"Mary Hill's book chronicles this important chapter in California's history. Combining the narrative skill of the storyteller with the expertise of the geologist, Hill gives us a complete and fascinating picture of California gold - its origins in the Earth, the history of its discovery, techniques of mining it, and its uses in modern times. The excitement of the gold rush is brought alive in these pages. But Hill also discusses the devastating costs - the extinction of the Native American tribes who had lived on the land for many centuries; the displacement of the Spanish-speaking residents (the Californios); and the silting of rivers from mining operations that led to severe flooding and ruined farmland."--Jacket.