10 Facts about the 1872 Owens Valley Earthquake in California

 by Edwina Kiernan

At 2:30am on March 26, 1872, the sleeping town of Lone Pine, California had a rude awakening. The Owens Valley Earthquake was one of the largest Californian earthquakes in recorded history, in which 27 people were killed and 56 were injured. Here are ten facts I discovered as I researched it for my latest book...

1) The quake was felt as far away as Sacramento and Los Angeles.

2) The Diaz family, who had emigrated from Chile in the 1860s, operated a successful cattle ranch until the earthquake hit. A natural spring filled the quake basin, turning the ranch into a lake, named Diaz Lake to this day.

3) At the time of the earthquake, Mt. Whitney was known as Fisherman's Peak.

4) 27 inhabitants of Lone Pine were killed - more than 10% of its population.

5) The quake generated a fault scarp more than 2m tall, with the ground shifting 5m to the right. The scarp can be followed for more than 40 miles north and south of the epicenter. The ground fissures can be followed for more than 225 miles.

Lone Pine fault scarp

6) The earthquake's estimated magnitude was between 7.4 and 7.9.

7) The interest in seismology that this earthquake sparked led to the formation of the first permanent seismic observatories in the United States.

8) Numerous eyewitness accounts survive to this day, including one from the Scottish naturalist, John Muir. He described the shocks as being so violent and so closely following one another that trying to walk was like trying to balance on a ship tossed at sea. He also had an optimistic outlook during the event - part of his account says: "...Though I had never before enjoyed a storm of this sort, the strange, wild thrilling motion and rumbling could not be mistaken, and I ran out of my cabin, near the Sentinel Rock, both glad and frightened, shouting, "A noble earthquake!" feeling sure I was going to learn something." You can read his full account here.

9) A series of aftershocks continued for months afterwards, causing even more buildings to collapse due to their already weakened structures.

10) A number of the victims are buried in a mass grave. It was registered as a California Historical Landmark in 1953, and a new memorial was established in 1988 on the 116th anniversary of the tragedy.

The original marker of the 1872 Lone Pine Earthquake victim's common grave

1988 memorial, detailing some of the victims' names and nationalities

Did You Know?

My new release, Heart of Integrity, features the Owens Valley / Lone Pine earthquake of 1872. Susan and Ifor have each traveled miles across the world to escape their pasts and build new lives. But when a devastating earthquake throws them into a state of upheaval, long-buried secrets soon shake loose with devastating consequences...

Not all fault lines are hidden in the earth...

Find out more here: EdwinaKiernan.com/integrity

About The Author:

Edwina Kiernan is an award-winning author of Christian Historical Romance. She lives in rainy Ireland with her husband and son, and uses her pen to point people to Jesus - the Living Word. She also drinks more types of tea than most people realize even exist. Find out more at EdwinaKiernan.com, and sign up for her weekly newsletter for lots of fun, fiction, freebies and faith.

The History of the Famous Hollywood Sign

By Michelle Shocklee

We've all seen it at some point, either in person, in photographs, or on television. It's probably one of the most famous signs in the entire world. Yep, I'm talking about the nine enormous letters that sit on a hill overlooking Los Angeles, California, that spell out H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D!

Hollywood sign; Free use photo

I remember the first time I saw the sign. I was about ten years old, and my family had traveled from New Mexico to California, with stops at Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, and Arizona's Grand Canyon One of the most exciting sites for me, however, was the famous Hollywood sign. Why? I have no idea. HA! I suppose it represented a foreign, exciting world to me back then. A world where the rich and famous lived, and where you could see a movie star on every corner. Well, we didn't see any movie stars while we were in California, but I still remember seeing the huge, white letters on the hillside as we drove through Los Angeles in the craziest traffic I'd ever witnessed in my short life.

Yet even though most of us recognize this famous landmark, not everyone is familiar with its history. Let me tell you a fun little tale...

Once upon a time (it was actually 1923, 100 years ago!) a group of real estate developers bought some land in the hills above Los Angeles, California, with the intention of building upscale homes on big lots. One of the investors was Harry Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles Times. Harry wanted everyone in LA to know about this new housing development called Hollywoodland, but he needed something BIG and EXTRAVAGANT in order to capture the publics attention. Your average advertising billboard simply would not do.

