Over the years, many cities were California's Capital before Sacramento. Learn what these cities were and background information on each move.

In this lesson, 4th graders examine entries from Juan Bautista de Anza's diary and other documents to understand the experiences and obstacles he and his companions faced as they traveled from Arizona to California in 1774. Student...

Get basic facts about the 1848 discovery of gold by John Marshall at Sutter's Mill and the subsequent Gold Rush in California and American history.

Students try to guess the mystery subject Carlotta Facts, the History Mystery Museum's professor, is studying. They read the clues, do some online and offline research, and then attempt to identify the game's mystery subject, the General...

Flip this interactive OLogy card to start learning about the California condor. Review some fast facts about condors and answer multiple-choice and fact-or-fiction questions to test your understanding.

Flip over this interactive OLogy card and start learning bite-size pieces of useful information about the California sea lion, such as its habitat, diet, and physical characteristics.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about a Boy Scout trip that goes panning for rocks, minerals, and gold to learn more about history. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

Instructions and templates for creating the state symbols of California out of paper and other easy-to-find materials.

Read about the California missions that have contributed to California state history. View paintings of all twenty-one missions created by artist, Jerome Tupa. Includes a variety of activities, quizzes, puzzles, etc. to add to the...

Find a map of the Oregon Trail and California Trail and click Historical Trails tab to discover the hardships and daily grind of traveling on the Oregon Trail.

Read first-hand accounts to learn about the children who made the journey west to California, Utah, Oregon and other destinations in the mid-1800s.

This is a very good introduction to the role evolution plays in the development of biodiversity. These topics and extinction are explained with the use of colorful interactive pictures.

The California Vole occurs throughout much of California and southwestern Oregon, with disjunct subspecies in the Mojave Desert, the White Mountain/Panamint ranges, and northern Baja California. California Voles construct surface runways...

California Kangaroo Rats require open areas away from the humidity of the coast in northern California and southern Oregon. They seem to need well-drained soil, and after a rain can be seen pushing mud out of their burrows. Learn more...

California myotis are found in deserts and arid basins. They drink at small waterholes, and when they forage, they fly low and slow over water and other open areas, and at forest edges. Learn more about the Myotis californicus, more...

California Ground Squirrels prefer open, well-drained habitat, and are common along roadsides, on farms, especially where grain is grown, and in grassy fields. Adult squirrels are active only a few months of the year. Learn more about...

California chipmunks typically live at elevations of 1,200-2,500 m in habitats where vegetation is sparse but rocks are plentiful. They use cracks in the rocks, or burrows dug under them, for food storage and nests. Learn more about the...

Get the gory low-down of flesh-eating beetles and find out how they are put to work in natural history museums.

Information about life in an internment camp. Includes related activities and links to books and other websites on Japanese American internment.

A slideshow for teachers and students exploring Earth's geologic timeline and history. Click the buttons at left to select the teacher or student version.

The Dinosauria provides the latest information about dinosaurs, including debunking myths, early dinosaur discoveries, characteristics of specific dinosaurs, life history, and discovery of dinosaur fossils.

The Big-eared Kangaroo Rat has the longest ears of any kangaroo rat, and weighing in at about 85 g, is one of the largest Dipodomys species in California. It is dark cinnamon in color, with white underparts and brown ears. Learn more...

Alpine chipmunks live only at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. They are found in rocky areas such as rock-bordered alpine meadows, talus slopes, and rockslides, with such other mammals as pikas, ermine,...

White-footed Voles inhabit a relatively small area of the Pacific coast of North America, from Humboldt Bay, California, north to the Columbia River. They have small eyes, and their claws are suitable for burrowing, so they probably have...