The Society Of California Pioneers

The Society Of California Pioneers Historical society dedicated to the preservation of California history, art, and culture.

Established in 1850, The Society of California Pioneers is dedicated to the study and enjoyment of California art, history, and culture. Founded by individuals arriving in California before 1850 and thriving under the leadership of several generations of their direct descendants, The Society has continuously served the academic community and the public. Today, as a nonprofit organization, it opera

tes a research library and a museum, both housed in one of the iconic Montgomery Barracks Buildings on The Presidio of San Francisco. Our archives document the founding and early history of California, including The Gold Rush, The Earthquake and Fire of 1906, and other defining events. The collection includes rare manuscripts and diaries, paintings, prints and drawings, photographs, books, maps, newspapers and journals, the business ledgers of mining and transportation companies, as well as historic artifacts and decorative objects.

Gold Rush-era California had no shortage of newspapers bringing local and national news to the thousands who had left th...
05/27/2026

Gold Rush-era California had no shortage of newspapers bringing local and national news to the thousands who had left their homes to come to California. Some of these papers were short-lived, such as Calaveras County’s Big Tree Bulletin and Murphy’s Advertiser, which published 16 issues from April 30 to July 3, 1858. The Society of California Pioneers collection has original copies of every issue.

Big Tree Bulletin’s printing press was located on the stump of a giant sequoia tree in what is now Calaveras Big Trees State Park. This unique operation was illustrated on the paper’s masthead. Other local papers reporting on the new publication did not miss the slimmest opportunity for a pun, with the May 13, 1858 San Joaquin Republican noting that “The establishment is certainly on a solid basis, and ought to prosper.” The Big Tree Bulletin publisher and editor was John Heckendorn, known as “Heck” to his friends. He had prior experience with other local papers, as well as a mobile printing office in a wagon, which he traveled around with, taking on freelance work.

The four-sheet Big Tree Bulletin focused on local news and advertisements, particularly mining news and Big Trees tourism, the region’s major industries. The ongoing gold rush in British Columbia’s Fraser River Canyon received much coverage. Each issue featured a poem, jokes, and weather reports (not weather predictions, as we get today, but descriptions of past weather). Other notable topics included a notice about the opportunity to have your picture taken from a visiting photographer, the local dog population in Murphy’s, bachelor life in San Francisco, local wild strawberries in bloom, and the question of whether Earth is the only planet in the universe with intelligent life.

Big Tree Bulletin ceased publication due to a lack of subscribers. Heckendorn announced that he was going to the mines, where he “never failed making a respectable living,” a promise that he followed through on.

Images: Big Tree Bulletin and Murphy’s Advertiser, May 21, 1858. C013455

05/20/2026

Venice, California once had a fantastical amusement pier with Venetian-inspired architecture. Built by Abbot Kinney in 1905, it burned down in 1920, was rebuilt, and was finally demolished for good in 1946.

Venice, California once had a fantastical amusement pier, replete with Venetian-inspired architecture, an arcade housing...
05/20/2026

Venice, California once had a fantastical amusement pier, replete with Venetian-inspired architecture, an arcade housing shops and restaurants, midway games, hotels, a dance pavilion, aquarium, scenic railroad, carousel, Ferris wheel, Japanese tea house, and more. The aquarium even served as the marine biological station for the University of Southern California. Like any seaside resort area, there was constant programming, including swimming contests, concerts, shows, beauty pageants, etc.

Venice was the dreamchild of Abbot Kinney, and yes, he did want it to look and feel like Venice, Italy. Kinney made his fortune in the to***co industry. He traveled throughout Europe and, after making his way to Southern California, became the co-builder and co-owner of the Ocean Park amusement/residential area in Santa Monica. Kinney later embarked on a solo venture to develop the marshy land to the south. After studying various seaside resort communities on the east coast, Kinney debuted his version of Venice in 1905. There were 16 miles of canals, complete with bridges, gondolas, an orchestra providing mood music, camel rides, and a miniature railroad. Aside from the residential resort community, there was also the aforementioned amusement park on the pier, and an auditorium for opera, public talks, and poetry readings. Kinney hoped to create an art and culture hub and launch his own Italian Renaissance, but that part of his grand plan could never compete with rides and games.