Hollywoodland; Free use photo

Harry hired Crescent Sign Company to create his vision. For $21,000, the company crafted thirteen giant letters, spelling out Hollywoodland. Each letter stood 43 feet tall and was 30 feet wide. But even though the entire sign was over 350 feet long and was visible from up to 15 miles away, Harry wanted to be sure it was seen 24-hours a day. So he had 4,000 lights installed on each letter, along with spotlights shining from below. At night the sign blinked into the darkness: first ‘Holly’, then ‘wood’, and finally ‘land’, punctuated by a giant period. Now everyone could see it!!

Because of its instant popularity, the sign that was supposed to stay on the hill for a year or so, remained in its original location, with blinking lights and all, into the 1930s. In 1933, however, the new owners deemed it too expensive to illuminate, and the power was turned off. Over the next decade the sign began to deteriorate. The "H" was damaged in 1944, either by strong wind or vandalism. By 1949, complaints from residents began to roll in, deeming the sign an eyesore and asking that it be removed.

Enter the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber offered to take over the cost of repairs of the sign, but one thing had to change: the last four letters -- L-A-N-D -- had to be removed. The sign was shortened, repaired, and continued to grow in fame. Sadly, in the 70s, it once again fell into disrepair. This time the public was invited to save the famous landmark. People from the movie industry, famous singers, and businessmen contributed money, raising over $250,000, with each contributor assigned to a letter.

Hollywood sign; Public domain picture

Today, the Hollywood sign continues to draw visitors, although access to it is not easy due to private land that surrounds it. But millions of people, including myself, have been in awe upon seeing it in person for the first time.

Your turn: Have you been to Hollywood and seen the sign? What did you think?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Michelle's next novel, Appalachian Song, releases October 3, 2023, and is available for preorder. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com

COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS
*2023 Christianity Today Book Award Winner*

1961. After a longtime resident at Nashville’s historic Maxwell House Hotel suffers a debilitating stroke, Audrey Whitfield is tasked with cleaning out the reclusive woman’s room. There, she discovers an elaborate scrapbook filled with memorabilia from the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Love notes on the backs of unmailed postcards inside capture Audrey’s imagination with hints of a forbidden romance . . . and troubling revelations about the disappearance of young women at the exposition. Audrey enlists the help of a handsome hotel guest as she tracks down clues and information about the mysterious “Peaches” and her regrets over one fateful day, nearly sixty-five years earlier.
https://www.tyndale.com/p/count-the-nights-by-stars/9781496459930

Name Origins of the Unites States + giveaway

  By Tiffany Amber Stockton

In February, we learned about carousels and their start as part of "little wars" in ancient times. You can read last month's post if you missed it.

Today, I'm going to start with the first of 5 total posts on the origins of the state names in the United States. These will be sprinkled throughout the rest of this year, not the next 4 months. So, let's go!

STATE NAMES and their ORIGINS

Alabama comes from the Choctaw word albah amo meaning thicket-clearers or plant cutters.

Alaska has ties to the Aleuts and the Russians, with the words alaxsxaq and Аляска, respectively, essentially meaning mainland.

Arizona has ancient roots to the Uto-Aztecan word ali sona-g, which was adopted by the Spaniards as Arizonac, meaning good oaks.

Arkansas is the French pronunciation of an Algonquin name for the Quapaw people, akansa.

California is truly a magical place. So magical in fact, it’s named after a fictional world invented by the author Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo, which Spanish explorers adopted when setting foot on the gold coast.

Colorado is another Spanish-influenced name that essentially means ruddy or ruddish. The name was first applied to the Colorado River for its distinctive color.

Connecticut, much like Colorado, was named for the river running through it. The word possibly stems from the Native American term quinnitukqut, meaning beside or at the long tidal river.

Delaware is also named for a body of water, but that body of water was named for Baron De la Warr, the first English governor of Virginia. The baron’s name is old French for of the war.

