot springs of Warner's Ranch.
Wilakal, at San Ysidro.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates not over 500 in 1770, and in 1910, 150. (See Alliklik.)

Dakubetede Indians. An Athapascan tribe of Oregon which extended slightly beyond the northern border of California.

Esselen. Probably the name of a village; significance unknown.

Connections. Originally given the status of a distinct stock, the Esselen are now placed in the Ilokan linguistic family, their affinities being rather with the Yuman division, to the south, and with the Porno, Yana, and other groups to the north than with their closer neighbors of this stock, the Salinan and Chumash tribes.

Location. On the upper course of Carmel River, Sur River, and the coast from Point Lopez almost to Point Sur.

Villages
Echilat, 12 miles southeast of Mission Carmelo.
Ekheya, in the mountains.
Ensen, at Buena Esperanza.
Ichenta, at San Jose.
Pachhepes, near the next.
Xaseum, in the sierra.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates 500 Esselen in 1770; they are now extinct.

Fernandeno . So-called from San Fernando, the name of one of the
two Franciscan missions in Los Angeles County.

Connections. The nearest relatives of the Fernandeno were the Gabrielino and both belonged to the California section of the Shoshonean Division of the Uto Aztecan linguistic stock.

Location. In that part of the valley of Los Angeles River above Los Angeles.

Villages
Hahamo, north of Los Angeles.
Kawe, northwest of Los Angeles. Mau, north of Los Angeles.
Pasek, at San Francisco Mission.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates that, with the Gabrielino and Nicoleno, the Fernandeno numbered 5,000 in 1770; they are now practically extinct.

Halchidhoma Indians . On the middle Colorado. (See Arizona Indian Tribes.)

Huchnom Indians. The name applied to this tribe by the Yuki and apparently by themselves; said to signify"mountain people." Also called:
Redwoods, a popular name.
Ta'-tu, by the Porno of Potter Valley.

Connection. The Huchnom belonged to the Yukian linguistic stock, though resembling the Porno somewhat more closely in culture.

Location. In the valley of South Eel River from Hullville nearly to its mouth, together with the valley of its affluent, Tornki Creek, and the lower course of the stream known as Deep or Outlet Creek.

Ba'awel, name in Porno; on South Eel River a couple of miles from Ukumna. Hatupoka, on Tomki Creek below the village of Pukemul.
Komohmemut-kuyuk, on South Eel River between Lilko'ol and Mumemel. Lilko'ol, on South Eel River between Ba'awel and the preceding.
Mot, on South Eel River between Yek and Mupan.
Mot-kuyuk, on South Eel River at the mouth of Tomki Creek.
Mumemel, on South Eel River just below the forks at Hullville.
Mupan, on South Eel River between Mot and Mot-kuyuk.
Nonhohou, on South Eel River between Shipomul and Yek.
Pukemul, on Tomki Creek above the village of Hatupoka.
Shipomul, on South Eel River at the mouth of Outlet Creek.
Ukumna, near the head of the eastern source of Russian River.
Yek, on South Eel River between Nonhohou and Mot.

There is one village of uncertain name and possibly Yuki on the headwaters of the South Fork of Eel River.

Population. The Huchnom were estimated at 500 in 1770 by Kroeber (1925); the census of 1910 returned 7 full-bloods and 8 half-breeds. (See Yuki.)
Hupa Indians

Juaneño Indians. Derived from the mission of San Juan Capistrano. Also called:
Gaitchim, given by Gatschet (1876).
Netela, given by Hale (1846), meaning "my language."

Connections. The Juaneño belonged to the Shoshonean branch of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic stock, their speech being a variant of Luiseno.

Location. From the Pacific Ocean to the crest of the southern continuation of the Sierra Santa Ana. Southward, toward the Luiseno, the boundary ran between the San Onofre and Las Pulgas; on the north, toward the Gabrielino, it is said to have followed Alisos Creek.

Ahachmai, on the lower course of San Juan Creek below the mission of San

Juan Capistrano.

Alona, north of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano.

Population. The Juaneflo were estimated by Kroeber (1925) at 1,000 in 1770; the census of 1910 returned 16. (See Alliklik.)

Kamia Indians . From their own term Kamiyai or Kamiyahi, which they applied also to the Diegueno. Also called:

Comeya, common synonym used by Bartlett in 1854 and adopted in Handbook

of American Indians (Hodge, 1907, 1910).

I'-um 0′-otam, Pima name for Kamia and Diegueno.
New River Indians, from their location.
Quemaya, so called by Garces in 1775-76.
Tipai, own name, also meaning "person."
Yum, same as I'-um.

