Blue whales were on the brink of extinction in 1978, when organizations that included Oregonians to Protect Whales and Greenpeace sponsored an Oregon initiative to prevent state and local governments from buying products from whaling nations.

Seiad, Calif., once had a school at Schoolhouse Gulch, where if it existed today Hwy 96 would cross its front porch.

The land around Kennett, Calif., was once home to some 250 Wintu Indian villages, but by 1835 their numbers had been decimated by disease and war. After gold was discovered in Backbone Creek in 1852, the railroad town of Kennett grew into the most important mining center outside of Redding and Shasta.

In late December 1917, Thomas Rilea traveled from Portland to Agness, Ore., to spend Christmas with his family. He rode a train south to West Force Station and set out on the 18-mile overland hike home.

On Dec. 20, 1924, the Wedderburn, Ore., Social Art Club presented the comedy titled “My Friend from India” at the community hall.

Winter activities were popular at Crater Lake and Fort Klamath during the winter months of the 1920s and 1930s.

The Beebe sisters Fern Dow and Sadie Koehler grew up outside of Central Point, Ore., and had many stories to tell of their early years. One had to do with the Baptist minister.

The big steel steamship Oregon was sailing from San Francisco to Portland in early March 1905 when fire broke out in the cargo area. The ship with 57 passengers aboard was 15 miles southwest of Crescent City.

In 1848, the first pioneer settler in the Shasta region, Pearson B. Reading, successfully mined the Trinity River near Douglas City. News of his exploits drew miners from all over the West to the rugged terrain of Trinity County.

French miners settled French Gulch in Shasta County in 1849 or 1850. It was located west of the original town of Shasta, about six miles west of Redding.