George Hearst
George Hearst, father of the news tycoon, was among the first wave of aggressive developers. He had been in California since 1850, working unsuccessfully as a placer miner and then as a storekeeper.
Hearst hastened to the Comstock mines in Virginia City, Nevada, in 1859, acquired an interest in a promising mine for $3,000, dashed back to California to raise the money, then returned with his friends and started digging.
Working against the approach of winter, they managed in two months to dig out 38 tons of high-grade ore, load it onto mules, and drag it over the mountain passes to a smelter in San Francisco where it turned a profit of more than $90,000. The gleaming white bars of silver bullion were paraded through the streets to a bank, where they were stacked in window.
As a Senator from California, George Hearst (along with Leland Stanford) attended the the Fiftieth Congress from March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1889.
Hearst Corporation People: Stephen Crane, George Herriman, Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Brisbane
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Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin
(California Studies in
Critical Human Geography)
First published in 1999, this celebrated history of San Francisco traces the exploitation of both local and distant regions by prominent families--the Hearsts, de Youngs, Spreckels', and others--who gained power through mining, ranching, water and energy, transportation, real estate, weapons, and the mass media.
The story uncovered by Gray Brechin is one of greed and ambition on an epic scale. Brechin arrives at a new way of understanding urban history as he traces the connections between environment, economy, and technology and discovers links that led, ultimately, to the creation of the atomic bomb and the nuclear arms race. In a new preface, Brechin considers the vulnerability of cities in the post-9/11 twenty-first century.
The Annals of San Francisco
Historical Atlas of California
Click for a Selection of California History Books
"Historical Atlas of California"uses nearly five hundred historical maps and many other illustrations--from rough sketches drawn in the field to commercial maps to beautifully rendered works of art. This lavishly illustrated volume tells the story of California's past from a unique visual perspective covering five hundred years of history from before European contact through the Gold Rush and up to the present. The maps are accompanied by a concise, engaging narrative and by extended captions that elucidate the stories and personalities behind their creation.
Frank Soule, John H. Gihon
1855. Written by three journalists who were witnesses to and participants in the extraordinary events they describe. The Annals of San Francisco is both an essential record for historians and a fascinating narrative for general readers. Over 100 historical engravings are included.
Partial Contents: Expeditions of Viscaino; Conduct of the Fathers towards the natives; Pious Fund of California; Colonel John C. Fremont; Insurrection of the Californians; Description of the Golden Gate; The Mission and Presidio of San Francisco; Removal of the Hudson's Bay Company; Resolutions concerning gambling; General Effects of the Gold Discoveries; Third Great Fire; Immigration diminished; The Chinese in California; Clipper Ships; Increase of population; and Commercial depression.
