Golden State: The Making of California

California has long reigned as the land of plenty, where the sun always shines and opportunity beckons. Even prior to its statehood in 1850, it captured the world’s imagination. We remember the Gold Rush era for bearded prospectors lured by riches; we think of its early embrace of immigrant labour during the railroad boom as prologue to its diverse social fabric today. But what lies beneath the myth is far more complicated.

Thanks to extensive research by Michael Hiltzik, one of the clearest voices on California, Golden State uncovers the unvarnished truth about the state that everyone thinks they know well. From Spanish incursions into what became known as Alta California to the rise of Big Tech, the history of California is one of stark contradictions. In rich detail, we see its earliest statesmen wreak havoc among native peoples while racing to draft their own constitution even ahead of statehood. We follow gold-hungry settlers who venture into the Sierra foothills and often leave with nothing, while a handful of their suppliers become millionaire railroad magnates. We witness water wars erupt as Los Angeles booms and see early efforts to tame the vast landscape create an arena for fossil fuel extraction and environmental conservation alike.

From its very beginnings, Hiltzik shows, the story of the United States was written in California.