Florida taps into its Spanish roots by referencing Pascua florida, meaning flowering Easter, as Spanish explorers found the lush area during the holiday season. There's also a tie to the Latin word floridus, meaning strikingly beautiful.

Georgia may be known for its southern hospitality, but it’s actually named for King George II from Great Britain.

And that's all for today. If you're like me and LOVE puzzles, download this PDF for some puzzle challenge fun. You might be able to solve it on your own without reading the rest of the blogs in this set, or you can save it and add to it in future months. :)

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Which one of these states was the most fascinating to you?

* Do you live in any of these 10 states? If so, did you know this was the origin of its name?

* What do you think might be the origin of any of the other 40 states? (you'll learn about them throughout the year)

** Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Leave answers to these questions or any comments you might have on this post in the comment box below. For those of you who have stuck around this far, I'm sending a FREE autographed book to one person every month from the comments left on each of my blog posts. You never know when your comment will be a winner! Subscribe to comments so you'll know if you've won and need to get me your mailing information.

Come back on the 9th of April for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

For those interested in my "fictional" life as an author and industry news about other authors, subscribe to my quarterly newsletter. Receive a FREE omitted chapter from my book, A Grand Design, just for subscribing!

---

BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children and four cats in southeastern Kentucky. In the 20 years she's been a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

The Final Days of the Pony Express – by Donna Schlachter – with Giveaway

Iconic Pony Express Statue, Hollenberg, KS

In my blog post last month, we explored the origins of the Pony Express. You can read it here if you missed it: https://www.hhhistory.com/2022/07/origins-of-pony-express-by-donna.html This time around, we’ll look at what caused the Pony Express to close, and then I’ll share some things about the business you might not have known.

Most sources say that technological advancement killed the Pony Express. The transcontinental telegraph was completed in October 1861, and served as the immediate cause of the closure of the delivery service.

St. Joseph MI home station

 

However, Russell, Majors and Waddell knew from the beginning that the telegraph was going to be built, and knew that its completion would negatively impact their business. In fact, about ten weeks after the Express began, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to subsidize the building of the telegraph line across the country. Still, it didn’t mean its immediate dissolution. The telegraph was much like the first interstate in that it ran a relatively straight line across the country. It didn’t, however, serve any cities or towns off the main line for months and years later. Which meant that those towns and cities needed a system of getting telegrams from the main line. The funny thing is, many parts of the West lay claim to being a Pony Express home station that were never on the original line. I found one several years ago at a trading post in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona.

The point is, the telegraph wasn’t the only reason the Pony Express closed. There were others, not quite as large in scope, but still were factors in the business’s demise.

Wagon trail used by Pony Express, Hollenberg, KS

 

The parent company was in dire financial condition. The partners lost a lot of money when a large wagon train pulled by oxen froze to death in Nevada in a blizzard, resulting in the loss of dozens of animals as well as thousands of dollars worth of supplies. Native uprisings and attacks on stations in the west and the east caused problems. The company lost many stations to Indians and outlaws. Station keepers were killed or run off, and horses and equipment were stolen.

Internal problems cropped up between the company’s founders because of a difference in vision for the future of the business.

 

South Bend, WY station

But a primary factor was that the general public didn’t use the Pony Express as hoped. At a cost of five dollars per ounce, only important missives made the trip, including the announcement of Abraham Lincoln’s re-election in November 1860. Even when they reduced the price to one dollar per ounce, ordinary people couldn’t afford the cost. They chose to send letters with others heading the direction of the recipient (needless to say, most were never delivered), or if the letter was going to the West Coast, they mailed it with a competing company that sailed it down around the Horn and back up the west coast.

In October 1860, a full year before the official end of the Express, Russell had already begun selling off assets to satisfy creditors. But still the Pony Express floundered forward, losing an estimated thirteen dollars on every letter delivered. When the Express ended, Majors sold all he owned to pay the creditors and establish his own small freighting company, which also failed.

North Platte Valley station

 

The fact of the matter is that the government was looking for a way to keep the country united. There was a lot of ground between Missouri and California that wasn’t officially part of the United States, and with the very important election of 1860, Washington DC wanted to make sure folks in the West felt like they were part of what was going on in the East. Talk of secession was already abounding in California.

