Wiley Joiner takes us through the early development of Central California, beginning with Padre Junipero Serra's establishment of the missions, and follows the footsteps of the earliest settlers in their encounters with the indigenous tribes. From there we are carried along through the tumultuous gold rush period beginning with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848.

Very little of California's soil had been trodden by the foot of civilized man previous to discovery of gold by Marshall. Thousands filtered into the country and spread out over the vast land.

They were stunned by the grandeur of the place, with its deep canyons, flowing rivers, rich fertile soil, massive giant trees, and vast mountain ranges. Wild horses, cattle, antelope, flocks of wild fowl and herds of deer were throughout the land.

Those who suffered from this infiltration were the Native Americans. They were forced from the land upon which they had lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. They suffered from mild nutrition and disease which they contracted from the invaders, and thousands died.

Not all those that came were miners. Opportunities were present and those with the capital and knowledge involved themselves in other enterprises. Those individuals did considerably better than the average miner who labored from sun up to sun down in cold mountain streams under harsh conditions.

The greatest number of arrivals were farmers and merchants. Some were escaping from family responsibilities and the lesser of those were running from the law. For all of them, it was an adventure in an unknown land.

The earliest of these had the best chance of fulfilling their dream as gold was easy to locate and recover, but that soon changed as the easier locations were quickly discovered and worked out.

The price for available goods and services doubled, then doubled again. Supplies were few in the beginning and a certain number struggling to make ends meet turned to crime to acquire their needs.

Those few who obtained five to ten thousand dollars in gold considered themselves rich and in those times they were. A few of those gathered up their belongings and returned home.

Those who chose to remain erected houses, planted gardens, and tended their stock. Soon others arrived and duplicated their success. As a result, we have today many small towns, each only a few short miles apart.

Not all towns were created by the discovery of gold, but rather out of need at the time, or for a favored location, be it at a crossroads or a halfway point from one location to another. A few were created for the convenience of others, such as end of the line for the railroad. A few were created only because settlers built a cabin or house and utilized the land while others settled nearby creating a need for a store, which then created other needs.

Of the towns in this book, only one was created because of the gold. Another was the by-product of gold, as it started as an important ferry crossing. One was created for the convenience of the railroad and free enterprise. Only one of these towns was created solely by the desire of its founder to have a place of his own.