It's a tradition as old as our State, yet it has taken on many forms over the last 145 years-the inauguration of our State's Governor. Huell spends time with California's 36th governor, Pete Wilson, as he works on his inaugural speech and discusses the importance of the events surrounding his swearing in. Huell also gets a chance to visit with several past Governors and their families, to get a sense of the rich tradition of inaugural celebrations from years past.
Join Huell and experience a recreation of everyday life in a 19th century Russian community at Fort Ross State Historic Park; sail aboard the state's official tall ship, the Californian, and see for yourself the site where Sir Francis Drake left a plate of brass when he landed on our California shore.
Huell visits the world’s first motel, the Motel Inn in San Luis Obispo; a stop at Pozo’s Saloon, a stagecoach stop, and chat with the last remaining citizen of Moy Mell, where a colony of people called Dunites lived in the sand dunes from the 1920s through the 1940s.
Huell visits the Watts Towers, built by an Italian hand, the Watts Towers have been designated a national landmark, and its adjacent Arts Center where children carry on the artistic tradition and create their own masterpieces. Then travel to the “City by the Bay,” to discover what lies behind their obsession with sourdough bread and watch how the bread is made.
Join Huelll as he takes a trip to the southernmost and northernmost towns of the state: Enjoy a taste of the Horseradish Festival in Tulelake, near the Oregon border, the Horseradish capital of the world; and experience the sights and sounds of Calexico, a town that reflects its rich Mexican heritage.
Huell discovers the colorful history of the Beach Boardwalk, the last remaining oceanside amusement park in the West Coast; he meets the pioneers of surfing and the inventor of the wet suit, and enjoys salt water taffy and other sweet treats at Marini's, a family-run business for over four generations.
Huell’s adventure begins at the La-Brea Tar Pits and continues through a futuristic-looking theme room restaurant at LAX; then find every conceivable food item, from fruit to cactus leaves, at the bustling Grand Central Market in downtown. Next, we locate a buried bridge on the campus of UCLA, and watch a harvesting of grapefruit from a 100-year-old tree in Little Tokyo.
Huell takes a tour of the little, quaint town of Locke, founded and settled by the Chinese on the Sacramento River Delta; then he hears ancient Cahuilla Indian bird songs sung by members of the Cahuilla tribe, and participates in a threshing bee and antique engine show featuring old farm vehicles and machinery.
Join Huell and watch the exciting sport of the charreada or Mexican rodeo at a local Ontario arena; hear the crack of the bat at a baseball game played by the Stockton Ports, the minor-league team believed to have inspired the poem, "Casey at the Bat"; and listen to the sounds of San Francisco's Golden Gate Band, the oldest and only year-round municipal park band performing in the country.
Huell is ready to celebrate train travel at Railfair '91 at the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento, and ride the rails at Railtown State Historic Park in Jamestown in the scenic Mother Lode foothill country.
Huell meets a local artisan in Trinidad Bay who transforms redwood logs into beautiful canoes; then discovers a little-known landmark, the S.S. Palo Alto, a ship made entirely of concrete, docked at the Seacliff Beach pier in Aptos, and sails on the last remaining lightship in a line of floating lighthouses that once marked the entrance to the ship channel leading to San Francisco Bay.
Join Huell and hike to the world's tallest tree in Redwood National Park with a group of fifth graders from a nearby school; admire fields ablaze with golden color of California's official state flower, the Golden Poppy, at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster; and climb to the top of magnificent Morro Rock for a beautiful view of Morro Bay.
Join Huell and travel to Downieville, nestled high in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where gold miners organized the first ski races in the country; meet the staff on the Mountain Messenger, the state's oldest weekly newspaper; and watch a demonstration of the long, heavy wooden skis worn by the gold miners in the mid-1800s.
There are literally countless success stories in our state’s public education system and in this one-hour special, Huell visits four schools where all the elements for success – parents, teachers, students, administrators and the community – have come together to really make a difference. From one-room school houses to inner-city high schools, we get a chance to see California’s future gold in the making.
Come with Huell and pan for gold, sing pioneer songs and eat "bangers" at the annual Bidwell Bar Day celebration at Lake Oroville in Butte County. Also visit the pride of Sonora: “The Red Church,” a picturesque landmark in the center of town; and discover an unusual source of pride at the unique Annual Poison Oak show in Columbia, a restored gold mining town in Tuolumne County.
Join Huell and travel to the sand dunes of El Centro where portions of a wooden plank road, which once stretched from Imperial County to Yuma, Arizona have been preserved; and attend a reunion at Camp Lockett, which brings together members of the last mounted unit in the Army.
Watch Huell as he embarks on a journey to the most dangerous spot on the California coast and find out why it is called "Devil's Jaw"; then visit the jewel of the California missions: La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, now a state historic park.
Huell meets the famous western duo, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, (and Trigger) and hear them sing their trademark song; then he meets Herb Jeffries who starred in black westerns in the late 1930s; and watch the festive 17th Annual Black Cowboy Parade in Oakland.
Join Huell on the Blossom Trail in Fresno County, our state's agricultural heartland; walk through the quaint and historic farming community of Reedley to the Mennonite Quilt Center and watch volunteers make beautiful quilts; savor the Armenian delicacy, keyma, one of the specialties of Uncle Harry's Restaurant, a local landmark; and deal yourself in on the world's longest running pinochle game going on daily at the Camden Cafe.
Huell watches the Bok Kai Parade, California's oldest parade, with its colorful lion dancers, brilliant dragon and noisy firecrackers; then marvels at the world's largest blossoming plant, the Sierra Madre Wisteria Vine; and celebrates the memory of Abraham Lincoln with a march to the Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands, the only shrine west of the Mississippi dedicated to Honest Abe.
Huell takes a look at some beloved buildings such as the Bayliss Branch Library in Glenn County, the only functioning Carnegie Library that is completely rural; the Twenty-nine Palms Old Schoolhouse, the oldest building in the Morongo Valley; and visits the Apple Pan in West Los Angeles, a venerable diner that has been serving hickory burgers-and a slice of tradition-since 1947.
Join Huell and visit Allensworth, now a state historic park, California's only community founded, financed and governed by African Americans during the early 1900s; tour old and new Kernville as area residents recount their experiences; and go whitewater rafting down the wild and scenic Kern River, one of the fastest flowing rivers in the nation.
Join Huell and encounter the endangered kangaroo rat at Carrizo Plain Natural Area, considered the best example of the fragile ecosystem in the San Joaquin Valley; then experience first hand one of nature's unique phenomenon: the grunion run, this one at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.
Join Huell if you’ve never been to a real live ghost town? This entire episode explores one of the last remnants of the Wild West, now a state historic park, Bodie is regarded as one of the largest and best preserved examples of an authentic ghost town.
Join Huell for this entire episode devoted to one of America's oldest, strangest and most beautiful lakes. Located in the eastern base of the majestic Sierra Nevada mountains, Mono Lake is famous for its tufa, or curious formations of calcium carbonate.
Join Huell as he takes a look at the history of this Japanese American community in downtown Los Angeles, including the annual Nisei Parade and all its festivities: traditional tea ceremony; Ikebana or flower arranging and bonsai exhibits, plus more.
Join Huell and explore the coastal town of Guadalupe, in Santa Barbara County, where the massive set from Cecil B. De Mille's silent film epic, "The Ten Commandments," is buried; then journey to the Sierra County mining town of Alleghany and descend cavernous tunnels, 2,200 feet below, for an adventure in search of gold.
Join Huell and enjoy one of California's oldest and exciting traditions at the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center at Cal Poly Pomona where, for over 60 years, monthly horse shows feature beautiful, pure-bred Arabian horses. Then hit the trail and trace the history of the Pony Express riders at the annual Pony Express Re-run in Sacramento as present-day riders re-enact this bit of Old West experience.
Join Huell, sit tight and watch the electrifying Annual Catalina Ski Race, a competition that has been ongoing for over 40 years, where "hot doggers" race in excess of 60 mph from Long Beach to Catalina Island and back; coast along to the serene and little-known San Nicolas Island-one of the Channel Islands off the California coast, a haven for wildlife and a sight for sore eyes.
Huell travels down to where the streets have no name and sees the world's tallest, oldest and one of the most peculiar-looking Joshua Trees in an episode devoted to this remarkable desert plant which has come to symbolize the Mojave Desert; then meet a man, who as a child, lived on a ranch in the seclusion of what is now the Monument.
Join Huell and visit the immaculate and lush grounds of Capitol Park in Sacramento, our state's official front and backyard and find azaleas, huckleberry, 100-year-old cedar trees and a Memorial Grove of trees transplanted from the battlefields of the Civil War to become apart of "California's Gold."
Join Huell and listen to the magic of mariachi music and follow its origins from Jalisco, Mexico to its present-day sounds on the streets of Los Angeles. The world renowned Los Camperos de Nati Cano are featured, as well as the student mariachis of Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, and mariachis on Olvera Street.
California's most recognized landmark takes center stage in an episode which focuses on its history-including rare footage of its construction-its beauty, and the incredible maintenance work that goes on daily to keep this towering structure in mint condition.
Come with Huell as he explores the largest island in San Francisco Bay which is a heavenly sight to behold with its profusion of flora and fauna. But Angel Island also has a varied military history, including the detention of Chinese immigrants from 1910-1940. The episode examines this chapter of the island's past.
Huell goes back in time to learn two fascinating, yet obscure, California footnotes to World War II: a German-made crane which is the largest self-propelled floating crane berthed at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, and an incident involving a Japanese submarine that shelled the oil fields of Ellwood in Santa Barbara County in 1942.
Join Huell and take a sizzling trip to the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County and its many unknown desert destinations, including the tiny town of Amboy (on the side of old Route 66), historic homesteads, immense sand dunes, an extinct volcano and a beautiful, old train depot.
Join Huell on a unique adventure to two of California's rarely seen natural wonders: the Bristlecone Pine, the oldest, continuously living thing on this planet found in the White Mountains of the Eastern Sierra, and magnificent Le Conte Falls deep in the rocky and steep terrain of Yosemite National Park.
Step back in time with Huell to the olden days of making pottery the Gladding McBean way. The 118-year-old company in rural Lincoln, near Sacramento, is the nation's only remaining major manufacturer of terra cotta. From decorative to functional, McBean's terra cotta is acclaimed for its distinctive style which graces landmark buildings in big cities and small towns across our state.
Huell looks at two historic examples of water under pressure: first at the Malakoff Diggins State Park in the Sierra foothills, where for decades miners used tremendous water cannons to help dissolve mountains in search of precious metals. Today Huell visits a vast man-made valley that remains a testament to the power of this process. Next, Huell visits California's Old Faithful Geyser in Calistoga-one of only three in the world.
Explore Beauty Ranch, once the home of one of California's most famous authors, Jack London. Now the estate is part of the Jack London State Historical Park in the Valley of the Moon in Sonoma. It is at this home that London wrote many of his most famous books, including Call of the Wild, White Fang and The Sea Wolf.
Huell takes a look at two companies that had their roots in California's gold rush. First, Huell looks at the Studebaker Car Co.-originally started as a wheelbarrow manufacturer-and visits the Studebaker Wheelbarrow Races at the El Dorado County Fair, now in their 49th year. Next, Huell tours the original plant of Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco and sees one of the first pairs of blue jeans.
Huell soars above our state as we look at the Pigeon Courier Service at Avalon on Catalina Island, once the most expeditious means of communication with the small island. Next, Huell visits the Twentynine Palms Air Academy, created during World War II. Huell goes up in the air with some of the original pilots at this, the largest glider school in the country.
Huell explores two of California's most interesting State Parks: the Providence Mountain State Recreation Area, located in the Eastern Mojave Desert, to see the famous Mitchell Caverns Nature Reserve; and the Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park, in the Sierra Nevadas, where we see a Miwok Indians legacy in a vast rock covered with thousands of grinding pits.
One of Huell’s favorite things is when California blooms anew, bringing forth a striking display of flowers. Huell visits three places across the state where the splendor of California is in full bloom: Daffodil Hill in the Gold Country, the Ranunculas fields of Carlsbad Ranch, and the California Poppy Reserve in Antelope Valley--all amazing vistas where swaths of color stretch as far as the eye can see.
Join Huell in the centennial celebration of the arrival of the first steam train to this isolated mid-coastal town. As part of the celebrations, the town's citizens have recreated the events exactly as they happened a century before. Huell passes through the historic tunnels and tressels in a period steam engine as he descends into this festive town.
Huell travels to Santa Barbara Island, one of the eight Channel Islands, to learn about the history and nature of this beautiful place from its only human resident-a ranger. Huell actually walks the perimeter of this island to get a feel for this seldom seen part of the Golden State.
Join Huell and trace the lives of two men whose unique dreams in the early part of the century helped them to create two of our state's most amazing buried treasures. First, we visit the Underground Gardens of Baldasare Forestiere and the incredible labyrinth of tunnels, courtyards and vines. Next, we visit the Burro Schmidt Tunnel, where for 50 years an early pioneer of the Mojave dug a 2,000 foot tunnel through a mountain.
Huell explores one of California's biggest and most beautiful forests... one we never get to see- the incredible kelp forests off our coast. Travel with Huell from Monterey to San Diego to see how kelp grows, how it is harvested and how it finds its way into the common foods we eat.
Huell visits two unique outdoor California theaters with long traditions of their own. First stop is the Spreckles Organ in San Diego, the world's largest outdoor organ. Weekly summer concerts have been an event there since 1915. Then we travel to the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, where the unique art form tableaux vivants, or "living pictures," is practiced to amazing effect.
Huell keeps cool on this adventure. Californians have done everything imaginable to keep cool in their blistering deserts. Huell looks at two ways of cooling off: first, in the amazing old "desert submarines" in Indio, then at an honest-to-goodness oasis near Palm Springs.
Huell learns that many "Okies" fled the Dust Bowl in their jalopies with signs reading "California or Bust." Out of options, they often ended up at the "Weedpatch camp," a federal labor and living camp for migrant workers in Kern County. Huell visits this historic camp, later immortalized in John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath," and talks with both the "Okies" who grew up there and the Latinos who now call it home.
Huell gets a tour of the largest wooden buildings in the world, the vast blimp hangars at the U.S. Marine Air station at Tustin. He then travels to the Seabee Naval Museum at Port Hueneme and the Marine Base at Camp Pendelton, to get a firsthand look at the history of an honest-to-goodness military institution-the quonset hut.
Huell gets a taste of history as he visits two families who have turned their crops into empires. He visits both the olive orchards in the San Joaquin Valley and processing plant of the Graber family in Ontario, where for a century workers have prepared Graber Olives in almost the same way. Huell then travels to Orange Country to learn how the world- famous Knott's Berry Farm amusement park grew out of one woman's home cooking.
Huell travels to two significant but little-known places in California. First he gets a tour of the fields of Camp Pendelton, near San Diego, where for a period in the mid-1970s thousands of Vietnamese refugees lived in a large tent city-their first stop after fleeing their war torn homeland. Next, Huell visits the Sherman Institute High School, an off-reservation boarding school for Native Americans that has educated students for almost a century.
Huell looks beneath the surface of our state. First he goes to the prehistoric La Brea Tar Pits in the heart of Los Angeles, where dinosaurs and other early denizens of California have been preserved in tar for thousands of years. Next, he visits California's version of Plymouth Rock-the Presidio of San Diego-and watches as an excavation uncovers all sorts of amazing relics from this, the first European settlement in California.
Huell discovers that even though it's thought of as one of the bleakest and most desolate places in the world, Death Valley can be beautiful. Contrary to its name, Death Valley is host to a wide variety of life-from prehistoric pupfish to stunning miniature wildflowers and much more!
Huell travels to Death Valley to learn about Walter Scott... one of the great characters of California history. Huell tours the amazing castle that now bears Scotty's name and walks through the dry desert that Scotty loved so much. Get an intimate portrait of this California original from those who knew and loved him.
Huell travels in search of the geographic center of our state and in the process visits a whole string of towns that lay claim to being "the center of California." With the help of locals and a cartographer from the U.S. Geological Survey, Huell finally locates the exact spot and marks it by planting a state flag. He also checks out the Palm and Pine trees planted on Highway 99 that signify the divide between Northern & Southern California.
