California's Gold
Season 18
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 18
28 Episodes
- Hollywood SignE1
Hollywood SignJoin popular PBS Host Huell Howser for this very special 1 hour look at the world famous Hollywood Sign. Huell gets special permission from The Hollywood Sign Trust to actually climb up to and even on the sign. While perched on this landmark Huell learns the full history from 1923 till now form the people who work so hard to preserve this icon.Then he is joined by Raiden Peterson who was part of the construction crew that literally rebuilt the sign in 1978. Raiden not only brings great memories and stories but an incredible bunch of artifacts that he found when working on the sign... including a lightbulb that still works!Finally Huell talks to a few pranksters, one of whom was part of a group that changed the sign to read CAL TECH, and another is the infamous RAFFEYSOD. As always you're invited to come on along as we learn how they did it! - WascoE2
WascoThe small town of Wasco in Kern County is famous for it’s roses. There’s nothing like acres and acres of rose bushes to stimulate the eyes and your nose. Huell gets a behind the scenes tour of how rose bushes are harvested, packaged and shipped to nurseries and home centers all over the country. He’ll also hook up with a couple of town historians who show him the rest of Wasco and teach him about the town’s rich history. - John Muir SpecialE3
John Muir SpecialThis is a 1 Hour combination of: California's Gold #5005 - JOHN MUIR Huell goes back in time and visits with John Muir at Yosemite National Park. Muir was America's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist who is often called the father of our National Parks System. In 1892, he founded the Sierra Club to protect the newly created Yosemite National Park. Through his writing and actions, he taught the people of his time, and ours, the importance of experiencing and protecting our natural heritage. AND California's Golden Parks #129 - JOHN MUIR HOME Huell tours the the Victorian residence in Martinez where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914, and meets the special folks who are responsible for preserving this important site. While living there, Muir laid the foundations for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916. - Ansel AdamsE4
Ansel AdamsMany people are familiar with Ansel Adams famous landscape photographs of Yosemite, but there is a whole other body of work that is rarely discussed. Huell visits the Los Angeles Public Library to see the “forgotten Los Angeles photographs” taken by Ansel in 1940 for a Fortune Magazine article on pre-war L.A. These photographs were later donated to the library by Ansel and are now in their collection. Huell is joined by Jonathan Spaulding, the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of the American West and Autry National Center, and author of “Ansel Adams and the American Landscape.” They spend the day in downtown Los Angeles to visit many of the sites where the original photographs were taken. - Sharktooth HillE5
Sharktooth HillHuell visits a massive archelogical site with millions of fossils dating from the Miocene Epoch, 15 million years ago. Kern County was once at the bottom of a huge sea filled with massive prehistoric sharks called megladons which were as big as city busses and fed on whales. Sharktooth Hill is literally covered with fossilized shark teeth. Huell also visits the Buena Vista Museum, which houses amazing archeological finds recovered from Sharktooth Hill. The Buena Vista Museum of Natural History is located in the heart of downtown Bakersfield. It houses an impressive display of fossils frm the Miocene Epoch which was 14-16 million years ago. The fossils were found in the foothills northeast of Bakersfield, known as the Sharktooth Hill area. Kern County is home to over 100 square miles of fossil beds from the Miocene Epoch. While Sharktooth Hill is closed to the general public, you can arrange to go on a paleontology dig through the Buena Vista Museum and keep some real shark teeth, too. - Oil IslandsE6
Oil IslandsIn Long Beach, Calif., there’s a 42-acre oilfield -- offshore, in plain view of tourists, port traffic and beach lovers -- with 175-foot-high drilling towers and 1,100 wells that penetrate a vast underground. It may well be the most unique and beautiful oil drill site in America. The idea that you could drill for oil within site of a major city and do it in a way that would please the residents, was and is revolutionary. Huell visits these four architectural gems and learns about their rich history. - Aircraft CarriersE7
