California History Alphabet Book

Created By:

Michelle Carson

A is for Angel Island

• In the early 1900’s, Angel Island was a detention center located on Angel Island, just off of San Francisco Bay.

• It was where immigrants coming from the Pacific had to stop and be detained to see whether or not they could come into the United States. They were checked to see if they were healthy enough to enter the U.S.

B is for Bear Flag Revolt

• The Bear Flag Revolt took place in Sonoma, CA in 1911.

• The Osos, a group of settlers, designed the Flag after they took CA away from Mexico.

• The Bear was put on the flag to symbolize the strength of the people of California.

C is for Chumash

• The Chumash were Native Americans who lived along the Pacific Ocean, near Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands around 4,000 years ago.

• They were expert traders and canoe builders, who ate mostly seafood and acorns.

• They were also hunters and gatherers.

D is for Death Valley

• Death Valley is located in the desert region of California near the Nevada border.

• It was named “Death Valley” by the people passing through it during the Gold Rush, around 1849, because many people got lost, trapped, or died there.

• It is the lowest point in all of North America. It is 282 ft. below sea level. It is one of the hottest and driest places in the United States.

E is for Explorers

• During the 1500’s and 1600’s many Europeans from Spain, England, France, etc. began sailing around the world.

• They traveled along Alta and Baja California, among other places.

• They were searching for riches, to find a shortcut to Asia for trade, and for new land to colonize.

F is for Father Junipero Serra

• Father Junipero Serra was a Catholic priest from Spain.

• From 1769-1784 Father Serra created the missions up and down Baja and Alta “upper” California.

• He is known as the father of the California missions.

• He was sent to not only help colonize the Americas, but to convert the Native Americans to Christianity as well.

G is for Gold Rush

• In 1848 gold was found in the American River at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California.

• Once gold was found, word spread, and soon thousands from around the world came to find gold. This “rush” of people was called “The Gold Rush”.

• Many people came in 1849, and they were called the 49’ers.

H is for Hollywood

• Hollywood, located in Los Angeles, became a major city in the early 1900’s.

• Since Southern California had just the right climate to film in, it became the center of the movie industry.

• Louis B. Mayer, headed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which became one of the largest film companies ever created.

I is for Imperial Valley

• The Imperial Valley is located in the Colorado Desert, near the Mexican border.

• In the 1900’s, George Chaffey built a canal from the Colorado River to the Imperial Valley to turn the desert into farmland.

• It is called The Winter Garden of the World because you can farm there all year-round, thus many crops are grown there.

J is for Joshua Tree National Park

• Joshua Tree National Park is located in the Mojave Desert.

• It was created on August 10, 1936 by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

• It is known for its unusual desert plants, such as the Joshua Tree; which has spiky green leaves.

• Animals such as the bobcat, coyote, jackrabbit, roadrunner, sidewinder, as well as tarantulas can be found there.

• Many people go there today to camp, hike, and rock-climb.

K is for Kumeyyay

• The Kumeyyay are Native Americans who began living in California around 4,000 years ago.

• They lived in the Southern California coastal region in the area of San Diego.

• They fished, gathered acorns, and hunted.

• They were known for holding ceremonies to give thanks as well as to repair harm to the Earth so they could be one with nature.

L is for Los Angeles• The Spanish explorer Gaspar de

Portola first came to the area of Los Angeles in 1769. In 1781 the governor called the area “Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles”, which means “The Queen of the Angels”.

• Los Angeles, located along the West Coast, in Southern California, is the biggest city on the West Coast as well as the second largest city in the United States.

• Millions of tourists come to Los Angeles from all over the world due to its popularity.

M is for Missions

• Missions are religious settlements that were built by the Spanish from 17691776.

• The first mission was built by Father Junipero Serra in San Diego, California.

• Missions were built up and down both Baja and Alta California.

• They were built to live in, to teach Christianity, as well as the Spanish language and way of life to the Native Americans.

N is for Richard Nixon

• Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States.

• He was born in Yorba Linda, California, located in Orange County.

• Nixon became president in 1972.

• On August 8, 1974 Richard Nixon resigned as president instead of being impeached due to his involvement in the Watergate Scandal.

O is for Oregon Trail

• The Oregon Trail was a trail created to help those traveling from Missouri to Oregon over the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

• Those traveling to California would leave the trail and cross the Great Basin to California.

• In May of 1841, John Bidwell led pioneers in covered wagons on the Oregon Trail so they could get to California.

• They followed the map created by John C. Fremont on what was the safest way to travel.

P is for Presidio

• Presidios were forts that were created near the missions and pueblos in order to protect them from enemies or Native American attacks.

• Soilders lived at the forts, which were built near harbors in the late 1700’s so they could watch out for enemy ships that might attack.

• They were located up and down Alta California.

Q is for Quail

R is for Redwoods

S is for Sierra Nevada

T is for Transcontinental Railroad

• The Transcontinental Railroad is the first railroad that crossed the United States.

• The Central Pacific railroad began in California and the Union Pacific began at the Atlantic Ocean. Both railroads met at Promontory, Utah.

• It took from 1862 to 1869 for the railroad to be built.

• Theodore Judah was the engineer who found the best route to cross the Sierra Nevada for the railroad to work.

U is for United Farm Workers Association

V is for Vaqueros

• Vaqueros were cowhands who lived on ranchos between the 1830’s and 1840’s.

• They job was to round up the rancho’s cattle. This was so they wouldn’t wander off, since there was no fencing around the ranchos.

W is for Walt Disney

X is for

Y is for Yosemite National Park

Z is for