CSPRA Book Reviews
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Marshall Book Reprint
January 2007


The Gold Discovery;
James Marshall and the California Gold Rush
by William C. Dillinger, Retired DPR

THE GOLD DISCOVERY - James Marshall and the California Gold Rush has just been reissued by the Gold Discovery Parks Association and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The 48-page book, by William C. (Bill) Dillinger, retired Parks Department Information Chief, tells the story of Marshall's great Discovery and the Gold Rush it set off. It tells how those events changed the world, as American westward migration exploded from a trickle to a flood and young men raced in from all over the globe, abandoning farms and families.

It also burnishes Marshall's reputation a bit, pointing out that he was not always the bitter, impoverished man of his last years, but earlier had been a man of considerable capability. Much relied upon by Sutter, he also played a small but significant role in the war with Mexico. And he didn't just stumble on his great discovery, he had a pretty good idea of what he would find.

The book was first published in 1990. Popular with teachers and others seeking a concise overview of the Gold Rush story, it sold out rapidly. But because of publishing problems, it has long been out of print. The new version, printed digitally, is in slightly larger type, with more color illustrations. The section on the current park and its facilities has been updated, and Dillinger has also made some minor revisions in the text.

Dillinger is a past Sheriff (presiding officer) of the Sacramento Corral of Westerners, a national organization of western history buffs, and has written and edited an number of publications on western history. His family history goes back to the Gold Rush, for his great grandfather, Simon Alter, came across Panama in 1851 and mined at Chili Bar on the American River before finally settling in Placerville. In addition, his father, H.E. Dillinger, as an assemblyman and later senator, was instrumental in establishing the Coloma Park.

The price of the book is $13.99 - $15.00 with tax. It may be ordered from Janet Koutnik at the Gold Rush Mercantile by telephone 530-344-1895, Mon - Fri. 10:00 - 4:30PM or by email at goldrush@marshallgold.org. They carry the book in the museum store at Marshall Gold Discovery S.H.P. in Coloma -- drop in if you are nearby.

  May 2006

The Last Season
by Eric Blehm

 

Review by Cris Sanguino

 

 

 


Click cover for larger view

 August 2005

I'm Just a Seasonal, The Life of a Seasonal Ranger in Yosemite National Park
by Thomas A. (Smitty ) Smith

 

Review by Carl S. Chavez

 January 2005

Nature Noir: A Park Ranger's Patrol in the Sierra
by Jordan Fisher Smith
"This is a walk in the woods like Thoreau never imagined. I can't make up my mind whether Jordan Fisher Smith is John Muir at the crime scene or Elmore Leonard with a backpack. In any event, this astonishing book, with its brilliant interweaving of murder, irony and natural history, invents a new genre." ­ Mike Davis

July 2004

A Pathway Through Parks
by Carl Chavez

Review by Steve Treanor

   June 2004

A Land Between:
Owens Valley, California
by Rebecca Fish Ewan

Review by Robert Pavlik

January 2004

King and Queen of the River: The Legendary Paddle-Wheel Steamboats Delta King and Delta Queen from Roaring Twenties to New Millennium. by Stan Garvey

Review by Jenan Saunders

June 2003

Missing in the Minarets: The Search for Walter A. Starr, Jr.
by William Alsup, Honorary State Park Ranger

Review by Donna Pozzi

 CSPRA Member Authors
 


 
View or buy on Amazon.com
Listed in top 2,800,000 best selling books

 
Sold at many NHAs

Books authored by William J. Krumbein, Retired CSPRA Member
 

 Fire Fighters in Fatigues
History of a World War II Army Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon

by James G. Davis, Retired CSPRA Member
Also check Jim's WW II website

Read description and download order form

 


 Insignia of the Resource Agency
Fish & Game, Parks, Forestry
by Mike Lynch (CSPRA member), Doug Messer and Steve Huntington
Download book description and order form

 

Nature Noir: A Park Ranger's Patrol in the Sierra
by Jordan Fisher Smith
"This is a walk in the woods like Thoreau never imagined. I can't make up my mind whether Jordan Fisher Smith is John Muir at the crime scene or Elmore Leonard with a backpack. In any event, this astonishing book, with its brilliant interweaving of murder, irony and natural history, invents a new genre." ­ Mike Davis

 
BODIE'S BOSS LAWMAN
The Frontier Odyssey of Constable John F. Kirgan


by Bill Merrell and David Carle
Retired CSPRA Member

 

Introduction to Water in California


by Dave Carle
Retired CSPRA Member

 A Pathway Through Parks


by Carl Chavez
Retired CSPRA Member

 

Missing in the Minarets:
The Search for Walter A. Starr, Jr.


by William Alsup
Honorary CSPRA Member

 CSPRA Book Reviews
 
 

 August 2005

I'm Just a Seasonal, The Life of a Seasonal Ranger in Yosemite National Park
by Thomas A. (Smitty ) Smith

 

Review by Carl S. Chavez

 January 2005

Nature Noir: A Park Ranger's Patrol in the Sierra
by Jordan Fisher Smith
"This is a walk in the woods like Thoreau never imagined. I can't make up my mind whether Jordan Fisher Smith is John Muir at the crime scene or Elmore Leonard with a backpack. In any event, this astonishing book, with its brilliant interweaving of murder, irony and natural history, invents a new genre." ­ Mike Davis

July 2004

A Pathway Through Parks
by Carl Chavez

Review by Steve Treanor

   June 2004

A Land Between:
Owens Valley, California
by Rebecca Fish Ewan

Review by Robert Pavlik

January 2004

King and Queen of the River: The Legendary Paddle-Wheel Steamboats Delta King and Delta Queen from Roaring Twenties to New Millennium. by Stan Garvey

Review by Jenan Saunders

June 2003

Missing in the Minarets: The Search for Walter A. Starr, Jr.
by William Alsup, Honorary State Park Ranger

Review by Donna Pozzi