I've been visiting historical sites. But I have to tell you that when I first moved to Southern California and met people who were born and raised here (people who seem to be in the minority) they told me that there was NO HISTORY HERE.
How could that be?
Hadn't they been taught some American History or some local history in school?
So I set out to learn the history of California, of the South West, and of my local area on my own. I toured adobe houses, missions, museums, and learned about what had been torn down via books. Now I revisit some of these places.
First there is the history of Spanish Mission building. There is also the history of Native American Tribes: California had so many natural resources that it was an area of diverse tribal cultures. Then there was the Rancherio period; Spanish Land Grants which were later divied up.
One of the most interesting things I learned was that during the Spanish Land Grant and Rancherio period, before there was that surge of immigration from the east coast west, a few explorers and adventurers made their way west. Most of these people were men, they were often Scottish, and when they MARRIED INTO SPANISH FAMILIES THEY BECAME CATHOLIC AND SPANISHIFIED THEIR SURNAMES.
Over the next couple posts, I urge you to learn your local history, especially as it becomes your family history at one point or another!
