The following are transcriptions of newspaper items which mention the California Condor. Items were found by searching, primarily, the digital repository of historic California newspapers, using pertinent search terms, with those of pertinence listed in order by date of occurrence.
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Natural History in the Redwoods
... "The ornithologist finds this vicinity a rich field, and the place that has been immortalized by the fact that the Audubon of California, A.J. Grayson, made some of his earliest bird studies in this county. Among his notes, until but recently unpublished, he describes the habits of the largest of the North American rapacious birds, the California vulture, Pseudogryphus Californianus, now rather rare. Colonel Grayson says:
"I remember the time when this vulture was much disliked by the hunter for its ravages upon any large game he may have killed and left exposed for only a short length of time. So powerful is the sight that it will discover a dead deer from an incredible distance while soaring in the air. A case of this kind happened with myself while living in the mountains of Marin County, California, in the year 1847. At that time my main dependence for meat wherewith to feed my little family was my rifle. The hills and mountains thereabouts abounded in deer and other game, and it was not difficult to kill a deer any day, but to kill a fat one could only be done by accident or the acuteness of a skillful hunter in making such a selection. A four-point buck in the month of July could always be depended upon as savory venison, with ribs and haunch covered with tallow. One morning I had shot a large and exceedingly fat buck of four points on the hills above my little cabin. Taking a survey of the sky in every direction, I could not discover a single vulture, and, as my cabin was but a short distance from the spot, I concluded not to cover my game, as I could return with my horse to pack it home before the vultures would be likely to trouble it. I was gone about two hours, when, on returning, I found my game surrounded and covered by a flock of at least a dozen vultures, and others still coming, some so far up in the heavens as to appear like a small speck upon the clear, blue sky. So busy were they tearing and devouring the deer and fighting among themselves that I approached quite near before they saw me, when all arose, some flying a short distance and perching upon the rocks and sides of the hill, while others, less gorged, were sailing around taking a bird's-eye view of the half-consumed deer and my chagrin."July 19, 1891. San Francisco Call 70(49): 3.
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During a stay at Clear lake, a large elk was shot by Mr. K., "but as their rutting season had begun the meat was adjudged not to be good. On our retun a number of large vultures had collected around him, and made a plentiful feast. We killed one, measuring eight feet six inches across the wings."
November 15, 1849. Weekly Alta California 1(46): 1.- - - - -
Condor killed near Monterey
December 12, 1852. San Francisco Herald.- - - - -
"California Vulture. — A vulture of enormous proportions was shot on the American river, near the store of Woods & Kenyon, in El Dorado county, a few days since, which measured nine feet from tip to tip of its wings. A friend presented us yesterday with a quill, which is a quill from one of its wings, with the remark that it was handed us as a weapon with which to defend the rights of the people. We shall endeavor to apply it to that purpose.March 11, 1854. Sacramento Daily Union 6(925): 2.
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"A California Vulture. — The Editor of the Marysville Herald may well 'plume himself' on the receipt of a vulture's quill measuring twenty-five inches in length. The bird measured nine feet four inches from tip to tip of the wings. It was shot near Chico."June 21, 1854. Sacramento Daily Union 7(1012): 2.
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"The California Condor. — The high mountains of California are frequented by a species of condor, which, although somewhat inferior to the size of the condor of the Andes, is probably the largest bird to be found within the confines of the Golden State. A full grown California condor measures upwards of thirteen feet from tip to tip of its wings, and when in its favorite element, the air, is as graceful and majestic as any bird in the world. They make their homes upon the ledges of lofty rocks, or in the old deserted nests of hawks and eagles, upon the upper branches of lofty trees. Their eggs are each about twelve ounces in weight, and are said to be excellent eating. The barrels of the wing feathers of the condor are about four inches long, and three eighths of an inch in diameter, and are used by the inhabitants of Northern Mexico to keep gold dust in."March 17, 1855. Quincy Whig 17(52): 2.
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Letter from Southern California.
