Featured Groups of the Era
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Spanish Missionaries
In 1769 the Spanish monarchy and Catholic Church of Spain began a campaign for the conquest of California. Learn More
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Russian Traders/Colonists
Fort Ross was the first Russian settlement in California. It drew its name from a shortened form of “Russiya,” or Russia, and was located about 25 miles north of Bodega Bay on the Sonoma Coast. The fort was the easternmost colony established by Russia during its 300-year campaign of global expansion. Learn More
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American Explorers/Fur Trappers
Beginning in the 1820s California attracted a small but increasing number of American explorers and fur trappers. Most of them had set out west from midwestern frontier cities such as St. Louis, Missouri and Council Bluffs, Iowa. All of these men seem to have been driven by something other than the hope of personal wealth. Learn More