Connections. They belonged to the Yuman stock of Powell now considered a subdivision of the Hokan family, their closest affinities being with the eastern Diegueno who were sometimes considered one tribe with themselves.

Location. In Imperial Valley, and on the banks of the sloughs connecting it with Colorado River. (See also Mexico.)

Villages. There were no true villages.

Population. Gifford (1931) says there could not have been more than a few hundred Kamia in aboriginal times. Heintzelman (1857) gives 254 under the chief Fernando in 1849. (See Diegueno.)

Connection in which they have become noted. Whatever notoriety the Kamia, an inconspicuous tribe, has attained is due entirely to the fame of their valley home.

Kato Indians. A Porno place name meaning "lake." Also called:
Batem-da-kai-ee, given by Gibbs (1853).
Kai Po-mo, given by Powers (1877). Laleshiknom, Yuki name.
Tlokeang, own name.

Connections. The Kato belonged to the Athapascan linguistic stock, and spoke a dialect peculiar to themselves.

Location. On the uppermost course of the South Fork of Eel River.

Villages. There are said to have been nearly 50 of these, probably an overestimate, but none of their names are known.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates 500 Kato in 1770; about 50 persons, mostly full-bloods are still reckoned as Kato. (See Bear River Indians.)

Kawaiisu Indians. So-called by the Yokuts; the signification of the word is unknown.

Connections. The Kawaiisu belonged to the Shoshonean branch of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic family, and were a more immediate off-shoot, apparently, of the Chemehuevi.

Location. In the Tehachapi Mountains.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates an aboriginal Kawaiisu population of perhaps 500 and a present (1925) population of nearly 150. (See Alliklik.)

Kitanemuk Indians . Perhaps from the stem ki, "house,"; other synonyms are Kikitanum, and Kikitamkar.

Connections. The Kitanemuk belonged to the Shoshonean division of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic stock and to a subgroup which included also the Alliklik, Vanyume and Serrano.

Location. On upper Tejon and Paso Creeks, the streams on the rear side of the Tehachapi Mountains in the same vicinity and the small creeks draining the northern slope of the Liebre and Sawmill Range, with Antelope Valley and the westernmost end of the Mohave Desert.

Villages. The present principal Kitanemuk village is called Nakwalki-ve, and is situated where Tejon Creek breaks out of the hills. (Other names given do not seem unquestionably those of villages).

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates that in 1770 there were 3,500 Serrano, Vanyume, Kitanemuk, and Alliklik, and that these were represented by about 150 in 1910. (See Alliklik.)

Konomihu Indians. Their own name, significance unknown.

Connections. The Konomihu was the most divergent of the Shastan group of tribes of the Hokan linguistic family.

Location. Territory centering about the forks of Salmon River.

Villages. The principal Konomihu village, called, apparently by the Karok, Shamnam, was between the forks of Salmon River in Siskiyou County, on the right aide of the south branch just above the junction.

Population. Together with the Chimariko, New River Shasta, and Okwanuchu, the Konomihu are estimated by Kroeber (1925) to have numbered about 1,000 in 1770; they are not now enumerated separately from the Shasta, of whom 844 were returned in 1930.

Koso Indians . Significance unknown.
Ke-at, given by Gatschet (Wheeler Survey, p. 411, 1879).
Panamint, name more often used.

Connections. The Koso formed the westernmost extension of the Shoshoni-Comanche branch of the Shoshonean division of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic stock.

Location. On a barren tract of land in the southeastern part of the State between the Sierra and the State of Nevada, and including Owens Lake, the Coso, Argus, Panamint, and Funeral Mountains and the intervening valleys.

Population . Kroeber (1925) estimates an aboriginal Koso population of not over 500; since 1880 they have been placed at about 100 to 150.

Lassik Indians. The name derived from that of a chief.

Connections. The Lassik belonged to the Athapascan linguistic family and were connected very closely with the Nongatl, who lay just to the north.

Location. On a stretch of Eel River, from a few miles above the mouth of the South Fork not quite to Kekawaka Creek; also Dobbins Creek, an eastern affluent of the main stream, and Soldier Basin at the head of the North Fork; to the east they extended to the head of Mad River.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates that in 1770, along with the Nongatl and Sinkyone, the Lassik numbered 2,000, and in 1910, 100. (See Alliklik.)

Luisefio Indians. From the name of the Mission of San Luis Rey de Francia. Also called:
Ghecham or Khecham, from the native name of San Luis Rey Mission.