... "A fine specimen of the California condor was killed a short time ago, which measured eight feet across the wings and breast, and weighed over twenty pounds. 'On dissecting the animal it was found to have an immense development of the internal viscera. The stomach contained fish, meat, and mussels with the shell on, the shells in a half digested state. It held by measurement half a gallon of water. It has two gizzards, the upper one small as a chickens, but the lower and bigger one four times the size of the first. the large gizzard has a very singular appendage of a bunch of long, stiff bristles on the inside, mingled with excrescences of a hard, warty nature. The inside of this gizzard is lined very roughly after the fashion of course sand paper. The gut is six feet long, heart, liver, lungs and gall bladder, same size as those of a young pig. The large gizzard was filled with the hair of animals which the bird had eaten, and was about the capacity of four fluid ounces. The whole of these viscera had an abominable smell of musk. The meat of the animal, though, is of a bright arterial red, and of very fine grain."August 6, 1855. Sacramento Daily Union 9(1361): 1.
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"Decidedly Voracious. — Mr. Sutton, of the Western Hotel, corner of K and 10th streets, was presented a few days since with a young vulture, which he has placed in the yard of his establishment. In order that our readers may estimate the size and powers of the bird, we give his dimensions, as follows: Length of wings from tip to tip, about 10 feet 6 inches; length of head and beak, 7 inches; length of claws, from 7 to 9 inches. He is fed regularly and literally on raw heads and bloody bones, and can clean a skull or bone in the most approved style. Efforts have been made to induce several dogs to take hold of him, but his competitors have always respectfully declined. Sutton's dog, (which has never been whipped) declined having anything to do with him, except to gaze and admire his stalwart proportions. The dog in question is the same that nursed a brood of chickens, and would permit no one to molest them. The vulture was caught on Mrs. Harrold's ranch, near this city."September 24, 1857. Sacramento Daily Union 14(2027): 2.
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Vulture Shot. — Last week, while Mr. J.B. Wright, of Pope Valley, near St. Helena, Napa Valley, was out hunting, he shot a large vulture, that was flying off with a hare it had killed, weighing nine pounds. The bird measured fourteen feet from tip to tip of wings. We have one of the tail feathers in our office, that measures twenty-six inches in length."February 4, 1858. Daily Alta California 10(34): 1.
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Two California condors included in menagerie of "Old Adams, the great California hunter," on display in New York City.
May 5, 1860. Los Angeles Star 9(52): 1. From the New York Tribune.- - - - -
"A Large Bird. — The Grass Valley National has the following account of a California vulture:
"We write this article with a pen plucked from the pinions of a vulture killed on the coast range, which weighed thirty pounds, and measured from tip to tip of its wings, fourteen feet. The largest quill measured thirty-four inches in length. L.L. Davis who presented us with the quill informs us that the vulture is quite common on the Russian river portion of the Coast Range. They are very large, and particularly fond of pork. They will descend with a sweep upon a forty-pounder, kill him at the first blow, seize him in their talons and bear him away with scarcely any perceptible hindrance to their flight. Davis assures us that they would carry off children if any were to be found."June 18, 1861. Sacramento Daily Union 21(3190): 1.
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"The Salano Herald says a bird of the Condor species, measuring nine feet 'from tip to tip,' was captured near Vallejo last week by Mr. Shillingsburg. He had gorged himself with fresh sturgeon to such an extent as to be unable to fly, and his captor secured him as his lawful prey, by transferring his coat from his own shoulders to those of the bird."August 16, 1865. Marysville Daily Appeal 12(35): 2.
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"Grizzlies, Lions and Condors. — A gentleman who recently paid a visit of a week or two to the Coast Range of mountains, in speaking of the products of the region, says: 'The greatest productions of these mountains are grizzly bears and California lions. The foot tracks of the former are to be seen on almost every trail and sand bed of the arroyos, and sometimes several of them are feeding on the sides of the mountains. California condor are also frequently to be seen on the summit.'"September 19, 1865. Sacramento Daily Union 30(4522): 2.
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"A Huge Bird. — We saw recently, says the Nevada Transcript, at the shop of Z. Davis, the wing of a bird recently shot by S. Stevens in Plumas county. The feathered giant is said to be of the Condor family, and measured eleven feet from tip to tip of the wings.November 25, 1865. Sacramento Daily Union 30(4580): 2.
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"Dr. C.A. Canfield, of Monterey, lately sent a live California Vulture to the Zoological Society of London, and the Society has elected the Doctor as honorable correspondent and given him a note of thanks."September 28, 1866. Marysville Daily Appeal 14(73): 2.
