California Gold Country

Highway 49, California's Gold Country

According to the back of the card, "In 1848 only a few hundred settlers lived on the foothills of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Then gold was discovered and within a year 90,000 '49ers had appeared. Highway 49, the Golden Chain Highway, takes you through California's Historic Gold Country as it follows the 300 mile-long area enriched by a giant vein of gold called the Mother Lode."

At the time gold was discovered (during the Mexican-American War), California was occupied by the U.S. government, but technically part of Mexico. Neither country really had control over the territory and there were no formal laws or enforcement in place - so the gold seekers were free to stake claims and take all the gold they could get their hands on. Not only Americans, but also people from Hawaii, Latin America, Europe, and even Asia (primarily China), came to prospect for gold.

Thanks Lindsey for this card. :)

Definitive in the old postcard rate of 29¢, showing the herb lavender (Lavendula spp.)

Los Angeles, California

From katielucie for the June 2010 RR

Celestial alignment sets the stage for dramatic view of downtown Los Angeles as a full moon rises behind the San Gabriel Mountains at sunset, according to the back of the card. What I want to know is, how many days out of the year can you see these mountains, and how many days are they covered by smog? I've only been to LA once, but I definitely don't remember it being this beautiful–this makes it look almost as nice as Seattle. :P

The San Gabriel Mountains are north of LA and separate the city from the Mojave Desert. The highest peak in the range is Mt. San Antonio, commonly referred to as Mt. Baldy.

The stamp is the 2009 definitive for the domestic small postcard rate, a polar bear illustrated by Nancy Stahl.