Napa, California

Glen Ellen, nestled low in the Valley of the Moon at just 213 feet above sea level, wasn't always called Glen Ellen. Before 1860, it was simply known as "the lower end of Sonoma Valley." Its current name is a tribute to…

The salt marsh stretches to the horizon, broken only by the skeletal remains of a long-abandoned pier. This is Sears Point, California, a place where the wind seems to carry whispers of its past as a bustling transport…

Imagine the grit and spray of the Pacific as you gaze upon the Balclutha! This iron-hulled sailing ship embodies a bygone era of global trade and maritime adventure. Built in 1886, the Balclutha hauled everything from…

Imagine building your dream home, only to watch it burn to the ground right before your eyes. That's exactly what happened to famed author Jack London and his wife Charmian at this very spot. London poured his heart and…

Step back in time to the land that inspired one of America's most celebrated writers: Jack London. Jack London purchased this land in 1905, envisioning a self-sufficient ranch and a retreat where he could write. He…

Vallejo, a city perched on the edge of the San Pablo Bay, carries a history etched in both industry and artistry. While the Mare Island Naval Shipyard once defined its economic landscape, its closure in 1996 didn't sink…

This seemingly unassuming building holds a secret: it used to be Vallejo City Hall!Back in 1872, this spot was the heart of Vallejo's government. Imagine horse-drawn carriages pulling up, important decisions being made…

This unassuming chapel witnessed history unfold on Mare Island, the first naval shipyard on the Pacific coast. Dedicated on 1901, St. Peter's Chapel was the first interdenominational chapel in the armed services, and…

For 142 years, this was the US Navy's first base on the Pacific, building ships for conflicts from the Civil War to the Cold War. Established in 1854, the Mare Island Naval Shipyard became a crucial hub for shipbuilding…

Fairfield, California, a city that owes its existence to the railroad, has always felt the push and pull of growth. In recent years, that tension became particularly acute as Solano County grappled with a persistent…

Imagine the waterfront in 1852: steamboats unloading prospectors, their pockets heavy with gold dust, the air thick with the promise of fortune. Suisun City, named for the Suisunes tribe, pulsed with life as a critical…

Imagine a time when California was a wild frontier, and one man held immense power here. That's the story of Rancho Petaluma Adobe. In 1836, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, a powerful military commander, ordered the…

This unassuming hall witnessed some real California history! Temelec Hall, built back in 1858, was the home of Captain Granville P. Swift. It's even a California Historical Landmark and on the National Register of…

Lenwood, California, sits on the edge of the Mojave Desert, a place shaped by the westward expansion of the United States and the railroads that followed. Like many towns in the High Desert, Lenwood’s story is tied to…

Napa Valley's oldest winery, founded 1861; the region's rise to world prominence at the 1976 Judgment of Paris.

Black Point-Green Point owes its existence to the Petaluma River, a waterway that once pulsed with the lifeblood of commerce. Named for the striking contrast of its dark rock outcroppings and the surrounding green hills…

Vacaville sits higher than San Francisco, a quiet fact that hints at its distance from the coastal narrative of California. Its name, a Spanish echo, belongs to Juan Manuel Vaca, a reminder of the land grant days when…

Benicia, California, occupies a unique spot on the Carquinez Strait, a geographic advantage that initially made it attractive as a port. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, recognizing this potential, christened it after his…

Get ready to raise a glass to history! Beringer Vineyards isn't just another pretty winery; it's the oldest continuously operating one in Napa Valley. Founded in 1876 by brothers Jacob and Frederick Beringer, who came…

Right here is where a pivotal, but often overlooked, battle took place that helped shape California as we know it. In 1846, this area was the site of the Battle of Olómpali, part of the Bear Flag Revolt. About 80…

The land now known as Petaluma was once the territory of the Coast Miwok people, who named it "Petaluma," meaning "flat back," a reference to the landscape. The area's fertile soil and proximity to the Petaluma River…

Pull over here for a minute; this unassuming building once held the fate of California! For a brief period, this was our state capitol. In 1853, the California State Legislature moved to Benicia, hoping to find a more…

Imagine the performances and gatherings that once filled the halls of this historic opera house in downtown Petaluma. The Old Petaluma Opera House, also known as the Maclay Building, is a landmark right here in town.…

Imagine this quiet spot once roared with the power of a nation’s arsenal. The Benicia Arsenal, established in 1851, became the U.S. Army’s primary ordnance depot on the West Coast. It all started a few years earlier, in…

Check out that house! It’s a beautiful example of Queen Anne architecture, built way back in 1892. That's the Philip Sweed House, named for Philip Sweed, located right here at the corner of Keokuk and Prospect Streets…

Here's a molecule with a double life: nitroglycerin, the heart of the dynamite once made in Hercules, is also a heart medicine. The very compound that levels buildings has been given to angina patients since the…

The whole reason this town exists comes down to a clever bit of chemistry. Liquid nitroglycerin is ferociously powerful but dangerously unstable -- a bump or a jolt can set it off. In 1867, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel…

Novato, California, nestled comfortably north of San Francisco, carries its history in its name. Novato, meaning "strong valley" or "powerful valley," tips its hat to the Coast Miwok chief Marin, whose local name was…

Most towns are named for a founder, a saint, or a river. Hercules is named for a stick of dynamite. In 1881 the California Powder Works opened an explosives plant here on the Contra Costa shoreline, and it sold its…

The dynamite that built this town also, indirectly, built the Nobel Prizes. In 1888, Alfred Nobel's brother Ludvig died in France -- and a French newspaper got confused and ran Alfred's obituary instead. The story goes…

The powder that made Hercules dynamite safe has a strange second life all over your house. Diatomaceous earth is the fossilized remains of diatoms -- single-celled algae that build themselves intricate glass shells out…