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My name is Ricky Mortensen and I enjoy local History. I like all History but most of all I like LOCAL history. Why? well, it’s because here in the U.S.A we are a big country of many states and each state has its own unique and interesting History. The History of New York is vastly different from the History of Montana, and The History of Montana is vastly different from California. and even still, Northern California is vastly different from Southern California.
Yet, in school, we learn hardly anything of value. I can tell you some dates of certain events. I can even tell you the names of some famous people. I can tell you the basics of the civil war… North good! South bad! That’s about it. The public school system in this country is a complete failure. I didn’t learn history the way my parents did or my grandparents did either. My great grandpa who dropped out of school in the 8th grade to be a farmer probably knew more about the history and culture of this country than I do today!
I believe that we need to focus on our own towns, our own cities, and our own history. Nowadays we are simply told that evil white guys invaded the land killed all the natives and then chopped down all the trees to destroy the planet for monetary gain. We are told all kinds of things in the media and now in our public schools. I created this show to highlight NorCal History.
The History of NorCal is extremely interesting. We are the place that had the gold rush, we had battles and crazy outlaws, we had amazing inventions and incredibly strong-willed people. We hold claim to some of the best writers and poets of America as well. Northern California is a treasure trove, a quarry of history, a gold mine of what I like to call Historical Tidbits.
This Substack is all about showcasing the amazing history of Northern California. I do my best to not make it about dates and names but rather stories. The point of studying history is not to simply know a date so you get a good grade or a point in some trivia event. The point is to learn from history, what is the lesson, or what is the inspiration you can take from it? That is the true reason. Could you imagine if all we did with ww2 history is just say Hitler killed a bunch of Jews and so he’s an evil guy? That is basically how history is taught and I am here to change that. At least, for Northern California.
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