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"A Huge Bird. — Wm. Shew, photographer, has on exhibition in his mammoth gallery, on Montgomery street, a magnificent specimen of the California vulture, the largest bird of prey — the condor alone excepted — found in America, and the largest found in North America. The wings of this immense bird, when full stretched, measured over nine feet from tip to tip, and its body was even disproportionately large for its wings. The left foot had been struck by a ball, or otherwise mutilated, when the bird was quite young, and was curiously misshaped. His vultureship was shot by Mr. Shew on the hills back of Pescadero, in Santa Cruz County, and the skin was prepared and put up by Gruber, the California street taxidermist. The California vulture is found only in the Coast Range, never in the Sierra Nevada, and is nowhere numerous. It is stated that the Smithsonian Institute at Washington has no specimen of this immense bird, and the publication of the Association only speak of one which is in the possession of some party 'at the mouth of the Columbia River,' probably at Astoria."October 13, 1867. Daily Alta California 19(6420): 1.
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"Birds of the Mountain. — A condor was shot on Monday, August 17, near the Marin County Paper Mills, which measured nine feet from tip to tip of wings."August 21, 1868. Sacramento Daily Union 35(5430): 2.
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"Pacific Coast Items.
"A large California condor was killed on the Brea ranch, Los Angeles county, last week."July 18, 1871. Sacramento Daily Union 41(7231): 2.
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General Items.
A vulture eagle, measuring upward of nine feet from tip to tip, has been killed in Mendocino county, Cal.March 7, 1872. Mower County Transcript 4(48): 1.
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"An enormous California vulture, measuring fifteen feet from tip to tip of wings, is exhibited in San Francisco. The bird was killed at Salmon Creek, Marin county, by Julius Folsom, though not until it had killed a dozen or more sheep."February 19, 1873. Sacramento Union 44(6827): 2. From the Petaluma Argus of February 17th. Also: Nebraska State Journal 1(11): 4 issued March 7, 1873.
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"Pacific Coast Items.
"A large California vulture was killed last week near Salinas City, by A.L. Abbott, which measured twenty nine inches around its breast, and had a spread of 120 inches. Its weight was about thirty-five pounds."October 20, 1875. Sacramento Daily Record 1(213): 1.
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"A condor measuring 14 feet from tip to tip was captured near Anaheim last Saturday."March 21, 1878. Sacramento Daily Union 7(25): 2.
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News Tailings.
"On South Eel river, Humboldt county, Cal., Mr. Adams recently poisoned a bird of the vulture species, which measured nine feet across the wings, four feet from beak to tail, and eighteen inches from crown to tip of beak."April 13, 1880. Sacramento Daily Union 11(45): 2.
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Local Brevities.
"Mr. Stevens, who lives this side of the Verdugo, exhibited on our streets yesterday an immense condor, shot by his brother, John Stevens, on the Verdugo rancho. The bird was brought down by a shot in the wing, but it ran so fast that Mr. Stevens was obliged to shot it through the legs to effect its capture. The bird is of prodigious size and measures 9 feet 1 inch from tip to tip of wings."January 4, 1882. Los Angeles Herald 16(115): 3.
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"Pacific Coast Items.
"A condor, seven feet from tip to tip of wings, was killed in the Arroyo Seco mountains last week."December 2, 1882. Sacramento Daily Union 16(89): 8.
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"Coast Notes.
"Arthur Spring of Montecito, Santa Barbara county, killed a vulture the other day on Santa Paula Peak. The bird measured from tip to tip of its wings, nine feet and nine inches; its talons between eight and ten inches, and the carcass weighed thirty pounds. It was capable of carrying off to its hiding place a full-grown sheep, and is said to be the largest specimen of its kind ever killed in Santa Barbara county. It sold for $10."October 4, 1884. Daily Alta California 37(12592): 5. Also in Sacramento Daily Union 52(41): 8 issued October 11, 1884; Sunny South 10(474): 7, issued October 25, 1884 at Atlanta Georgia.
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"The Santa Barbara Independent says: James Lewis, this morning, killed on his place, known as the Sunny Bank Ranch, five miles north of the city, a vulture that measured eight feet six inches from tip to tip of its wings, and will weigh about twenty pounds. It was feeding upon the carcass of a dead hog at the time he shot it. They are of a harmless disposition and it seems like a pity to kill them, from the fact that they feed upon dead animals chiefly."June 17, 1886. Los Angeles Herald 25(90): 1.
