Raised in the British colony of Valparaaiso, Chile, English orphan Eliza Sommers meets and falls in love with the wildly inappropriate Joaquain Andieta, a lowly clerk with ambitious dreams. When gold is discovered in the hills of northern California, Chileans, including Joaquain, head north to seek their fortune. Eliza, pregnant with Joaquain's child, leaves behind everything she knows to follow her lover. In the rough-and-tumble world of San Francisco,...

Presents the scene in California after gold was discovered on John Sutter's land in 1849 and the subsequent fortunes made and hearts broken.

A compelling and beautifully told story of extreme events that resonates the terrible cost of the American Dream. A powerful work of fiction that recreates one of the most tragic events of pioneer America, as a wagon train crosses the country to the Promised Land of California, only to be halted in the final stages by an early winter in the high reaches of the mountains. the emigrants endure the bitterest of winters with only the most slender of supplies?d...

"Covers the California Gold Rush as a watershed event in U.S. history, influencing social, economic, and political policies that shaped the nation's future"--Provided by publisher.

The fictional Thomas Hartley gives readers a historical portrait of life in the California gold fields, offering a unique and witty snapshot of a key period in the economic development of the United States.

Little known vignettes of California history prior to statehood achieved in 1850.

Describes the 1849 California Gold Rush and life for the miners during and after the gold rush.

The 1845-1846 diary of thirteen-year-old Maria, servant to the wealthy Spanish family which took her in when her Indian mother died. Includes a historical note about the settlement and early history of California.

Describes the adventurous prospectors who traversed the United States in 1848 in response to rumors of gold in the Sacramento Valley, detailing the rough and rowdy cities that popped up, seemingly out of thin air, to accommodate the treasure-seekers.