They Came Overland by Train - California History for the Young Reader

The Land Known as Alta California

The Conquered Province

Gold Discovered in California

They Came by Way of Panama

They Came Around the Horn

They Came Overland by Train

The Story Ends Where it Began:
Along El Camino Real

During the year of 1887 the greatest land boom in history hit California. It started with a rate war between the two transcontinental railroad lines. Officials of the Union Pacific and the Santa Fe Railroads lured home-seekers to the Pacific Coast with low fares. The rate war raged so hotly that on one day tickets were sold from Kansas City to Los Angeles for only one dollar a person.

A religious-group, the Quakers came to California to establish a colony here. They purchased the Thomas Ranch up on the slope of the Puente Hills. It covered one thousand acres and was purchased for fifty five dollars an acre. They decided to open the town to all fair minded people. After the doors were locked on their first day of selling, they had taken in thirty four thousand dollars, more than half of what they had paid for the land.

As a child it was sheer joy sitting around the supper table listening to the stories of our father's childhood of his growing up on a ranch outside of town on land his father purchased from Don Pio Pico, the last Mexican Governor of California. Later I wrote these stories down and included them in this book, giving the young readers the feel of what country living was like.

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ISBN 0-87062-295-1