California 1850: A Snapshot in Time

"California 1850 - A Snapshot in Time" focuses on California life and culture in the year of statehood. It captures the delight of those interested in California history, from novices to seasoned history buffs.

The book also makes a useful travel companion with its lists of historical sites and museums to visit in each county.

Maps, photographs, rancho charts, biographical sidebars, and endnotes full of intriguing bits of information add interest that will extend the life of the book well into the new millennium.

An introductory chapter summarizes the history of California before 1850 and describes California's government, architecture, modes of transportation, and industry in 1850. A special section in the introduction describes the colorful society in the Gold Country, as well as the gold mining methods of the time.

The other 27 chapters correspond with the original counties. Where appropriate, these chapters are divided into sections that describe the areas that later became the other 31 counties that exist today.

Janice Marschner is a California native and has lived in Sacramento since 1973, with a four-year hiatus sampling small town living in Yreka with her husband and two children. She grew up in Walnut Creek and lived in San Francisco for two years following graduation from college.

Janice is a graduate of the University of California, Davis with a degree in International Relations and California State University, Sacramento with a Masters in Public Policy and Administration. She spent eleven years working in California state government, first as an administrative assistant to former State Senator Quentin L. Kopp and more recently as an analyst for the California Trade and Commerce Agency and the Employment Development Department. In June 2000 she retired from state service to concentrate on marketing her book and starting the research for the second one.

Janice's initial interest in the early history of California started when she visited the Empire Mine State Historic Park in Grass Valley in 1995. Knowing that California would be commemorating its sesquicentennial of admission to the Union of the United States in the year 2000, it occurred to her that others interested in California history might enjoy having one concise, easy-to-read book that would give them a snapshot view of what California was like in 1850, two short years after the discovery of gold in Coloma in 1848. Thus began the five-year writing project that culminated in the publication of "California 1850 - A Snapshot in Time" in March 2000.

Janice has two new books in the works. Until 9/11, she had been working on a book that will focus on another period of California history—the late 19th/early 20th centuries—when hot springs and the resorts built around them attracted many to California by way of the railroad and became elite vacation destinations. After 9/11, however, her heart just wasn't in such a fun book, so she carefully filed her research away and promises to resume it soon-for all of you who can't wait for that one! But currently Janice is researching California's ethnic groups in hopes that what she discovers will result in a book that will help all Californians better understand how we became so diverse and in the process help us to become more tolerant and appreciative of our diversity.