Robin C Johnson

Early California had its share of colorful residents, men and women alike. After gold was discovered in the largely uninhabited territory in 1849, people flooded in from around the world to seek their fortune, building a bustling international population in accelerated time. It was the natural place for unconventional types to thrive, and the first 50 years of California statehood produced more than its share of fascinating characters, many of them female. For instance, there's Madame Mustache who was a first-rate gambler known throughout the West for her agile fingers at vingt-et-un and the dark line of hair on her upper lip. There was Jeanne Bonnet, a French cross-dresser who caught and sold frogs for a living and launched a crusade to single-handedly liberate prostitutes from their pimps. Sadly, she was murdered, inspiring the never-solved "San Miguel Mystery." And what about the Countess de Henriot who sashayed into San Francisco's Palace Hotel one day with a dozen trunks and servants in tow? She served prospective husbands fine champagne and caviar and let them fawn all over her for months...until somebody started asking questions about her origins. There are these and many more eccentric personalities to discover in this compendium of notorious women of old California, from swindlers to performers to murderers and beyond.

With the addition of new trails and dozens of additional photographs, this edition of Geology Hikes of Northern California has been updated, expanded and improved. This unique guide is indispensable for anyone interested in knowing more about the natural world encountered on California's varied walking and hiking trails. Intended for non-scientists, this book gives the average hiker just the right amount of information to appreciate the geological forces that shaped the landscape without overburdening you with technical details you neither want nor need. If you thrill at caves, want to climb a volcano, are awed by the power of time to sculpt stone into natural works of art, and are keen to investigate geysers, bubbling mud pots, lava flows, old mines and more, you will find many great adventures in this guide, ranging from family walks on nature trails to more strenuous mountain trekking and everything in between. Areas covered: Klamath Mountains and the North Coast, the Cascades, the Modoc Plateau, the Coast Ranges, the Great Valley, the Mother Lode, and the Sierra Nevadas.

Did you know that the first and only woman to ever walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope was Italian Maria Spelterini in 1876? Or that the first American to earn an international pilot's license was Bessie Coleman, an African American woman, in 1921? And what about the first Hollywood stunt woman, Helen Gibson, who got her start in 1914 stunt doubling on the series "The Hazards of Helen"? Or Marie Marvingt, the Frenchwoman who, in 1909, became the first woman to pilot a hot-air balloon across the English Channel? And who could forget that daredevil race car driver, Joan Newton Cuneo, who, in 1909, blazed past so many male racers that the industry banned women from racing altogether? Unfortunately, most of us have forgotten her...and all the rest of them. But it doesn't have to be that way. These are the true stories of women who made history 100 years ago, women who bucked the system and pursued their dreams, sometimes against ferocious odds, risking life and limb. They were all fearless. But they were all unique as well, bringing their talents and passions to a wide variety of pursuits. All of these women deserve to be remembered for their guts, their glory and their historical significance. Not to mention that their lives were simply fascinating.Robin C. Johnson has written an informative, entertaining and poignant book about 45 of the most remarkable women in history, with over 150 period illustrations and photos that make the stories spring to life. The perfect inspirational gift for a girl or young woman.

Did you know that the first and only woman to ever walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope was Italian Maria Spelterini in 1876? Or that the first American to earn an international pilot's license was Bessie Coleman, an African American woman, in 1921? And what about the first Hollywood stunt woman, Helen Gibson, who got her start in 1914 stunt doubling on the series "The Hazards of Helen"? Or Marie Marvingt, the Frenchwoman who, in 1909, became the first woman to pilot a hot-air balloon across the English Channel? And who could forget that daredevil race car driver, Joan Newton Cuneo, who, in 1909, blazed past so many male racers that the industry banned women from racing altogether? Unfortunately, most of us have forgotten her...and all the rest of them. But it doesn't have to be that way. These are the true stories of women who made history 100 years ago, women who bucked the system and pursued their dreams, sometimes against ferocious odds, risking life and limb. They were all fearless. But they were all unique as well, bringing their talents and passions to a wide variety of pursuits. All of these women deserve to be remembered for their guts, their glory and their historical significance. Not to mention that their lives were simply fascinating.Robin C. Johnson has written an informative, entertaining and poignant book about 45 of the most remarkable women in history, with over 150 period illustrations and photos that make the stories spring to life.

Early San Francisco had more than its share of colorful characters. The bold, ruthless and adventurous flooded in after gold was discovered in 1848. Among those early pioneers was David Smith Terry, known as Terry the Terrible, the Supreme Court Justice who fought the duel that ended dueling in California. Another was William Sharon, King of the Comstock, a millionaire and a United States Senator. And then there was the notorious Mary Ellen "Mammy" Pleasant, a woman whose story still mystifies and enthralls historians, who has been praised as the mother of California civil rights and has been called a swindler, voodoo priestess, murderer and more.By the 1880s, these legendary figures had already seen a lot of fast living. If they were looking forward to their quiet golden years, they must have been greatly disappointed at the turn life took when the tempestuous Sarah Althea Hill came to town. She swept through the city, scattering destruction in her wake. When the chaos was over, some people recovered, others did not, but Sarah herself would suffer one of the saddest fates of all.She was beautiful, talented and intelligent. She set off the scandal of the Gilded Age. And then she was forgotten. Until now.