Huell finds out how oil made Kern County great, visiting the vast Midway-Sunset Field which is the top oil-producing field in the lower 48 states and the West Kern Oil Museum in Taft, which has one of the last huge wooden derricks in existence. Huell's last stop is the site of the Lakeview Gusher, which at the turn of the century was the largest gusher in the United States.
Huell revisits the California Zephyr, a magnificent train which traveled between Chicago and Oakland from 1949 to 1970. Huell climbs aboard one of the original restored silver "Vista-Dome" cars and travels through some of the most spectacular scenery in the state, heading west from Lake Tahoe. Huell shares the ride with a group of people who worked on and rode the original Zephyr.
Huell tours Folsom Prison, which for well over a century has housed some of our state's toughest characters and gets a rare look inside this landmark prison. He visits Folsom's first death row, the chapel-which contains what has to be one of the most unusual paintings of "The Last Supper," the historic "China Hill," and the seldom-seen prison graveyard, final resting place for generations of prisoners.
Huell visits the historic lumber and railroad town of McCloud, located at the foot of Mt. Shasta, California's second highest mountain. Included in this adventure is a trip on the famous McCloud railroad, a visit to the local swimming hole located in a magnificent natural setting and a tour of the town and its quaint, old buildings.
Visit a place that very few Californians have ever seen: the St. George Reef Lighthouse, eight miles off the coast of Northern California, in Crescent City. Join Huell as he is airlifted to the tiny reef which holds this now-abandoned century old treasure. This one-of-a-kind structure reaches 142 feet in the air and is a "wave washed" lighthouse--meaning that it takes the brunt of the sea from all sides. This adventure is a rare treat.
California has many defining icons, but few sum it all up like swimming pools. In this episode Huell tours five historic pools which have all played an important part in our State's history. Starting in L.A. at the pool at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel painted by famous artist David Hockney and the Olympic pool at the L.A. Coliseum, site of the 1932 Olympic games, Huell travels north to the stunning "Neptune Pool" at Hearst Castle and finishes up at two great lost pools in San Francisco, the Sutro Baths and the Fleishhacker pool. Put on your water wings and jump on in.
From orange groves to freeways, everybody knows about some of the most important and uniquely Californian firsts our state has produced. In this episode Huell looks at three unexpected California firsts that occurred in ways and places people never imagined: the surprising story behind the "real" discovery of gold in California, the unlikely spot of the first oil drilling in California and finally a galvanizing visit to a location where an overlooked innovation in the history of electricity took place.
The first on the entire west coast, with 142 years of service to our nation, the Mare Island Naval Shipyard has been a long time builder of California's naval gold. Join Huell as he takes us on one of the last tours of the base which is to be closed due to military downsizing. He also visits with former workers who show him the dry dock building slips of ancient battleships and modern nuclear subs, a sailors graveyard, the tree-lined streets of "Officer's Row", and the first naval chapel on the west coast
Welcome to Suisun Bay home to one of the strangest fleets of ships you'll ever see, the "Mothball Fleet". Hundreds of ships all chained together, from tub to tanker, from Victory to cruiser, these ships are part of our National Defense Reserve Fleet. Come aboard with Huell as he tours some of these historic ships harking back to our state's - and our nation's naval past.
A shout echos through Yosemite... "Let the Fire fall", and from 1872 to 1969 that's just what happened. Join Huell at the top of Glacier Point with Nic Fiore who was the last to push a pile of burning embers off the edge, creating the beautiful red hot "waterfall" effect know as Firefall. Then down to the bottom at Camp Curry, the best spot to view Firefall, where Huell talks with Keith and Ginny Bee who for 42 years ran the nightly outdoor theater show which led up to the fiery finale of this now lost California tradition.
Searching for some of the neatest houses in California, Huell travels from one of the state's most public houses to the most private. We start out in downtown Sacramento at the former Governor's Mansion (1903-1967), home to 13 of our states first families, where we get a private tour from Kathleen Brown. Next after hiking up over 3,500 feet in the Sierra foothills, Huell arrives at a small wooden cabin built by miners and later inhabited by Irvy Elster a bonafide hermit.
Huell visits a dry lake bed in the Mojave desert that is so hard and so gigantic that it is the site of Edwards Air Force Base and a landing strip for the Space Shuttle. In the 1920's and 30's it was also used by hot-rodders from all over Southern California as a speed trails course for their fast cars. Muroc Dry Lake has remained off-limits since WWII, until recently when the Air Force re-opened the dry lake bed, inviting back all the old-timers for a weekend of racing. Thousands of car enthusiasts showed up for this historic event.
Huell goes in search of two animals found in our state today which aren't supposed to be here. First, he travels to Catalina Island in search of historic buffalo - the descendants of fourteen which were brought over from the mainland for a silent movie shot in 1924. Next, Huell travels to Ft. Tejon State Historic Park between Bakersfield and Los Angeles, in search of camels used during the 1850's by the U.S. Army in hopes of developing improved transportation across the arid west. It was dubbed the "great camel experiment" and was a bizarre chapter in our states history book.
A century ago, it was the hub of Northern California -- a crossroads where over the years you would have encountered gentle Mutsune Indians, hard-working Franciscan padres, fierce outlaws and a host of other fascinating characters. Located just three miles off busy Highway 101 in San Benito County, today the town has somehow managed to maintain the look and feel of "old California." Mission San Juan Bautista dominates the landscape. The largest of the old Spanish mission churches in our state, it sits on a huge grassy area -- the only remaining Spanish plaza in California. Founded in 1787, it is still the functioning parish church in the San Juan Valley. During his stay, Huell is given a tour of the Mission and the State Historic Park which includes numerous grand old buildings surrounding the plaza. He also takes a personal tour of the town given by Leonard Cactano who has spent his entire 72 years there and is one of its leading citizens - and historians. It's a journey into our rich past as we visit a quaint, sleepy little community that is very much part of "California's Gold."
The Chumash called it Wimal. To Conquistador Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo it was San Lucas. Today it is known as Santa Rosa, and its 54,000 acres of open land 24 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara is the newest addition to Channel Islands National Park. Huell visits this remote place on an adventure that reveals not only the Island's natural wonders, but it's continuing rich human history as well. A large part of that history has been written by Al and Russ Vail -- brothers who continue to operate a working cattle ranch on the Island, which was started by their family at the turn of the century. From the bunkhouse to the cookhouse to the cowboys themselves, visiting this old-west ranch is like stepping back in time. During his stay, Huell spends time talking with the cowboys about their lives on the island and is invited to go along on an actual cattle drive, which ends up with the cattle being loaded aboard the only operating cattle boat on the west coast.
It's the oldest Japanese-style garden in the United States. Located in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, the Japanese Tea Garden has been part of that city's landscape for over one hundred years. In this episode of "California's Gold" host Huell Howser strolls through the serene garden enjoying its paths and bridges and flowering cherry trees. Huell also learns of the garden's rich history from descendants of the original Japanese family who at one time lived on and cared for the grounds. Originally created in 1894 for the California Midwinter International Exposition, it was supposed to be removed when the fair ended, but quickly became one of Golden Gate Park's most popular and beautiful attractions. Today, the Japanese Tea Garden endures not only as a legacy to the past, but as a shining piece of "California's Gold."
It's like stepping back in time. A glimpse of what life was like in California during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. And this look back is made even more fascinating because it is from the Japanese-American perspective through the medium of home movies! In this special one-hour edition of "California's Gold," host Huell Howser visits with Karen Ishizuka, the senior curator of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles for a first-hand look at these remarkable movies. Karen is responsible for gathering these movies together from all over California -- seldom seen movies that document in a simple, yet profound way the everyday lives of Japanese Americans. Also included in this program is a poignant 40-minute film entitled: "Something Strong Within," made entirely of home movies shot inside the internment camps that Japanese Americans were forced into during World War II. What these movies from the camps reveal in their elegant, un-narrated silence, is a proud people struggling to main
It was the very first mining community in California, starting up operations in 1845. Before it closed down for good in 1976, it also held the distinction of being the largest, richest mine California has ever known, processing over $700,000,000 in metallic wealth. New Almaden Mine was situated in the Santa Clara Valley near San Jose and in its heyday was bustling with activity with a mix of miners from Mexico to Cornwall. And the surprise is -- this was not a gold mine. It was a quicksilver mine! Quicksilver (mercury) was absolutely essential in hard rock mining because it was used to separate the gold from the rock it was found in. The fact that the New Almaden Mine was already in operation when gold was discovered in our state only quickened the pace of the gold rush itself. Today, the town is a registered National Historic Landmark and the mine itself is on land which is part of a county park. In this episode, Huell Howser visits the town and the mine and learns first hand about the rich history of this little-known but very important bit of "California's Gold."
In this episode of "California's Gold," Huell salutes the railroads by "riding the rails." Catch is, he won't be riding on an actual train! First, Huell attends the annual U.S. National Handcar Races at the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento and watches as teams race against the clock on a stretch of straight track. Riding on custom-made handcars similar to those used by early railroad workers, Huell also gets a look at and a demonstration of some of the original old handcars. Next, he heads north to McCloud near Mount Shasta to attend a weekend outing sponsored by a group of people who restore the motorized "speeders" used by railroad workers for maintenance and track inspection. These "speeders" were the next generation of vehicles after the manually-operated handcars and come in all shapes and sizes. The group, travels by caravan on tracks at speeds up to 30 mph through some of the most beautiful countryside in our state.
California is full of them. They are located in both fresh and salt water. Some are big and some are small. And they're all part of our state's rich geological and human history. We're talking about rocks in the water! And in this episode host Huell Howser visits three of the most fascinating of these rocks. First, Huell travels to scenic Lake Tahoe and boards a boat to Emerald Bay where he climbs all over Fannette Island, the only island in the entire lake. A sparsely-timbered, brush-covered upthrust of granite that rises 150 feet above the turquoise water, this island is believed to be a resistant rib of rock which was overridden by the glacial ice that carved out Emerald Bay. But the payoff comes when Huell reaches the very top of the rock and visits the historic stone "tea house" built in 1928 and hears about its colorful history. Next Huell travels to the very northern coast of California to see first hand some of the most unusual rocks you'll ever see in the water. They're part of the jetty system built to protect ship traffic in and out of Humbolt Bay. These huge, reinforced concrete shapes resembling children's toy jacks, are 15 feet high and 43 tons each, with two eight-sided arms and an eight-sided connecting beam. This unique assemblage of rocks is the only design ever to hold up under the constant pounding of the heavy seas, and Huell not only walks out on the jetty for a close-up look, but is taken out to sea by the U.S. Coast Guard for an exciting view from the ocean side. Huell's final destination is the most unusual because he ends up in the Mojave Desert -- far from any water, fresh or salt -- and what he finds on the desert floor are rocks that you'd never even notice under normal circumstances, but were once under water and, in fact, have a rich human story to tell.
The San Jacinto Mountains are one of the most impressive natural wonders in our entire state. No other mountains on this continent rise so high so fast - in slightly less than seven horizontal miles, the peak rises from 800 to 10,804 feet above sea level! But these mountains hold another distinction as well. They are the site of two of the greatest engineering accomplishments ever attempted by man. In this adventure, host Huell Howser first visits the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway which takes passengers from the warm desert floor to a snowy alpine environment in a matter of minutes. This tramway which opened in 1963 was constructed on such a sharp slope that it was impossible to build roads, and the only way to construct it was by helicopter. In fact, the construction of the tramway was such an engineering challenge that it has been labeled "the 8th wonder of the world," and has been designated a historical civil engineering landmark. Huell continues his adventure by traveling to the base of the San Jacinto Mountains for a journey that is both historic and truly exciting. This trip takes him through a 13-mile tunnel dug through the mountains during the 1930s as part of the Colorado River Aqueduct which brought water to Southern California. This huge and extremely complicated engineering project still ranks as one of the most difficult ever attempted. The 16-foot tall tunnel usually flows with 1.2 billion gallons of water a day, but once every five or ten years the water is cut off for a day or so to allow an inspection. Huell takes advantage of this opportunity to explore the tunnel and also to make some unusual discoveries once inside. Whether on the top of the mountains on a tram, or under the mountains in a tunnel, Huell discovers that the San Jacinto Mountains are very much a part of California's Gold.
They come in all shapes and sizes and many date back to the early part of this century. All have been lovingly restored by their owners and are meticulously maintained. In short, they're some of the most beautiful wooden boats ever made. Host Huell Howser gets a close look at these boats as he attends the 24th annual Concours d' Elegance which is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of the wooden boats that have graced Lake Tahoe since the 1920s. He not only talks with the owners about the rich history of their individual boats, but goes out on the clear waters of Lake Tahoe for a ride on some of the fastest boats. It's all part of Wooden Boat Week sponsored by the Tahoe Yacht Club, and after you see these spectacular boats for yourself, you'll agree they are very much a part of "California's Gold."
The California desert has always been a place filled with mystery ... and surprises! When you travel through our desert you're never sure what you're gonna see, who you're gonna meet, or what strange and wonderful experiences you're gonna have. Huell Howser discovered that first hand on a recent trip to the Salton Sea community of Niland. At first glance, Niland is a sleepy little agricultural town once known as a major grower of tomatoes. But a few miles out of town -- out in the middle of nowhere -- Huell discovered two honest-to-goodness, little-known pieces of "California's Gold." First Huell visits with self-taught artist and desert character Leonard Knight and gets a tour of "Salvation Mountain," a huge multicolored mosaic of scripture, flowers, trees and the American flag all sculpted into the side of a mountain with adobe, straw, and as much bright paint as Leonard can lay his hands on. "Salvation Mountain" is an on-going labor of love that Leonard started ten years ago and he shares his enthusiasm and his mountain with Huell. About a half mile down the road, Huell next visits a town that is like no other in our state. Everyone lives rent free. There are no landlords, no official rules and there are no utilities or houses, yet over 3,000 people call it home during the winter months. It's called "Slab City" and it sits on the sight of an old abandoned Marine Base. Its citizens are a hearty bunch of independent, self-sufficient folks who have turned this desolate, yet beautiful part of the desert into an unofficial RV park. Huell spends a day touring "Slab City" in a twenty-five year old dune buggy, meets many of its colorful residents, and finds out why so many of them keep coming back year after year. It's a real desert adventure as Huell Howser goes way off the beaten track to find two fine examples of "California's Gold."
The morning of April 12, 1859 started like most other mornings for the miners working the Willard Claim on the West Branch of the Feather River just across the canyon from Dogtown. The men were hard at work washing the mountain away with the force of water pressure using the hydraulic mining technique. Then, as Chauncy Wright, one of the hired hands, bent over to pick up what he at first considered to be just another rock, he made a discovery that would end up in the record books. Because on that morning, Chauncy and his fellow miners uncovered a 54 pound gold nugget! Needless to say, word quickly spread and the community of Dogtown celebrated the momentous discovery for several days. And as producer/host Huell Howser discovers in this adventure, the celebration is still going on ! Huell and cameraman Luis Fuerte travel to the town of Paradise, just down the road from Dogtown in Butte County, for the annual Gold Nugget Days Celebration, complete with a parade and all sorts of community festivities. The local citizens also take him to the actual area where the huge nugget was found - an area where modern-day miners are still searching for gold. There's also an E Clampus Vitus Donkey Derby and a visit to the Gold Nugget Museum included in this adventure. An adventure in search of an honest-to-goodness big piece of California's Gold.
They've been a part of the California landscape for hundreds of years, helping to build our canals and highways and railroads, hauling our freight, our silver bullion and, of course, playing a major role during the gold rush era. However, many people are under the false impression that they're stubborn, while others tend to overlook them in favor of the more glamorous horse. But, once a year the good citizens of Bishop, California, in the Sierra Nevada, set aside an entire week to pay tribute to... the mule. Often regarded as one of nature's oddities, a mule is a hybrid animal that results from crossing a mare (female horse) with a jack (male donkey). They come in literally all shapes and sizes, and during Bishop's Mule Days Celebration there's a mule parade, mule races and all sorts of mule competitions. Thousands of people come from all over California to have a good time and to pay tribute to this animal. Host Huell Howser and cameraman Luis Fuerte join in the celebration of this rather remarkable animal which, over the years, has very much proven itself to be a fine example of "California's Gold."
