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"From birth to death, a reverence and connection with the natural world -- particularly the sea -- tied the many distinct tribes of the Chumash together."
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It is hard to believe that a little over a century ago this Mayberry of vacation homes and sunshine was just a mosquito infested mudflat, which one Newport Mayor unceremoniously referred to as a "dump."
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The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk emerged as the dream of a magnetic, brash young showman who wanted to turn the seaside town into the next great tourist destination.
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Unimpressed by his first sight of the Bay in 1769, Spanish expedition leader Gaspar de Portolá had unknowingly stumbled upon one of the greatest natural harbors in the world.
Executive ProducersJuan DevisThomas RiglerCo-Executive ProducerSteven ReichWriterSteve Reich DirectorThomas RiglerEditorsDave EmmendorferBilly G.…
monterey canning company
Before it was a tourist destination, Monterey's Cannery Row was home to a tight knit, multi-cultural community of fish factory workers and the Pacific Biological Lab, a hub of local artists and writers.
Enlightened Christian warfare in the 19th century. Massacre of Indian women and children in Idaho by white scouts and their red allies. Engraving, 1868. | Getty Images
In the mid-1800s, Native Americans were forcibly removed from what is today MacKerricher State Park in Mendocino County. It was one of a series of forced marches of indigenous Californians.
falconry
The surprising role that the ancient sport of falconry has played in the conservation of the peregrine falcon.
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Suspicions of Russian influence in North America go back over 200 years, when Russia sought to dominate the West Coast.
sutro baths
The Sutro Baths stood as a testament to the Gilded Age, but it also harbored an injustice hidden within this lavish gift to the people of San Francisco. 
splash steamer lane
The origins of surfing in North America can be traced back to three young Hawaiian princes who introduced the sport in Santa Cruz, California in 1885.
angel island
For 30 years, arrivals to this Pacific gateway to the American Dream were subject to invasive medical exams and intense interrogations.
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Coastal California

Keep Exploring: Coastal California

Coastal California highlights the work of artists along the California coast.