The pier burned down in 1920 but was rebuilt with even more rides. In 1926, Venice became part of the city of Los Angeles. Over the years, the neighborhood was neglected. It didn’t help that it wasn’t automobile friendly; Venice was designed for pedestrians, and there was very little parking. Many of the canals were paved over, and the city declined to renew the lease on the pier in 1946. It was subsequently demolished. Some canals remain today, and the beach itself is still a destination.

Image 1: Windward Ave. with St. Mark's Hotel at left, Venice, by Graham Photo Co. C044906
Image 2: Venice. C044889
Image 3: Aquarium, Venice, by M. de Haaff. C044701
Image 4: Venice. C044704
Image 5: Venice pier. C044708

EVENT POSTPONED!Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen mechanical issue in our building, we have to postpone tomorrow's pub...
05/19/2026

EVENT POSTPONED!

Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen mechanical issue in our building, we have to postpone tomorrow's public program with Gregory Crouch, "Accidents on the Comstock Lode." We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

This program has been rescheduled to Wednesday, June 17th, same time (5:00pm), same place (Pioneer Hall, 300 4th Street, San Francisco). We sincerely hope you can still join us! Please email [email protected] or call (415) 957-1849 to either reaffirm or cancel your RSVP, or with any questions or concerns you may have about this update.

Thank you very much for your patience as we make Pioneer Hall the best it can be for you. We hope to see you on June 17th for "Accidents on the Comstock Lode!"

The Society of California Pioneers has several paintings by Sara H. (Bennett) Spalsbury, an artist, teacher, philanthrop...
05/12/2026

The Society of California Pioneers has several paintings by Sara H. (Bennett) Spalsbury, an artist, teacher, philanthropist, and early resident of Santa Cruz. Born in Michigan in 1848, Sara was married to Judge Edgar Spalsbury, a New York lawyer who gave up his practice to fight in the Civil War. Afterwards, he suffered from chronic health issues which finally brought the Spalsburys to Santa Cruz in 1875. Edgar and Sara lived in a house that still stands today at 216 Laurel Street. Sara and her sister, Gloria Barnhart, taught at the Beach School, a one-room schoolhouse. Sara also taught art classes. She was incredibly active in the community, participating in women’s clubs, giving lectures, serving as president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and volunteering in about a half dozen different positions at the First Congregational Church. According to an August 28, 1953 article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, when the church erected a new building in 1890, the Spalsburys “gave of their thoughts, time, and money.” The same article describes Sara as “a woman of rare culture, refinement, and deep spirituality.” She died in 1947, outliving her husband by fifty years.

Image 1: Untitled [forest glade with snowcapped peak in background], by Sara H. Spalsbury. C001449
Image 2: Judge Edgar Spalsbury, 1890, by Sara H. Spalsbury. C007574
Image 3: Santa Cruz Surf, December 29, 1883.

FREE public program next week!We hope you can join us at 5pm on Wednesday, May 20, at Pioneer Hall (300 4th Street, SF)....
05/11/2026

FREE public program next week!

We hope you can join us at 5pm on Wednesday, May 20, at Pioneer Hall (300 4th Street, SF). Author and historian Gregory Crouch will give a presentation on "Accidents on the Comstock Lode: The Many Ways to Die in the Old West." This event is free and open to Society of California Pioneers members as well as the public.
Please RSVP to [email protected]
or call (415) 957-1849

Gregory Crouch is the author of "The Bonanza King: John Mackay and the Battle Over the Greatest Riches in the American West" (2018), "China’s Wings" (2012), and "Enduring Patagonia" (2001). A regular book critic, Crouch has reviewed more than 30 books for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times Book Review, and NPR Books, among others. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Crouch has also published stories in The Atlantic, National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, Smithsonian, Time, American History, World War II, Islands, Outside, Popular Mechanics, Backpacker, and many other national and regional media.