Some people like it -- to others, it's a nuisance. Something "to come in out of." But like it or not, everyone would agree it's been a part of the history of California since the very beginning. We're talking about wind. And on this particular adventure, host Huell Howser goes in search of some of the most historic and strongest wind around. First stop is the back lot of the famous Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank where Huell takes a look at some wind machines used in movie production, and learns they've been a part of our movie legacy since the very early silent films. The special-effects people even crank up some of the machines for a demonstration of just how much force they can create. Then it's on to Pasadena for a visit to the campus of the California Institute of Technology. Tucked away in one of the buildings is the GALCIT Ten-Foot Wind Tunnel which has been operating since 1930 and used to test everything from aircraft to automobiles. It's a huge tunnel and of course Huell couldn't resist not only climbing around inside, but getting a dose of wind as well! The last windy stop is in Northern California at the Point Reyes National Seashore-- a place not only filled with spectacular natural beauty, but a lot of natural wind as well. In fact, Point Reyes has the distinction of being the windiest place in the entire state, and even though it was a fairly calm day, Huell definitely got the feel of why it's in the record books! At first, it seems like a rather obscure subject, but after thinking about it, and especially after visiting these three locations, there's not doubt about it -- wind is a fine example of California's Gold.
What do a brilliant field of marigolds, an ostrich farm, thousands of cacti and a two-story outhouse have in common? The answer is that they are all accidental discoveries made by producer/host Huell Howser as he traveled the state in search of California's Gold. "As we drive down the highways of our state we're always seeing things that surprise and amaze us," says Huell. "This entire episode is made up of people, places and things we came across quite by accident as we were heading for a planned shooting location." Included in this potpourri entitled "Bits and Pieces," is a visit to an ostrich farm in Buellton on the central coast, a walk through a huge field of flowering marigolds alongside a rural road near Ventura and a tour of a historic two-story outhouse in the town of San Juan Bautista. Also included is a look at a farming operation in the Salinas Valley that grows hundreds of acres of cacti for human consumption. "This all happened in a spontaneous way," explains Howser. "We'd literally spot these interesting places as we drove by, stop our car and start asking questions." The result of these stops and these questions is an unplanned episode made up entirely of "Bits and Pieces" of California's Gold.
It began back in 1941 when it was known as Camp Cooke and served as a U.S. Army training facility for tanks and infantry troops. With the advent of the missile age in the 1950s, the land was transferred to the U.S Air Force for use as a missile training base. The first missile was launched from this facility in 1958 and since then almost 2,000 missiles and space boosters have followed suit. Located on our state's central coast near the town of Lompoc, Vandenberg AFB is not only the U.S. Air Force's third largest installation, but an important part of our state's and nation's space history. In this episode of "California's Gold," host Huell Howser visits Vandenberg for a first-hand look at this huge base which covers over 98,000 acres and is literally filled with reminders and remnants of our space heritage. Huell is taken on a tour that includes stops at sites of the first satellite launches from California, and an early Thor missile launch facility that is now listed as a National Historic Landmark because it is one of the best and most intact surviving examples of 1950s space technology. Huell also visits Altas missile sites, an underground Titan missile site and the Space and Missile Heritage Center filled with space and missile artifacts. The adventure ends with a look at some of the state-of-the-art facilities and hardware which today are making history and breaking new ground in the space field. Vandenberg AFB continues to be an important and, in fact, vital part of our space program and, as we discover on this visit, it is also a fine example of "California's Gold."
Sunny beaches and swaying palm trees are very much a part of what California is all about. So are snow and ice. And to prove it, host Huell Howser and camerman Luis Fuerte bundle up and travel to one of the coldest places in our state in search of historic snow and ice. They find it first in a lake near Truckee in Nevada County. Today, ice is part of a readily-accessible and plentiful part of our daily lives. But not long ago the only ice available came from lakes and ponds where it was produced by the natural cold of winter, then hand-cut with giant saws and shipped to waiting cutomers. On this particular adventure Huell meets up with historian Tom Macaulay who takes him to a frozen lake in the Sierra and actually demonstrates how ice was harvested years ago. It's a fascinating look back in time to something most of us never knew existed -- the California ice industry. Then Huell jumps aboard a train for a ride from Sacramento to Reno, Nevada -- a journey through some of the toughest and most scenic terrain in our state. During the winter months there is so much snow in this area that, years ago, the railroads had to construct "snow sheds" to cover and protect the tracks. These huge, wooden sheds covered almost the entire length of the track in the higher elevations of the Sierra and, literally, were responsible for keeping the trains running. Today, modern snow removal equipment has made the sheds obsolete, but Huell manages to find and walk through one of the last remaining portions of a historic wooden snow shed -- a structure that is very much a part of California's Gold.
In this episode Huell visits San Miguel Island, with a group of history buffs who recreate the 1542 landing of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo - the 1st European explorer of the California Coast. Complete with authentic costumes, boats, and the fact that its done on the deserted white sandy beaches, this re-enactment really does take you back in time. Huell is also joined by Nation Park Rangers, and a woman who actually lived on the island with her parents during the 1930's and 40's.
Coloma was a somewhat sleepy little town in the Sierra foothills during the 1840's, but on the morning of January 24, 1848, all that was to change as James Marshall leaned over and picked up a piece of gold. Of course his discovery started the California Gold Rush which would bring hundreds of thousands of people to California almost overnight, lead to statehood within two years, and change the face of California and the nation forever. Huell visits Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park and meets up with members of its living history association who are dressed as actual miners from 1848, and who give him a good idea of what life was like back then. Huell also meets "James Marshall" himself who takes him to the exact spot gold was discovered 150 years ago. Along the way we not only learn how to pan for gold but learn that 80% of California's Gold is still waiting to be discovered!
They're one of the most famous air squadrons in the world -- serving aspositive role models and goodwill ambassadors not only for our Navy, but for our country. We're talking about the Blue Angels who, since first formed in 1946, have been demonstrating their flying skills and maneuvers to literally millions of spectators each year. And for over 30 years the Blue Angels have been a part of "California's Gold." Since 1967 the squadron has spent the winter at Naval Air Facility, El Centro, training pilots and new crew members. The good weather and open spaces make this a perfect place to practice and, over the years, squadron members have become a welcome part of the community in Imperial County during their three months of intensive preparation for the 70 air shows they fly each season. On this particular adventure host Huell Howser accepts an invitation to spend a couple of days with the Blue Angels and ends up not only watching them train, but actually gets to go up with them in an F/A18 Hornet for the ride of a lifetime. Huell also meets former Blue Angel pilots who talk about the "good old days," and visits with local citizens who talk about the pride the community of El Centro feels in having the squadron there each winter. All in all, it's a fast-paced, high-powered, high altitude adventure in search of "California's Gold."
At first you can't believe it's real. It must be a movie set of a small, picturesque, agricultural town at the turn of the century. But with just a little exploration host Huell Howser discovers this is no movie set, but a fine example of "California's Gold." Located halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles just a few miles off the 101 freeway, the little town of Guadalupe sits right in the middle of one of the richest agricultural areas in our state. Huell gets up early and visits the fields, talks with the workers and watches as they harvest celery and lettuce. While there, he also discusses the rich cultural heritage of the area as he talks with descendants of Filipino families who have been living and working in the Santa Maria Valley for generations. The adventure also includes a tour of the authentic and colorful town itself and a visit to the nearby spectacular Guadalupe Dunes. In reality this entire adventure provides an opportunity to meet some nice people, see some beautiful scenery, learn about our agricultural heritage and savor the ambiance of a very special place on our central coast -- a place full of "California's Gold."
For 50 years one of the most popular ways to travel up and down the mighty Mississippi River has been aboard the authentic paddlewheel steamboat Delta Queen. To ride on this boat is to step back in time -- in fact, the Delta Queen has been declared a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But true riverboat buffs will tell you that the Delta Queen was not originally built to travel on the Mississippi River. It's a California boat, built in Stockton in the late 1920's for service on the Sacramento River. The Delta Queen spent the first 20 years of her life as a night-boat taking passengers back and forth from Sacramento to San Francisco and becoming a familiar and much-loved part of the California landscape. In 1947, the proud paddlewheeler left California, was towed through the Panama Canal and began her service on the Mississippi River. Now, 50 years later, producer/host Huell Howser travels over 2,000 miles east to rediscover the Delta Queen's California history and roots. Also, along for the ride are several Californians who remember her "good ole days" and have great stories to tell about her time on the Sacramento River.
They were huge flying boats named after the great sailing ships that in the 1800's sailed the oceans of the world. The luxurious Pan American "Clipper" planes of the 1930's took cargo, mail and passengers around the world in what was, for its time, considered a daring and pioneering feat. Pan American's Treasure Island terminal and lagoon became the home port for the Clipper's Pacific operations -- connecting the United States with the Far East by air. Starting in the mid-1930s, and lasting for only five years, residents of the Bay Area were treated to the sights and sounds of these huge boat planes taking off and heading out over the Pacific. Recently in a very special episode of "California's Gold," history repeated itself as, once again, a boat plane landed on the Bay, taxied up to a docking area near Treasure Island, took on passengers and flew out over the city. This episode is a tribute to the "China Clipper" and its California connection. The original Terminal building on Treasure Island is the stage where former Pan American pilots and crew members who actually flew the Clipper, gather once more for conversation and reminiscing. Producer/host, Huell Howser experiences his high point when he climbs aboard one of these historic boat planes with two former crew members for a short, exciting flight around the Bay Area. The days of the Clipper are gone forever, replaced decades ago by long-range jets. But for a few hours on a beautiful spring afternoon, some of the glory days of the great Clipper ships, and the people who made those days happen, returned to Treasure Island. It's a look back at a glorious part of our aviation history as we take to the air in search of "California's Clipper Gold."
At one time it was a thriving community within a community on our state's central coast. Several hundred people who had traveled from a far away land in search of opportunities in this new state called California. They worked on ranches and farms and built the railroads. They ran small shops and stores and raised families. And then gradually over the years they disappeared, but thanks to historians, archeologists and members of the Chinese community, the history and accomplishments of these early Chinese pioneers are being uncovered -- literally. In this very special episode of "California's Gold" Huell travels to San Luis Obispo. There he meets Howard Louis, son of the legendary Ah Louis who ran the main store in Chinatown. Howard is full of stories and gives Huell a tour of the store which is the only Chinatown structure left standing. Huell also is treated to a Lion dance outside the store put on by the Chinese students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and listens as a musician plays the music those early Chinese settlers would have played in the 1800's. The day also includes a visit to the local historical museum for a look at 100 year old glass plate images made of the Chinese residents at the time. Then we watch as volunteers sift through tons of earth taken from the original Chinatown location and discover wonderful bits and pieces of the life that went on there. It's a rare look back and a rediscovery of a part of California history that is often overlooked or forgotten -- the contributions made by those early Chinese pioneers -- pioneers who were very much part of "California's Gold."
It started back in 1921 and quickly became one of California's biggest and "sweetest" success stories. The little shop on Western Avenue featured the favorite candy recipes of Mary See and focused on farm-fresh ingredients and homemade goodness. Before long this little shop had grown into a chain of stores serving loyal customers, and See's Candies had become famous around the world. In this calorie-laden edition of "California's Gold," host Huell Howser gets a first hand taste of the See's story. First he visits one of the earliest shops to open in San Francisco and meets with current and past employees. While there, Huell also talks with regular customers who come in to purchase their particular favorite type of See's Candy. Then he travels to Los Angeles for a tour of the inner sanctum of the See's Candy factory where the historic candies are actually made. It's an assembly line like none other in the world, manned by employees who have been with the company for years. The story of See's Candy is indeed a true California success story -- one of which Mary See surely would be proud!
We all know our deserts here in California are big. They cover huge areas of our state. And in this episode of "California's Gold," producer/host Huell Howser travels to the desert in search of big things -- and finds them! First, he travels to the Palm Springs area to visit one of six major wind farms in the world. Over 4,000 giant windmills are here -- some almost two hundred feet tall -- making clean, pollution-free energy representing the future of energy production. Next, Huell travels to the little town of Boron to see a big hole and a big truck. The big hole is the open pit mine where about 50 percent of the world's borax comes from. To get the borax out of that huge open pit, there are trucks so big you won't believe them even when you're seeing them! They're two stories high, wide as a two-car garage, longer than a city bus and weigh as much as one hundred and eleven mid-size cars. Finally, Huell travels to the remote Goldstone area of the Mojave desert to visit the largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications systems in the world - The Deep Space Network. Huell and cameraman Luis Fuerte find out just how big when they're given the opportunity to climb inside one of the dishes and walk around. All in all, it's a big adventure in a big desert -- an adventure where we discover some big pieces of "California's Gold."
Citrus was to southern California what the discovery of gold was to the north because it triggered a massive migration to our state. In fact, many Americans from back east came to California to see for themselves the "paradise" found on those early crate labels used to promote citrus fruit. Through these labels, "California sunshine" and "California living" became deeply ingrained in the popular imagination of a nation. In this episode of "California's Gold," host Huell Howser explores the history and lore of orange crate labels with Gordon McClelland who's not only written a book on the subject, but has a collection containing literally thousands of the colorful labels, along with orange postcards and other ephemera. Huell learns first-hand not only how the labels were designed and printed, but just how important they were in the marketing of California oranges around the world. Then Huell travels to UC Riverside to visit the Citrus Variety Collection which covers 20 acres, has approximately 1,700 trees and over 800 different varieties of citrus from all over the world. It's an amazing place which has been part of the California landscape since the early 1900's performing valuable research and coming up with all sorts of new varieties of citrus. Huell walks through the groves and picks and tastes some of the newest and most unusual varieties of oranges being grown. All in all, this adventures is a juicy slice of history as we take a look at our state's citrus industry which is very much a part of "California's Gold."
It appears on the southern slope of the San Bernardino Mountains. Over the years it has been the subject of a host of Indian legends. In fact, no other natural landmark in those mountains has been regarded with such awe and wonder. We're referring to the "Arrowhead," a near-perfect natural 7½ acre arrowhead-shaped landmark formed by the contrast of light and dark vegetation which has been clearly visible for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years. In this adventure, Huell Howser and cameraman Luis Fuerte not only travel to the famous Arrowhead itself, but also visit the once world-famous Arrowhead Springs Hotel which was one of the favorite hideouts for Hollywood stars back in the 1940's and 1950's. This entire area is known for its many hot springs and, in fact, water rushes everywhere, from flowing fountains to gurgling springs. Twenty-nine springs are located here, some cold and some as hot as 196 degrees! These hot springs, which hold the record of being the hottest in the world, heat the mineral baths, the almost forgotten "steam caves" located underneath the old hotel, and the cabana pool which was built for Olympic and film star Esther Williams in 1944. The beauty of the area and the hot springs themselves have made this a popular destination since the days of the earliest Indian communities. It's a place filled with natural and human history and a perfect place to find lots of "California's Gold.
When most people think of Shasta Lake, they imagine themselves on a houseboat enjoying California's largest manmade reservoir. With 365 miles of shoreline it is a boaters paradise. What most people don't think about is the massive structure that is responsible for holding back the water that creates Shasta Lake. We're talking about Shasta Dam which, is a perfect example of "California's Gold". Construction of the dam started in 1938 and ended in 1945. It's 602 feet high, 883 feet thick at the bottom, 30 feet thick at the top, and 3,460 feet long. The face of the dam is as big as six football fields and the spillway is the largest manmade waterfall in the world - three times the height of Niagara Falls. There are 18 outlets on the face of the dam, each big enough to drive a pickup through. Shasta Dam has the second largest mass of any dam in the United States. In this adventure, Huell and Luis get a behind the scenes look at this engineering marvel. Miles of tunnels and millions of gallons of water make for an exciting day, but there is another aspect to the Shasta Dam - the human element. It is the people who built the dam, the people that poured concrete 24 hours a day for 5½ years and the countless other jobs that make this structure such a gem. Huell meets several of the original dam workers and listens to their stories about the glory days of Shasta Dam.
