Images showing early California exploration and settlement dating from 1780s through the 1830s and describing the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among pre-Columbian people of California.

This site discusses the mission movement in California and its effect on the Native Americans. Timeline of the missions' founding is also provided.

This collection at the University of California-Berkeley can now be accessed online through the Online Archive of California. It provides a vast collection of historically significant primary source images of early California and the...

The California State Military Museum has captured the history of the Indian Wars. This is a synopsis of the Mariposa Indian War which occurred between 1850-1851, the best known battle during the Gold Rush years.

This primary source set uses documents, photographs, and artwork to tell the story of the development and impact of Spanish missions in California during the Mission period.

Describes the impact of the California Gold Rush of 1848 which brought hundreds of thousands of gold-seeking migrants to the region. This massive influx of people to a place with little law enforcement and no infrastructure led to...