California's Gold

Season 8

1997 · 12 episodes · 5h 36m in all

Episodes

1. 1

   1. Historic Trees

   5 Jan 1997 · 28 min

   Huell travels the state to find trees with historic significance, profiling the landmark parent Washington Navel orange tree in Riverside and the ancient, sacred oak trees of the Santa Rosa Plateau. [Production Code 801]

2. 2

   2. Kelp Update

   2 Feb 1997 · 28 min

   Huell revisits the coast to examine the fragile marine ecology of California's giant kelp forests, looking at how dynamic seasonal weather patterns and conservation efforts impact underwater habitats. [Production Code 802]

3. 3

   3. Fort Ross

   2 Mar 1997 · 28 min

   Huell returns to the rugged Sonoma coast to explore the deeper history of Fort Ross State Historic Park, detailing the daily lives of 19th-century Russian fur traders and native Alaskan hunters. [Production Code 803]

4. 4

   4. Mount Diablo

   6 Apr 1997 · 28 min

   Huell climbs to the summit of Mount Diablo in the San Francisco Bay Area to experience its panoramic views, unique geological formations, and its historical role as a primary survey landmark. [Production Code 804]

5. 5

   5. State Park Rangers

   4 May 1997 · 28 min

   Huell hits the trail with California State Park Rangers to highlight their diverse duties, from remote wilderness tracking and environmental preservation to managing landmark historic sites. [Production Code 805]

6. 6

   6. Historic Bridges

   1 Jun 1997 · 28 min

   Huell uncovers engineering treasures by tracking down California's surviving historic covered bridges, examining their early timber craftsmanship and structural preservation. [Production Code 806]

7. 7

   7. Bodie Update

   6 Jul 1997 · 28 min

   Huell journeys back into the high-desert ghost town of Bodie State Historic Park to check on the preservation of its fragile structures under the state's policy of "arrested decay." [Production Code 807]

8. 8

   8. Historic Inventions

   3 Aug 1997 · 28 min

   Huell explores California's legacy of ingenuity, profiling the origin stories of local inventions that went on to change global industry, agriculture, and daily life. [Production Code 808]

9. 9

   9. Mono Lake Update

   7 Sept 1997 · 28 min

   Huell returns to the Eastern Sierra to observe the changing water levels and ecological recovery of Mono Lake following historic legal protections for its tributary streams. [Production Code 809]

10. 10

    10. Death Valley 49ers

    5 Oct 1997 · 28 min

    Huell joins local historians to retrace the grueling, treacherous paths walked by the historic 1849 gold rush pioneers who accidentally became trapped in Death Valley. [Production Code 810]

11. 11

    11. Anza-Borrego Update

    2 Nov 1997 · 28 min

    Huell heads back out to the Colorado Desert to explore newly discovered paleontological fossil beds and archaeological sites hidden within Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. [Production Code 811]

12. 12

    12. Hearst Castle Update

    7 Dec 1997 · 28 min

    Huell returns to San Simeon for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the massive preservation projects and structural restoration hidden away in the upper floors of Hearst Castle. [Production Code 812]