"Kathleen Connelly, Irish immigrant, widowed on the way to the California gold fields, she fought nature and man to found a far-flung empire built on gold. ... Megan Connelly, a beautiful woman-child every man wanted, and no man could tame. ... Danielle Connelly, orphaned on a savage frontier, she spoke no English, but found a way to survive and become the brains behind two great business empires. Two Moons, the Northern Paiute warrior's rage at the...

"Most California histories begin with the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the late eighteenth century and conveniently skip to the Gold Rush of 1849. Noticeably absent from these stories are the perspectives and experiences of the people who livedon the land long before European settlers arrived. Historian William Bauer seeks to correct that oversight through an approach that tells California history strictly through Native perspectives. Using...