California History

This book contains a dozen previously unpublished (at the time) maps of California including the first map of the state done by Cortes in 1535. California under Spain and Mexico, 1535-1847; a contribution toward the history of the Pacific coast of the United States, based on original sources (chiefly manuscript) in the Spanish and Mexican archives and other repositories (1911)

This online library contains extensive historic materials including sf Directories from the beginnings of SF, Maps, land grant materials and much more

San Blas naval operations in support of Alta In order to begin settling Alta California, Visitor-General Jose Galvez first had to establish a port to support settlements. He selected San Blas in Nuevo Galicia (Nayarit) and by 1769 had developed it into a harbor and ship-building center. (Reference: Bean, Walton, and James J. Rawls, pp 20-21, California: An Interpretive History, Fifth Edition). San Blas was then the port and support base on the Mexican mainland opposite La Paz for both Baja and Alta California until 1810. San Blas had a small, shallow harbor, and could handle only four ships in its inner port. Others had to anchor in its outer harbor. The climate was hot and muggy, and considered unhealthful. Food and supplies spoiled quickly. It was anything but ideal for a support base. Its only recommendation was its location, convenient to building materials and to Baja California. Yet, it was the starting point for numerous naval careers. (Perhaps sea duty was preferable to being in home port.)

This is A google online book about Ishi and his tribe.

Here were once in southeastern San Francisco bodies of water that have as completely disappeared as has mythical Atlantis and are legendary to the great majority of living San Franciscans. Unlike Atlantis, submerged in water by a cataclysm of nature, these waters have been smothered in earth debris deposited in them by the hand of man. Who of the present, or of the preceding generation, has heard of Mission Bay, Mission Creek, Precita Creek, or Islais creek (see Appendix A) except the channel of that name which is an artificial creation and is no part of what was once called Islais Creek. Who of an older generation knows that Islais Creek was a fresh-water stream that emptied into what was originally known as Du Vrees Creek, an estuary of San Francisco Bay? What history there is of these waters and of contiguous lands is to be found only in the statutes and decisions of the courts. The material for this article has been gathered from these sources.

Online images of sold artifacts from the southwest. Includes bank notes and many memorabilia images

This is Hubert Bancroft's History of San Francisco, California between 1848 and 1888

The story of the death of José de los Reyes Berreyesa and Francisco and Ramon de Haro has been told in many of the accounts of the Bear Flag war and most of the narrators agree that it was an unprovoked murder. The Los Angeles Star published on September 27, 1856, a signed statement of Jasper O'Farrell, who saw the shooting and also a letter from José de los Santos Berreyesa, son of the murdered man