California once had dozens of Joss Houses, or Chinese temples. Only a small handful remain, including Weaverville’s Temp...
05/05/2026

California once had dozens of Joss Houses, or Chinese temples. Only a small handful remain, including Weaverville’s Temple of the Forest Beneath the Clouds. It’s the oldest continuously operating Joss House in the state.

Like so many others from all over the world, large numbers of Chinese immigrants came to California for the Gold Rush. They built these temples in both cities and small towns. Portuguese immigrants called them "Deus houses," using the Portuguese word for God. "Joss" is an anglicization of "Deus." More than a site for worship, Joss Houses also serve as community gathering spaces, a place for travelers to rest, or even as schools. They also often combine elements from several Eastern religions. For Chinese miners far from home, a Joss House was a refuge.

Even back in the mid-1800s, Joss Houses were tourist sites for White people, less out of a respect for Chinese culture and more as an exotic fascination. Writings from that time describe Joss Houses using words like "bizarre," “grotesque,” “garish,” and “dingy.” Joss Houses were used to reinforce differences between "civilized" European Christianity and the Eastern religions that were perceived as not living up to those standards.

Weaverville’s Joss House was built in 1874. It was funded by the local Chinese community to replace an earlier temple that burned down. Primarily a Taoist temple, it has a unique roof with steep vertical gables, while the rest of the structure is more traditional. As the Gold Rush waned, Weaverville’s population dropped, including the Chinese population, which dwindled to only 16 by 1931. A single caretaker, Moon Lim Lee, worked tirelessly to preserve and promote the temple for decades. The Joss House became a California State Park in 1956, and the site now includes a visitor center and hosts Chinese cultural events.

Image 1: Weaverville Joss House. C039744
Image 2: Weaverville Joss House, 2003. Library of Congress

The Society of California Pioneers collection has first person accounts of the mid-1800s migration to California, both b...
04/29/2026

The Society of California Pioneers collection has first person accounts of the mid-1800s migration to California, both by sea and overland. These sources are invaluable to understanding this historic moment, and the experiences of “average” people are often more informative than those of extraordinary figures. One account was written by Martha Ann Freeman, born in Illinois in 1837 to Dr. Hugh K. Freeman and Susannah Brooks. In 1854, the Freemans crossed the continent for a new life in California.

Martha’s recollections, written in 1905, will sound familiar to players of the video game “Oregon Trail.” With her parents and siblings, 17-year-old Martha traveled with the families of her uncles, grandfather, and several others, plus young men hired as help. The party included 4 babies. The train of 11 wagons left Rose Hill, Missouri in May for a 5-month journey. Her father had sold the family home and purchased supplies for the trip. He bought cattle and milk cows, which were cheap in Missouri but would fetch a high price in California. Martha remembered landmarks such as Fort Laramie, Chimney Rock, and Scotts Bluff. She wrote about fording the Platte River, using buffalo chips as fire fuel, and missing fresh vegetables. She was incredibly fearful of the Native Americans based on what she heard from others, and judgmental about how they looked and acted differently to what she was accustomed to. Martha felt fortunate that everyone got along and had memories of joy and camaraderie amongst the hardships.

Martha recounted crossing Nevada’s Forty Mile Desert (Lahontan Valley) and the rocky canyons of the eastern Sierra Nevada to finally catch sight of California’s Hope Valley. “How free we all felt when we got across the mountains.” The Freemans settled in Linden, east of Stockton. Before the trip, Martha had imagined that “money was so plentiful [in California],” but later “found that my imagination about the money was erroneous.” Martha was fortunate to survive the journey; her second husband, John B. Wootten, had lost his first wife to illness on the trip west.