Mattole Indians. Perhaps from the name of a village. Also called:
Tul'bush, Wailaki name, meaning "foreigners."

Connections. The Mattole constitute one of the primary divisions of those Indians of the Athapascan stock living in California.

Location. On Bear River and Mattole River drainages; also on a few miles of Eel River and its Van Dusen Fork immediately above the Wiyot.

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates that there were 500 Mattole in 1770; the census of 1910 returned 34, including 10 full-bloods. (See Bear River Indians.)
Miwok Indians

Modoc Indians. This tribe extended into the northern part of the State.

Mohave Indians. The Mohave occupied some territory in the neighborhood of the Colorado River. (See Arizona Indian Tribes)

Nicoleño Indians . From San Nicolas, the most eastward of the Santa Barbara Islands.

Connections. They belonged to the Shoshonean Division of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic stock, but their more immediate affiliations are uncertain.

Location. On the island above mentioned.

Population. Kroeber (1925) gives an estimate of their population in conjunction with the Gabrielino and Fernandeno. (See also Alliklik.)

Nongatl Indians . Significance unknown. Also called:
Saia, by the Hupa, along with other Athapascans to the south; meaning "far
off."

Connections. The Nongatl belonged to the Athapascan linguistic family and were closely connected with the Lassik.

Location. In the territory drained by three right-hand affluents of Eel River, Yager Creek, Van Dusen Fork, and Larrabee Creek and on the upper waters of Mad River.

Population. The Nongatl were estimated by Kroeber (1925) to number in 1770, along with the Sinkyone and Lassik, 2,000, and 100 in 1910. (See Bear River Indians.)

Okwanuchu Indians. Significance unknown.

Connections. The Okwanuchu belonged to the Shastan Division of the Hokan linguistic stock.

Location. On the upper Sacramento from about the vicinity of Salt and Boulder Creeks to its headwaters; also on the McCloud River and Squaw Creek from about their junction up.

Population. See Chimariko and Shasta.

Northern Paiute Indians. The Northern Paiute occupied part of the Sierra in the southeastern part of the State and the desert country east of it and also a strip of land in the extreme northeast. (See Nevada.)

Shasta Indians. Probably from a chief called Sasti. Also called:
Ekpimi, Ilmawi name.
Mashukhara, Karok name.
Wulx, Takelma name, meaning "enemies."

Connections. The Shasta constituted part of the Shastan division
of the Hokan linguistic stock.

Location. On Klamath River from a point between Indian and
Thompson Creeks to a spot a few miles above the mouth of Fall Creek; also the drainage areas of two tributaries of the Klamath. Scott River and Shasta River, and a tract on the north side of the Siskiyous in Oregon on the affluents of Rogue River known as Stewart River and Little Butte Creek.
Subdivisions

Ahotireitsu, in Shasta Valley.
Cecilville Indians, about Cecilville; they spoke a distinct dialect; the Indians

called by Merriam (1926) Haldokehewuk.

Iruaitsu, in Scott Valley.
Kahosadi, on the affluents of Rogue River.
Kammatwa or Wiruhikwairuk'a, on Klamath River.

The term New River Shasta is incorrectly used since there were no Shasta on
New River.

Ahotiretsu Division:
Ahawaiwig, Asta, Ihiweah, Ikahig, Kusta.

Iruaitsu Division:
Itayah and Crowichaira the only ones known.

Kammatwa Division (in order up stream):

Chitatowoki (north side), Ututsu (N.), Asouru (N.), Sumai (N.), Arahi (S.), Harokwi (N.), Kwasuk (S.), Aika (N.), Umtahawa (N.), Itiwukha (N.), Ishui (N.), Awa (N.), Waukaiwa (N.), Opshiruk (N.), Ishumpi (N.), Okwayig (N.), Eras (S.), Asurahawa (S.), Kutsastsus (N.).

Population. Kroeber (1925) estimates that there were about 2,000 Shasta in 1770; in 1910 there were only about 100. The entire Shastan stock numbered 844 according to the returns of the 1930 census, and in 1937, 418 "Pit River" Indians were enumerated, a portion of this stock.

Connections in which they have become noted. Mount Shasta, Shasta County, and a place in the county preserve the name of the Shasta Indians.

Sinkyone Indians. From Sinkyo, the name of the South Fork of Eel River.

Connections. The Sinkyone were one of the tribes of the southern California group of the Athapascan family.

