California Frontier

California Frontier

By Damian Bacich, Ph.D.Society & CultureEducationHistoryPlaces & Travel
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California Frontier episodes

  • California Frontier Podcast: Welcome to Season 2





    The California Frontier Podcast is back! Our first season was short — interviews with journalist and travel writer Maggie Espinosa about her pilgrimage to all 21 of the Spanish missions in California, and with Greg Bernal Smestad about his quest to preserve the Californio traditions pass on to him by his grandmother. Both were very well-received and many people have asked to hear more episodes of this podcast, and rightly so.



    Season 2 of The California Frontier Podcast will be a mix of content about important topics and stories related to California’s early heritage, as well as interviews with interesting people who have something to contribute to our understanding of this rich heritage.



    I’d love to get your feedback on the episodes, and your suggestions for interesting topics or people to interview. One of the reasons I started the California frontier project was because I believe that there are so many fascinating topics to delve into, and there are a whole group of interesting people with stories to share. Let us know what you think.



    Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes every two weeks!
    6 min
  • California Frontier Podcast: Welcome to Season 2





    The California Frontier Podcast is back! Our first season was short — interviews with journalist and travel writer Maggie Espinosa about her pilgrimage to all 21 of the Spanish missions in California, and with Greg Bernal Smestad about his quest to preserve the Californio traditions pass on to him by his grandmother. Both were very well-received and many people have asked to hear more episodes of this podcast, and rightly so.



    Season 2 of The California Frontier Podcast will be a mix of content about important topics and stories related to California’s early heritage, as well as interviews with interesting people who have something to contribute to our understanding of this rich heritage.



    I’d love to get your feedback on the episodes, and your suggestions for interesting topics or people to interview. One of the reasons I started the California frontier project was because I believe that there are so many fascinating topics to delve into, and there are a whole group of interesting people with stories to share. Let us know what you think.



    Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes every two weeks!
    6 min
  • 001: California Frontier Podcast: Welcome to Season 2

    The California Frontier Podcast is back!
    Our first season was short -- interviews with journalist and travel writer Maggie Espinosa about her pilgrimage to all 21 of the Spanish missions in California, and with Greg Bernal Smestad about his quest to preserve the Californio traditions pass on to him by his grandmother. Both were very well-received and many people have asked to hear more episodes of this podcast, and rightly so. 

    Season 2 of The California Frontier Podcast will be a mix of content about important topics and stories related to California's early heritage, as well as interviews with interesting people who have something to contribute to our understanding of this rich heritage. 

    I'd love to get your feedback on the episodes, and your suggestions for interesting topics or people to interview. One of the reasons I started the California frontier project was because I believe that there are so many fascinating topics to delve into, and there are a whole group of interesting people with stories to share. Let us know what you think.

    Send a Comment.

    Support the show

    Give a one-time donation

    Learn more about the California Frontier Project:

    • Website
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Facebook

    Contact:
    [email protected]

    6 min
  • Podcast Episode 002 — “You Have to Carry This On”: What it Means to Be a Californio

    In this episode, I speak with Greg Bernal-Mendoza Smestad, a direct descendant of the families who settled Alta California over 200 years ago.  Greg talks to us about their journey, the character of those people who risked their lives to come to come north, and the legacy they passed on.

    When Spanish explorers came to Alta California in 1769, they soon understood that they would never be able to defend the province from the English and Russians if they did not found a colony populated by families.
    In 1775, Felipe de Neve, the governor of California, together with Juan Bautista de Anza, an intrepid army officer from Tubac, in Sonora, recruited a group of about 200 people to journey north on foot and establish towns in Alta California. Neve knew that without families to raise crops and establish towns, it would be hard to create a stable Spanish presence in the territory.
    Anza led these families, of mixed European, Native American and African ancestry, from what is today southern Arizona. They traveled for almost 1,000 miles on foot, horseback and mule, arriving at the Presidio of Monterey in March of 1776. Members of the expedition later branched off to found the Presidio of San Francisco and the Pueblo (now City) of San José.
    Over time, a new, hybrid culture grew: the culture of the Californios.
    In my conversation with Greg, he explains the significance of the Anza expedition, tells some wonderful stories about his ancestors and their dramatic journey, and gives insight into what it means to be a Californio.
    Greg talks about his grandmother’s insistence that he carry on the family legacy. Later he tells us about the network of Californio descendants who are keeping their heritage alive and in sharing it with others.

    In his drive to share his ancestors’ story, Greg has worked with the National Park Service to help found the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. He has created original materials, in both English and Spanish, to help visitors understand the significance of this national treasure. He was instrumental in starting Founders Day or Happy Birthday San José, which celebrates the birth of the California’s third largest city.