Image 1: Martha Ann Freeman Papers, 1905. C058853
Image 2: Hope Valley, c. 1865, Lawrence & Houseworth. LH-924

Much of the history of California (and the West) is about water. Specifically, about bringing water to where we want it....
04/21/2026

Much of the history of California (and the West) is about water. Specifically, about bringing water to where we want it. In 1886, construction began on the San Diego Flume, a major infrastructure project to bring drinking water and irrigation to the growing city and region. The San Diego River headwaters were dammed at the base of the Cuyamaca Mountains, creating Lake Cuyamaca. Finished in 1888, it’s California’s second oldest dam still in operation. The flume itself was a series of chutes, 8 tunnels, and 315 trestles stretching 35 miles to a reservoir at La Mesa, where water was then distributed by pipe throughout San Diego. It took three weeks for water to travel from source to city. Redwood lumber to build the flume was brought by boat into San Diego’s harbor, cut into boards (about 9 million feet were ultimately used), and then hauled inland by wagon using over 800 mules and horses.

The grand opening on February 22, 1889 featured dignitaries traveling down the flume in flat-bottomed boats. Flume riding became a popular local pastime and little trains of four boats could be rented. The opening of the El Capitan Reservoir in 1935 ended the use of the flume, but remnants can still be seen on the Historic Flume Trail in Lakeside.

The flume ran through the Capitan Grande Reservation, occupied by parts of the Kumeyaay tribe, the native inhabitants of the San Diego area. The flume’s builders did not receive permission from either the native occupants or the federal government. Construction was paused until an agreement was reached whereby the flume owners had to pay the tribes for right of way. This didn’t change the fact that the flume diverted water and caused crop failure on Indian farms along the San Diego River. The completion of the El Capitan Reservoir flooded part of the reservation, rendering it uninhabitable. This was the final nail in the coffin for not just the flume, but for centuries of environmental management on the river by the Kumeyaay.

Images 1-2: San Diego Flume. C048027 & C048028
Image 3: Construction of South Fork Trestle, San Diego Flume, c.1888. C048031
Image 4: San Diego Flume Bed. C048035
Image 5: San Diego Flume Construction Camp, c.1888. C048032

This Saturday, April 18, marks the 120th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Remembrance of this historic ...
04/16/2026

This Saturday, April 18, marks the 120th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Remembrance of this historic event tends to center on the city, but the quake affected a much larger area. Damage occurred all around California, including about ninety miles north of San Francisco at Fort Ross, where the San Andreas fault comes onshore and runs through the fort’s orchard.

Founded in 1812 by the Russian-American Company, a commercial outfit chartered by Russia’s tsar, Fort Ross was the southernmost settlement in Russian North America. It was intended as an agricultural supply base for Russian Alaska as well as center for initiating trade with Spanish California.

The fort’s chapel was built around 1825. Made of wood with a small belfry, this plain structure has somewhat unique architecture for a religious building in this region. It was the first Russian Orthodox church in the contiguous United States, although it was never consecrated and there was no resident priest. However, it was still important to Russians living in the area.

Even by the 1830s, many of Fort Ross’s buildings were dilapidated due to the harsh environmental conditions on California’s northern coast. Russia sold Fort Ross to John Sutter in 1841, and the area operated as a ranch until it became a California State Park in March 1906. At that time, there were seven Russian structures remaining, including the chapel. Twenty-seven days later, the earthquake struck, causing considerable damage to the fort’s historic buildings. The chapel’s walls, floor, and foundation were destroyed, leaving the roof and turrets resting on the ground, somewhat intact.

Chapel restoration did not begin until 1916. The building was reconstructed using some timber from other historic buildings at the fort, but the design deviated from the original in several ways. The chapel was destroyed by a fire in 1970, and the one seen today is a replica.

Image: Chapel, Fort Ross, 1912. C051151
Image: Chapel, Fort Ross, July 1917. C051154
Image: Restored Chapel, Fort Ross, by Dolder. C051141

Address

300 4th Street
San Francisco, CA
94107

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 2pm
Tuesday 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 10am - 2pm
Thursday 10am - 2pm
Friday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

+14159571849

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