Aircraft CarriersCalifornia has a rich maritime history and has been at the forefront of naval warfare since the beginning. In this special one-hour adventure, Huell visits two aircraft carriers that are now museums in the waters of California. First it’s off to San Diego to visit the USS Midway, which has steamed through a 47-year career of service. Imagine a carrier that was commissioned in 1945 and served as a flagship in Desert Storm in 1991. No other carrier served as long as the USS Midway. She opened in 2004 as a naval aviation museum and is now the pride of San Diego’s waterfront. Next it’s off to Alameda to visit the carrier USS Hornet that is a national treasure, having participated in two of the greatest events of the 20th century -- World War II and the Apollo 11 manned space mission. This floating museum even has the Airstream trailer that the Apollo astronauts lived in for three days after returning to earth! - Pacific Asia MuseumE9
Pacific Asia MuseumThe Pacific Asia Museum is one of only four institutions in the United States dedicated exclusively to the arts and culture of Asiaand the Pacific Islands. The museum’s mission is to further cultural awareness and under-standing through the arts. This museum was originally the home and art galleries of an extraordinary woman named Grace Nicholson, who came to Pasadena from Philadelphia in 1901. In 1924, Nicholson commissioned local architects Marston, Van Pelt & Maybury to build a Chinese-style building for “Oriental and Western Art.” She lived in the building with her galleries down-stairs and her private apartment upstairs until her death in 1948. Since 1971, Pacific Asia Museum has served a broad audience of students, families, adults, and scholars through its education and outreach programs. It has a collection of over 14,000 works of art including paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, jades and textiles from all over Asia and the Pacific Islands, and a research library containing more than 7,000 reference volumes relating to Asian and Pacific art and culture. - Gold Rush MedicineE10
Gold Rush MedicineIt wasn’t always pretty, and it didn’t always work, but the “doctors” of the Gold Rush did the best they could to take care of the throngs of immigrants who came to California in search of fame and fortune. Sacramento’s Sutter’s Fort is the backdrop of this adventure. Huell hears the story of how the Fort was chosen as the site of the first hospital in Sacramento that housed doctors, midwifes, Chinese herbalists certainly some charlatans with plenty of snake oil to sell. With the help of docents and some real doctors, it’s sure to be an education. - Getty GardenE11
Getty GardenThe Central Garden, created by renowned artist Robert Irwin, lies at the heart of the Getty Center. The 134,000-square-foot design features a natural ravine and tree-lined walkway that leads the visitor through an extraordinary experience of sights, sounds, and scents. Huell gets a special tour from Jim Duggan, the Curatorial Advisor for the Central Garden and some of the gardeners who keep this living sculpture alive and beautiful for everyone to enjoy. - Huntington Central ParkE14
Huntington Central ParkHuntington Beach is known as “Surf City”, but in this adventure, we wont even get near the ocean. Huntington Central Park is the largest city-owned park in Orange County covering over 350 acres of land. Huell visits the Shipley Nature Center, an 18-acre natural area filled with beautiful winding paths and spectacular flora and fauna. Next it’s off to The Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center which is home to 420 privately owned horses and surrounded by 185 acres of public trails. We’ll also visit the Frisbee golf course and lots of other hidden gems in this wonderful oasis. - Newport BoatsE15
Newport BoatsOrange County is filled with maritime history and in this adventure; Huell visits Newport Beach to learn about two “boats” that are very historic. Family owned since 1919, Balboa Island Ferry has provided continuous service between Balboa Island and Balboa Peninsula. Crossings just 0.25 miles, this Newport tradition is not only a wonderful tourist attraction, but also a service the locals cherish. Next it’s off for an evening cruise aboard the John Wayne’s famous yacht the Wild Goose. Beginning her life as a minesweeper in World War II, Wayne bought her in 1965 and had her converted into a luxuriously appointed yacht which served as a backdrop for celebrity events, family vacations, and infamous poker sessions with such luminaries as Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Bob Hope. The last captain of the ship shares some wonderful stories about this historic vessel. - PersimmonsE17
PersimmonsHuell spends the day in Granite Bay, California at Otow Orchard to learn the ancient art of Hoshigaki, which is the drying of persimmons. The persimmons are dried each fall in a slow, patient, hands-on process that usually takes three to six weeks... per persimmon. Each persimmon is hand-peeled, strung onto a rack, and massaged every 3 to 5 days for several weeks. Weather conditions are watched carefully. The result is a transformation into a sugary delicacy that is tender and moist. - AnaheimE18
