Book
California Gold
First published 1989
James Macklin Chance leaves poverty in Pennsylvania for California long after the first Gold Rush, convinced that the state still offers a path to wealth and power. His ambition carries him through railroads, agriculture, journalism, oil and land development, where every opportunity is controlled by people prepared to use money, influence and violence.
The novel follows California from the late nineteenth century into the Progressive Era, including railroad domination, the growth of Los Angeles, the San Francisco earthquake and the beginnings of the film industry. Chance encounters figures such as Leland Stanford, William Randolph Hearst, Ambrose Bierce and Theodore Roosevelt as his pursuit of success repeatedly tests the people he loves and the principles he claims to possess.
Historical Periods
More from this period
4 more top-rated novels about Early American Motion Picture Industry
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More from this period
2 more top-rated novels about San Francisco Earthquake and Fire
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More by the author
Other books by John Jakes
Discover more
Authors similar to John Jakes
Recommended from shared genres and periods.
Gilbert Morris
104 books
Louis L’Amour
97 books
Kimberley Woodhouse
39 books
James Fenimore Cooper
25 books
Ann Rinaldi
19 books