First person accounts of the major catastrophies of 19th century California.

It is often said that California has four seasons: drought, flood, fire, and earthquakes. Certainly, the Golden State has experienced an abundance of these disasters in its history. The twenty-four chapters in this illustrated book highlights some of the major events that have occurred in the state. Some of these disasters occurred long ago, while others document recent events. Some are well-known, such as the snow-trapped Donner Party of 1846 and the unforgettable fire and earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Others are less familiar, such as the wreck of the paddle ship Brother Jonathan in 1865 or the fire at the Argonaut Mine in 1922. Included are disasters involving ships, planes, trains, and cars while others deal with tsunamis, dust storms, floods, and the collapses of bridges and dams. Some, like the shark attacks along the California coast, happen year after year and affect only a few. Other recurring disasters, like summer wildfires, claim dozens of lives and hundreds of structures, destroy wildlife, devastate miles of land, and even wipe out whole towns. The spectacular eruption of Lassen Peak has occurred only once. Although disasters usually bring loss, they sometimes bring us hard-won knowledge that may prevent future similar tragedies. Out of each disaster, acts of heroism, bravery, and compassion occur as individuals and groups attempt to aid victims in need. Illustrated with black & white archival photos. Featuring true stories researched and written about the most dramatic and diverse disasters from the Golden State. Includes natural and man-made disasters dating from 1771 to 2020.

Incorporated in 1886 by midwestern settlers known as the Indiana Colony, the City of Pasadena has grown into a world-famous tourist destination recognized for the beauty of its Tournament of Roses Parade, the excitement of the annual Rose Bowl, and the charm of the Old Town District. But what existed before the roses? Before it was Pasadena, this land was Hahamog’na, the ancestral lands of the Tongva people. Later, it comprised the heart of the San Gabriel Mission lands, and in the Mexican period, it became Rancho San Pascual. The 1771 Spanish conquest of this land set in motion several colonial processes that would continue into the twentieth century and beyond. In Pasadena Before the Roses, historian Yvette J. Saavedra examines a period of 120 years to illustrate the interconnectedness of power, ideas of land use, and the negotiation of identity within multiple colonial moments. By centering the San Gabriel Mission lands as the region’s economic, social, and cultural foundation, she shows how Indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and American groups each have redefined the meanings of land use to build their homes and their lives. These visions have resulted in competing colonialisms that framed the racial, ethnic, gender, and class hierarchies of their respective societies.

Everyone celebrates the Christmas holidays in their own way, and that includes the President of the United States. Some have enjoyed large gatherings, while others took part in a quiet, relaxing atmosphere. This book takes a look at each of the country's leaders approach to the year's biggest holiday season, and some of the traditions they started.

Originally published: New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011.

Depictions of the American west in literature, art and film perpetuate romantic stereotypes of the pioneers--the gold-crazed '49er, the intrepid sodbuster. While ennobling the woodsman, the farmwife and the lawman, this tunnel vision of American history has shortchanged the whaler, the assayer, the innkeeper and the inventor. The westward advance of the trailblazers created demand for a gamut of unsung adventurers--surveyors, financiers, politicians, surgeons, entertainers, grocers and midwives--who built communities and businesses in the wilderness amid clashes with Indians, epidemics, floods, droughts and outlawry. Chronicling the worthy deeds, ethnicities, languages and lifestyles of ordinary people who survived a stirring period in American history, this book provides biographical information for hundreds of individual pioneers on the North American frontier, from the Mississippi River Valley as far west as Alaska. Appendices list pioneers by state or country of departure, destination, ethnicity, religion and occupation. A chronology of pioneer achievements places them in perspective.

Yaozu Cheng, a fifteen-year-old Cantonese youth, ventures with his uncle down the Pearl River to Kowloon, where they embark on a treacherous Pacific voyage to GUM SAN, the Golden Mountain. Gold rush California has lured diverse characters from all corners of the earth, but Yaozu's new life as a miner proves grueling and unrewarding. Yaozu's luck takes a remarkable turn when he meets Lola Montez, a worldly stage performer who takes interest in his skill with Chinese calligraphy and a journal Yaozu has kept of his travels. Yaozu's journal is filled with visions of Canton, Chinese folklore, San Francisco of the 1850s, and his Sierra Nevada mining camp adventures. His chronicles are as educational as they are entertaining and picturesque. The trials and lessons of this bygone era shed a hauntingly pertinent light on the tragedies and challenges of our own contemporary lives.