Location. On the South Fork of Eel River and its branches and the adjacent coast from near Four Mile Creek to Usal Lagoon.

Land Areas. (Given by native informants to Nomland (1935) instead of villages)

Anse'ntakuk, the land south of Briceland.
Chashinguk, the ridge north of Briceland.
Senke'kuk, to the South Fork from Garberville.
Shusashish'ha, the region north of Garberville.
Totro'be, the land around Briceland.
Yenekuk, an area southeast of Briceland.
Yese', coast area to the Mattole boundary at Four Mile Creek.
Yese'kuk, the Mattole River area.

Population. (See Lassik and Bear River Indians).

. So-called by the Yurok. Also called:
Aqusta, by Dorsey (MS.), meaning "southern language," Naltunnetunne name.
Lagoons, by Heintzleman (in Ind. Aff. Rep., 1857, p. 392; 1858).
Lopas, by Heintzleman (op. cit.).

Connections. The Tolowa constituted one of the divisions into which the California peoples of the Athapascan linguistic stock are divided, but they were closely connected with the Athapascan tribes of Oregon immediately to the north.

Location. On Crescent Bay, Lake Earl, and Smith River.

Villages. (According to Drucker, 1937)

Etcūlet, at end of point in Lake Earl.
Ha'tsahothwut, long abandoned site.
Kehoslī'hwut, on east bank, lower course of Smith River.
Mestlte'tltun, on Crescent Bay.
Mi'litcuntun, on middle course of Smith River.
Mu'nsontun, on east bank, on lower course of Smith River.
Munshrī'na taso', long abandoned site.
Muslye', on North Fork of Smith River.
Na'kutat, a suburb of Tatitun,
Numore'tun, long abandoned site.
Sitragī'tum, on the west bank of Smith River below Mill Creek.
Ta'gestlsatun, on coast at mouth of Wilson Creek, mixed with Yurok.
Ta'tatun, on Crescent Bay.
Tati'tun, on shore of Crescent Bay near north end.
Tcestu'mtun, on South Fork of Smith River.
Tcunsu'tltun, on east bank of Smith River at mouth of Mill Creek.
Te'nitcuntun, between North and South Forks of Smith River at junction.
Tltru'ome, on Crescent Bay toward south end.
Tro'let, a small suburb of Yotokut near mouth of Smith River.
Tunme'tun, on a small branch of the North Fork of Smith River.
Tushroshku'shtun, on peninsula between two arms of Lake Earl.
Yoto'kut, on coast south of mouth of Smith River.

Population. Kroeber estimates "well under" 1,000 Tolowa in 1770 and indicates a possible modification to 450; the census of 1910 returned 121. In 1930 the "Oregon Athapascans," including the Totowa, were reported to number 504.

Tübatulabal Indians. A Shoshonean word meaning "pine-nut eaters." Also called :

Vanyume Indians . Name applied by the Mohave; significance unknown, though it is probably related to the term Panamint given to the Koso.

Connections. The Vanyume belonged to the Shoshonean Division of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic stock, their closest connections being probably with the Kitanemuk, and secondly with the Serrano.

Location. On Mohave River.

Population. (See Alliklik.) They are now extinct as a tribe.

Wailaki Indians. A Wintun word meaning "north language," applied to other Wintun groups and to some foreign groups. Also called:
Kak'-wits, Yuki name, meaning "northern people."

Connections. The Waitaki belonged to the Athapascan linguistic stock and to the southern California group.

Location. On Eel River from the Lassik territory to the Big Bend, several affluents on the west side, Kekawaka Creek on the east side, and the whole of the North Fork except the head.
Subdivisions and Village Communities
On main Eel River:

Sehlchikyo-kaiya, on the east side, Big Bend Creek to McDonald Creek. Ninkannich-kaiya, opposite Sehlchikyo-kaiya.
Nehlchikyo-kaiya, on the east side downstream to the mouth of North Fork. Sehlchikyo-kaiya, on the east side downstream. Tatisho-kaiya, on the west side

opposite the mouth of North Fork.

the west side.

Ihikodang-kaiya, on the west side below Chisko-kaiya.
Kasnaikot-kaiya, on the east side at the mouth of Kakawaka Creek.

On the lower part of North Fork:

Setandong-kiyahang, Secho-kiyahang, Kaiye-kiyahang—in order upstream.

Higher up North Fork:

T'odannang-kiyahang, on the North Fork below Hull Creek.
T'okyah-kiyahang, upstream on North Fork.
Chokot-kiyahang, on and above Red Mountain Creek.
Ch'i'ankot-kiyahang, on Jesus Creek.

