Englishman Michael White (1801-1885) went to sea and was left ashore at San José del Cabo in 1817. He made California his home thereafter, becoming known to many as "Miguel Blanco." Once he left the sea, he still traveled widely and was a pioneer settler on Catalina Island and in modern San Marino. California all the way back to 1828 (1956) is a modern edition of reminiscences White dictated in 1877 to researchers working for Hubert Howe Bancroft, the great California historian. White recalls his boyhood at sea and his later adventures taking vessels between Mexico and California. His reminiscences picture San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and San Pedro in the 1820s and 1830s and a journey to New Mexico in 1839. Settling in southern California at his San Isidro ranch near Mission San Gabriel, White becomes involved in the revolt against Micheltorena in 1844-1845.