California

The Robber Baroness of Northern California

Published

3 years ago

May 30, 2022

The Robber Baroness of Northern California

As he investigates her homicide, White finds that Jane Stanford’s sanitized public persona masked a actuality that was each extra scandalous and weirder. A spiritualist who attended the flowery séances {of professional} mediums, Stanford sought counsel and luxury from her departed son and husband. However extra importantly, for White’s functions, she usually clashed with the residing.

These clashes, in accordance with White, started within the dwelling. Regardless of her professions of devotion, Berner usually fought with Stanford over the circumstances of her employment. She briefly stop, in 1889, when Stanford denied her day off to look after her sick mom. Comparable disputes arose once more on a number of of Stanford’s prolonged home and worldwide journeys. Stanford, who was deeply spiritual, additionally suspected that Berner was romantically concerned with two male workers within the family, and made no secret of her disapproval. Berner obtained her revenge by taking kickbacks on family bills.

Although White portrays her as a very tyrannical employer, Stanford was all too typical within the management that she sought over her workers’ time and our bodies. Reside-in servants usually labored twelve-hour days, and even when not formally working had been “on name.” “Mistresses,” like Stanford, sometimes permitted the members of their employees to go away the home just one night through the week, and each different Sunday afternoon and night. They positioned themselves because the ethical guardians of their working-class workers, and disciplined servants discovered flirting or socializing with males. Romantic suitors, in any case, had been opponents for workers’ time and loyalty. On this sense, Berner’s relationships weren’t solely a menace to Stanford’s Christian sensibilities—additionally they threatened the sleek operations of a family that was each bit as a lot of a enterprise as Leland’s railroads. The maids, cooks, and secretaries who play a key position within the occasions in White’s guide had been solely the innermost circle of the Stanfords’ a lot bigger employees.

White focusses on the dramas that unfolded within the family and the college, however the Stanford property’s most bitter labor conflicts passed off on the household farms. Moreover their major residence, located in downtown San Francisco, the Stanfords owned three rural properties: a seventy-two-hundred-acre residential property and inventory farm, in Palo Alto; the Gridley wheat farm, in Butte County; and the Vina Ranch, straddling Butte and Tehama County, which contained a rustic home and what was, by some accounts, the world’s largest winery. The properties constituted the unique endowment for the college that the Stanfords based and, after Leland’s loss of life, a possible supply of money.

When Jane Stanford inherited the farms, she got down to make the sometimes money-losing properties worthwhile by leasing sections of the land, promoting off a few of Leland’s horses, closing a distillery, and firing workers who wouldn’t take pay cuts. When Stanford visited Vina within the winter of 1894, newspapers reported {that a} group of native males surrounded her non-public automobile, shouting and firing their revolvers into the air.

Stanford additionally took a web page out of her late husband’s enterprise playbook, hiring indebted migrant staff by the labor contractors who operated all through the area. Not lengthy after the taking pictures incident, rumors started circulating that she had changed Vina’s whole employees of white winery staff with Japanese migrants contracted at decrease wages. That wasn’t fairly true, however newspaper protection, guests’ accounts, and data within the Stanford household’s archives all point out that Jane Stanford employed a whole bunch of each Chinese language and Japanese staff throughout the farm properties, sometimes paying them lower than whites in comparable jobs. Because the historian Cecilia Tsu has written, the favored picture of Northern California as a haven for the idyllic white “household farm” masked the area’s reliance on a big, expert Asian labor drive.

In August, 1898, Stanford instructed her buddy Could Hopkins that she was in Vina attempting to “pacify a bitter feeling current between white workers and Chinese language.” The white staff, it turned out, had set hearth to the winery, protesting the discount of their day by day wages and the employment of Chinese language grape pickers. The arsonists destroyed 600 kilos of hay and alfalfa, together with all the winery instruments, although it appeared that their actual targets had been close by cabins belonging to the Chinese language pickers. Stanford claimed that she subtle the stress with “a couple of form phrases,” and the newspapers praised her as a “peacemaker.” Per week later, fifteen cabins burned down.

The papers attributed the fireplace to a “careless smoker,” however the incident had all of the markers of the anti-Chinese language violence that the historian Beth Lew-Williams has proven was endemic within the Gilded Age. Towards the backdrop of California’s surging battles over labor and immigration, the goings on at Vina couldn’t fully escape controversy. But the farm’s proprietor retained her picture as a gracious homemaker. In her biography, all Berner talked about of Stanford’s administration of Vina had been the preserved fruits, fruit cordials, and selection meats that the widow introduced again to share among the many residents and company of her residence within the metropolis.