In this one hour special, Huell visits the private home of Frank Sinatra in Rancho Mirage. Rarely open to the public, Huell gets a personal tour of Frank Sinatra’s Palm Springs private house. Huell’s guide is Frankie Randall, a life-long friend of the Sinatras. He played this song: “Can’t Believe That It’s All Over”. The tour includes the gardens, the train room, the caboose and other areas that have never been seen by the public. Huell also visits Desert Memorial Park Cemetery in Cathedral City, where the Sinatra Family rests.
Huell pays tribute to the 152nd anniversary of the discovery of gold in California. He travels to historic Sutter’s Mill in Sacramento from Southern California’s historic Placerita. He speaks with California State Librarian, Jerry Reynold, at the Natural History Museum about the history and discovery of gold. Also, shown is the video “California’s Golden Beginning”, which featured former California Governor Earl Warren. A reenactment of the discovery of gold is performed at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California.
In 1937 an amazing 3 day event took place to celebrate the opening of a new road from Lone Pine to Death Valley. Starting with a gourd full of water taken from the highest lake in the U.S. on the side of Mt. Whitney, the gourd is taken to the lowest lake in the US – Bad Water in Death Valley. Using all modes of important California transportation (Native American runner, Pony Express, miner & burro, 20 mule team, stagecoach, train, car, and plane) with many famous participants, the water is finally poured in, thus consummating the wedding. Join Huell 60 years later as they recreate this amazing event, with many descendants, a few people who were there the first time, tons of vintage photos, and films on this incredible piece of California’s Gold.
In this holiday special, Huell visits two Los Angeles-area families who faithfully create elaborate nacimientos, or nativity scenes, which are a focal point of many Mexican American homes during the Christmas season. Huell learns about the tradition and how it began in California. Nacimientos translates to “birth of baby Jesus.”
A one-hour special about Quartzsite, Arizona, “America’s Largest Parking Lot” and home to gem shows, swap meets, and snowbirds. Follow Huell as he learns about the history of Quartzsite directly from its residents, and discovers what makes this unique location such a fun example of California’s Gold. Quartzsite Chamber 1490 Main Event Ln. Quartzsite, AZ 85346 (928) 927-5600 Tyson’s Well Stage Station Museum 161 W. Main St. (928) 927-5229
Many of us who have flown into San Francisco have noticed huge ponds filled with water that ranges in color from deep red to light pink. We decided that we just had to get to the bottom of this California mystery. When we finally arrived at the "ponds" we found one of California's most unique agricultures. Salt and brine shrimp are what is responsible for our crimson ponds. 300,000 tons of salt a year to be exact. Salt has been harvested from these ponds since the Gold Rush and has been a very important part of our states history. Cargill Salt has to be one of the strangest and most beautiful places we have been, and here are a few of the things we found: salt stacks 90 feet high and 880 feet long, hundreds of salt ponds called crystallizers that average 20 to 40 acres in size and one of the few private railroads in the U.S. With over 14,000 different uses for salt, it is a treat to see where it all comes from. This is a tour that you don't want to miss.
Most of us have seen one of the countless films based on Alcatraz, from the Birdman to Clint Eastwood and his Escape From Alcatraz. Over a million people every year take the ferry through the thick San Francisco fog to walk the cellblocks that housed the likes of Machine Gun Kelley and Al Capone. As usual Huell wasn't satisfied with the regular tour and went in search of the "Hidden Alcatraz." It got it's name from the Spanish word Alcatraces, or Bird Island and didn't see human inhabitants until the US Military took it over in the mid 1800s. During the Civil War it was used as a prison for Southern privateers. After the more modern prison was built in the 1930s , the old Civil War prison was covered over and virtually forgotten. Join Huell and Luis as they go under Alcatraz and discover the labyrinth of tunnels and caves that honeycomb "The Rock." The remnants of our state's rich history are finally uncovered in this very special tour. There is much more to Alcatraz than meets the eye.
Working around the clock and 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Kaiser shipyard in Richmond, California built 747 ships for the war effort during World War II. With full medical care, housing, day care and 24 hour meals, it was the model of efficiency and the forerunner of Kaiser Permanente. In our March episode of California's Gold, Huell and Luis visit the site of the Kaiser Shipyard and talk with people who worked there throughout the war, including some "Rosie the Riveters" who took the place of the many men who were overseas. As a special treat we follow one of the original Victory ships that was built at the shipyard as it returns home. The SS Red Oak Victory was saved by the city of Richmond and towed out of the Naval Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay down to its new home where it will be restored and used as a museum. We'll tag along on this exciting day as a piece of California's Gold comes home.
Huell and Luis hit the beach in our April episode of California's Gold. Surfing has played a major role in the "California" lifestyle and has a rich and colorful history up and down our coast. One of the most famous and historic is San Onofre Beach in San Diego County. Surfing got it's start in Polynesia over three thousand years ago and Hawaiian's have been riding waves for over one thousand. Surfing arrived in California in 1907 and has been a passion of Californians ever since. Many of our states early surfing pioneers cut their chops on the famous waves at San Onofre Beach. Huell meets and reminisces with several members of the San Onofre Surfing Club and gets an inside look at California surfing history and beach culture. We'll meet the old timers and the new breed who call San Onofre home. So grab your ukulele and your surf board and hop in your Woody for a trip to the beach with Huell.
At one time Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes. In the 1930s farmers choked off the four major rivers that fed the lake and it quickly dried up. Once the home to millions of birds and herds of tule elk and antelope, the lake bed is now covered in agriculture. But like all things great in California, the lake refuses to disappear completely. During very heavy winters, the lake partially re-fills with water and stops motorists in their tracks as they come across a huge lake amongst the vineyards and orchards that fill the valley. Huell and Luis take a very special canoe ride in this magical lake. Anybody who has studied California history knows the name James Marshall and his discovery of gold which sparked the beginning of the gold rush. Does the name Jenny Wimmer ring a bell? Probably not, but she played a major role in Marshall's discovery. Jenny Wimmer cooked for and took care of twenty men who worked at Sutters Fort including James Marshall. When Marshall reached down into the tailrace of the mill and picked up a small shiny nugget, it was Jenny Wimmer he went to for conformation. Jenny had done quite a bit of mining and knew how to test for gold in a lye bucket she used for making soap. Huell and Luis travel back to Coloma to re-create that historic moment. As an special treat, the actual "Wimmer Nugget" comes home for the day as does many of Jenny's descendants.
The San Diego & Arizona Railway has been called "the impossible railroad". They broke ground in 1907 and completed the line in 1919. Between San Diego and Arizona is some of the most treacherous countryside in the US With a bevy of workman and a lot of dynamite they managed to snake their way to Arizona. The railroad had many tunnels collapse over the years, especially in the Carrizo Gorge. The railroad decided to build the Goat Canyon Trestle in 1932 after a series of tunnel closures. The Goat canyon Trestle is one of the most impressive feats of engineering in the world. Huell, Luis and a handful of ex-railroad employees hop on a 1932 Model A railbus and work their way to the now unused trestle. The Goat Canyon Trestle is the highest existing curved wooden trestle in the U.S. Huell takes a close look at this marvel from the top to the bottom. Men who worked on the line reminisce about the trestle and the wonder of its size and beauty. This tour is not for those with a fear of heights.
It was one of the most famous addresses in the United States from 1934 to 1959. It's not a house but a small plot of sand in Santa Monica, California. Muscle Beach started as a WPA project in 1934 and helped spawn the modern fitness movement that lives on today. The original Muscle Beach was a plot of sand just south of Santa Monica Pier. In the beginning it wasn't about muscles, it was about fitness and fun. Men and women did somersaults and handstands, built human towers and threw each other around. Huell and Luis go back to the original plot of sand to visit with some of the men and women who made Muscle Beach their playground during its heyday. We'll see some wonderful old photos and home movies and hear some great stories. This show has a particularly good ending as there a group of people who are bringing back the original Muscle Beach in it's original spot. The new Muscle Beach will have the old emphasis of fitness and fun and it's sure to be a huge success.
Napa Valley has become one of California's main tourist attractions. Thousands of people flock to the area for wine tasting and vineyard tours every year. What most people don't realize is that California's rich wine history got it's start in southern California. In this grape filled adventure, Huell travels to one of the oldest winery's in California. The Guasti family established their winery in 1904 and at one time had 4,000 acres of grapes in the Rancho Cucamonga area. A virtual town was built to house the employees and their families. It had its own school, firehouse, inn, church, and post office. In 1917 Guasti was the largest winery in the world. As a special treat, Huell attends a "Guasti" reunion filled with ex-employees and their families that had lived and worked at the winery throughout it's history. We'll look at old photo's and listen to some wonderful stories. We'll also visit Joseph Filippi Winery which has been family run since 1922. Huell goes to the vineyards to take a close a look at what makes So. Cal. wine so special.
Catalina has been famous for many things over the years, Glass Bottom Boats, Buffalo and the Casino to name a few. But one of the strangest and most popular attractions has been the Flying Fish Boat Trip which has been transporting visitors on nighttime journeys to watch Catalina's flying fish since the turn of the century. In 1924 William Wrigley decided to build a boat just for Flying Fish Tours. The Blanche W. is a 64-foot long open-deck wooden boat named after Wrigley's granddaughter Blanche. The boat is still outfitted with its original pew-style mahogany benches, which seats 98 passengers. The boat cruises the islands coastline at night, attracting flying fish with two 40-million candle-power W.W.I spotlights. The spectacle of the fish leaping out of the water has been compared to giant silver dragonflies soaring over the ocean. Huell travels back to Catalina for a very special 75th anniversary cruise. William Wrigley's granddaughter Blanche (for whom the boat was named) comes back to the island and shares some wonderful stories with Huell. We'll even take a close up look at a flying fish and enjoy a wonderful night on the sea.
Imagine driving through Lompoc in the early 1940's and coming across a huge 12 acre American flag made up of red, white and blue flowers. That's just what people saw every spring for several years and it was a remarkable sight. In 1942 the good folks at Bodger Seeds in Lompoc decided they could do something really spectacular to support the war effort. A 12 acre flower flag was their way of saying thanks to all the Americans who were fighting the good fight. The company planted "flags" in 1942, '43, '45 and 1952. In a fitting tribute to an obscure piece of California history, the town of Lompoc decided the flower flag was a wonderful image for their annual Mural-in-a-Day event as part of the Old Town Faire. The mural was painted by 15 talented artist and is truly beautiful. Huell met some folks from Bodger Seed and even someone who helped plant the "flag" in 1952.
Surreal, awesome, unbelievable, weird? These are just some of the words that come out of your mouth when you view the Devils Postpile. Located in the Eastern Sierras, this formation is one of nature's true masterpieces. Towering 60 feet over the San Joaquin River the postpile looks like a huge cathedral pipe organ built entirely of stone. The postpile is actually composed of thousands of columns of fine-grained, black-colored basalt. 100,000 years ago cooling molten rock contracted, creating perfect cracks. As gravity pulled on the face it created thousands of columns and the postpile was born. Join Huell as he tours this fine example of nature's "California's Gold."
They were once a mainstay on menus throughout California. You could go to the beach at low tide and pluck them from the rocks. Kids would have parties on the beach and roast them by the dozen. They have gone from a California tradition to near extinction. In this episode of California's Gold, we'll take a close look at the history of Abalone in California. The Native Americans who once lived up and down the coast of California were the original abalone eaters. Not only did they use the flesh for food; they used the mother of pearl shells for their crafts. Huell visits a very early midden pile in Pt. Lobos State Reserve and learns about its history. The Japanese were the firsts to harvest abalone commercially in California and were diving for them as early as the turn of the century. Huell visits the site of one of the early Japanese abalone canneries. As a special treat, we go into Monterey Bay to watch as one of the original divers go for a dive in an authentic 1930's suit. We couldn't do a show about abalone without a taste, so Huell joins a group of school kids as they pound, cook and eat a little piece of California's Gold.
On this adventure, Huell goes in search of California's "First Theater." As usual, nothing is simple in California because there are actually two first theaters. From Monterey to Sacramento we uncover California's theater history. Huell starts his search in Monterey at "California's First Theater." An English sailor by the name of Jack Swan completed his saloon/boarding house in 1847 and very quickly US soldiers stationed in Monterey where putting on shows in his building. The building went through many incarnations over the years until 1937 when it was re-opened as a theater. The Troupers of the Gold Coast (the oldest continually performing theatrical company in the world) have been entertaining audiences ever since. Huell gets a tour and sees a performance in California's first first theater. Next its off to Sacramento to California's second first theater, the Eagle Theater. Mr. Zadock Hubbard and Mr. Gates Brown, owners of the Round Tent Saloon located on J Street near the corner of Front Street, financed the construction of the Eagle Theater in 1849, to provide entertainment for the hordes of miners and emigrants coming to Sacramento during the Gold Rush. Construction began in July and the building was completed by September 1849. Huell gets a wonderful tour and again we get to see a performance on a very historic stage.
Jutting out into the Pacific Ocean from the spectacular Big Sur Coast, the Point Sur Lightstation stands as a silent sentinel to a bygone era. Point Sur, a National Historic Landmark, is the only complete turn-of-the-century lightstation open the public in California. From 1889 until 1974, families lived and worked in the buildings atop Pt. Sur. The families are gone but the unique stone lighthouse still guides ships with its light. Many ships perished on the rocks off Pt. Sur, but the most famous "ship" was the USS Macon, a helium filled navy dirigible that crashed and sank in 1,450 feet of water killing all but 2 on board. The stories go on and on and if the lighthouse could talk it would fill volumes. In his usual style, Huell goes up, over, in, under and all around this spectacular example of California's Gold.
The miracle of the "Swallows" of Capistrano takes place each year at the Mission San Juan Capistrano, on March 19th, St. Joseph's Day. Legend says the swallows, seeking sanctuary from an innkeeper who destroyed their nests, took up residence at the old Mission. They return to the site each year to nest, knowing their young can be safe within the Mission walls. As the little birds wing their way back to the Mission, the village of San Juan Capistrano takes on a fiesta air and visitors from all parts of the world, and all walks of life, gather in great numbers to witness the "miracle" of the return of the swallows. In this episode, Huell travels to the old Mission to visit this truly Californian phenomenon. There will be all sorts of surprises including a special version of the song, "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano". It's a celebration you don't want to miss.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your very own island? What about an island off the southern coast of California? Join Huell and the family that owns this special island as they return to their little slice of California. It takes three separate boat rides to get there and your feet might get wet, but it is well worth the trip.
In this muddy adventure, Huell travels to some very remote areas to take an up close and personal look at "mudpots". Mudpots only occur in three places in the U.S. and one of them is right here in California. Our first stop is the Imperial Wildlife Area. Huell and a member of the Fish and Game take a look at huge mounds of bubbling, oozing, popping and exploding mudpots. This is a public area that is open to mud lovers one and all. Next, it's off to some privately owned land which has some extraordinary mudpots. Photographer Jack Hobart has made some amazing images with still and video cameras over the years at this secret spot which he shares with Huell.
If you love to soak in really hot water and love the out of doors, you have to watch this show. Huell travels to the Eastern Sierra's in search of a good place to have a soak. Hot Creek Geological Site is nestled in the Inyo National Forest close to the town of Mammoth Lakes. We take a ride out to the site with Debbie Nelson who is a Recreation Specialist for the forest. Huell gets a first hand look at this beautiful spot with water boiling up from the ground which mixes with the cool water of Hot Creek and makes for some very nice swimming. We'll even meet some die-hard soakers who come from all over California to enjoy the therapeutic water. Check to make sure it is open to the public as of Jan. 2011 it is closed as the water is too hot due to geological activity.
Visit The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace with Huell and first daughter Julie Nixon Eisenhower, as she gives a private and personal tour of the farmhouse where her dad was born and raised. During this informal tour Julie talks about her father's memories of growing up in this simple, wooden home that used to be in the middle of a huge orange grove. It is a rare personal insight into the 37th President's early California years, and an authentic piece of California's Gold.
San Francisco is a city of many distinctions, but few are as intriguing as the history of its cemeteries. As the 19th century came to a close in San Francisco, a movement some say a real estate scheme began to remove all buried remains from within the city. After many ordinances, acts and decrees, cemeteries were carefully relocated to nearby towns, while headstones were recycled as breakwaters and paving material. Only three cemeteries and their inhabitants were left within the boundaries of San Francisco. Join Huell as he discovers the sacred grounds that still exist today at San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores) and the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio. He also enters the neoclassical San Francisco Columbarium where the ash remains of many notable San Francisco family members rest within the beauty of an architectural gem.