Population. The Wailaki were estimated by Kroeber (1925) as 1,000 about 1770; they were given as 227 in the census of 1910. (See Bear River Indians.)

Wappo Indians. An Americanization of Spanish Guapo. "brave," given them on account of their stubborn resistance to Spanish military aggression.

Washo Indians. The range of this tribe extended over considerable Californian territory about the angle in the eastern boundary line of the State.

Whilkut Indians. From Hupa Hoilkut-hoi. Also called: Redwood Indians, the popular name for them.

Connections. The Whilkut belonged to the Hupa dialectic group of the Athapascan linguistic family.

Location. On the upper part of Redwood Creek above the Chilula Indians and Mad River, except in its lowest course, up to the vicinity of Iaqua Butte.

Population. Kroeber (1932) estimates about 500 Whilkut in aboriginal times; the census of 1910 returned 50 full-bloods and some mixed-bloods.

Wintu Indians . The native word meaning "people." For synonyms see Wintun.

Connections. The Wintu were the northernmost division of the Copehan stock of Powell, later called Wintun by Kroeber (1932) and now regarded as part of the Penutian family.

Location. In the valleys of the upper Sacramento and upper Trinity Rivers north of Cottonwood Creek and extending from Cow Creek on the east to the South Fork of the Trinity on the west.

Subdivisions
(As given by Du Bois (1935) but placing the native name first)

Dau-nom, "in-front-of-west" (Bald Hills), a flat valley area at the foot of the hills

south of Reading and east of the coastal range.

Dau-pom, "in-front-of-place" (Stillwater), comprising the plateau to the north of

Elpom, "shore place" (Keswick), extending from a point somewhat south of

Kennett on the Sacramento chiefly along the west bank southward almost to Reading, and including the former Indian settlements around the mining town of Old Shasta.

Hayfork Wintu, on the Hayfork branch of Trinity River and on Trinity River

about Junction City, extending also from about Middletown westward to the South Fork of the Trinity.

Klabalpom (French Gulch), on the upper reaches of Clear Creek.
Nomsus, "west-dwelling" (Upper Trinity), on the East Fork of Trinity River and

Trinity River proper as far south as Lewiston.

Nomtipom, "west-hillside-place" (Upper Sacramento), along the precipitous

reaches of the upper Sacramento above Kennett.

Waimuk, "north inhabitant(?)," in the narrow valley of the upper McCloud

Winimen, "middle-water" (McCloud), in the McCloud and lower Pit Valleys.

Du Bois (1935) mentions Nomkentcau and Nomkali as two villages in Watson Gulch.

Population. (See Wintun.)

Wintun Indians. The word for "people" in the northern Wintun dialects. Also called:
Wawa h, Mono name for all Sacramento River tribes, meaning "strangers."
Xdtukwiwa, Shasta name for a Wintun Indian.

Connections. The Wintun were formerly considered a part of Powell's Copehan stock and the Wintun of Kroeber (1932) but are now placed in the Penutian family.

Location. On the west side of the Sacramento Valley from the river up to the coast range, but falling short of this in spots and ex-tending beyond it in others, and from Cottonwood Creek on the north to about the latitude of Afton and Stonyford on the south.

Wintun Tribelets
(Generally south to north)

Dahchi'mchini-sel, in a village called Dahchi'mchini (upstream of Brisco Creek

and 4 miles above Elk Creek).

Toba, reported by Barrett (1919) as a town at the mouth of Brisco Creek.
A tribelet probably located at Tolokai or Doloke (at the mouth of Elk Creek).
Pomtididi-sel, at the village of Pomtididi (where Grindstone Creek enters Stony

A tribelet at a village called Kalaiel (on the North Fork of Stony Creek).
Soninmak (at a "butte" named Son-porn down Stony Creek).
Pelti-kewel (reported north of preceding by one informant).
A tribelet at the villages of Sohu's-labe (3 or 4 miles south of Fruto) and

Nome'I-mim-labe (2 or 3 miles farther south still).

Nom-kewel or Nom-laka, with their village, Lo-pom (south of Thomas Creek).
Walti-kewel, with villages called Noitikel, Kenkopol, and Saipanti (close

together on the north side of Thomas Creek below Nom-kewel).

Olwenem-wintun, at O'lwenem (near the mouth of Thomas Creek on the

Sacramento).

Population. Kroeber (1932) estimates 12,000 Wintun in 1770 and about 1,000 in 1910. The census of 1930 returned 512 Wintun, Wintu, and Wappo.

