California's gold country has been profoundly influenced by Italian culture for the last 160 years. Immigrants from Italy's northern provinces were drawn here by the lure of gold, but it was the allure of the California foothills, where they found the terrain and Mediterranean climate similar to that of Italy, that convinced them to stay. California's fledgling economy provided unparalleled opportunities for Italian businessmen, and unclaimed land was available for agriculturalists. Settlement soon brought women and children, and within a decade, Italians represented a significant portion of the population in the region, numbering among the gold country's leading farmers, merchants, and tradesmen. The Mother Lode also offered women unique advantages, and Italian women proved wonderfully resourceful when necessity demanded. The 1870s saw a second wave of immigration, as Italian laborers arrived to work in the large, corporate-owned gold mines. Descendents of many of these Italian pioneers remain in the gold country to this day.

Experience the adventure, romance, and history of people who struggled to realize their share of the American dream of finding gold in California. This 9" x 12" book is overflowing with beautiful photos and entertaining history.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1948.

The history of the olive in the Gold Country of Northern California is a story of the Spanish in the New World, of the Gold Rush, of immigrants from Italy and other Mediterranean countries, of bold pioneers, enterprising farmers and scientists, and of businessmen and businesswomen. Focusing on Calaveras County in the south and Placer County in the north, but also exploring the olive throughout most of Northern California, including olive havens such as Corning and Oroville, that story is told within these pages through rare and fascinating photographs. For those who wish to explore the olive in Northern California, whether its history, industry or technology, this volume provides both an appetizer and a satisfying entre. As love of the olive grows, for the first time a book tells the tale of the olive tree, the king of trees, in the Mother Lode of California.

Discusses The History And Events Of The California Gold Rush.