Curiosities

With Golden Visions Bright Before Them

KUER 90.1 | By Doug Fabrizio

Published January 1, 2014 at 3:54 PM MST

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]

Curiosities

Doug Fabrizio

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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