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A History of California: The Spanish Period

Gelesen von Steven Seitel

(4,367 Sterne; 15 Bewertungen)

If you have ever wondered why Spain (and not Japan, which was so so much better positioned to do it) was first to “settle” the Golden State, this book is for you. Professor Chapman has produced a comprehensive and highly entertaining popular history of “the Californias,” beginning with a nod to geography and the native races and carrying on through to the arrival of Old Glory in 1848.
What might in less capable hands have proved a heavy historical loaf to digest is lightened and leavened with the yeast of “interesting incident” throughout. Consider the plight of the newly-appointed Governor of Alta California, Pedro Fages, whose own wife, the fiery Catalan Doña Eulalia Callis, who, when she wasn't giving away to the “naked indians” all of her own clothes (and the Governor's, too) secretly petitioned the authorities in Mexico for his removal from office. The author relates at some length the romantic story of beautiful Conceptión Argüello, who chose to wait faithfully all her life for the return of the rascally Razánov the Russian, with whom she had fallen in love. The tragic conclusion of this affair is touchingly imagined in an extended quote from the famous poem by Bret Harte.(1)
But not all is frivolity. The historical meat is here as well, in breadth and in detail. The author's stated purpose is “to show that California history is important as well as interesting,—that the great Anza expedition of 1775-1776 and the Yuma massacre of 1781 demand inclusion in any comprehensive history of the United States,—that California, while it indeed has a romantic history to tell, has also a great deal more than that to contribute to the cherished traditions of the American people.” (Preface)
(1) Conceptión de Argüello. by Bret Harte, Presidio de San Francisco, 1800.
- Summary by Steven Seitel (20 hr 9 min)

Chapters

Preface

9:06

Read by Steven Seitel

The Effect of Geography upon California History

18:51

Read by Steven Seitel

The Indians

29:57

Read by Steven Seitel

The Chinese along the Pacific Coast in Ancient Times

24:45

Read by Steven Seitel

The Japanese Opportunity in the Pacific in the Early Modern Period

30:26

Read by Steven Seitel

Cortés and California

28:42

Read by Steven Seitel

Origin and Application of the Name California

37:17

Read by Steven Seitel

The Northern Mystery and the Discovery of Alta California

34:26

Read by Steven Seitel

The Manila Galleon

34:33

Read by Steven Seitel

Drake and New Albion

39:16

Read by Steven Seitel

Gali and Rodríguez Cermenho

30:14

Read by Steven Seitel

Sebastián Vizcaíno

48:20

Read by Steven Seitel

The Overland Advance to the California Border, 1521-1687

37:33

Read by Steven Seitel

Sea Approaches from New Spain to California, 1615-1697

37:17

Read by Steven Seitel

The Jesuits in Baja California, 1697-1768

35:36

Read by Steven Seitel

Progress of the Idea of Overland Advance to the Californias, 1697-1765

56:17

Read by Steven Seitel

José de Gálvez

24:31

Read by Steven Seitel

The Spanish Occupation of Alta California

44:27

Read by Steven Seitel

The Pacification of Sonora

26:59

Read by Steven Seitel

The Precarious Footing of the Early Settlements in Alta California

26:52

Read by Steven Seitel

The Russian and English Agressions in the Pacific Northwest

35:50

Read by Steven Seitel

Antonio Bucareli

31:14

Read by Steven Seitel

Bucareli's Attention to the Local Problems of the Californias

26:33

Read by Steven Seitel

Juan Bautista de Anza

19:35

Read by Steven Seitel

The Founding of San Francisco

32:35

Read by Steven Seitel

The Commandancy General of the Frontier Provinces

33:21

Read by Steven Seitel

The Yuma Massacre

28:55

Read by Steven Seitel

The Aftermath

20:37

Read by Steven Seitel

Junípero Serra

29:50

Read by Steven Seitel

Fermín Francisco de Lasuén

48:23

Read by Steven Seitel

Spanish Californian Institutions

33:12

Read by Steven Seitel

The Romantic Period, 1782-1810

49:37

Read by Steven Seitel

Inland Explorations and Indian Wars, 1804-1823

48:58

Read by Steven Seitel

Era of the Wars of Independence, 1810-1822

40:38

Read by Steven Seitel

Under Mexican Governors, 1822-1835

43:32

Read by Steven Seitel

Waiting for Old Gloriy, 1835-1847

31:11

Read by Steven Seitel

Bewertungen

INTERESTING

(5 Sterne)

Having lived in California many years I found this book very interesting. I lived on a sailboat and we did extensive sailing in the waters described. I now live in the Pacific NW, so it all ties in. The narrator mr. Seitel did an excellent job. Looking forward to the 2nd book in this series. Thank you Librivox, JK (compulsive reader)