A 1916 brochure called the town of Petaluma "The largest poultry center in the world" and up until the sixties, Petaluma was a major player in the world of chickens. In 1915, Petaluma shipped 11,681,134 dozen eggs. Huell travels to Petaluma to attend the annual Butter and Egg Days celebration, which ran from 1916 to 1928 and was brought back in the early eighties. Petaluma pulls out all the stops in this wonderful small town gathering. You won't want to miss the Cutest Chick costume contest. Continuing our look at Historic Chickens, the Petaluma Historical Society takes Huell to one of original chicken farms that once lined the hills of this town. Beautiful moss covered chicken coups are slowly decaying, but are an integral part of Petaluma's landscape. Several of the original farmers come back to spend a day remising about their lives on these farms. Some of these folks come from a long line of farmers who have called Petaluma home for many generations.
Founded along with the State of California itself, the California State Library houses precious artifacts from California's infancy. Huell gets a private tour of this rare collection which includes California's first newspaper, mirror images of the gold country from the 1850s, a 17th Century map of California and John Marshall's own hand-drawn map and sketch of gold discovery.
Lake Arrowhead is one of Southern California's beautiful areas. This private lake is perfect for fishing, water skiing and just enjoying. The people that own the lake cherish it as a recreational heaven. Originally built as a reservoir to feed the citrus groves of San Bernardino through a series of flumes and tunnels this engineering marvel fell apart. For legal reasons, the project never worked and the reservoir became a recreational area. What most people don't know is that there is a whole world under the lake. Huell takes a hundred-foot ride down in an elevator that was built in the late 1800s to explore this underwater marvel. Believe it or not there is a 3000 foot tunnel that runs under the lake and lots of wonderful old equipment, including pumps, engines and valves originally built for irrigation purposes that is hidden away. It's a world that few people have ever seen and a wonderful bit of California's Gold.
Have you ever wondered what 100,000 Monarch Butterflies look like? Well here's your chance. Huell travels to Pismo State Beach to visit the largest overwintering site for Monarch butterflies in the U.S. More people visit this site than any another butterfly site in the world. Last year they had 50,000 visitors! Every year hundreds of thousands of Monarchs fly as much as two thousand miles to reach safe overwintering sites along California's central coast. They can fly up to one hundred miles a day at an altitude of up to ten thousand feet. What's amazing is that none of the butterflies that make this amazing journey have ever been here before. The butterflies have nothing but instinct to guide them. Huell gets a special tour of this wonderful site from a Park Ranger, docents and a class from Cal Poly who studies the Monarchs. It's a feast for the eyes.
Like other states, the hierarchy of California's government begins with our Governor and weaves its way down through offices such as Secretary of State, Attorney General and Senator. What is surprising about California, is that we once had an Emperor and a President. California's President William Ide emerged during the 24 days of the Bear Flag revolt of 1846. Ide posted a proclamation in Sonoma declaring liberty for California settlers, which set the stage for California's statehood. In admiration of his bravery and leadership, his fellow Bear Flaggers and other pioneers dubbed him President. Later in the 19th Century, a wealthy businessman who had lost a huge fortune, walked into the office of the San Francisco Bulletin and proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. From 1859 until his death in 1880, the eccentric Emperor Norton continued to issue proclamations, circulate his own currency and roam the streets of San Francisco dressed in a Civil War uniform. Residents and business owners humored the loveable character by paying him "taxes," providing him with meals and transportation, and saluting him. Although their titles are unofficial, Huell discovers that the legacy of our Emperor and President continues as he visits the locales frequented by Emperor Norton in San Francisco, Sonoma and the popular adobe named for President Ide in Red Bluff. Huell also pays tribute at both of their gravesites, permanent reminders of their contribution to California.
Clear Lake is located at the base of fabled Mt. Konocti and is California's largest natural lake. Much of the terrain around the 4200 foot Mt. Konocti was formed by lava flows and folding of the earth's crust. The lake has a rich history; evidence of human habitation dates back at least ten thousand years. More than 120,000 visitors each year enjoy picnicking, boating, camping and nature walks. Huell travels to the this natural wonder and gets a very special tour including Anderson Marsh State Historic Park which has a very rich history itself. The Park contains 1,065 acres of oak woodland, grass covered hills, and tule marsh at the southeast end of Clear Lake. It has a rich Native American history and the original Anderson family home is open to the public for tours. Huell travels the marsh and lake by boat and learns about the rich natural and human history that makes Clear Lake such a wonderful example of California's Gold.
Back in a Southern California garage in 1963 something amazing was happening. A 37 year old Bruce Meyers was building a car that would that would become an icon, the Meyers Manx... better know as the Dune Buggy. This simple car really springborded "off-road" racing into the huge sport it is today, cutting more than 5 hours of the pervious Baja 1000 record in its 1st try. This in turn caught the eye of Hollywood: Elvis, Lucy & Desi, Scooby-Doo all had to have one. To quote Road and track from 1976, "The Manx has to rank as one of the most significant and influential cars of all time. It started more fads, attracted more imitators... and was recognized as a genuine sculpture, a piece of art." Join Huell as he gets many smiles per mile with Bruce Meyers, and a bunch of Meyers Manx owners as they trek through the So. Cal. landscape.
Join Huell on this ancient adventure as he explores The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose. Architecturally inspired by the Temple of Amon at Karnak, it houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in the western United States -- including objects from pre-dynastic times through Egypt's early Christian era. Fascinated by the ancient culture, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, began collecting Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian artifacts over 65 years ago. In 1932 a building was built in San Jose to house the growing collection, and the original Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum was opened to the public. Huell gets a very special tour of this extensive collection of human and animal mummies, canopic jars, ushabtis, and detailed funerary boats and models. Discover colorful and precious jewelry, pre-dynastic pottery, glass and alabaster vessels, bronze tools, sculpture, and Coptic textiles.
Join Huell as he learns about the sometimes-controversial history of this California landmark and gets a very special tour, including a vertigo-inducing trip to the very top if the spire which is set against the San Francisco skyline... We are talking about the The Transamerica Building, one of the most distinctive structures on the globe. With its 48 stories and 212-foot spire, the Pyramid is San Francisco's tallest building and is considered the most photographed building in the world. With 18 elevators, 3,678 windows, approximately 16,000 cubic yards of concrete and 1500 people working inside, it is truly a spectacle.
When do you think the economy car hit the American market? Most people would say the '70s or maybe the '60s, but you might be surprised to know that in 1930, the American Austin car company premiered a miniature car that could get 40 miles to the gallon. The cars were not a huge success with the general public, but Hollywood fell in love! Huell visits with a man who has the largest collection of these little cars in the world. We’ll see some great cars and look at some fun film clips from Hollywood’s golden age. Have you ever wondered what happens to the countless cars that have been driven over cliffs, crushed, crashed and blown up in thousands of movies? Most of those cars were miniature cars that were built for the movies and believe it or not, there is a man who has a huge collection of these "movie" cars. Huell gets a special look at some very unique little Hollywood cars.
Huell learns about the machines that clean the ice at ice rinks and professional hockey events around the world. Would you believe the Zamboni was invented right here in sunny Southern California? Huell joins up with the son of the inventor, and visits the factory where it all started. Then he tops off the day with a trip to the Anaheim Pond, home of the Mighty Ducks to see the Zamboni in action.
Will Rogers has got to be one of the all time great American characters. Often called the "Cowboy Philosopher," he kept America laughing through some of it’s toughest years. Will was a radio commentator, news-paper columnist, and motion picture star. In 1922 Will bought property above Sunset Blvd. and built a summer cottage. The family loved the place so much that Will had a proper ranch built and the family moved there in 1928. In 1944 after the death of Mrs. Rogers, the property became Will Rogers State Historic Park and is now a well loved tourist destination. The ranch has been perfectly maintained and is filled with all of the Rogers family original furnishings and memorabilia. It’s like stepping back into Will's boots. What makes Huell's tour so special, is that its given by Will’s last remaining child Jimmie Rogers. Jimmie grew up at the ranch and shares many wonderful memories of a home that was dearly loved by all. This program is now itself a part of California's history because shortly after the interview was filmed, Jimmie Rogers passed away. From the ranch buildings to the polo fields that Will hosted many matches on, to the personal remembrances of his son, it’s a tour you won't want to miss.
For years Huell has been getting letters telling him he should do a show on Vernal Pools, well, now he has. Just a short drive from Sacramento on an old Military Base, Huell meets up with a couple of experts, and a bunch of school kids all eager to explore the flora and fauna that live in and around these wonderful natural pools. As they go from pool to pool, Huell learns that even if they are only a few acres away, they can be a totally different world. Now, after all these years of wondering what these pools were, and saying "I don't even know what they look like," he finally does, and as always, your invited to join him as he finds out.
There are two beaches in California that are a treasure hunters paradise. The constant pounding of the Pacific has created some real "gems". It's a north coast adventure you don't want to miss. First Huell travels to the small coastal town of Fort Bragg to visit what the locals call "Glass Beach". Imagine a kaleidoscope of colored glass glittering in the Pacific surf: azure, scarlet, mauve, amber, amethyst and teal. Originally the city dump was on the edge of this beach and over the years, the waves have polished broken bottles and china into some real gems. The dump closed in the 20s, but its remnants continue to bring people in search of a fun day of beach combing. Next Huell travels even farther north to Patricks Point State Park, which is twenty-five miles north of Eureka. The highlight of the park is a gently curving strip of sand named "Agate Beach". Mother Nature has polished semi-precious agates into beautiful little gems on this aptly named beach. It's another great place to spend a day.
California and China have had a long and storied connection, the most well known is the Chinese laborers who built the California Railroads. But on this adventure Huell finds a few lesser known, example of California's & China's Gold. A brief stop at the Bonsai Collection North introduces us to the Bonsai tree given to Envoy Burlingame from the Lincoln Presidency. Anson Burlingane opened China to the US in the 1860's, on his way home he got this tree in Japan and its been in the US ever since. Next stop is The Social Saloon of the SS CHINA built in 1866, it made many trips from the US to China before it was beached on Belvedere Cove in 1886. Huell visits the beautifully restored gilded Victorian drawing room that was salvaged when the side-wheeler was burned for scrap metal.
First stop is Giant Rock - considered to be the worlds largest free standing bolder, and a long time sacred site to the Native Americans. In the 1950's it became a UFO airport according to George Van Tassel who was contacted by aliens there, and was host to UFO conventions till the late 70's. One of the things George was told to do by the aliens was to build the Integratron, which is our next stop. This amazing building/machine is supposed to restores youth, although never completed - Huell will get a 'sound bath'. Hold onto your seats, this will be a wild ride.
The first stop on our adventure is the Dutch Windmill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which was built in 1902, at a cost of $16,000. It is 75 feet high, and 33 feet in diameter at the base, is sails have a span of 102 feet and it was capable of pumping 30,000 gallons of fresh water per hour from underground to a reservoir on Strawberry Hill. Despite being a great success for a few years (so much so that a second windmill was built), by 1913 electric pumps were introduced, so the windmills began to become obsolete. In August 1976 volunteers from the US Navy Reserve started work on restoring the Dutch Mill. Work continued through to completion in 1981. The second windmill, which is lose by, is patiently waiting its turn to be brought back to its original glory. From the historic to the cutting edge of technology, Huell's next stop is sure to make you gasp. We travel to Enron Wind in Tehachapi to look at the biggest and most modern windmill we could find. Join Huell as he climbs two hundred and thirteen feet straight up to the top of this amazing machine. The blades are one hundred and twelve feet long each, for a combined wing span (with the center hub) of two hundred and thirty one feet! If you're afraid of heights, this show is sure to make you squirm.
As we all know, California has some spectacular scenery and our great variety of trees make up a large part of it. In this adventure, Huell visits three big trees that are a great example of "California's Gold." First Huell travels to Santa Barbara to see the Moreton Bay Fig Tree. Given to a little girl as a gift from an Australian seaman, the sapling was planted in 1876. That little sapling is now the largest Moreton Bay Fig in the continental U.S. The tree is 42 feet around its base, 80 feet tall and has a branch spread of 176 feet. Next its off to Temecula and the former ranch of Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason Novels. On this spot stands the largest California Live Oak in the world. It stands 96 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of 20 feet and a branch spread of 590 feet. It is estimated to be at least 800 years old. This tree is so big that most people think it is a grove of trees. We end the show in Kings Canyon National Park at the General Grant Tree. This tree is the third largest tree in the world. It stands 267 feet tall and is 2,000 years old. What makes this tree so special is that it is our nations official Christmas tree. The tree was officially dedicated on April 28, 1926 by President Calvin Coolidge. Ever since 1926, people from the community and visitors from around the world have trekked to the tree at Christmas time to celebrate our nation and the spirit of the holidays.
Huell discovers what it was like to visit Yosemite in the 19th & early 20th centuries. Huell meets up with Park Ranger Jeff Lair, who takes Huell on a tour to learn about the pioneers of Yosemite, the history center, and the historic Wawona Hotel (previously known as Hotel Wawona).
Inside it's a Doll Museum with literally thousands of Dolls from all eras and styles, but it's what's outside that caught Huell’s attention... the building is an exact 1/2 scale replica of the White House. Meet the "First Lady" of this marvelous place, then travel to the Oval Office with Huell as he gets a guided tour of most important office in the world, or at least a copy of it in The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Named Arden by Modjeska and her husband, the two settled in Santiago Canyon in Orange County in 1888. The estate they built, surrounded by oaks and running brooks, has been faithfully preserved. The Helena Modjeska Historic House and Gardens is one of only two National Historic Landmarks in Orange County and is open to the public for tours.
Travel with Huell to Sequoia National Forest to visit historic Buck Rock Fire Lookout. Established in the early 1900s, Buck Rock Lookout was one of the first fire detection locations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The current lookout building, constructed in 1923, is historically significant as a representation of the earliest live-in towers in California. Huell climbs 172 stairs to an elevation of 8,500 feet to interview the woman who currently staffs the lookout through the fire season, and to learn what it's like to live perched on the edge of a cliff! We'll also visit with a woman who staffed the lookout for many years in the '40s.
Its huge, metal and stretches across the Golden Gate, but it's not the bridge. It's the former site of the Tiburon Sub-Net Depot, where they built and deployed nets across the San Francisco Bay to keep out enemy submarines. Long before the Tiburon Sub-Net Depot was there, this small piece of land had many incarnations, among them are: home to Native Americans, an original Spanish Ranchero, the largest Cod fish drying plant on the west coast, a coaling station for the Navy, and it was where the cables for the bridge were spun... in fact if you look over the edge at low tide you can still see them. Come on along with us as we get a up close look at this little, but important piece of California's Gold.
The City of Temecula is nestled in a lush valley about 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean in Southwest Riverside County, just north of the San Diego County line. Besides a thriving wine industry, significant mission history and the distinction of being on the Butterfield Stage route, Temecula was also home to Erle Stanley Gardner. The lawyer-turned-writer, best known for bringing Perry Mason to life through novels, radio, film and television settled in Temecula on a 3,000-acre ranch he dubbed "Rancho del Paisano." Remaining there from 1937 until his death in 1970, he was an inexhaustible writer sometimes dictating 5,000 words to one of his four secretaries before breakfast. He also indulged his outdoorsman spirit by exploring the rugged ranch with his dogs. Join Huell as he strolls the grounds of the former home of Erle Stanley Gardner accompanied by a longtime ranch manager, one of Gardner's secretaries and Gardner's 99-year-old widow, Jean.
Huell travels to the 2002 National SPAAMFAA Winter Convention in San Bernardino. SPAAMFAA stands for “Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America.” This get together was a wonderful place to get glimpse of our state’s fire-fighting history. There were all kinds of apparatus from small hand pumpers to elaborate steam driven engines from the turn of the century. The highlight of the day was Dave Hubert’s lovingly restored rig, the "Reno #1", which served the city of Reno, Nevada from 1902 to 1922. Dave pulled out all the stops and did a "full steam" and a run behind special horses that are trained just for this purpose.
