George McKale is a practicing archaeologist and Sonoma’s City Historian. He has excavated throughout California ranging from Native American sites thousands of years old to Gold Rush era locations. His passion and specialty in archaeology is the study of human remains.
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Blog Archives
The Fort Ross-Sonoma connection: Part 3
Last week, I presented the second of a three-part series, presenting a paper I delivered at a symposium commemorating the 200th anniversary of the founding of Fort Ross. Below, Part 3: In 1835, Vallejo described coming to San Rafael, proceeding … Continue reading
The Fort Ross-Sonoma connection
Last week, I had the honor to present a paper sponsored by The Society of Living Traditions, at a symposium addressing the “unfolding history of the past 200 years of Fort Ross.” American and Russian scholars addressed participants with three … Continue reading
Olompali and China Camp: resources worth saving
Soon, those of us living north of San Francisco, will experience the closure of several state parks. It is a sad state of affairs, as many of these parks have both natural and cultural resources, resources where access will be … Continue reading
A slap in the face
Diaries, journals, newspaper accounts, letters, drawings and photographs from the days of old are great research tools that provide glimpses into early Sonoma culture. I have touched upon the visit of Sir George Simpson to Sonoma in previous columns. Always … Continue reading
The exploits of Duflot de Mofras
I’ll start with the facts. Eugene Duflot de Mofras was born in Toulouse, France on July 5, 1810. He was a naturalist, diplomat and explorer who held a diplomatic post in Mexico City in 1839. During this time period, countries … Continue reading
Mexican-American war
Here in Sonoma, the Bear Flag Revolt takes on a life of its own. Like many, I agree that Sonoma is the center of the universe. Like many, I am biased in my interpretation of Sonoma’s significance to California and … Continue reading
Dissipated habits in the new frontier
Everyone loves a good murder mystery. Even if it isn’t a mystery, we want to know why it happened. We ask, ‘What could have led to such unfortunate encounters?’ In the “History of Sonoma County” published by Allen, Bowen & … Continue reading
Who’s who: Biggins and Burris
I was spammed the other day. I was invited to provide information to be included in a prestigious Who’s Who publication. The ad stated that I was chosen for my distinguished status in Sonoma and for my incredible achievements in … Continue reading
Sonoma Electric Light Company sells out to PG&E
The streetlights lining Broadway are magnificent. They illuminate the grand boulevard and on foggy evenings the image is magical. The poles themselves reflect an era gone by. I grew up in San Francisco and I remember a very similar pole … Continue reading
Forever young: the makings of a Leap Year
Most of us believe Leap Year occurs every four years. As we shall see, it depends. There are 365 days in the year, but in a Leap Year, we add a day in February to make things right with the … Continue reading