| Italians of the Gold Country Contributor(s): Fregulia, Carolyn (Author) |
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ISBN: 1531635253 ISBN-13: 9781531635251 Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Library Editions OUR PRICE: $28.79 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: January 2008 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - General - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - General |
| Dewey: 979.400 |
| Physical Information: 0.38" H x 6.69" W x 9.61" (0.91 lbs) 130 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Western U.S. - Cultural Region - West Coast - Ethnic Orientation - Italian - Geographic Orientation - California |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: California's gold country has been profoundly influenced by Italian culture for the last 160 years. Immigrants from Italy's northern provinces were drawn here by the lure of gold, but it was the allure of the California foothills, where they found the terrain and Mediterranean climate similar to that of Italy, that convinced them to stay. California's fledgling economy provided unparalleled opportunities for Italian businessmen, and unclaimed land was available for agriculturalists. Settlement soon brought women and children, and within a decade, Italians represented a significant portion of the population in the region, numbering among the gold country's leading farmers, merchants, and tradesmen. The Mother Lode also offered women unique advantages, and Italian women proved wonderfully resourceful when necessity demanded. The 1870s saw a second wave of immigration, as Italian laborers arrived to work in the large, corporate-owned gold mines. Descendents of many of these Italian pioneers remain in the gold country to this day. |