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"A Condor was lassoed recently at Puente, in Los Angeles county. It had attacked a sheep on the side of the mountain and attempted to carry it off. The bird measured nine feet and four inches from tip to tip of wings."September 15, 1888. Pacific Rural Press 36(11): 229.
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"The Eastern Shore. News from Alameda ...
"Harry Taylor, an ornithologist of Alameda, has received the body of a large California vulture, or condor, which was killed in San Mateo county. It sands four feet in height, and its bare head is of orange color."August 11, 1889. Daily Alta California 81(42): 8.
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"A Big Bird. A Vulture Measuring Ten Feet Blown to the Ground.
"A California vulture found the wind of Sunday a week ago too much to navigate against, and lost control of his big wings and was blown into a stretch of sage brush near Glendora. It tried to veer and tack without avail, and some men who saw its predicament stunned it with a stone and bound it. Unfortunately, however, it soon died from the rough usage it had been subjected to. It was an enormous bird, measuring fully ten feet from tip to tip of its wings. It is being stuffed by Mr. Shuman, and should form a splendid specimen.February 16, 1891. Los Angeles Herald 35(125): 2.
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California condor captured near Pomona on Saturday.
March 6, 1891. San Francisco Call 69(96): 7.This is a second report for this occurrence.
"A Glendora young man took to Los Angeles a California condor that measured 9 feet 11 inches from tip to tip. It was caught Saturday evening during the storm. It was found in a path with thick brush on each side, and being unable to fly was caught. It will be mounted."March 13, 1891. Sausalito News 7(5): 1.
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Items from Santa Cruz.
An enormous condor was shot in Scott's valley, and brought to town to-day by W.E. Felker. It measured 9 1/2 feet from tip to tip and weighed 24 pounds.March 11, 1891. Daily Alta California 84(70): 5.
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"Killed Near Santa Monica.
"Two American Condors Bagged by a Sportsman in the Mountains.
"Santa Monica, Cal., Oct. 4. — On April 1 J.C. Henry of Santa Monica killed a male American condor measuring ten feet from tip to tip of wings in the mountains north of here. He has since had person endeavoring to locate the mammoth's bird's mate, and has made a dozen journeys to the spot to endeavor to get a shot at it. Yesterday his opportunity came. A thousand yards away he spied her sitting on her nest in a crevice in a mountain and shot at her with a Winchester rifle, the ball piercing her heart. It took an hour to travel to the place where the bird fell after being killed.
"Mr. Henry is said to be the only man on the coast who has a pair of American condors, his measuring ten feet. From the fact of the bird sitting on the nest he concluded there might be an egg or two, and from their extra value, $1500 each, he has had a search instituted to ascertain the fact. From the well nigh inaccessible position of the nest, the parties making the search as running considerable risk for the trophy."October 5, 1895. San Francisco Call 78(127): 3.
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"He Ate Too Much of the Dead Cow.
"A Monster Vulture That was Too Full to Fly. Captured in the Hills South of Chino. A Bird Bigger than a Man.
"A bird of prey as tall as a man! Such is the prize captured by the superintendent of Richard Gird's ranch in the hills south of Chino, San Bernardino County. The prisoner is a magnificent specimen of the California vulture, without doubt the largest ever taken captive. From the crown of its ferocious-looking, red-wattled head to its strong, scaly talons, it measures six feet. Its plucky captor is an inch or two shorter in his cowhide boots. the man has the advantage in weight, for the bird weighs 100 pounds. Still that is a fair fighting weight to carry through the rarefied air. In order to accomplish this feat the bird vulture is provided with wings that have a spread of twelve feet. the local ornithologists who have seen the bird say that it is merely a youngster, says the San Luis Obispo Breeze.
"Allured by the palatable flavor of dead cow recently the bird discovered nearly every particle of flesh from its bones, which so oppressed him that, however vigorously he flapped his wings, he was unable to soar away to his eyrie among the distant mountain fastnesses. In this humiliating predicament he was lassoed and dragged, fluttering ponderously but helplessly, to Mr. Gird's stable.
June 21, 1896. San Francisco Call 80(21): 18.