A Sense of History

I’ve heard it said that California has no history.

Well, that’s wrong. Written history of human lives, not so much. The people who lived here before the Spanish came didn’t leave records, but they were here. Richard Henry Dana’sTwo Years Before the Mast gives an interesting glimpse of California life before the Gold Rush.

After the Gold Rush, California’s history becomes pretty wild. I found this book at a used book store mega-sale (sigh, another one bites the dust) and what a treasure.

The sens...