Drawbridge is a small, marshy island at the southern end of San Francisco Bay. People started going there in 1876 for the excellent hunting and fishing. By the early 20th Century, Drawbridge had become a full time community for a handful of families. It had also become something of a weekend resort. By the 1940s, pollution in the bay and urbanization nearby had destroyed most of the island's hunting and fishing. Today, Drawbridge is a ghost town of gray, weathered buildings sinking into the bay, and is part of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Huell goes back to Drawbridge with some of the original inhabitants and gets a very special tour.
The Berkeley, an 1898 steam ferryboat operated for 60 years on San Francisco Bay, and now has a loving home at the San Diego Maritime Museum. Likewise, the organ from the Fox Theater has a new life entertaining audiences at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood. Join Huell Howser as he retraces the journeys of these two items from their beginnings in San Francisco.
In the early 1900s Corona was known for its citrus, and even dubbed "The World's Lemon Capitol." Legend has it that Corona was laid out to resemble a wagon wheel with Grand Boulevard as the rim. This circular street is still probably one of the most unusual thoroughfares in the world, and from 1913 to 1916 it was even used as a racetrack. Join Huell Howser as he steps back in time to recreate the Corona Road Races complete with vintage race cars and even an attendee from the 1916 race.
There is nothing quite as exciting for a community as opening a new museum. For Redding, California and the surrounding North State communities, Turtle Bay Exploration Park is a dream realized after years of planning and hard work. In this episode, Huell Howser visits the museum on opening day and not only takes a tour of its creative exhibits, but watches as Native American dancers perform in the main lobby as part of the dedication ceremonies. No doubt about it, Turtle Bay Museum, which celebrates the people, the culture and the natural resources of the North State is not only a community's pride and joy, but a fine example of California's Gold.
Huell Howser travels to the Central Coast in search of Nitt Witt Ridge, an unusual state historical landmark in Cambria Pines. Built from cement and found objects like bottle caps, toilet seats and abalone shells, this folk art home was lovingly built by self-taught artist Art Beal over a period of fifty years.
Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps at which Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were interned during World War II. It is located at the foot of the imposing Sierra Nevada's in the Owens Valley. Huell Howser is joined by experts and former internees to learn about the camp's complex history. And although little remains of the camp itself, Huell discovers a permanent reminder of the internees' detention--their names etched in concrete.
Join Huell Howser as he visits the McRoskey Airflex Mattress Company in San Francisco. The McRoskey family has been manufacturing mattresses since 1899 and they still make them in much the same way as they did back then -- and they are all assembled by hand. The McRoskeys have even keep a record of every mattress sold dating back to 1921.
California's rich history has been documented in many ways, but the tradition of quilting is an expression of California life through beautiful and intricate pieces of art. Join Huell as he visits an exhibit of California quilts covering a 100-year history and the Foothill Quilters who keep this tradition alive.
The squeegee was such a simple invention, but like Kleenex and Jell-O, its name has become synonymous with all rubber-bladed window cleaners. Join Huell Howser as he visits the Ettore Corporation in Oakland to learn first-hand about squeegees developed in 1936 by Ettore Steccone.
Huell travels to Pismo Beach on the coast 10 miles south of San Luis Obispo, and learns how its famous clams, plentiful in the region at the turn of the century, did their part in creating an image for one of the last of the classic California beach towns.
Huell attends a lively recreation of an old-fashioned harvest near Modesto where the participants use vintage equipment and farming techniques while dressed in authentic attire.
Huell goes back in time and visits with John Muir at Yosemite National Park. Muir was America's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist who is often called the father of our National Parks System. In 1892, he founded the Sierra Club to protect the newly created Yosemite National Park. Through his writing and actions, he taught the people of his time, and ours, the importance of experiencing and protecting our natural heritage.
Huell visits Yosemite's high country for a walk through spectacular Tuolumne Meadows.
The Desert View Tower stands 3,000 feet above sea level, three miles east of Jacumba in the Imperial Valley. The four-story, cut-stone structure was built in the 1920s by Bert Vaughn, who owned the town of Jacumba. The pre-highway trek to the Pacific Coast was arduous, so Vaughn thought it appropriate to commemorate the pioneers who struggled across the arid desert. Join Huell as he climbs to the top of the tower to see the spectacular views of the desert below.
Huell travels to Little Manila in Stockton--a recent addition to the National Trust for Historic Preservations's 11-Most Endangered Historic Places list--to learn about its rich Filipino heritage.
Huell visits two trees in Monterey with interesting histories. In December, 1602 Sebastian Viscaino officially named Monterey in honor of the Viceroy of New Spain who had ordered his expedition. His band of 200 men gave thanks for their safe journey in a ceremony held under a large oak tree overlooking the bay which still stands. And then he's off to see the famous Lone Cypress, a 200-300-year-old tree standing alone on a rock jutting out over the ocean.
Huell travels up and down our coast to uncover some long-standing rituals from an abalone barbecue to surfing lessons.
Huell tours Holcomb Valley, just north of Big Bear, and learns about its gold mining history.
Before Disneyland, Walt Disney’s enthusiasm for realistic model trains had evolved into an elaborate backyard live steam railroad. At the heart of his railroad was a quaint red barn, which was his center of operations. Now at home in Griffith Park in Los Angles, the barn is a gem in the collection of the Los Angeles Live Steamers, an organization of train enthusiasts dedicated to educating people in railroad history and lore, and to further the avocation of live steam, gas-mechanical and electronic railroad technology. Huell tours the barn and hears stories of Disney’s passion for trains which many people say fueled his vision for his theme parks. Then, after hearing there are only three barns like it left standing in California, Huell visits the historic Octagon Barn in San Luis Obispo. Locals estimate that it is more than 100 years old and was built as a livery stable and later used as a dairy barn. Although it is showing its age, the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County is spearheading an effort to refurbish the Octagon Barn as a roadside vegetable stand for use by local farmers.
Step back in time with Huell as he visits a weekend gathering of classic teardrop trailers. They sleep two, and have a built-in kitchen on the back all in a teardrop shaped trailer a little more than eight feet long. Some were built by various manufacturers, but many were lovingly built or restored by hand from plans in a Popular Science magazine.
Huell joins the centennial celebration of Colonel Charles Young's tenure as superintendent at Sequoia National Park. Young led his “Buffalo Soldiers” during a historic summer working in the second national park ever created in the United States. Young discovered and named a majestic Giant Sequoia after an individual that inspired and influenced his life, Booker T. Washington. After nearly 100 years, this tree has been rediscovered and stands as a monument to both Colonel Charles Young and Booker T. Washington.
Huell's off to Amador County and the town of Volcano. It was once a thriving, gold mining town in the 1850s and 1860s, but Huell has set off to discover the mysterious cave in this mountain community which served as a Masonic lodge.
Chicago millionaire William Wrigley brought excitement to the Catalina Island every year, when his Chicago Cubs baseball team came for spring training each season through the late 1940s. A ball field was built and visitors came from Los Angeles and other California cities to watch the "Catalina" Cubs.
Huell visits the Fort MacArthur Museum in San Pedro to relive the Great Los Angeles Air Raid of February 1942.
Huell is off to Stanford University to learn about Eadweard Muybridge and his ground breaking photographs of animal locomotion. With the financial help of wealthy Leland Stanford, a former California governor and founder of Stanford University, Muybridge used multiple cameras to capture innovative images of animals in motion. His venture, which would make contributions to art and science, began in 1872 at Stanford's horse farm in Palo Alto, the future site of Stanford University.
Following the the coastal "Redwood Route" as it has since 1885, the Skunk Train takes Huell on an inspiring ride through ageless redwoods and over spectacular mountains. It began as a logging train taking valuable lumber to the Mendocino Coast, and now provides passengers a glimpse of history and scenic beauty.
Huell is on a special quest as he searches for the Tree Circus. Set within 600 acres of rural countryside in Gilroy, California, Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park combines beautiful gardens, amusement rides and a little bit of history to create a unique attraction. Bonfante Gardens is home to the last remaining trees created by an extraordinary man who literally wove Sycamores, Box Elders, Ash and Spanish Cork trees into works of art.
A visit to the 31st Griffith Park Sidecar Rally.
A look at L.A.’s bike history with stops at the Pasadena Museum of History, a Sunday Morning ride back in time as Huell uncovers other important stops in LA’s Bike history.
Before there was Disneyland and other large amusement parks, there was Busch Gardens. Huell goes to Pasadena where he literally uncovers the lost and largely forgotten original Busch Gardens, a botanical paradise, which amused visitors from 1905 to 1938.
From past to present the avocado has been an important part of Southern California life. Join popular PBS host Huell Howser as he visits today’s avocado industry in and around Fallbrook, CA, and takes us on a tour back through local avocado history. So, whip up a dish of guacamole, sit back and enjoy this tasty adventure.
Albert Ecke immigrated from Germany to Southern California in 1902 and opened a roadside stall selling fruits and vegetables. By the 1920s his son Paul started selling some of the wild poinsettia plants that grew in the hills above their stall. From these small beginnings, it is now estimated that over 90% of all flowering poinsettias get their start at the Paul Ecke Ranch. Join Huell as he meets Paul, Paul Jr. & Paul III, who give them a tour of this amazing and brightly colored piece of California’s Christmas Gold.
Huell Howser visits two locations to learn about California's Ice Age history. At the George C. Page Museum in Los Angeles and at Sonoma Coast State Beach the Columbian Mammoths that once roamed our state come to life.
Huell travels to the Northern California logging town of Scotia about 20 miles south of Eureka. It's a historic company town where Huell learns about how this unique community played a vital role in the history of the region and the development of modern forestry.
During the years of the detainment in Manzanar War Relocation Center, one of ten camps at which Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were interned during World War II, music provided a rare solace for the internees. Huell visits with Mary Kageyama Nomura known as the "Songbird of Manzanar" who performed there as a teenager.
Huell travels to the little farming community of Sloughhouse near Sacramento. Once there he meets up with George Signorotti, owner of the last family-owned hops farm in the state, and witnesses firsthand the harvesting and baling of hops, which was once a huge crop in California.
Huell learns about tidepools on a trip to San Diego. He is joined by biologists and other experts who introduce him to the marine animals and plants that find a home in the harsh conditions of the intertidal zone.
Whether for taking in the waters or taking in the sun, California beaches have long been a destination for vacationers and locals alike. That much hasn't changed, but what has changed dramatically is what both men andnwomen wear to the beach. Huell is joined by a Hollywood costume designer to find out how California culture, especially movies, influence what people wear to the shore everywhere. And who better to talk about bathing suits than Esther Williams? Huell interviews the “Million Dollar Mermaid” poolside.
Huell's off to the Maritime Museum of San Diego to learn about building ships in a bottle, an art form believed to have originated in the 18th century. These tiny masterpieces are also important pieces of Maritime history.
Huell learns about Native American fishing techniques on a trip to Eureka with members from the Yurok tribe at the mouth of the Klamath river.
Huell’s off to Shingletown in Northern California for a visit to a remarkable Wild Horse Sanctuary, which gives a permanent home to these magnificent horses forcibly removed from our deserts and plains.
Huell travels out to Santa Cruz Island to explore its famous sea caves by kayak, and spends a day paddling way back into these sometimes very narrow and always very dark and wet caves.
Huell goes on a honest-to-goodness ladybug hunt in a secret location and answers the burning question, "Just where do ladybugs come from?" You’ll be surprised and overwhelmed at what he uncovers.
Huell travels back to a bygone era when he tours the Aztec Hotel and the Wigwam Motel, two popular attractions along "The Main Street of America," Route 66.
Huell's always on the lookout as he traverses the main roads and small streets of our state. In this program a 49er RV Park, an Air Museum and Eureka Elk catch his eye and he just has to pull off the road to check them out.
California is the fifth largest cotton-producing state, while the San Joaquin Valley is the heart of California cotton country. Huell spends a day in Buttonwillow, which calls itself the “Cotton Capitol of California” and has a great time out in the fields. For historical purposes, he picks cotton the old-fashioned way, and then steps into the future and learns about a new, state-of-the-art cotton gin.
Huell's off to Noriega’s Basque Restaurant in Bakersfield where he not only enjoys an amazing meal, but he is treated to wonderful stories aboutthe Basque culture in the area.
Huell visits the the International Printing Museum in Carson, a dynamic museum that takes one of the world's most significant collections of antique printing machinery and brings it to life through working demonstrations and theatre presentations.
Huell meets Joe Rinaudo whose passion is a 1926 Fotoplayer, which uses music rolls like those for player pianos to provide music and sound effects to silent films. Joe spent thousands of hours restoring his Fotoplayer and although the “talkies” made them obsolete in the late 1920s, Huell discovers there is still no better way to enjoy a silent movie than with Joe, his hand cranked projector and his Fotoplayer.
The Warnors Theatre, a Fresno landmark that opened in 1928, houses a pipe organ that is the only one of its kind in the world still performing inside its original theatre. After years of neglect, The future of the theatre was in jeopardy until Frank Caglia bought it in 1973 and returned it to its former luster. Huell hears the Caglia’s family story, which intersects with the story of the Warnors Theatre at its opening and is as much a jewel as the theatre itself.
Huell’s off to the San Francisco Bay area to learn about the largest train ferry ever built. The Solano train ferry shuttled trains and passengers back and forth between Port Costa and Benicia. It once served as a vital link in the Central Pacific and and later the Southern Pacific Railroad Lines.
On May 10, 1869, the Last Spike of the Transcontinental Railroad was ceremonially driven into a polished California Laurel railroad tie at Promontory, Utah. Huell learns about its mysterious disappearance and re-discovery and also gets a special sneak preview of this rare artifact on a visit to the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University and the California State Railroad Museum.
Host Huell Howser comes to San Diego County to visit the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo and takes a train ride to Tecate, Mexico. Huell takes a tour of the Tecate beer factory and explores the charming andhistorical Plaza area in Tecate before returning on the train to San Diego. The expedition rambles through a 20-mile slice of the history of two nations long intertwined.
Huell travels to the high sierras on horseback to see how trout are dropped from an airplane into High Sierra Mountain lakes -- a spectacular sight. At the San Joaquin Fish Hatchery near Fresno, we see how tiny rainbow trout are grown in preparation for “planting. Then it’s off to the Fresno airport to hitch an exciting plane ride with the Department of Fish and Game pilots, who are skilled at maneuvering through the high mountains and into the deep valleys to drop or “plant” lakes with trout. At last, we travel to Duck Lake on horseback to witness the trout as they drop from the plane. Before the advent of the airplane, trout were “planted” in hundreds of California Lakes by horseback-- a difficult task that would take an entire summer to complete. In 1947, the Department of Fish and Game began using airplanes to complete the task and even employed WWII pilots whose skills as bomber pilots were put to a new use.
Huell visits the Monterey Customs House State Historic Park, discovers the tallest bridge in California, and checks out the town of Cool -- all unplanned adventures. At one time, the Custom House presided over Mexico’s primary port of entry on the Alta California coast. It was here that Commodore Jon Drake Sloat raised the American flag in July of 1846, claiming over 600,000 square miles of territory for the US. This territory later was included in all or portions of the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, California and New Mexico. This building is recognized as the oldest government building in California and it is State Historic landmark #1. Wander through this adobe building and find it as it looked in the 1840s. Try guessing to what purpose the items on display were used for. Is Sebastian the parrot real? Gaze out from the upper room where custom agents and soldiers once stayed. Watch for ships arriving from sea, much as the custom’s officials did over 150 years ago. Next, Huell stumbles upon the tallest bridge in California. Located on Foresthill Road in Placer County near historic Highway 49, The Foresthill Bridge was built to span a lake that never arrived from the damming of the American River in Auburn. And then Huell wanders right into the town of Cool and enjoys a visit to the local beauty salon and meets the mayor!
