1812-2012: A Bicentennial Celebration of Fort Ross

Founded by the Russian-American Company in 1812, Fort Ross was operational until 1841. The settlement's purpose was to establish trade relations with the Spanish in California, produce food for Russian settlements in Alaska, and expand the fur trade. Settlers included Russians, Native Alaskans and Native Californians. This year marks the Bicentennial Celebration of Fort Ross and these contemporary images are sure to inspire visitors. Please visit the Fort Ross SHP website to find details on the many events and activities planned for the 200th year anniversary celebration. See Fort Ross SHP and Fort Ross for information about the park, events and festivities planned throughout 2012.

A Thousand Years of Southwestern Pottery

Roscoe Elwood Hazard (1880-1975) was an avid collector of Western memorabilia travelling all over the country acquiring objects for his collection. In 1972 his vast collection was donated and transferred to California State Parks under Governor Reagan. Shown here are a few extraordinary examples found in his Southwestern Pottery Collection spanning a thousand years from 700-900 AD to the early 20th century. This collection is now housed at the Antelope Valley Indian Museum. Please visit the AVIM website to find out more about their collections and events.

American Indian Gorgets

A shell gorget is a carved pendant typically worn around the neck and frequently engraved, sometimes highlighted with pigments, and usually pierced. The gorgets shown here are from Northern California tribes and are made from the Haliotis or abalone shell, a material used to make many types of beads for jewelry and decoration for women's ceremonial skirts. Traditionally, both men and women wore these types of gorgets for personal adornment. Current regalia makers still use abalone shell as a decorative element. Visit the State Indian Museum SHP to find out more about their Indian collections and events.

An Archaeological Look at Transfer Printed Ceramics

At the Cooper-Molera and Diaz Adobes at Monterey State Historic Park, archaeological investigations have revealed some interesting facts about the original owners, their economic status and the consumer goods available to them. By the early 1800s, industrial mass production of transfer printed ceramics in Great Britain had revolutionized consumer choice of common household dinnerware and chamber pots! A detailed report on the archaeological research at these two adobes can be found in The Diaz Collection. Transfer printed ceramics can be viewed at the Cooper-Molera Adobe at Monterey SHP.

Angel Island Chinese Immigration Certificates

The twelve immigrants featured represent the many thousands of Chinese who passed through the Angel Island Immigration Station between 1910 and 1940. Chinese immigrants were typically detained longer than others due to the severe restrictions outlined in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Go to Angel Island State Park to learn more about the Immigration Station and upcoming events.

Angel Island Immigration Station

These lantern slides document the arrival and processing of immigrants, most of whom were Chinese, between 1910 and 1925 at the U.S. Immigration Station, Angel Island, San Francisco Bay. Visit the Angel Island State Park and tour the renovated U.S. Immigration Station. See Angel Island SP and the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation or the Angel Island Assocation for more information.

Antelope Valley Indian Museum

This collection features significant and interesting artifacts of the American Indian cultures of the Great Basin, California and the Southwest. The museum has been temporarily closed for stabilization and will re-open in the near future. For more information about the museum, visit their website at Antelope Valley Indian Museum.

Archaeology

Excavations are conducted in California State Parks for a variety of reasons including site evaluation, project planning, recovery of artifacts and the loss of archaeological context threatened by erosion or development. These collections include archaeological artifacts and photographs from individual projects and park units.

Architect Julia Morgan: A Blueprint for Success

Julia Morgan was one of the most prolific architects of the 20th century. Morgan received her State Architectural License in 1904, becoming the first woman licensed to practice architecture in California. Morgan's careful work and on-site supervision formed the basis of her professional reputation. During her lifetime she designed more than 700 buildings ranging from single family homes to institutional structures. Her largest institutional clients were the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) and various women's social clubs. Her longest and best known commission came from the design and construction of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon retreat, "La Cuesta Encantada," from 1919 to 1951. Five California State Parks have buildings and/or structures designed by Julia Morgan- Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Angel Island State Park, Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds, Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument And Santa Monica State Beach. For more information regarding the buildings and parks, please refer to the brochure, and the Self Guided Tour.

