Prosperity may be an integral part of the American dream, but historian Will Bagley says that wasn't always the case. In the mid-19th century, gold was discovered in California and the radically new idea of quick riches lured some quarter of a million people across the continent. But for Bagley, it wasn't an epic march of progress and civilization. He says the sudden transformation of the American West was complex and contentious. Thursday, our conversation with Bagley about the enduring impact of California fever. ( Rebroadcast)
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Will Bagley's latest book is called With Golden Visions Bright Before Them, Trails to the Mining West 1849-1852 [Amazon|Indiebound]