Author: Robert Kelley
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520214285
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 426
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Book Description
"Of late historians have become increasingly interested in the vast re-ordering of the environment involved in the creation of America. Nowhere was this more true than in the Sacramento Valley where re-ordering edged into folly. Battling the Inland Sea is a powerful evocation of the losses and gains involved in battling the mighty Sacramento River. But more than this, it is an exploration of the national will as it sought to rearrange nature herself with such mixed results. Here is history dealing with the most elemental forces of land, water and engineering as they are shaped by public policy. Here is the profound drama of value and symbol which occurs when Americans come into conflict with forces over which they can exercise, as Robert Kelley shows, only the most transitory and pyrrhic victories."—Kevin Starr, author of the Americans and the California Dream "Robert Kelley's research into the origins of California's first great flood control system has already helped to inform the shaping of the state's water laws. Now he opens up the benefits of that work for the average reader in a wonderfully clear and engaging story that manages, among other things, to show that water development in the United States hasn't been just a matter of engineering but a cultural and intellectual achievement as well."—William Kahrl, author of Water and Power "A vividly written narrative of one of the major transformations of the physical world we inhabit. Robert Kelley draws upon his rich store of learning and insight to set the struggles over the Sacramento Valley into a broad context. His book contains important lessons for those who would understand the American economy, environment, politics, or culture."—Daniel W. Howe, author of The Political Culture of the American Whigs
Author: Christopher J. Castaneda
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 0822979187
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 418
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Book Description
Often referred to as “the Big Tomato,” Sacramento is a city whose makeup is significantly more complex than its agriculture-based sobriquet implies. In River City and Valley Life, seventeen contributors reveal the major transformations to the natural and built environment that have shaped Sacramento and its suburbs, residents, politics, and economics throughout its history. The site that would become Sacramento was settled in 1839, when Johann Augustus Sutter attempted to convert his Mexican land grant into New Helvetia (or “New Switzerland”). It was at Sutter’s sawmill fifty miles to the east that gold was first discovered, leading to the California Gold Rush of 1849. Nearly overnight, Sacramento became a boomtown, and cityhood followed in 1850. Ideally situated at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers, the city was connected by waterway to San Francisco and the surrounding region. Combined with the area’s warm and sunny climate, the rivers provided the necessary water supply for agriculture to flourish. The devastation wrought by floods and cholera, however, took a huge toll on early populations and led to the construction of an extensive levee system that raised the downtown street level to combat flooding. Great fortune came when local entrepreneurs built the Central Pacific Railroad, and in 1869 it connected with the Union Pacific Railroad to form the first transcontinental passage. Sacramento soon became an industrial hub and major food-processing center. By 1879, it was named the state capital and seat of government. In the twentieth century, the Sacramento area benefitted from the federal government’s major investment in the construction and operation of three military bases and other regional public works projects. Rapid suburbanization followed along with the building of highways, bridges, schools, parks, hydroelectric dams, and the Rancho Seco nuclear power plant, which activists would later shut down. Today, several tribal gaming resorts attract patrons to the area, while “Old Sacramento” revitalizes the original downtown as it celebrates Sacramento’s pioneering past. This environmental history of Sacramento provides a compelling case study of urban and suburban development in California and the American West. As the contributors show, Sacramento has seen its landscape both ravaged and reborn. As blighted areas, rail yards, and riverfronts have been reclaimed, and parks and green spaces created and expanded, Sacramento’s identity continues to evolve. As it moves beyond its Gold Rush, Transcontinental Railroad, and government-town heritage, Sacramento remains a city and region deeply rooted in its natural environment.
Author: Paul E. Vandor
Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
ISBN: 3849658996
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 731
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Book Description
The editor and publisher of these volumes, which include not less than several hundred biographies spread across the six books, presents them confidently as a verified and authoritative history of the county - the result of conscientious labor in original research , and of information imparted by pioneers and their descendants , entered upon originally as a pastime and without thought of publication of the collated material. It essays to present county and city historical data that had lasting bearing on the times, but which with many of the picturesque incidents were ignored or overlooked in the publications that have gone before; and lastly it is an endeavor also to fill in the hiatus of the years from 1882 through the first World War, to bring to date the tale of the development and growth of a county which, from a small beginning with a rough and uncouth mining population and hardy pioneers, has become one of the richest, politically best governed and industrially typical of a great state. Incredible as their development and growth have been, through successive industrial epochs, the mind cannot grasp the future of State and County, now that the twin Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys have reached the zenith of development and production. Today Fresno County is a leading contributor to California's greater riches, enhanced production, and to the unmeasured happiness and prosperity of its citizens. Fresno is one of the state's centers. A remarkable past will be eclipsed by a more wonderful future - it is manifest destiny. This is volume two out of six.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 816
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Book Description
Author: Alton Pryor
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780692267042
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 190
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Book Description
John Sutter, who left Switzerland to escape debtor's prison, came to California and built a giant land monopoly. Again, he became heavily in debt and died destitute. The entire Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys were inundated for 300 miles long and 20 miles wide by the flood of 1862. The cholera epidemic killed more than 1,000 citizens, including doctors and others who were caring for the patients. The Old City Cemetery is an exciting place. As docents are quick to remind, "People are dying to get in here." The docents know their job. It's almost as though they are trying to bring the city's cemeteries back to life. We love the epitaph on one headstone that simply reads: "See ya later."
Author: Sucheng Chan
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520067370
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 536
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Book Description
The role of the Chinese in California agriculture during the later decades of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century was an integral aspect of the agricultural history of the western United States. Although the number of Chinese involved in agricultural occupations at one time never exceeded 6000 to 7000 workers, their lack of numbers does not diminish their impact. Author Chan, of Chinese origin, has made extensive use of census records and county archival sources to produce the first full history of the Chinese in California agriculture.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 1142
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Book Description
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 540
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Book Description
Author: Richard Mackie
Publisher: UBC Press
ISBN: 9780774806138
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 450
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Book Description
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the North West and Hudson’s Bay companies extended their operations to the Pacific Ocean, where, with the aid of Native traders, they branched out into farming, fishing, logging, and mining. Mackie shows how the well-capitalized Hudson’s Bay Company created a regional economy on the Pacific coast and documents how the Native people played a part in the emerging economy and how, in myriad ways, they paid for contact with British commerce.
Author: Dr. Darold P. Batzer
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520951417
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 1407
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Book Description
Wetlands are prominent landscapes throughout North America. The general characteristics of wetlands are controversial, thus there has not been a systematic assessment of different types of wetlands in different parts of North America, or a compendium of the threats to their conservation. Wetland Habitats of North America adopts a geographic and habitat approach, in which experts familiar with wetlands from across North America provide analyses and syntheses of their particular region of study. Addressing a broad audience of students, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, and policy makers, this book reviews recent, scientifically rigorous literature directly relevant to understanding, managing, protecting, and restoring wetland ecosystems of North America.
