David L. Gardiner Letters

Résumé du livre

Contains 28 letters to his mother, Juliana Gardiner, his brother Alexander Gardiner and two to his brother-in-law, former President John Tyler. The letters describe his journey from New York across Mexico to the gold fields of California in 1849; life in early San Francisco, Sacramento and San Diego; the California Constitutional Convention and politics; slavery; the people he encounters including Native Californians, Chinese, and African-Americans; the economy, including being a merchant, agriculture and whale hunting; and health conditions.