    Links for this episode:

    Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail: https://www.nps.gov/juba/index.htm
    Los Californianos: http://www.loscalifornianos.org
    The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area: http://www.muwekma.org.
    Mount Umunhum: https://www.openspace.org/mount-umunhum
    Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/parkfinder/pages/chitactac-adams.aspx
    My story about Ulistac Open Space Preserve: A Hidden Gem: Ulistac Natural Area (Video)
    My story about Happy Birthday San José: http://www.californiafrontier.net/happy-birthday-san-jose.
    Article from December about Greg:
    42 min
  • Podcast Episode 001 — How to Visit All 21 California Missions with Maggie Espinosa

    A conversation with writer Maggie Espinosa, on her quest to visit all 21 California missions, from San Diego to Sonoma.
    A growing number of people of all ages are taking up the challenge of walking the entire California mission trail. For many, it is an adventure, a spiritual pilgrimage, a scenic tour, a way to get to know themselves, or all of the above.
    Maggie Espinosa is a journalist, travel writer and blogger, who decided to set off on a quest to visit all 21 of California missions. Along the way, she overcame challenges, made friends, and learned about herself. The story of her journey is detailed in the book, On a Mission: An 800-mile Walk to Discover California’s El Camino Real. On a Mission is a wonderful, personal account of her life on the mission trail. When I read it, I new that I had to somehow interview Maggie and hear her story.
    Maggie was happy to answer my questions about her journey. She’s a lively and engaging person, and I know you are going to enjoy our conversation. In it, I ask her about what prompted her to hit the trail, the challenges she met along the way, her favorite mission, and advice for people who would like to walk the Camino Real like she did. She provides a whole lot of great information, and talks about the California Mission Walkers, an organization that supports people like Maggie who want to take up the challenge of walking El Camino Real. I’ve met some of the group’s members, and they all have great stories from the trail.
    Links for this episode:

    Maggie’s website: travelwithmaggie.com
    Maggie’s book on Amazon: On a Mission: An 800-mile Walk to Discover California’s El Camino Real
    Videos about Maggie’s mission journey:

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvXAt29ZITM
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuOvSHY0_S4
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLYGd4e1MkY




    The California Mission Walkers Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/californiamissionwalkers
    * List of all 21 California missions

    36 min
  • The California Frontier Podcast – Introduction

    Introducing the California Frontier Podcast, dedicated to the people and stories of the California mission and rancho eras.
    For some months now I have been promising to launch a California Frontier Podcast. Well, as they say in Spanish, Lo prometido es deuda (“A promise is a debt”). I owe you a debt, and it is one I am happy to pay.

    What is a podcast?  A podcast is basically like a radio show, except that, instead of listening to it over the air at the time it is broadcast, you listen to a podcast over the Internet, at the time and place of your choosing. “Podcast” is a play on the word “broadcast”: the first podcasts were probably meant to be heard on an iPod, hence the “pod” in “podcast” (by the way, does anyone still have an iPod?).  So you don’t have to worry about missing a show, as you would on the radio.

    The convenience factor means that more and more people are listening to podcasts. You can listen to a podcast while driving, mowing the lawn, washing the dishes or running on a treadmill. And there are literally thousands of them, covering every topic imaginable: news, sports, politics, music, history, ham radio… you name it. According to the Pew Research Center,  21% of Americans over 12 have listened to a podcast in the last month, a number that has tripled in the last several years.

    But other than the popularity of the format, why launch a podcast? My passion for the subject of the Spanish and Mexican eras in California has led me to meet some extraordinary and fascinating people, from archaeologists to artists, from to reenactors to historians, from artisans to descendants of Native and Spanish people. Each of these persons has a story to tell, and I want to share their voices with you, to let them tell their story. And storytelling has been an oral medium since as far back as humanity can remember. So what better than to use technology to let us hear the actual voices of the people telling the stories?

    The story of the California frontier is first and foremost the story of people’s lives. And hearing people’s stories is the best way to counter what archaeologist David Hurst Thomas calls “the grand narrative.” The grand narrative is one that focuses on the clash of civilizations: good guys vs. bad guys  — however you define the good guys and the bad guys. But real people are complex, and can’t always be divided into good and bad  — that’s what makes them interesting, and what makes history fascinating. So I am confident that this podcast will help to expose and explode some myths and clichés about the culture and history of Alta California.

    I release episodes approximately once a month, or more frequently if I have a special topic to share. The best way to find out about new episodes is to suscribe to this website or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or another podcast provider. You can listen to episodes of the California Frontier Podcast from your computer or phone, just by going to this website and looking under the category “Podcasts” or by visiting iTunes or any of the other podcast feed suppliers. If you like what you hear, please give the show a rating, and most of all, tell your friends.

    Send a Comment.

    Support the show

    Give a one-time donation

    Learn more about the California Frontier Project:

    • Website
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Facebook

    Contact:
    [email protected]

    7 min

About California Frontier

From the publisher's feed

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…