California Gold Country

Children's Literature

Ever wonder what it would be like to travel California in the middle 1880s where men out numbered women a hundred to five? Due to the large male population, life in early California existed with only the bare necessities of a bunk, some whiskey, and occasionally fresh food. In California Gold Country, Stuart A. Kallen has created a travel guide that takes inexperienced travelers into the era of the gold rush. He explains everything from the most cost-effective mode of travel to the best hotels and meals in the region. He also suggests what to have in a typical miner's kit. Money becomes a big issue as the prices inflate with the abundance of gold found. Although each page is loaded with cool facts about the history of early California, I found the information fascinating and easy to read. Diagrams and pictures help put everything into perspective. The book has a great glossary and suggested extra books to learn more. 2003, Lucent Books,
— Julia Beiker

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-This book presents facts about the Gold Rush in the format of a travel guide for tourists in 1851. Unfortunately, the first chapter has a major error that will cause total confusion for readers about the location of Sutter's Fort. The author states, "In 1841, Sutter purchased Fort Ross from the Russians and changed the name to Sutter's Fort. Much to their chagrin today, neither the Mexican nor Russian government could imagine the mineral wealth that they were ceding to Sutter." Fort Ross is located on the coast of Sonoma County approximately 100 miles north of San Francisco. Although its assets were sold to John Sutter in 1841 by the Russian-American Company after the Mexican government chose not to buy the fort, its name was not changed to Sutter's Fort. No one ceded any mineral wealth to John Sutter in this exchange, since Fort Ross was an outpost for the fur trade and not for mineral resources. A text box entitled "Visiting Sutter's Fort" correctly identifies the Sacramento area as the fort's location. Maps in the book also correctly place Sutter's Fort near Sacramento. Such a basic fact as the correct location of Sutter's Fort is essential to any accurate study of the Gold Rush. It's an unfortunate error, as otherwise this book would be a valuable resource. Black-and-white reproductions appear throughout.-Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.