Russell, Majors, and Waddell had no such patriotic interests in the creation of the Express. They hoped to be awarded the US Postal Service mail contract to deliver mail between Missouri and California. Their competitors, the Butterfield Overland Mail Company, operated a southern route that took at least a week longer, or the three-month option of the sailing ship.

In the end, after the Express dissolved into bankruptcy, the government stepped in and combined both companies, with the original express delivering from St. Joseph, Missouri to Salt Lake City, Utah, and Butterfield taking over from Salt Lake to Sacramento, California.

Map of the Pony Express route and stations

Ten things you might not know about the Pony Express:

1. The Pony Express cut mailing time from twenty-five days on the southern route, or months on a sailing ship, to ten days.

2. The Express lost money big time. By the time it ended, the company owed more than $200,000. In today’s money, that’s over $7 million.

3. Pony Express riders had to weigh between 100 and 125 pounds to keep the pony’s load as light as possible. Jockey-size.

4. Riders swore a loyalty oath to the Express, and promise not to cuss, drink alcohol, and not fight with other riders. They also swore they would be honest, faithful to their duties, and win the confidence of their employers.

5. A specially designed mailbag, or mochila, was designed to slip on over the saddle, and then the rider sat on it to keep it in place. When changing horses, the rider simply lifted the mochila off and slapped it onto the next mount. Three locked pockets contained mail, the fourth the rider’s time card. Only station keepers had a key. Up to 20 pounds of cargo were carried on each ride.

6. As discussed in this blog post, ordinary people couldn’t afford to use the Express. The $5 original cost works out to about $130 in today’s money.

7. The longest ride by a single rider was completed by Bob Haslam in May 1860. He made his usual 75-mile ride from Friday’s Station to Buckland Station, Nevada. However, his relief rider wouldn’t venture out because of Native activity, so he continued, eventually completing 190 miles that day. He rested a bit, hopped on a new mount, and headed home to Friday’s Station, passing a burned out station. He traveled 380 miles in less than 40 hours.

8. Riders dealt with extreme weather conditions, hard terrain, and occasional threats from Natives and bandits, but the stock keepers and station keepers had the more dangerous work.

9. Buffalo Bill Cody probably wasn’t an Express rider, although he laid claim to having been one in his autobiography. He did keep the memory of the Pony Express alive in his Wild West show from 1883 to 1916.

10. The transcontinental telegraph dealt the death blow to the Express, but other factors would likely have brought the service to halt within the next year.





Giveaway: Leave a comment, and I’ll draw randomly for a winner to receive either a print (US only) or ebook copy of Hollow Hearts, Book 2 in the “Hearts of the Pony Express” series. Please remember to cleverly disguise your email address like this: Donna AT livebytheword DOT com

About Hollow Hearts:

Middle-aged widow Edith Cooper walks away from the cemetery along the Green River near Simpson’s Hollow, Utah Territory. Away from the husband buried there this morning. Away from their plans and dreams for their future. Along the way, two men offer their hand in marriage. For her protection, one says. For his children’s sake, says the second. Were any of these reasons enough to marry? She must choose one. But which?

Albert Whitt, stationmaster of the Pony Express Station, loves his independent life. Twice stood up by women, he takes the only course that ensures no more rejection: stay clear of them. But when he learns that the stoic Widow Cooper is considering two proposals from men not worthy of lacing her boots, he must do something. But what?

Can Edith and Albert find a new beginning in the midst of tragedy, or will they choose the most convenient path—alone?

About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 50 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits professionally; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter.

www.DonnaSchlachter.com Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter! 

To celebrate reaching 3 Million views, HHH is hosting a HUGE giveaway of over 60 books in 18 prizes, so there are many chances to win! One grand prize will consist of 10 books, two readers will win a second prize containing 5 books, and there will be 15 winners of a third prize containing 2 books each. There are several ways to earn entries, such as following, or commenting on the HHH blog each day. Thank you for being part of the HHH community, and best wishes in the giveaway!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ce16d9c612/?

Resources:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pony-Express/Final-Days

https://www.nps.gov/poex/learn/historyculture/index.htm

https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-pony-express