California History

California’s amazing diversity--more than 60 languages are spoken here--has its roots deep in the state’s history. Native American tribes developed communities many hundreds of years ago, well before Spanish missionaries set up California’s famous missions. Mexican rancheros, Gold Rush 49ers, Chinese immigrants and Dust Bowl refugees all made their contributions to the mix over time. Want a quick way to get to these great sites? Use the direct links on The Times Launch Point Web site, https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/

LEVEL 1:

The Spanish Missions of California: Explains why the missions were created and who lived there. A detailed virtual tour walks you through a typical mission, explaining everything from the mission entrance to the millstones.

https://tqd.advanced.org/3615/

California Missions Web Site: A map of California shows the location and order in which the missions were founded. Click on any mission to learn its history.

https://www.bgmm.com/missions/

Index of California Mission Information: A list of links to other mission sites, including fourth-grade class projects and a report of a modern journey along the mission route.

https://www.pressanykey.com/missions

LEVEL 2:

California History Site: Three major periods of California history are explored here with excellent articles on the missions, the Gold Rush and the Japanese internment during World War II.

https://www.mindscape.com/reference/california/

San Francisco History by Year: An illustrated chronology of events in San Francisco and California history up to the present day: the Gold Rush, the transcontinental railroad, the Great Depression, World War II, Japanese internment.

https://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/

California as I Saw It: Find out what California was like 150 years ago through this online collection of diaries, letters and books (many with illustrations and archival photographs).

https://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/cbhtml/cbhome.html

LEVEL 3:

California Home Page: Learn about California, past and present. Notable features include reports on California historic structures, nineteenth century California music, political progressivism at the turn of the century and selected regional histories.

https://www.ca.gov/s/history/history.html

The History of How California Became a State: This site contains overviews and very detailed commentaries on key periods of California history.

https://www.ccnet.com/~laplaza/calhist.htm

Manzanar Relocation Camp: Photos, articles and personal accounts flesh out the historical details of Japanese internment during World War II.

https://members.aol.com/EARTHSUN/Manzanar.html Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine Department of Education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s Launch Point was designed by Anna Manring and Stan Woo-Sam with contributions by Thuy Nguyen and Jessica Briggs.

Explorer’s Quest

Free Times T-shirt

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

How could one determine how rich and successful a mission was? CLUE: Use the Spanish Missions of California--Virtual Tour

How It Works: Answer the questions correctly in four Explorer’s Quest Web Challenges by Aug. 11 and you’ll get a free T-shirt. Just clip and fill out the form on page B5, or make up your own handwritten form. You also can find the form on The Times Launch Point Web site, https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/

Answer to last week’s Quest: The Hydra.