PDF The Anza Trail and the Settling of California by Vladimir Guerrero in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. New Spain; California and a Good BookBy Hugh MacMullanAlthough The Anza Trail . . . is textbook-true and I am mostly a reader of fiction; this is one of those books with plenty of adventure - narrated well enough to give me saddle sores; wondering where my next water stop will be. The (very) detailed accounting of two expeditions that began in 1774 and 1776 include everything writers attempt to include in their novels: plot (getting men; women; horses; mules; supplies and the Catholic Church from Northern Mexico through unmapped challenging terrain to the San Francisco Bay area); theme ( the Spanish and the Church civilized California first; with much difficulty); characters (Captain/Lt.Col. Anza; Father Garces; Sebastian Tarabal and Salvador Palma - to name just four - each with personalities; opinions and tasks of their own and relating to each other in complex ways); and especially settings (dry sand dunes with only bad water nearby; mountains; rivers galore to ford; the Pacific Ocean and places we still know today by the name given by men on this expedition). This is a good and readable book; and I'm a hard grader - Huckleberry Finn; Moby Dick and Blood Meridian would rate five stars; for example. I can't wait to show off some of my new-found knowledge on the settling of California; pre-gringo.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I would highly recommend this book for it's novel interpretation of the early ...By Diane BarrettThis book was surprisingly gripping ( for a translation of historical journals) and I looked forward each night to the adventures of Anza; Font and the other key characters. Being a native Californian; there was a lot I didn't know; and it was enlightening to hear about the Spanish; black; mestizos and other early Californians. I would highly recommend this book for it's novel interpretation of the early settling of California and the author's ability to paint the story with vibrant colors; while simultaneously being true to his sources.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Love SLO County? Read and Then Walk the De Anza TrailBy Debbie PetersonAn insight into how our landscape was; and a story of exploring it on foot; Very useful for understand mother nature and human nature; and the very early days of California. A particularly good read for those who live in San Luis Obispo County; as the De Anza Trail is currently being resurrected so we can take a personal journey through history.