Dr. Sandra Bonura - Each generation of California historians has made its own unique contribution to American history. I'm in awe of my predecessors who wrote my state's sweeping and colorful histories without the internet and the open access to the archival data I now enjoy. I can't even imagine their tenacity! For me, with the technological advancements denied earlier historians, I hope to keep extending the scope and depth of California's lively history by "unearthing" the histories of neglected pioneers who deserve their due. My story telling will demonstrate how a multitude of primary sources provide a unique and fresh perspectives on historical events in California that will make readers smile.

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BOOKS & LOOKS

Sweet Success: The Triumphs and Tribulations of California's Sugar King

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HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA PODCAST

The History of California Podcast is hosted by Jordan Mattox and explores the history of the state through narrative histories and in-depth conversations with experts.

EMPIRE BUILDER:
JOHN D. SPRECKELS AND THE MAKING OF SAN DIEGO

A little girl was with her father at breakfast one morning at the Hotel del Coronado. The "Spreckels" sugar packet he used to sweeten his coffee aroused her curiosity. She was then told that the profits from that sugar had purchased both the hotel and the island they were presently enjoying.Watching her father reading the San Diego Union, she asked,

"Papa, whose newspaper is that?"

"This newspaper is published by Mr. Spreckels, my dear."

"Papa, I am thirsty. May I have a glass of water?"

"Of course. By the way, Mr. Spreckels owns the drinking water."

fter breakfast, touring the city on the streetcar, the little girl asked, "Papa, whose streetcar is this?"

"Mr. Spreckels's."

"Who owns this ferryboat, Papa?"

"Mr. Spreckels."

"Papa! Whose gigantic ship is that?"

"That's from the Spreckels steamship line."

"Papa, what theater is that?"

"That's the Spreckels Theatre."

"Papa, whose skyscraper is that?"

"It's the John D. Spreckels Building."

"Papa, where is that loud whistle coming from?"

"That's Mr. Spreckels's train, my dear."

"Papa, whose huge outdoor organ is that in Balboa Park?"

"Mr. Spreckels had it built."

Upon returning to Coronado, the little girl looked at the ocean and said, "Papa, who owns the ocean?"
My dear, God owns the ocean."

"Papa, tell me: How did God ever get it away from Mr. Spreckels?"

TOP AWARD! "Ka Palapala Po'okela"

Light in the Queen's Garden: Ida May Pope, Pioneer for Hawaiʻi's Daughters, 1862 - 1914

JUDGE'S COMMENTS:

"Light in the Queen's Garden is more than a biography of a dedicated educator and social reformer who guided the youth of Kawaiaha'o Seminary and helped to establish the Kamehameha School for Girls. It is a new window into a turbulent time in Hawai'i's history, from the death of King Kalākaua, through the overthrow and annexation of Hawai'i, and on into a new century. Ida May Pope traveled with Queen Lili'uokalani to Kalaupapa, dealt with the threat of the bubonic plague and cholera in Honolulu, and witnessed other dramas, big and small, that played out in her school and in the city. She was an educational reformist, constantly aligning the school's curriculum to "ensure a satisfying career and independence for Hawaiian women," and eventually recognized the need for her students to study their cultural heritage. The author's heavy use of valuable primary resources runs seamlessly into her intimate narrative of Pope's life, creating a vivid picture of Hawai'i at the end of the 19th century. Absorbing, well-written and backed by extensive research, this book is a welcome contribution to any bookshelf."

An American Girl in the Hawaiian Islands:

Letters of Carrie Prudence Winter 1890–1893

Governor Abercrombie holding rough draft of American Girl in the Hawaiian Islands

Alan Brennert, author of Moloka′i and Honolulu provided an early endorsement.

"Light in the Queen's Garden is an absorbing, well written, meticulously researched portrait of a pivotal yet neglected figure in Hawaiian history. Ida May Pope, founding principal and guiding spirit of the Kamehameha School for Girls, emerges as an intelligent, compassionate, determined woman who opened up new worlds of education and an old world of ancestral culture to generations of Native Hawaiian women. Her story, as brought to light by historian

Sandra E. Bonura, is both important and inspiring. "

Each generation of California historians has made its own unique contribution to American history. I'm in awe of my predecessors who wrote my state's sweeping and colorful histories without the internet and the open access to the archival data I now enjoy. I can't even imagine their tenacity! For me, with the technological advancements denied earlier historians, I hope to keep extending the scope and depth of California's lively history by "unearthing" the histories of neglected pioneers who deserve their due. My story telling will demonstrate how a multitude of primary sources provide a unique and fresh perspectives on historical events in California that will make readers smile.

The Sugar King of California:

The Life of Claus Spreckels

2024

Who doesn't love the story of someone facing impossible odds to rise from grinding poverty to enormous wealth? America's mythos is based on the belief that anyone, regardless of circumstance, can get rich if they have enough gumption, grit, or ruthlessness. While there are a variety of published stories about the triumphs of immigrants, which seem to suggest that anyone can do great things with hard work, talent, and a little luck, I was surprised that these stories are actually rare. If America is a land of equal opportunity and upward mobility for all, why are there only a few people like him? Most underestimate how hard it is to be great at something, and then top themselves to achieve more. It was only with fierce determination and ruthless consistency that Claus Spreckels could dive into his passions to beat all his rivals on a global scale. But there's always a cost for single-minded determination, so even though it intersects with the Horatio Alger rags-to-riches legend, this is not just a story of a poor immigrant boy who chased the American Dream as far as he could take, it's a tragic portrait of a wealthy family torn apart by money, jealousy, and ego.