Join Huell as he rides right through the middle of some California history! First stop is Beal's Cut, a hand-cut stagecoach road in the the Santa Clarita Mountains and a steep "short cut" between the pueblo of Los Angeles and points north. General Phineas Banning drove the first stage through the treacherous mountain pass in 1854. In 1863 troops under the command of General Beale deepened "the cut" to its present depth of 90 ft. In 1910 the old roadway was replaced by the nearby Newhall Tunnel, which gave way to modern-day Sierra Highway in 1938. Santa Clarita Valley Historian Philip Scorsa tells Huell all there is to know, including how Beal’s Cut lived on as a movie location for decades to come. Then, it’s onto Groveland, a quirky Gold Rush community with Native American roots. Huell gets a tour with Innkeeper Peggy Mosley and sees the sights, including: "The Iron Door" – known as the oldest continuously operating saloon in the west. Groveland is also the headquarters for the Hetch Hetchy project, and gateway to Yosemite National Park.
Nestled in a small valley nearly 12 miles outside of Avalon on Catalina Island is El Rancho Escondido, “the hidden ranch.” Still a working ranch, it was originally started as the Wrigley family's Arabian Horse Ranch. The facility’s prizewinning horses, historic memorabilia, and entertaining exhibits make it great place to visit. Huell spends the day with members of the Wrigley family as they reminisce about life on the ranch.
Huell goes to sea on an urchin diving adventure off the Channel Islands. Huell joins the crew of the fishing boat “Janice Anne” as they travel to the waters off the Channel Islands to go Urchin diving. Urchins are big business in California and some call them “Blue Water Gold.” We finish the show at Piranha, a popular sushi restaurant in Santa Barbara for an urchin feast.
Skimboarding is a sport similar to surfing which takes place near the shore. The skimboarder stands about twenty feet from the ocean with skimboard in hand and waits for a wave. When they see a wave they run towards it with their skimboard still in hand. Upon reaching the wet sand they drop the board and jump onto it as quickly as possible. Once on the board, the skimmer must remain as stable as possible and prepare to make the transition to the ocean. The skimmer then (hopefully) glides out into the ocean toward the oncoming wave, banks off of it, and rides it back into shore. Huell travels to Laguna to watch some locals show how its done.
Join Huell as he takes an exciting 4-mile railroad excursion on Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad. Ride into history where powerful locomotives once hauled massive log trains through the Sierra mountains. Where mighty lumberjacks felled the timber and flumes carried lumber to the distant valley below. The Sierra National Forest's majestic woods provide the backdrop for the narrow gauge journey back in time. This old steam train is a wonderful ride into the past.
When most people think of Yosemite, they imagine towering peaks and cascading waterfalls, but there is an amazing human history that is told through some of the many buildings that dot the valley floor. In this adventure, Huell discover two small buildings that are very historic and very beautiful. He visits the Yosemite Valley Chapel, which was built in 1879 and is the oldest structure in park. The little chapel continues to serve as a place of worship for residents and visitors alike, as it has done for over 125 years. Next it’s off to the LeConte Memorial Lodge, a National Historic Landmark, which was built by the Sierra Club in 1903-04. The unique structure honors eminent University of California geologist Joseph LeConte, an early Director of the Sierra Club who died in the Valley in 1901. This beautiful stone structure is a real gem.
Huell goes in search of some of our most permanent residents in this episode of California's Gold. We'll see where some of TV & Film's most famous animals are resting in peace... and many of them are not where you would think! Join us as we visit Toto from the "Wizard Of Oz," Old Blue - one of the first animal stars of the silver screen, Arnold the Pig from "Green Acres," the irresistibly scrappy Benji the dog, Pete from "Our Gang," and many more.
In the mid 1920's, Rex B. Clark, an unmatched visionary of his time, accomplished the near impossible by constructing the world-class Norconian Resort in a remote area of Southern California. The Norconian was an immediate success and frequented by the rich elite and Hollywood's finest. Unfortunately, the Club never made a nickel as the Stock Market crash and subsequent economic depression forced Clark to give up his dream after a ten year fight. The story didn't end there. The fabulous resort was converted into one of the pre-eminent Naval Hospitals in the United States; a facility that treated survivors of Pearl Harbor and pioneered the use of Penicillin, the polio vaccine and state of the art rehabilitation techniques. Subsequently, one of the finest Naval Weapons Testing sites in the Nation and the California Rehabilitation Center, the first state funded addict treatment center in the country, called the old resort home; adding to the Norconian's rich and fabulous history. Huell travels to the site with Kevin Bash who is a filmmaker and historian to see this faded but beautiful structure in all its glory.
The giant statue of Paul Bunyan greets visitors to this family run road-side attraction that has been open since the 1930's. Join host Huell Howser as he get a tour through some of the most amazing Redwoods in California, but its not just any old walking tour where you stare up at these impossibly tall trees; its a SkyTrail, which is basically a ski lift which gets you at tree-top level giving you an amazing new view. Among the many trees we'll visit is the Cathedral Tree - actually nine trees in one, when it fell it didn't die and the roots of the stump sprouted and these nine trees happened to grow together in a circle around the original mother tree's stump. This tree is the site of Easter services each year and also many, many weddings.We'll also see the Brotherhood Tree, which even after losing the top 74 feet in a storm, is still one of the largest living things in the world. It weighs in at over 2,000 years old, 19 feet in diameter, 60 feet in circumference and 297 feet tall.
Apollo 14 launched in the late afternoon of January 31, 1971. Inside, astronaut Stuart Roosa had packed a small container filled with hundreds of tree seeds. After splashdown these seeds were germinated and planted all over the world.Join Huell as he starts his quest to find the Moon Trees. First stop is at the Placerville Forrest Service where we meet up with one of the people who actually helped plant the seeds, then we'll travel all around the State to find where the Moon Trees are still standing.
Huell visits a massive archelogical site with millions of fossils dating from the Miocene Epoch, 15 million years ago. Kern County was once at the bottom of a huge sea filled with massive prehistoric sharks called megladons which were as big as city busses and fed on whales. Sharktooth Hill is literally covered with fossilized shark teeth. Huell also visits the Buena Vista Museum, which houses amazing archeological finds recovered from Sharktooth Hill. The Buena Vista Museum of Natural History is located in the heart of downtown Bakersfield. It houses an impressive display of fossils frm the Miocene Epoch which was 14-16 million years ago. The fossils were found in the foothills northeast of Bakersfield, known as the Sharktooth Hill area. Kern County is home to over 100 square miles of fossil beds from the Miocene Epoch. While Sharktooth Hill is closed to the general public, you can arrange to go on a paleontology dig through the Buena Vista Museum and keep some real shark teeth, too.
Many people are familiar with Ansel Adams famous landscape photographs of Yosemite, but there is a whole other body of work that is rarely discussed. Huell visits the Los Angeles Public Library to see the “forgotten Los Angeles photographs” taken by Ansel in 1940 for a Fortune Magazine article on pre-war L.A. These photographs were later donated to the library by Ansel and are now in their collection. Huell is joined by Jonathan Spaulding, the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of the American West and Autry National Center, and author of “Ansel Adams and the American Landscape.” They spend the day in downtown Los Angeles to visit many of the sites where the original photographs were taken.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Barack Obama described Occidental as "a wonderful, small liberal arts college. The professors were diverse and inspiring. I ended up making some lifelong friendships there, and those first two years really helped me grow up." Who knew that the next president of the United States had such a formative connection to California? Huell gets the presidential tour of Occidental College in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Obama spent his freshman and sophomore years. Huell visits Obama's dorm room with a former classmate, talks to some of his old professors, and learns how his two years at Oxy helped to shape him.
In Long Beach, Calif., there’s a 42-acre oilfield -- offshore, in plain view of tourists, port traffic and beach lovers -- with 175-foot-high drilling towers and 1,100 wells that penetrate a vast underground. It may well be the most unique and beautiful oil drill site in America. The idea that you could drill for oil within site of a major city and do it in a way that would please the residents, was and is revolutionary. Huell visits these four architectural gems and learns about their rich history.
Huell visits the Kern River Preserve with its natural beauty, wildflowers and turkey vultures.
The Pacific Asia Museum is one of only four institutions in the United States dedicated exclusively to the arts and culture of Asiaand the Pacific Islands. The museum’s mission is to further cultural awareness and under-standing through the arts. This museum was originally the home and art galleries of an extraordinary woman named Grace Nicholson, who came to Pasadena from Philadelphia in 1901. In 1924, Nicholson commissioned local architects Marston, Van Pelt & Maybury to build a Chinese-style building for “Oriental and Western Art.” She lived in the building with her galleries down-stairs and her private apartment upstairs until her death in 1948. Since 1971, Pacific Asia Museum has served a broad audience of students, families, adults, and scholars through its education and outreach programs. It has a collection of over 14,000 works of art including paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, jades and textiles from all over Asia and the Pacific Islands, and a research library containing more than 7,000 reference volumes relating to Asian and Pacific art and culture.
It wasn’t always pretty, and it didn’t always work, but the “doctors” of the Gold Rush did the best they could to take care of the throngs of immigrants who came to California in search of fame and fortune. Sacramento’s Sutter’s Fort is the backdrop of this adventure. Huell hears the story of how the Fort was chosen as the site of the first hospital in Sacramento that housed doctors, midwifes, Chinese herbalists certainly some charlatans with plenty of snake oil to sell. With the help of docents and some real doctors, it’s sure to be an education.
Huell visits the Centennial Farm, a 4-acre working farm at the OC Fair & Event Center. Created to educate youth about Orange County's agricultural heritage, the Farm is home to fruit and vegetable gardens, livestock, and Millennium Barn. We join a group of school kids and teachers as they view pigs, peacocks, cows, honey bees, oxen and the crowd favorite, baby chicks! We'll see all of this and more while strolling through gardens of lush vegetation.
Huntington Beach is known as “Surf City”, but in this adventure, we wont even get near the ocean. Huntington Central Park is the largest city-owned park in Orange County covering over 350 acres of land. Huell visits the Shipley Nature Center, an 18-acre natural area filled with beautiful winding paths and spectacular flora and fauna. Next it’s off to The Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center which is home to 420 privately owned horses and surrounded by 185 acres of public trails. We’ll also visit the Frisbee golf course and lots of other hidden gems in this wonderful oasis.
The Central Garden, created by renowned artist Robert Irwin, lies at the heart of the Getty Center. The 134,000-square-foot design features a natural ravine and tree-lined walkway that leads the visitor through an extraordinary experience of sights, sounds, and scents. Huell gets a special tour from Jim Duggan, the Curatorial Advisor for the Central Garden and some of the gardeners who keep this living sculpture alive and beautiful for everyone to enjoy.
Huell visits Costa Mesa and sees how far its come from its start as a bean field to a state of the art performance center.
Huell visits the Upper Newport Bay to see what is being done in to keep this area green for everyone to enjoy.
Orange County is filled with maritime history and in this adventure; Huell visits Newport Beach to learn about two “boats” that are very historic. Family owned since 1919, Balboa Island Ferry has provided continuous service between Balboa Island and Balboa Peninsula. Crossings just 0.25 miles, this Newport tradition is not only a wonderful tourist attraction, but also a service the locals cherish. Next it’s off for an evening cruise aboard the John Wayne’s famous yacht the Wild Goose. Beginning her life as a minesweeper in World War II, Wayne bought her in 1965 and had her converted into a luxuriously appointed yacht which served as a backdrop for celebrity events, family vacations, and infamous poker sessions with such luminaries as Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Bob Hope. The last captain of the ship shares some wonderful stories about this historic vessel.
Huell visits the historic and remote mining town of Randsburg.
Huell spends the day in Granite Bay, California at Otow Orchard to learn the ancient art of Hoshigaki, which is the drying of persimmons. The persimmons are dried each fall in a slow, patient, hands-on process that usually takes three to six weeks... per persimmon. Each persimmon is hand-peeled, strung onto a rack, and massaged every 3 to 5 days for several weeks. Weather conditions are watched carefully. The result is a transformation into a sugary delicacy that is tender and moist.
Huell meets up with Bill Ernst to see what he caught... the largest White Sea Bass ever! Then Huell heads down to the Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute to learn more about these fish and even helps release a bunch of fry.
Huell travels to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake to see some rock art that is arguably the largest concentration within the Western Hemisphere, and can number 6,000 images just in one small canyon area of 1.5 miles alone. Though an accurate dating technique is still being sought, it is thought that certain petroglyphs date as much as 16,000 years old, with others made as recently as 1800. This rock art is so important to our cultural heritage and our knowledge of the desert's past that in 1964 the sites were listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Tustin is famous for it’s WWII blimp hangers, but this vibrant community has lots of history and some real hidden gems. Huell spends the day exploring Tustin and starts off at the Tustin Museum for a little history lesson. He visits an honest to goodness blacksmith and stops into the Wooden Indian for a haircut. We’ll see some wonderful old architecture and even grab some lunch at wonderful BBQ joint.
Huell travels to the Sacramento Delta to learn about California pears. We’ll start our adventure with a family who has been farming in the Delta for five generations. The soil and climate have made the Delta a perfect place to grow agriculture since the Gold Rush. Huell ends up at the 26th annual Pear Fair in Courtland. Everything from pear ice cream to pear vinegar, it’s a whole festival devoted to the Delta pear.
You’ve probably used this word at some point in your life and never knew that it was actually a town in California. Timbuctoo was once a bustling gold rush town named after that far away place in Africa. There’s not much left, but Huell pays a visit to Timbuctoo, which is now privately owned. Next it’s off to Smartsville, that due to a post office mandate had to lose the “S” and became Smartville. The good citizens never gave up calling it Smartsville and took their case all the way to the federal government, who finally agreed to give them back their “S.”
Join Huell on an adventure to two places he's been wanting to visit for years! First up is a stop along Highway 395 in the town to Lee Vining to see the Upside Down House. Built by Nellie Bly O’Bryan and inspired by children's books, it is considered Mono County's first man-made tourist attraction. Huell gets a tour from some of the locals who lovingly restored it after many years of decay. Next is a stop at the Livermore Fire Department to see the 107 (and counting) year old lightbulb. Learn how and why this bulb has been burning nonstop for over 100 years. You can even see it yourself on the webcam.
There are roughly 250,000 Hmong people living in the United States. The Hmong are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of Southeast Asia. Many ended up in the fertile areas in and around Fresno County, where their love of farming and vast knowledge has served them well. Huell visits two farms that are growing some of the most interesting and unusual produce in California. From a small family farm to the largest Hmong farm in the county, it’s a wonderful day.
Join Huell as he hikes high up in the Eastern Sierra to visit the Conness Glacier in a stunning part of the Inyo National Forest.
There is a reason that those old lighthouses could send a beam of light for many miles out to see. Most lighthouses used a Fresnel lens, which looks like a beehive made of glass. These lenses are works of art and the one that graced the tower at Point Fermin Lighthouse is no exception. In this adventure, Huell learns the history of the lens, which was removed from Point Fermin and changed hands many times. This story has a happy ending, as the lens comes home to Point Fermin once and for all.
Imagine sitting by the lake on a hot day and watching as a car drives into the water and motors away. Well that's just what piqued Huell's interest. Terry Tates parents bought their Amphibious Car in the early 60s and have passed it on to Terry. Huell goes to Lake Castaic and gets the ride of his life.
Huell tours the gardens of the world-famous Hearst Castle on our state’s central coast.
Huell sails aboard the state’s official tall ship, the Californian to see just how hard it was for our early settlers to get here. He also enjoys some sea shanties.
Huell visits two replicas of the Golden Gate Bridge: the walkway to the Point Bonita Lighthouse, and the Guy West Footbridge at Cal State University Sacramento.
Huell has the adventure of a lifetime, skydiving with the world-famous U.S. Army Golden Knights.
Huell goes straight to the TOP! Finished in 1874, California’s Capitol Building is a stunning neoclassical gem. With all great buildings of this size, there are lots of steps. Some steps are very obvious, like the set that leads up to the front entrance, but this building has lots of “step” stories and even a few that are very scary to climb.
Huell gets a behind the scenes tour and takes the “swim of a lifetime” in the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle which is arguably one of the most spectacular pools in the world and the highlight of any tour. It is fed by mountain water and is surrounded by ancient Roman style columns and statues. Designed by architect Julia Morgan, the Neptune Pool was started in 1924 and was finally completed after several redesigns and re-buildings in 1936.
Situated 30 miles east of Indio, this popular stop for travelers and truckers who want to gas up, get a home cooked meal or browse for nic nacs is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Huell spends the day with the people who live and work in this desert outpost as they enjoy this milestone.
