Jim Rawls

Jim Rawls, a native of Washington D.C., received his B.A. with honors from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley. He grew up in Washington State where he developed an early interest in the land and peoples of the Pacific Northwest. A Fellow of the California Historical Society and a recipient of the National Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas, Jim has taught at UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and Diablo Valley College. Since 1995 he has served as a historian with Lindblad Expeditions on voyages along the inland waterways of Alta California, the coastal waters of Baja California, and the Columbia and Snake rivers.

Jim is the author or editor of more than thirty books, including California: An Interpretive History (McGraw-Hill, 10th Ed, 2012), Chief Red Fox is Dead: A History of Native Americans Since 1945 (Harcourt Brace, 1996), Land of Liberty: A United States History (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1985), and Indians of California (University of Oklahoma, 1984).  He also is the author or editor of several books for children, including two history texts jointly published by McGraw-Hill and the National Geographic Society. His latest book is a series of lifetime reflections, On the Way (WestBow Press, 2018). He served as a consultant for Walt Disney Imagineering in the development of Disney California Adventure theme park and for five years he appeared as Dr. History on KNBR Radio, San Francisco, sharing historical anecdotes with morning commuters. He also serves as a consultant for radio, television, and film productions of the BBC London and PBS.