California 1850: A Snapshot in Time

by Janice Marschner

"California 1850 - A Snapshot in Time" focuses on California life and culture in the year of statehood. It captures the delight of those interested in California history, from novices to seasoned history buffs. The book also makes a useful travel companion with its lists of historical sites and museums to visit in each county. Maps, photographs, rancho charts, biographical sidebars, and endnotes full of intriguing bits of information add interest that will extend the life of the book well into the new millennium. An introductory chapter summarizes the history of California before 1850 and describes California's government, architecture, modes of transportation, and industry in 1850. A special section in the introduction describes the colorful society in the Gold Country, as well as the gold mining methods of the time. The other 27 chapters correspond with the original counties. Where appropriate, these chapters are divided into sections that describe the areas that later became the other 31 counties that exist today.

280 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Marschner acquired an interest in regional history in the 1990s, resulting in 2 California history books and an Oregon history book written to commemorate OR's 150th birthday in 2009. She spent 3 months in OR after her book's release in July 2008, promoting the book and exciting Oregonians about their upcoming sesquicentennial. Note her planned return visits. She has a PowerPoint presentation of historical photographs from her book that brings the story of early Oregon to life. timberpress.com"

Reviews

[Ivy]

I got this after I read the Crossing the Frontiers and because I'd been reading about the history of the Mission District. So far, it's turning out to be more of a catalog of architectural and land use history of the state, using 1850 as a contextualizer. Moderately intersting, but definitely not enough information from me. It's been prompting a number of Google sessions and a list of future trips to local historical societies.