AnaheimWhen you mention Anaheim to most folks, Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm come to mind, but this city has a rich history and some genuine surprises. Huell spends the day with the President of the Anaheim Historical Society and visits everything from a family owned bowling alley celebrating it’s 50th anniversary to a statue built in 1935, that is the oldest piece of public artwork in Orange County. We’ll also visit the home of the man who started Carl’s Jr. and a very historic cactus garden in Pearson Park. - Old Town TustinE19
Old Town TustinTustin is famous for it’s WWII blimp hangers, but this vibrant community has lots of history and some real hidden gems. Huell spends the day exploring Tustin and starts off at the Tustin Museum for a little history lesson. He visits an honest to goodness blacksmith and stops into the Wooden Indian for a haircut. We’ll see some wonderful old architecture and even grab some lunch at wonderful BBQ joint. - Pita BreadE20
Pita BreadHuell Howser travels with his friend Lisa Nahabedian, the Larchmont Cleaners owner, to explore the making of pita bread at the Global Bakery in Pacoima. From the bakery, Huell Howser ends his trip at the Phoenicia Restaurant where he enjoys a pita bread dinner with his friends. - Pear FairE21
Pear FairHuell travels to the Sacramento Delta to learn about California pears. We’ll start our adventure with a family who has been farming in the Delta for five generations. The soil and climate have made the Delta a perfect place to grow agriculture since the Gold Rush. Huell ends up at the 26th annual Pear Fair in Courtland. Everything from pear ice cream to pear vinegar, it’s a whole festival devoted to the Delta pear. - PetroglyphsE23
PetroglyphsHuell travels to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake to see some rock art that is arguably the largest concentration within the Western Hemisphere, and can number 6,000 images just in one small canyon area of 1.5 miles alone. Though an accurate dating technique is still being sought, it is thought that certain petroglyphs date as much as 16,000 years old, with others made as recently as 1800. This rock art is so important to our cultural heritage and our knowledge of the desert's past that in 1964 the sites were listed in the National Register of Historic Places. - LagunaE24
LagunaThe seaside community of Laguna is one our states most beautiful destinations. On this adventure, Huell gets to see the Laguna that the locals know and love. Huell starts the day with a famous date shake at the Orange Inn and then it’s off to the Laguna Art Museum to learn about why so many artists have flocked to Laguna since the very beginning. We’ll visit the Pacific Marine Mammal Center to see how they rescue and return sea mammals to the wild. Huell enjoyed a drink at Las Brisas Mexican Restaurant and explored the tide pools as well. We’ll also learn about Laguna’s amazing natural beauty at the Nix Nature Center. Huell ends up in the most beautiful lifeguard station in California and gets the history of Laguna’s lifeguards. - Barack Obama's California College DaysE25
Barack Obama's California College DaysIn an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Barack Obama described Occidental as "a wonderful, small liberal arts college. The professors were diverse and inspiring. I ended up making some lifelong friendships there, and those first two years really helped me grow up." Who knew that the next president of the United States had such a formative connection to California? Huell gets the presidential tour of Occidental College in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Obama spent his freshman and sophomore years. Huell visits Obama's dorm room with a former classmate, talks to some of his old professors, and learns how his two years at Oxy helped to shape him. - Mono Lake TodayE26
Mono Lake TodayJoin popular PBS host Huell Howser as he revisits Mono Lake, and sees how it has changed in the 15 years since he was first there.We'll learn all about the tufa towers, the many migratory birds, as well as the efforts of the dedicated people who have worked so hard to restore and keep Mono Lake the amazing place that it is! - Delta EcotourE27
Delta EcotourHuell’s been driving through the Delta area for 20 years and finally decided to take a cruise aboard the Tule Queen to explore the enchanting and diverse environment of the Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta by boat. We’ll learn about the rich natural and human history of this important region and see some amazing sights. The Delta is truly a hidden gem and a boat tour is a great way to see it all.