Valued at twenty million {dollars} in 1891, Leland Stanford Junior College’s land-backed endowment exceeded the price of Harvard’s by an element of almost 5. The Stanfords envisioned the college as an alternative choice to the élite universities of the East, which sought to coach rich gents for a lifetime of cultured leisure. Their college, in distinction, would admit women and men of all courses. It could settle for high-school store work as an entrance prerequisite, provide extension programs on agricultural science to native fruit growers, and dispense with each grades and tuition.

It’s tempting to view the college merely as a sort of cash laundry, recycling the Stanfords’ ill-gotten positive aspects for the noble functions of teaching the frequent individuals. However the couple’s goals, particularly Jane ’s, had been extra formidable. She didn’t solely need to achieve the favor of California’s working courses. Because the scholar John Ott has argued, she additionally needed to mildew them.

The college’s most significant function, Stanford defined in an deal with to its Board of Trustees a couple of years after her husband’s loss of life, was the event of the coed’s “soul germ.” She urged the trustees to eschew school rooms in favor of outlets and workshops that will “dignify labor” by educating future staff to “use their palms deftly and usefully.” Stanford believed that, along with offering vocational coaching, the college ought to inculcate the values of religion, thrift, and abstinence of varied sorts. She and her husband banned alcohol from the dormitories and capped the variety of girls undergraduates at 5 hundred.

Élite Western girls of this era, because the historian Peggy Pascoe has written, sought ethical authority in a male-dominated world by insisting on their distinctive capability for piety and purity. In search of affect in relation to males, they might exert their energy over nonwhites and the poor. Like friends who established “rescue properties” for sex-workers and single moms, Stanford made her generosity contingent on adherence to her ethical code.

Unsurprisingly, college students chafed at Stanford’s supervision of their social lives. White finds that directors and professors additionally objected to her meddling in tutorial affairs. “Within the eyes of the legislation the college professors had been Mrs. Stanford’s private servants,” the college president, David Starr Jordan, wrote in “The Story of a Good Lady,” primarily based on a speech he gave to honor the college’s co-founder. Jordan was referring to a decide’s order, through the dispute over Leland Stanford, Sr.,’s property, that the college pay its workers’ salaries from the identical allowance reserved for family employees. However White’s characterization of the connection between Jordan and Jane Stanford means that the assertion may need had one other that means. Regardless of the flowery reward he provided her in public, Jordan privately fumed over Stanford’s interference in issues of hiring and firing.

The tensions between Stanford and Jordan got here to a head over the destiny of the economics professor Edward Ross. Ross had advocated publicly for populist causes resembling including silver to gold because the financial customary, the general public regulation of personal utilities, and a ban on Japanese immigration—reportedly saying the U.S. ought to flip its weapons on each ship crossing the Pacific. Stanford was outraged by the assertion, much less due to its horrifying genocidal implications than as a result of it represented an assault on the labor practices of capitalists like her husband and herself. Jordan tried to steer Stanford to retain Ross within the title of freedom of speech, to no avail. Ross resigned, at Stanford’s behest and amid nice scandal, forcing Jordan to take the blame for the choice and defend his benefactress with a purpose to save the college’s fame. For as soon as, the general public wasn’t fooled. “Mrs. Stanford selects a president and college as she would a butler with a employees of footmen, cooks, and scallions,” one newspaper reported.

The injury to the college’s standing ensuing from the “Ross Affair” and different tutorial scandals set the stage for what White argues was Jordan’s cover-up of Jane Stanford’s homicide. Wills and trusts had been susceptible to authorized problem if the testator was deemed insane, and people episodes had impressed whispers about Stanford’s erratic decision-making and her communions with spirits. A homicide trial would convey extra undesirable consideration to a few of the much less savory elements of the benefactress’s previous, and solutions of suicide might be taken as proof of madness. With the college’s monetary and reputational grounds threatening to break down underneath the load of one other scandal, the one answer was to redirect the general public’s consideration away from the suspicious circumstances of Stanford’s loss of life.

Solely as soon as in her biography, on the third-to-last web page, does Bertha Berner come near telling one thing like the reality about Jane Stanford. “Mrs. Stanford got here to rule individuals by her wealth,” Berner writes, “and no crown or title might have made her rule extra absolute nor the conclusion of her energy extra clear in her thoughts.” Nonetheless, Berner couches that blunt evaluation in reward. She tells us that Stanford modelled her monarchical fashion on Queen Victoria’s, doggedly devoting herself to the welfare of her individuals. When Stanford had performed all that she might to enhance their lot, Berner writes, she was able to die.

