California's Gold
Season 1
TV-G
Huell Howser travels around California looking for interesting stories about the state's rich history, cultural diversity, landmarks, natural wonders, amazing people and points of interest, especially lesser known and out-of-the-way places.
Where to Watch California's Gold • Season 1
12 Episodes
- Living HistoryE1
Living HistoryJoin Huell and experience a recreation of everyday life in a 19th century Russian community at Fort Ross State Historic Park; sail aboard the state's official tall ship, the Californian, and see for yourself the site where Sir Francis Drake left a plate of brass when he landed on our California shore. - L.A. to San Francisco BayE3
L.A. to San Francisco BayHuell visits the Watts Towers, built by an Italian hand, the Watts Towers have been designated a national landmark, and its adjacent Arts Center where children carry on the artistic tradition and create their own masterpieces. Then travel to the “City by the Bay,” to discover what lies behind their obsession with sourdough bread and watch how the bread is made. - Head for the BordersE4
Head for the BordersJoin Huelll as he takes a trip to the southernmost and northernmost towns of the state: Enjoy a taste of the Horseradish Festival in Tulelake, near the Oregon border, the Horseradish capital of the world; and experience the sights and sounds of Calexico, a town that reflects its rich Mexican heritage. - Santa CruzE5
Santa CruzHuell discovers the colorful history of the Beach Boardwalk, the last remaining oceanside amusement park in the West Coast; he meets the pioneers of surfing and the inventor of the wet suit, and enjoys salt water taffy and other sweet treats at Marini's, a family-run business for over four generations. - L.A. AdventuresE6
L.A. AdventuresHuell’s adventure begins at the La-Brea Tar Pits and continues through a futuristic-looking theme room restaurant at LAX; then find every conceivable food item, from fruit to cactus leaves, at the bustling Grand Central Market in downtown. Next, we locate a buried bridge on the campus of UCLA, and watch a harvesting of grapefruit from a 100-year-old tree in Little Tokyo. - Preserving the PastE7
Preserving the PastHuell takes a tour of the little, quaint town of Locke, founded and settled by the Chinese on the Sacramento River Delta; then he hears ancient Cahuilla Indian bird songs sung by members of the Cahuilla tribe, and participates in a threshing bee and antique engine show featuring old farm vehicles and machinery. - TraditionsE8
TraditionsJoin Huell and watch the exciting sport of the charreada or Mexican rodeo at a local Ontario arena; hear the crack of the bat at a baseball game played by the Stockton Ports, the minor-league team believed to have inspired the poem, "Casey at the Bat"; and listen to the sounds of San Francisco's Golden Gate Band, the oldest and only year-round municipal park band performing in the country. - ShipsE10
ShipsHuell meets a local artisan in Trinidad Bay who transforms redwood logs into beautiful canoes; then discovers a little-known landmark, the S.S. Palo Alto, a ship made entirely of concrete, docked at the Seacliff Beach pier in Aptos, and sails on the last remaining lightship in a line of floating lighthouses that once marked the entrance to the ship channel leading to San Francisco Bay. - Natural WondersE11
Natural WondersJoin Huell and hike to the world's tallest tree in Redwood National Park with a group of fifth graders from a nearby school; admire fields ablaze with golden color of California's official state flower, the Golden Poppy, at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster; and climb to the top of magnificent Morro Rock for a beautiful view of Morro Bay. - Lost SierraE12
Lost SierraJoin Huell and travel to Downieville, nestled high in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where gold miners organized the first ski races in the country; meet the staff on the Mountain Messenger, the state's oldest weekly newspaper; and watch a demonstration of the long, heavy wooden skis worn by the gold miners in the mid-1800s.