Wiyot Indians. Properly the name of one of the three Wiyot districts but extended by most of their neighbors over the whole people.

Yahi Indians . Meaning "person" in their own language.

Connections. The Yahi constituted the southernmost group of the Yanan division of the Hokan linguistic stock.

Location. On Mill and Deer Creeks.

Villages. Bushkuina, Tolochuaweyu, and Tuliyani were on or near Mill Creek; Bopmayhuwi, Gahma, K'andjauha, Puhiya, and Yisch'inna on or near Deer Creek.

Population. Included in the Yana.

Yana Indians. Meaning "person" in their own language. Also called:
Kom'-bo, Maidu name.
Nó-si or Nó-zi, a name given by Powers (1877).
Tisaiqdji, Ilmawi name.

Connections. The Yana were originally considered an independent linguistic stock but are now placed in the larger Hokan family.

Location. Including the Yahi, the Yana extended from Pit River to Rock Creek, and from the edge of the upper Sacramento Valley to the headwaters of the eastern tributaries of Sacramento River.
Subdivisions
Aside from the Yahi, they embraced three dialectic subdivisions, a northern (on the drainage of Montgomery Creek into Pit River and that of Cedar Creek, an affluent of Little Crow Creek), a central (the entire Cow Creek drainage and Bear Creek), and a southern (on Battle, Payne, and Antelope Creeks and one or two smaller streams).
Villages
Northern Division:

Djewintaurik'u, south of Montgomery.
Djitpamauwid'u, on Cedar Creek.
K'asip'u, south of Round Mountain.
Central Division:
Badjiyu, on Clover Creek.
Ban'ha, inland between the two forks of Cow Creek.
Djichitpemauna, on Bear Creek.
Hamedamen, at Millville.
Haudulimauna, near the South Fork of Cow Creek.
Hodjinimauna, on the North Fork of Bear Creek.
Luwaiha, on Old Cow Creek.
Pawi, on Clover Creek.
Pulsu'aina, near the North Fork of Cow Creek.
Ship'a, between Little Cow Creek and Oak Run.
Unchunaha, between the North Fork of Cow Creek and Clover Creek.
Wamarawi, west of Shingletown.
Wichuman'na, on the South Fork of Cow Creek.

Southern Division:

Population. Kroeber (1932) estimates 1,500 Yana in 1770 including the Yahi, and states that there are less than 40 full and mixed-bloods today, all of the Northern and Central Divisions. Only 9 appear under the head of Yanan in the census of 1930.

Yuki Indians. Derived from the Wintun language and meaning "stranger," or "foe."

Yuki, ; or . (See Yuki.) The second name is applied to them by the interior Yuki, signifying "ocean people."

Connections. The Coast Yuki believe themselves to be an offshoot from the Huchnom but linguistic examination seems to place them near the Yuki.

Location. The Pacific coast from Cleone to a point halfway between Rockport and Usal and inland to the divide between the coast streams and Eel River.
Villages
These have not been recorded but the following places were probably inhabited: On the coast from north to south:

On-chil-ka or On-chil-em, beyond Rockport.
Es'im, at Rockport or Hardy Creek.
Melhom-i'iken (Warren Creek).
Hisimel-auhkem (the next creek).
Lil-p'in-kem (De Haven).
Shipep or Shipoi (Westport).
K'etim, Chetman Gulch.
Lilim, Mussel Rock.
Ok'omet or Shipoi; Kabesilah.
Methuyak-olselem (the creek north of Ten Mile River)
Metkuyaki or Metkuyakem (the mouth of Ten Mile River and also the river).
Mil-hot-em (Cleone).
Sus-mel-im, at the mouth of Pudding Creek.
Ol-hepech-kem (Novo River).
Nehkinmelem (Casper).
Onp'otilkei (in Sherwood Valley).
Ukemim (near Willits).

Population. Kroeber (1932) estimates that in 1770 and 1850 there were 500 Coast Yuki; the census of 1910 reported 15. (See Yuki.)

Yuma Indians. This tribe extended into the extreme southeastern corner of the State along the Colorado River. (See Arizona Indian Tribes)

Yurok Indians. Signifying "downstream" in the language of the neighboring Karok.

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California Indian Tribes | Access Genealogy

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The territory of the present State of California was discovered in 1542 by a Portuguese navigator in the Spanish service, J. R. Cabrillo. In 1578 Sir Francis Drake landed at Drake's Bay, opened communication with the natives, and took possession of the country in the name of England, calling it New Albion.