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California Frontier
Prof. Damian Bacich shares the history you didn't learn in school. Each episode is a deep dive into the fascinating early history of California and the West. Listen to stories and interviews with scholars, experts, and people who are passionate about a time when California was the frontier of empire and imagination.
California Frontier
Latest Episodes
098: Outlaw Joaquín Murrieta with author John Boessenecker
The real story of California bandido Joaquin Murrieta is darker—and far more complicated—than the legend. Historian and New York Times bestselling author John Boessenecker joins Damian Bacich to separate fact from folklor...
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097: Bastion by the Bay with author Dr. John Langelier
This is the second interview in a series marking the 250th anniversary of the Presidio of San Francisco. Damian Bacich sits down with historian Dr. John Langelier, author of Bastion by the Bay: Th...
096: San Francisco Presidio with Archaeologist Kari Jones and Historian Rob Thomson Part 2
The story of the Presidio didn't end with Spain or Mexico—it was only beginning.In the second half of my conversation with Rob Thomson, Federal Preservation Officer, and Kari Jones, archaeologist with the Presidio Tr...
095: San Francisco Presidio with Archaeologist Kari Jones and Historian Rob Thomson Part 1
How did a lonely Spanish outpost become one of America's most remarkable historic places?In this episode, I sit down with Rob Thomson, Federal Preservation Officer, and Kari Jones, Chief Archaeologist with the Presid...
094: The Wine Tasting That Put California on the Map with Kevin Ferguson, Part 2.
In Part 2 of this conversation, Damian Bacich talks with wine historian Kevin Ferguson, descendant of the Gemello Winery family, about the dramatic rise of California wine, the legendary 1976 Judgment of Paris, and the family stories that...
Fan Mail
I very much enjoyed this episode. I am sharing it with our granddaughter from Virginia who may be attending college in the West, in Los Angeles. As you say at the end, understanding the history of the place you are living in helps you live a fuller life there... at least understanding why so many names in CA are in Spanish! Quite a change for someone raised in the East. Thank you for these episodes. I wish my fourth grade CA History class and the CA History required at UCBerkeley at the time I was there (Bean) had been enriched by this kind of primary material. I was next door to the Bancroft Library many times and never learned that records of my ancestors, such as the diseño of their land grant in Half Moon Bay, were kept there. My drama teacher in high school was the only one who took an interest and kept pestering me about my last name. I did not know my own history until much later. I think with your interest in the people of California a possibly life changing connection might have been made. I believe this disconnect with my history also speaks to the change from Mexican to United States rule.
Crockett, California