California Beer Bottles

Microbreweries existed long before the current trend of Old World crafted and artisan brewed beers. European immigrants came to California in search of gold and brought with them their taste and longing for their homeland brews. In the mid 19th century California cities and towns relied on regional beers brewed for their population's taverns and markets. Many of these breweries continued production into the 20th century lasting throughout Prohibition. Eventually, regional breweries were replaced with large companies that specialized in mass production and national distribution. The beer bottle collection shown here highlights the place of origin as well as the unique embossed design of each brewery. They include breweries from San Francisco, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, San Diego, Stockton, San Jose, and Etna.

California Indian Baskets

The collection is noted for its breadth and technical diversity with examples from nearly every tribal weaving tradition of Native California. In addition, the range of basket genres is nearly complete for many tribes, often representing the full complement of basketry utilized during traditional times. For more information, visit the California Indian Heritage Center.

California Landscape Paintings from the Boggs Collection

Philanthropist Mae Helene Bacon Boggs (1863-1963) was an avid collector of paintings of California subjects and Indian baskets from Northern California Tribes. She was also instrumental in the preservation of the historic town of Shasta and its eventual development as a state park which opened to the public in the 1950s. Her donations to the park included furniture, historical documents and her extensive art collection. This selection of California views by renowned 19th and 20th century artists is from the Boggs Collection. The wide range of subjects from rolling hills, oak woodlands, and water scenes to ranch settings, majestic mountains and urban San Francisco reflect the beauty and diversity of the California landscape. Due to this year's budget reductions, the hours at Shasta SHP were reduced on September 11, 2011 to Friday and Sunday from 10-5. The park will be permanently closed on July 1, 2012 unless a partner is found. For more information, call (530) 225-2065.

Chris Jörgensen - California Pioneer Artist

Chris Jörgensen was an accomplished painter of California landscapes and has been referred to as a California Pioneer Artist. In 1874 he was a student at the newly established San Francisco School of Design. This collection features Jörgensen's California Missions as he captured them in the early 1900s in their state of decay. These beautiful watercolors are on display at the Mission San Francisco Solano at Sonoma SHP.

Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made over 1,500 structures and landscape features between 1933 and 1942 on undeveloped state park land. These images document the lasting achievements of the men who labored relentlessly during the Great Depression. For more information regarding the history of the CCC go to The National Parks Service.

Freighters and Teamsters - Big Rigs and Work Animals

In the years when work horses, mules, and oxen provided the power to move people and materials, the heaviest loads were handled by freight wagons and the courageous teamsters that drove them. A "teamster" was a title of honor recognizing expert skills, knowledge, and strength of those who hitched and drove teams of 12 to 20 animals, pulling tremendous weight through steep mountains, across wild rivers, through sandy deserts and narrow twisting streets of the towns of the old West. Today, very few of these heavy working vehicles survive, and only a handful of people still practice the arts of the teamster from teaching oxen to accept a yoke, to hitching 20 mules and more, to driving "jerk-line" style with a single line to a mule in the front of 10 pair of straining equines. Come along for a glimpse of these wonderful relics of a bygone era and some of the men and women who drove them. To see some of these freighters today, please visit: Old Town San Diego SHP , South Yuba River SHP, Bodie SHP.

H.C. Peterson Collection

Harry C. Peterson (American, 1876 - 1941), the first curator of Sutter's Fort, Sacramento, captured events and people and places on film reflecting life in California in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Hearst Castle: A Glimpse into Ancient Greece

A vast collection of Ancient Greek Pottery is held at Hearst Castle. Shown here is a small sample of the red and black-figured slip-painted earthenware pottery including Corinthian, Attic, Etruscan, and Alupian dating from 800-300 BC. The painted scenes show Panathenaic events, sporting events, animals, myths, geometric designs and botanicals such as grapes, vine leaves, rosettes and palmettes. Visit the Hearst Castle website to learn more about their collections or go to Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument to find out about the park, castle tours and hours of operation.