White additionally lays out his playing cards in his guide’s remaining pages. Berner, he concludes, killed Jane Stanford—possibly due to the cash that Stanford left her in her will, possibly as a result of Berner feared that Stanford would discover out concerning the kickbacks, possibly as a result of she’d merely had sufficient. Jordan, too, had a believable motive for homicide—Stanford deliberate to fireside him upon getting back from her journey—however White thinks that the bumbling administrator didn’t have it in him. As a substitute, the historian concludes, Jordan hid Berner’s crime to guard the college’s picture, and his personal.

White helps his theories with some essential items of neglected proof, resembling a short point out in a newspaper story connecting Berner to a druggist who would have had entry to strychnine. However, greater than something, it’s the continually shifting tales that Berner and Jordan instructed about their employer that appear to show their guilt. Like Debs, each Berner and Jordan had incentives to uphold Stanford’s picture as a guileless widow.

The thriller of Jane Stanford’s loss of life seems to hinge on the thriller of her life: how a lady on the flip of the 20th century might amass such energy, and the way she might disguise that energy from the general public. As a substitute of in search of equality with males, Stanford insisted on her distinction, and capitalized upon her authority as a spouse and mom. She prolonged her dominance properly past the family by working underneath the pretense of female care and generosity. Her achievement, ultimately, was not emulating her husband, however performing with a ruthlessness that was fully her personal.

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California

7 Most Eccentric Towns in California

Published

31 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

California is replete with beautiful places—think Palm Springs, Beverly Hills, and Laguna Beach. But when you have a sliver of time and only a handful of touristy towns pop into mind, see what some of the most eclectic towns can do for your next memorable getaway in the Golden State. From a guarded community of artists, fishermen, and surfers to a popular island escape, each keeps it real. La Jolla is an intriguing town to visit if you enjoy the Carmel-by-the-Sea vibe.

Guaranteeing the small-town charm and experiences you are after, dive into the local lifestyle to discover something offbeat like a local folk language. Culver City keeps its entertainment legacy close to heart while moving at light speed with innovations. Enjoy a romantic beachside picnic and camping by the shore in Two Harbors, where you can walk among bison on the wild side of the beautiful Santa Catalina Island. Set out on an adventure to the most eccentric towns in California.

Bolinas

The village of Bolinas on the Pacific coast in California.

Obscure doesn’t even begin to cover this hippie community’s remote feel. Just 30 miles northwest of San Francisco, on the Pacific coast, the journey often takes a good hour via the winding roads around Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It’s the kind of NorCal town that most people overlook, and the locals intentionally and repeatedly remove road signs, warning off visitors from the pristine beaches, a thriving organic farming scene, and a laid-back atmosphere. Bolinas has an indiscernible pull on the curious—plus the scenic drive along eucalyptus groves, letting the heavenly scent blast through your rolled-down windows. Turn down the music as you enter the village that values its peace and serenity.

The picturesquely shabby surf and fishing homes over Bolinas Lagoon frame your adventures, like kayaking in the calm waters of the lagoon. Bolinas Beach is great to watch the surfers on a stroll along the silky sands, where you can practice stand-up paddleboarding or surfing. Across town, Agate Beach County Park offers two miles of shoreline, with wildflowers and tide pools filled with fish. Pack a picnic from the local health food market for a hike to a hilltop overlook. You can also hike to the nearby Point Reyes National Seashore. Learn more about the area at the Bolinas Museum, and maybe a secret to befriend this secluded artist community, a lifetime reward.

Boonville

Home to an eclectic mix of some 1,000 residents, this NorCal town in the picturesque Anderson Valley showcases a fascinating cultural dynamic. Among longtime residents and new wine industry arrivals, Boonville is a retirement destination, thanks to its robust healthcare and temperate climate year-round. Tourists enjoy a reinvigorating escape in Mendocino County, some 65 miles north of Santa Rosa and 160 miles northwest of Sacramento. Calming yet offbeat, Boonville enchants you with its quirky vibe, scenic rural lifestyle, and an expensive taste in drinks. It is a fun change in pace from the city, just an hour from the coast, in the valleys and forests of California. The burgeoning wine scene encompasses many vineyards and tasting rooms accentuating Pinot Noir and Alsace varietals.

Seek shade on a picnic at Anderson Valley Wildlife Reserve with birdwatching trails. Right in town, the picturesque Pennyroyal Farm is next to Anderson Valley Brewing Co., a vibrant brewery and taproom crafting beers with picnic areas and tours. Indulge in local cuisine and hospitality at the Boonville Hotel, a modern roadhouse showcase of the thriving valley’s farm-to-table cuisine. From local festivals and cultural events to art galleries and music venues, stop by the Anderson Valley Historical Museum to learn about “Boontling,” in time for the annual Boonville Beer Festival to hear this local dialect come out.

