San Jose, California's First City (The American Portrait Series)

California's first city, San Jose, represents a microcosm of the development of the Golden State's urban centers. As narrated by the distinguished historian Edwin A. Beilharz, San Jose was founded as a planned civil settlement. In 1777, Governor Felipe de Neve established the pueblo in the lush Santa Clara Valley to provide a reliable food source for the growing yet isolated colony of Alta California. Donald O. DeMers takes up the story with the establishment of American rule in California. The discovery of gold on the American River changed the entire complexion of California and quickly led to admission as a state in 1850, This superb book by Beilharz and DeMers represents not only an important contribution to California local history but also to the understanding of the complex urban growth that has characterized the recent history of the western United Stated