Historical Photographs of the Original Camp Taylor

Samuel P. Taylor became the first entrepreneur to manufacture paper on the West Coast. In 1856, he established the Pioneer Paper Mill along Daniels Creek in Marin County. By the 1860s the North Pacific Coast Railroad not only served the mill but it also brought guests from San Francisco to "Camp Taylor," his nearby redwood forest retreat. Camp Taylor became so popular with city folk that eventually Taylor built a hotel there in the 1870s. His eldest son, Jim, renovated the hotel after Samuel's passing in 1886 and Camp Taylor continued to thrive into the early 1890s. Camp Taylor was one of the first sites in the US to offer camping as a recreational pursuit. Please visit the Samuel P. Taylor State Park website to find out more information about the park.

Horse-Drawn Vehicles

California State Parks holds the largest publicly owned horse-drawn vehicle collection in the USA. It is remarkably diverse and includes many rare and important vehicles that played significant roles in California and national history. This sample shows vehicles ranging from small buggies to large commercial transportation vehicles, such as the Concord Stagecoach. Many of the horse-drawn vehicles are on view at: Marshall Gold SHP, Old Town San Diego SHP, Bodie SHP, Sonoma SHP, San Juan Bautista SHP, Columbia SHP, South Yuba River SP, Malakoff Diggins SHP, Bidwell Mansion SHP.

Mt. Diablo Flora: Art from the Great Depression

This collection features botanical watercolor illustrations by many artists employed by the Works Projects Administration, WPA, a federal program created during the Great Depression. From 1937-1942, the Mount Diablo Pictorial WPA Project operated with the goal of creating exhibits surrounding Mount Diablo's geological development, its living flora and fauna, Indian culture, Spanish exploration, and American settlers. For more information about the Mt. Diablo Summit Museum go to Mt. Diablo SP.

Photographs of Wildlife in California State Parks

“…animals comprise an almost negligible portion of the landscape; yet they possess a vital energy – that bears no relation to their number or size. Regardless of whether they delight, intrigue, annoy, or frighten us, animals capture and hold our interest like nothing else”. John Werminski, from Science, Poetry, and Parks, 2002. Visit the California State Parks Home Page to find a park near you!

Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art & the California Dream

A new exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento State Historic Park features a striking selection of vintage California fruit and vegetable crate labels. The bold colors and idyllic images romanticized life in the Golden State and embodied the "California Dream." You can enjoy the images here and see them in the Museum's 1920's "refrigerated" boxcar through March 30, 2012.

The Birds of Mount Diablo - A Pictorial WPA Project

This collection features the work of Charles Miller an artist employed by the Works Projects Administration, WPA, a federal program created during the Great Depression. The Mount Diablo Pictorial WPA Project began in 1937 with the goal of creating exhibits surrounding Mount Diablo's geological development, its living flora and fauna, Indian culture, Spanish exploration, and American settlers. For more information about the Mt. Diablo Summit Museum go to Mt. Diablo SP.

Treasures from a Pioneer Family

It's 1850 and you are leaving Missouri to move to the new State of California. What will you take and what will you leave behind? The confines of a wagon forced pioneers to carefully choose what possessions to take with them to their new life thousands of miles away. Sometimes those decisions could mean the difference between life and death. Nonetheless, precious mementos of home often found their way amongst necessities. The Sutter's Fort "Pioneer Collection" includes some of the belongings Dr. James Anderson Brown and his family included in their wagon. Visit Sutter's Fort to see upcoming events and also visit the "Friends of the Sutter's Fort" for more information about their association.

Works of Jean-Léon Gérôme at Hearst Castle

"Bonaparte Before the Sphinx" (1886) an important painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) from the collections at Hearst Castle is currently on special exhibit at the J. Paul Getty Museum's "The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme" through Sept 12, 2010. The exhibit will then travel to the Musée d'Orsay, Paris and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid through May 2011. The other three works of art by Gérôme are on view at Hearst Castle. To learn more about Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument, visit their website at Hearst Castle. To view the Gérôme exhibition at the Getty Center go to the J. Paul Getty Museum.