Crockett

Reflections of the Carquinez Bridge at sunrise.

Overlooking San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Strait, Crockett is a great day trip some 62 miles southwest of Sacramento. This one-of-a-kind Bay Area town boasts a historic downtown and mild weather with plenty of ways to soak up the sun year-round along the coast and through the hills of Northern California. Embark on a 2.4-mile hiking loop near the John Muir house, a historical site, with scenic mountain views. Crockett Historical Museum showcases artifacts from the early 20th century in the area. Just east, Eckley Pier is popular for fishing with access to Garden City Wreckage. Or head to Crockett Hills Regional Park, with picnicking and multiuse trails along grassy fields and ravines of a former ranchland.

Its recent burst in population to 3,654 today tells of an ideal spot for the outdoorsy tied with a homegrown vibe. Many enjoy the wildlife trails for hiking and biking through Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline, plus fishing along the picturesque strait. Known for C&H Factory next to the Carquinez Bridge (Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge), the out-of-staters enjoy access to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, 11 minutes north, and 16 minutes south to the pastoral 6,255-acre Briones Regional Park over rolling hills with scenic trails, wildlife, and campgrounds. After admiring the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, stop next door at the Dead Fish, a swanky seafood eatery. You can stroll along the coastal train track through the overgrown Alfred Zampa Trail to Vista Point at sunset, when the city lights take the main stage.

Culver City

Mirroring LA’s old Hollywood vibe, innovation, and trendy neighborhoods, Culver City is like a condensed version wrapped in small-town charm. Its proximity to downtown Los Angeles and adjacent to Beverly Hills appeals to out-of-state visitors. Originally inhabited by the Tongva (Gabrielino) Indians, the Spanish settled the area in the late 18th century upon dividing it into land grants. Formed in 1914 from parts of Rancho La Ballona and Rincón de Los Bueyes, the honorary Harry H. Culver cast a line in the LA area “waters” by promoting the city as a site for motion-picture production. The first catch was grand: Thomas Ince moved his studios, while his lucky hand prompted others to follow, like the iconic Goldwyn Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

The city’s cultural life expanded to the Rollerdrome skate park (Tellefson Park), horse tracks, and auto racing. Turning to a more serious petroleum and technology industry after these closed, the legacy persists through tourism: packing LA’s film history and modern tech industry into a walkable urban center is an attraction in itself. At only some 5.1 square miles, Culver City is home to Sony Pictures Studios since the 1990s, operating on the former MGM lot, a community college founded in 1969, and emerging tech companies. Strolling along the revitalized downtown area, see what catches your eyes between the restaurants and galleries. From Robert Frost Auditorium to Culver City Stairs, the nearby Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area boasts a Japanese garden, a workout course, and scenic trails.

La Jolla

La Jolla’s beauty and style inspired artists and world travelers for decades with easy access in San Diego County. A pretty name comes with a cute face and an angelic soul in a picturesque frame of a rugged coast to explore under SoCal sunrays along the crashing waves, a hop from charming villages filled with galleries, shops, and cafes along the Pacific coast. The Village of La Jolla is surrounded by La Jolla Shores to the north and La Jolla Alta to the south. Although infused with an upscale feel, this smart seaside area offers many free experiences in the outdoors, like the sprawling Kate Sessions Memorial Park, perfect to play with your pet or catch up over a picnic along the grassy recreation area with sweeping hillside views, sports fields, and a playground.

Afterwards, experience its hospitality with an award-winning culinary scene that tastes like casual luxury and a number of signature seaside hotels perfect for a romantic escape, like the revamped, historic La Valencia, aka “The Pink Lady.” The adventurous couples can soak up the bliss on a stroll along seven breathtaking miles of SoCal coastline, guaranteeing dramatic views and pockets of intimacy. From surfing in the cove to the rugged terrain of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, its trails wind past pine trees and sandstone canyons. La Jolla Underwater Park is one of the world’s best snorkeling spots. Families enjoy tidepooling among seals and sea lions at Children’s Pool Beach. Birch Aquarium is minutes north with interactive tide pools and exhibits of all things under the sea.

San Juan Capistrano

This larger town in coastal Orange County has an uncanny ability to transport you into the past. Dating back to the 18th century, San Juan Capistrano boasts one of the state’s most well-preserved Spanish missions, established by Junipero Serra in 1776 that served to convert the Indigenous Acjachemen people to Christianity. These vulnerable native communities, left helpless from disease and scarcity of resources, had no choice but to oblige.

