Tahoe Truckee Region History Articles

Crossing Utah’s Wasatch Mountains took a severe toll on the Donner Party with repeated delays, diminishing supplies, loss of morale and increased bickering. At times they made barely a mile a day. At one point they worked feverishly over several …

California has historically been ahead of the rest of the country in expanding the legal right to abortion services. Here’s what state laws say today, and how we got here.

Pat Dillon delves into the past of Tahoe City’s public beach in a piece for Moonshine Ink.

California’s history of people getting directly involved in the affairs of government dates back more than a century, but it has sometimes been coopted by business and other interests.

In an era of information overload, here’s how a rising form of journalism helps explain it all for you, and why California Local publishes ‘explanatory’ reporting.

Placer County’s water management and delivery system: where it came from and what it looks like today.

Why is California still experiencing offshore oil spills half-a-century after the catastrophic Santa Barbara disaster? The answer is found in the state’s longtime, close relationship with the oil business.

By Janice Oberding It’s that time of year. Pumpkin spice is queen of everything from cupcakes to lattes. The last long dog days of summer are finally behind us. And that brings us to Halloween, ranked just behind Thanksgiving and …

Author’s Note: To acknowledge the historical significance of the Donner Party and its window into an important era in the West, I will occasionally write a column chronicling the progress and challenges of this cursed wagon train as it made …

Sacramento-based news outlet talks to Jonathan Burgess and L. Dee Slade, both testifying before the Reparations Task Force.

The Gold Rush runs through the veins of El Dorado County, especially in these historic landmarks.

The name change of one of California’s most historic ski resorts is part of a statewide and national trend to reexamine offensive place names.

Sacramento’s rich past can be explored by visiting its many and varied historical museums.

When California adopted the recall law 110 years ago, it was to keep big money out of politics. Now billionaire donors are dominating this year's gubernatorial recall campaign on both sides.

The next governor of California could win election with far fewer votes that the incumbent governor in the state's recall vote Sept. 14. How did the recall process become so undemocratic?

History museums, historical societies, and odd facts about Nevada County’s residents.

Beginning with the Gold Rush but lasting for decades, residents in many California and Nevada counties formed armed volunteer groups that lynched or shot suspected criminals without benefit of a legitimate court trial in front of a jury of their …

Author’s Note: To acknowledge the historical significance of the Donner Party and its window into an important era in the West, over the next 10 months I will occasionally write a column chronicling the progress and challenges of this cursed …

The adventures of American writer Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) in Nevada Territory 160 years ago are replete with controversy and cross-purpose narratives. Even factual accounts among his contemporaries are filled with contradictions and distortion. Like the dispute regarding where Clemens …

This summer commemorates the 160th anniversary of Samuel Langhorne Clemens’ 1861 arrival in Nevada Territory along with his older brother Orion. Orion had a job waiting for him as the secretary to Territorial Governor James W. Nye, but Samuel was …