Huell visits with Larry and Donna Charpied at their 10-acre jojoba farm located in the Eagle Mountain/Desert Center of Eastern Riverside County, in the shadow of Joshua Tree National Park Wilderness. Huell learns about the many uses for this desert wonder plant.
J.J. Lopez, the longtime manager of the Tejon Ranch who helped shape Kern County's history, built his Victorian-style home in Bakersfield in 1909. In the 1960s, the home was occupied by Arlin and Lavern Hill, who migrated from Oklahoma after the devastating effects of the Dust Bowl. Now, this long-overlooked California landmark has finally been renovated and preserved thanks to local fundraising efforts. Huell meets the descendants of the Lopez and Hill families, who share their story of how their house was moved to its permanent location at the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield.
Huell travels to the Mojave Desert’s El Mirage Dry Lake, one of the world’s best spots for land sailors. Land Sailing is a sport in which a wheeled vehicle powered by wind moves across land with the aide of a sail. Huell explores the history of this unique tradition and even gets the opportunity to ride a sofa through the desert!
Huell explores the history of Rain Bird, a sprinkler manufacturer with a remarkable history beginning with a Glendora citrus farmer named Orton Englehart who invented the first impact sprinklers in the 1930s. Rain Bird also demonstrates their latest in sprinkler technology.
Join Huell as he gets a tour of this historic and controversial piece of land... all 7,500 acres of it! Located way up north by the town of Eureka, Huell sees some of the rusting remnants of Falk, an old logging town, and walks among 1,000 year old growth Redwoods, and learns about the other flora and fauna that make this spot such a great piece of California's Gold!
Coit Tower was built on top of Telegraph Hill in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the City of San Francisco; Lillie bequeathed one-third of her estate to the City of San Francisco "to be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved." Huell spends the day exploring all aspects of this San Francisco landmark, including the beautiful murals that adorn the lobby with the descendants of one of the original artists.
Huell gets special tour of a California icon: the Catalina Casino. It has been the focal point of Santa Catalina since it opened over eighty years ago on May 29, 1929. Completely restored just a few years ago, the ballroom retains its original romantic style – with beautiful rose-hued walls, an arching, fifty-foot ceiling and five Tiffany chandeliers.
Huell visits the Presley Estate in Palm Springs and get a tour of one of only five homes in the world actually owned by Elvis Presley -- and was his "get-a-way spot" from 1970 until he died in 1977. Today it has new owners who respect its past history and are lovingly preserving it for future generations to visit and enjoy. It is a rare peek inside the 5100 sq. ft. mansion that is called Graceland West!
Join Huell as he travels to the western-most point in California in search of the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse which was activated in 1868 and finally abandoned in the 1970's. After over 20 years of neglect a group of locals banded together to move the light house to Shelter Cove and restore the lighthouse to its former glory. Huell also stops at the entrance to the Humboldt County Fairgrounds where a full-sized replica of the lighthouse actually houses the original fresnel lens.
Huell travels to Central California to visit the 80 acre Masumoto Family Farm. Huell's host is David "Mas" Masumoto and his family who have a deep connection to the land. Mas is an award winning author of such books as "Epitaph for a Peach" and "Wisdom of the Last Farmer, Harvesting Legacies from the Land."
Huell travels north to the Yosemite Valley to meet up with Michael Adams. Michael is the son of Ansel Adams, arguably our countries most famous photographer. They travel through the valley and learn about why this place was so important to Ansel. Huell gets some very personal insight into the mind of Ansel and also learns about the family’s early history in Yosemite. The backdrop to this adventure is as good as it gets.
Huell travels to the small town of La Grange to see an amazing part of our states history. The Tuolumne Gold Dredge sits abandoned right of the highway and is an incredible site. Huell and some local historians visit the dredge and the now virtual ghost town that was once home to the many workers that kept this behemoth running around the clock in search of gold.
Huell's television first!!! Will it be a hit or will dogs be howling all over our viewing area? Will Huell be the next recording star to come out of Nashville? Well, after his visit to the Musicians Institute (Visiting episode #1805), Huell was so inspired that he grabbed the mic and recorded his own version of "California, Here I Come" accompanied by the students who also produced the rock video.
Join Huell as he travels to the town of Taft to celebrate it’s 100 years as an incorporated city with a celebration called Oildorado Days that takes everyone back to a time when rugged pioneers carved out a bustling community in the middle of one of the world’s most productive oil fields. There is everything from an oil field skills contest, queen pageant, melodrama and a petroleum industry trade show. We cap off the adventure with a dedication of a huge bronze statue of an oil worker that is sure to become a focal point of this historic town.
Huell travels to Edwards, California to visit Dryden Flight Research Center, which is NASA's primary center for atmospheric flight research and operations. Before man could walk on the moon, they had to land safely and the Lunar Lander needed a lot of fine-tuning. Huell meets up with some of the men who spent many hours working on and flying that amazing craft in preparation for the first moon landing.
Huell visits a lumbermill... or is it a working museum? Join Huell, the founders great-grandson and a cast of characters at this historic place.
Huell travels to Chico to join the celebration of the arrival of thousands of waterfowl that come from the north to spend their winters in the temperate North Valley climate. Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, Sandhill Cranes, Pintail Ducks and many more, fill the rice fields and wildlife refuges throughout the area. The Snow Goose Festival has grown to be one of the major Birding and Wildlife events in the state of California and you’ll be amazed at the shear beauty of this spectacle.
Join Huell on his quest to find some really old wood. The first stop is up in Knights Ferry to see the longest covered bridge West of the Mississippi. Then Huell goes even further back in time and walks us through the petrified forest by Calistoga, CA.
Huell visits two historic flagpoles. The first was (at one time) the tallest flagpole in the world, but it's located in Calipatria, which sits 184 feet below sea level. So with its 184 foot pole, the Calipatria flag flies just at sea level. Then on toLivermore where the flagpole has an even stranger history... it's being carved into various wooden chotchkies including smaller flags!
Spend the day with Huell at Angel's Stadium as he meets up with the good folks at West Coast Turf and learns all about the grass that they install at venues all over California.
Huell visits two California restaurants that are great examples of “California’s Gold”. Fosters Freeze has been a tradition since 1946 when George Foster opened his first store and the company now owns over ninety locations and has become a California favorite. Founded by the five Havadijas brothers, the first Farmer Boys restaurant opened its doors in Perris, California in 1981. Their generous portions and farm-fresh food quickly gained a loyal following and at last count there were 68 Farmer Boys restaurants at locations all over Southern and Central California and in Nevada.
Huell goes in search of the crookedest street in the world. A small section of Vermont Street in the Potrero Hill section of San Francisco is just miles away from the more famous Lombard Street. Which street is crookeder? Huell grabs a gang of experts and finally solves this mystery.
Huell tours the Vincent Price Art Museum, which opened in May 2011 at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park. The museum contains 9,000 items, many of which were donated by the late actor. Victoria Price leads the tour of her father's vast collection of fine art and shows why this gallery is one of Los Angeles's best kept secrets. We also look back at Huell's original 1989 'Videolog' interview with Vincent Price himself.
Huell goes in search of the history of one of the most iconic symbols in the world. The gleaming gold statuette that is handed out each year at the Oscars has become the pinnacle of Hollywood success. The sculptor George Stanley was handed a napkin with a rough drawing and given the job of creating the “Oscar”. Another iconic Stanley statue is the “Muse”, which graces the entrance of the world famous Hollywood Bowl. Huell pays tribute to this artist whose work is such an important part of our states history.
Join Huell in this hot episode as he spends a morning in La Puente to hang out with green chile aficionados Ray Martinez and his daughter, Rose Fabian, as they sell fresh, roasted green chiles from Hatch, New Mexico.
Huell attends an event in El Segundo Beach in Southern California connected with the Iranian New Year’s celebration known as Chahar Shanbeh Soori, or the Persian Festival of Fire. This celebration consists of music, dance, food, and jumping over bonfires.
A visit with actress Shelley Morrison (Rosario, Karen’s maid on “Will & Grace”) to Animal Acres, a facility caring for neglected and abused farm animals, in Acton. 5200 Escondido Canyon Road Acton, CA 93510 661-269-5404
Huell meets a group of fountain pen collectors at their annual meeting. Fountain Pen Shop 2640 S. Myrtle Ave., #12 Monrovia, CA 91016 626-294-9974
Huell attends the timely event (pun intended) of a watch and clock collectors convention held by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. The convention hosts collectors, dealers, sellers, and any person interested in watches and clocks.
Join Huell as he hops over to the Pasadena home of Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski, who have turned their house into a living museum filled with almost everything bunny! Over 21,000 bunny collectibles: most of their furniture, light fixtures, kitchenware, toiletries, books, and games are bunny themed. And lounging around their house, they have seven real bunny pets that do not live in cages, and are litter box trained!
Huell visits with the Whistling Champ Carole Anne Kaufman at her salon, then stops in at her Mom’s store – the Wizard of Bras… it’s a combo you won’t want to miss.
Huell travels to Long Beach and takes a tour of SoundWalk, an annual art show of indoor and outdoor sound-art installations.
When Huell’s bartender at Musso & Frank told Huell how much he liked to eat pig ears as a child…. well Huell dove right in and learned a lot more than he expected about different cultures and this culinary treat. To see a Latin spin on how pig ears are prepared, Huell stops by Gaytan Foods and sees the pickled pig ears. Then he meets up with Ruben (from Musso’s) at Durango Restaurant where they cook them just like him Mom used to. Finally, he samples a gelatinous Asian delicacy at the Chung King Restaurant. All in all it’s an amazing and tasty way to bring cultures together, and as always you’re invited to try them out yourself…
Huell visits the Getty Villa on a sunny day on the Malibu coast in the neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. The Getty Villa is one of the two locations of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the other location being the Getty Center in Los Angeles.
Huell visits this unique house which was built on a 20 by 20 square foot lot in the heart of Old Town Santa Barbara.
Join Huell as he literally gets a look at what is behind the scene when he visits Grosh Backdrops. They have been providing backgrounds to movies, TV shows, theaters and even school plays since 1932.
Huell takes a trip to The French Garden in downtown Los Angeles, but this time he brings along two very special lunch dates: silver screen legends Ann Rutherford and Anne Jeffreys.
In 1896 the Kruegermann family started making pickles in Germany. The family immigrated to California in 1965 with their secret family recipes for not only pickles but sauerkraut as well. Huell spends the day with this wonderful family at their 25,000-foot facility and learns all about the art of sauerkraut!
Come along with Huell as he takes a tour of Champion Turf Equipment in Los Angeles California. Huell gets to see first-hand how Champion Turf’s craftspeople hand-craft saddles and other horse equipment.
The Idyllwild Lemon Lily Festival highlights the uniqueness and rarity of one of Idyllwild’s most precious native flowers. This beautiful lily that grows only above 4000 feet is a true gem. Join Huell and the good people of Idyllwild as they spend the day celebrating the Lemon Lily, there’s even a Lemon Lily song!
Huell attends the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo where a recently-discovered 100-ounce gold nugget is on public display. The “Washington Nugget” is the largest verifiable California gold nugget in existence. We also meet with the colorful dealers and collectors who make this expo so unique.
“Outpost” was once the largest neon sign in the world and stood above Runyon Canyon near Hollywood during the 1920s. The neon sign was a rival at that time to the Hollywoodland sign, and amazingly has been brought out of the past by Huell. Discover this California landmark, as it currently lies covered by weeds and dirt above the modern day Runyon Canyon Hills.
Huell goes to the 1997 Basset Hound Picnic, sponsored by the Basset Hound Club of So. Cal. Watch as the hounds are judged on longest ears, best howl, and saddest face.
Huell visits the Oasis Camel Dairy east of San Diego where he gets to milk a camel, plays with baby camels, and learns about camel milk products.
Join Huell as he discovers an obscure part of donut history: the connection between National Donut Day and The Salvation Army.
Huell visits the tallest building in Los Angeles and experiences the terrifying heights while working with the window washing crew. Come on along and join the fun!
Join Huell as he looks back to when he first visited the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, and revisits it to see what has changed and been added to the historic museum.
Huell visits several small mining towns in Kern County. Join Huell as he descends into the depths of the earth to discover some of California's literal gold.
Come on along with us as Huell revisits a number of past episodes about different types of cuisine found in California.
Huell revisits a number of past episodes starring special animals including Uncle Milton and some of his favorite ants, the newspaper dog from Pasadena, Honey the talking dog, some big cats from Kern County, some little horses, some unbelievable pot belly pet pigs, and Nita the elephant!
Revisiting some of Los Angeles's older landmarks that are no longer with us.
Revisiting four or five videologs. Huell calls this his "little bit of everything" show.
Last and final special of the series revisiting some of the most unusual and unique houses in the golden state.
In 1990, Huell produced his first-ever half-hour special, which takes us on a driving tour of Kern County. The trip includes gold mines, an exotic feline breeding compound, the town of Boron, and much more.
Huell revisits a 1990 program about some of Los Angeles's unique eateries, some of which no longer exist.
Huell's favorite segments about animals.
Clifton's Cafeteria; beauty salon; Sunset Plaza.
Huell revisits some of his favorite locales.
Huell takes an inspirational voyage upon Franklin D. Roosevelt's Presidential Yacht, the U.S.S. Potomac. Now stationed at Jack London Square in Oakland, the ship is operated by a staff of volunteers and is now open for public tours.
Huell travels to the Tehachapi Mountains to visit The Cesar Chavez Foundation. Set on 187 acres, the buildings where once home to a tuberculosis hospital and then it’s where Cesar lived and labored during his last quarter century as he fought for better rights for migrant workers. Now the Center is a carrying on Cesar’s dream and welcomes visitors to learn about this important chapter in our states history. Huell gets a very special and personal tour of the Center from Cesar’s son Paul.
Huell traces the history of the S.S. Catalina, which carried 24 million passengers to-and-from Catalina Island from 1924 to 1975. Considered by many to be the West Coast's most storied vessel, the S.S. Catalina fell into disrepair while docked at Ensenada and efforts to rescue and restore the legendary ship ultimately failed. It was dismantled and scrapped. Today, some of the ship's original signs, doors, and benches decorate the home of Coos Bay resident Dave Engholm, whose love for the S.S. Catalina led he and his family into a remarkable restoration project.
Sea Shadow was the Navy's "Stealth Ship," a futuristic vessel built in 1984 to test new naval technologies, especially Signature Control, better known as "stealth". Follow Huell to San Diego for an extraordinary tour, and find out the fate of the now-retired vessel.
Huell travels to Point Loma to learn about the history of Juan Cabrillo's ship, the San Salvador, which arrived at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. We then meet the builders and see the progress of a full-scale replica of the ship at the San Diego Maritime Museum.
Huell, with the help of his friends from the Braille Institute, learns about the history of jacaranda trees in California, which dates back to the 1890s when horticulturalist Kate Sessions first planted the seeds in Balboa Park. The blooming purple trees can now be seen all across the state, and we will find that some people call the jacarandas a "mess" while others call them a "miracle".
Huell visits the Watts Towers Arts Center to explore the history of this iconic work by artist Simon Rodia.
Huell tours the Glendale office of Classic Arts Showcase, a free cable TV program comprised of video samples from the worlds of ballet, opera, and theater. The program was the vision of philanthropist Lloyd Rigler, who practiced the cost-effective use of resources in order to achieve the greatest good.
A biography of Huell Howser For 15 years, the series California's Gold has offered a one-of-a-kind tour of the Golden State, spiriting viewers off to major attractions, as well as destinations off the beaten path. Each journey offers a chance to meet fellow Californians - to share in their lives and see this state in a new light. How did a reporter from Tennessee become the Golden State's best-loved chronicler? Looking back at fifteen wonderful years of California's Gold, Huell recounts the history and evolution of the program and relives series highlights.
Meet the man behind the camera: Luis "Louie" Fuerte. Host Val Zavala offers probing questions in between reminders of how donations can continue to support content on KCET. Also includes three California's Gold episodes: Big Things in the Desert; L.A. Adventures; and Golden Gate Bridge.
Huell interviews women entrepreneurs and business owners around Los Angeles after the LA riots in 1992.
