The document discusses the history and development of California from its earliest inhabitants to the early 20th century. It describes how native Californians spoke over 135 separate languages and faced near extinction due to European contact. It also outlines how California's infrastructure and population grew tremendously in the late 19th/early 20th century, especially in Los Angeles and San Francisco, fueled by water projects like dams and aqueducts. As the population and economy expanded, labor movements emerged to improve working conditions for agricultural and other workers.

1. Kevin Starr

2. “ California itself, according to Montalvo, was an ‘island on the rght hand of the Indies…Very close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise.’- abounding in in gold and precious stones.” Queen Calafia sailed to Constantinpole to join captains of the world in seige against the Turks. Queen Calafia’s Island

3. 1533 party of Spanish explorers sailing against west from Mexico an command of Hernan Cortes landed on what they believed to be the recently discovered Pacific. California was a peninsula, not and island, and faces the Pacific Ocean latitude 42 degrees N and latitude 32 degrees N Queen Calafia’s Island

4. Native Americans of California belonged to 22 linguistic families and within those families were 135 separate languages. “ After 25 generations, the first Californians would soon be encountering social forces , diseases, and genocidal violence that would them to the brink of extinction.” Queen Calafia’s Island

5. The public works infrastructure of California was established in the next 40 years. Dams, aqueducts, reservoirs, power plants, industrial sites, etc. served the growing population. 1878 legislature passed the Drainage Act and allowed $100,000 for irrigation, drainage, and navigation studies. Great Expectations

6. Technology developed in the Gold Rush for moving water across land led to technology of irrigation. Eventually would enlarge and stabalize metropolitan infrastructure in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Took more than six years to construct LA aqueduct. 1910 California reached 2.3 million in population growth. Decades from 1900-30 there was an overnight creation of metropolitan LA, San Francisco, and Southern California as new America. Great Expectations

7. Newcomers in Southern California were primarily white. 1920-30 Mexican American were dominant in Los Angeles, as wells as a small population of African Americans. By 1929, Sothern California had emerged into a “fully materialized American place.” Mid 1029s approximately 50,000 cmmuters were entering and leaving the San Francisco Bay Area everyday. This made the San Francisco Ferry Building the busiest terminal in the world. 1853 San Franciscans talked about bulding a bridge that would link their city to the Oakland on the East Bay Shore. Budget for bridge reached $77.2 million, which made it one of the most expensive public works in American history. Great Expectations

8. 1930s the Great Depression emerged. The Gold Rush was “an epic of personal labor in which men of every social background sought their fortunes through the work of their hands.” Since labor for hire was scarce in cities and towns (most preferred to be in the mines) workers of California organized themselves immediately. Making it Happen

9. California developed as an agriculture state. But with these great fields, it required an intense seasonal labor force. 1880s-90s men would bunk out and work in the fields all day. Eventually the labor force wanted to improve their working conditions. This movement was eventually termed The General Strike of 1901 and led to the formation of Union Labor Party in San Francisco. Making it Happen

10. 1912 San Diego found itself in bitter dock strike by the Industrial Workers of the World. Violence among all these movements became a common theme. “ April 30, 1919 the Criminal Syndicalism Act passed that declared it a felony, punishable by 1-14 years in prison, to advocate or in any other way to promulgate violence as a means of ‘accomplishing a change in industrial ownership or control or effecting and political changes.’” Making it Happen