Author and native of France Claudine Chalmers, Ph.D., was so captivated by the tales of French pioneers that she devoted years of study to their influence on California’s development, following their trail from the goldfields to San Francisco.

Her research, encompassing museums, libraries, and collectors in France and California, contributed to her doctorate in 1991, illustrating the roles of the French in the city’s early years.

From the days of Paris of the West, to the businesses, and schools of the modern era, Chalmers will discuss the presence of the French language in California and far beyond.