James Steele visited California in the 1880s. Old Californian days (1889) is the book Steele based on that trip. He provides a sketch of the history of California before the Gold Rush and surviving remnants of that history: the mission churches (San Gabriel and San Juan Capistrano), Spanish-American culture in modern California, and Native American tribes.

B.M. Bower's compelling historical story "The Gringos: A Story of the Old California Days in 1849" is a must-read. This compelling story, which is set against the background of the California Gold Rush, transports readers on a thrilling journey through the untamable wilderness of 1849 California. The chaotic and thrilling atmosphere of the Gold Rush period, replete with rough terrain, greedy prospectors, and contacts with Native American tribes, is vividly brought to life by B.M. Bower's narration. Readers see the clash of cultures, the quest of fortune, and the ties of friendship forged in the face of hardship through the eyes of the gringos. The historical fiction novel "The Gringos" weaves a colorful tapestry of action, romance, and the unbreakable character of the human spirit. The Old California Days in 1849 are eloquently depicted in Bower's superb story, which also paints a realistic image of a period and location that permanently altered the American West's terrain