As a stop on Amtrak’s Surfliner, it is easy to get here for a weekend getaway, where you can stay at the gorgeous 125-room Inn at the Mission, Marriott’s Autograph Collection, designed hacienda-style, and snag a bottle of their handcrafted olive oil. After a shakshuka, an egg dish for breakfast, or an eggplant toast at Mayfield, tag along on an engaging guided tour. The missionaries’ quarters, called padres, retain dozens of fascinating historic artifacts, while kiichas are traditional dome-shaped dwellings made with willow branches of the Acjachemen people. Rancho Capistrano Winery promises a relaxing evening over some terrific reds to share your impressions on the iconic Mission San Juan Capistrano, a testament to its Spanish colonial roots in one of the Golden State’s most casual towns.

Two Harbors

West of center on an isthmus along beautiful Santa Catalina Island, Two Harbors is reachable by a high-speed boat, a one-hour ferry, or a helicopter. Like an odd brother to the world-famous port town of Avalon, on the island’s easternmost edge, there’s undeniable charm to this rustic town of 298 locals tucked into Cat Harbor, a State Marine Conservation Area, where bison roam free on the wild side along the seaside bluffs. Take the reinvigorating Cat Harbor Overlook Trail in the morning, since there’s no shade, to the rewarding views of the magnificent turquoise harbor. To the north, the top-rated Camp Cherry Valley offers views of the cobalt blue waters in the cove with white boats in the marina and access to kayaking and snorkeling in paradisiacal scenery.

Comfort creatures enjoy the craftsman style of Banning House Lodge just south of Harbor Reef Restaurant & Bar, serving surf-n-turf, plus brews on a patio over harbor views next to the visitor center. Before embarking on a 6-mile one-way trek west to a remote beach, stop for picnic provisions at Two Harbors General Store, which also sells camping gear. You will be soaking up the coastline views along the way and have a luxurious spread of gourmet cheeses to enjoy at the pebbled Frankie’s Beach. From ziplining to kayaking the calm waters, the remote vibe, void of tourists, is perfect to pick up a new skill like stand-up paddleboarding or scuba diving with rentals from Two Harbors Dive Shop.

While larger cities and more popular destinations may have lost the intrigue in a whirlwind of tourism, these seven preserve a sense of authenticity and charm that you can only comprehend on a local level. Whether it’s the unique history and peculiar architecture of San Juan Capistrano or the extraordinary coastline, each offers something you won’t forget.

Boonville boasts a quirky cultural dynamic in a rich wine country, while Crockett’s one-of-a-kind attractions are framed with ideal geography. Showcasing California’s rich history and diverse landscapes, these lesser-known places let you dive deep into the region’s treasures, indulging along the way and bonding over truly memorable experiences.

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California

2 dead, 3 injured in shooting in Louisville’s California neighborhood

Published

9 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

2 dead, 3 injured in shooting in Louisville’s California neighborhood

Two men are dead and three others injured in a mass shooting in the California neighborhood Saturday night, Louisville Metro Police said.

Second Division officers initially found four men with gunshot wounds in the 2200 block of Garland Avenue when they arrived at 7:30 p.m., LMPD spokesperson John Bradley said in a statement.

Two men were pronounced dead at the scene, while the other two were taken to the University of Louisville Hospital for treatment. As of Sunday, one man was in “critical but stable condition,” while the other was in stable condition, Bradley said.

A fifth man was later found in the area, Bradley said Sunday. He was also taken to UofL Hospital, but his condition was unknown.

Police had not located a suspect Saturday night. LMPD’s homicide unit is investigating, Bradley said. Anyone with information about the shooting could call LMPD’s anonymous tip line at 502-574-5673.

The two men who died have not yet been identified.

Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter

This story has been updated to add video.

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California

California man beheaded his 1-year-old son with a knife, authorities say

Published

16 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

California man beheaded his 1-year-old son with a knife, authorities say

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man has been arrested on suspicion of beheading his 1-year-old son, Northern California authorities said.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Friday that deputies responding to an early morning family disturbance call found a woman outside a home who told deputies that her husband Andrey Demskiy, 28, assaulted her and her mother.

Deputies forced their way into the house in northern Sacramento County when they learned Demskiy was inside with the boy. As they took him into custody, they found a “severed child’s head” in the bedroom where Demskiy was detained.

Detectives said Demskiy used a knife to behead his son after his wife and mother-in-law left the house, according to the statement. He was in custody and ineligible for bail, and was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

The sheriff’s department and the county public defenders office did not respond to emails seeking information on whether Demskiy had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

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