This collection of jaw-dropping tales of Gold Rush anarchy will leave your mind reeling. Written by a San Francisco historian, Gold Dust and Gunsmoke provides an amazing insight into the birth of California's multiculturalism. French, Chileans, Chinese, and Italians all mixed together with an already volatile population of post-war gringos and Californios to create an outrageous and lawless frontier environment. The "wild west" is a familiar term, but until you read this account of the Gold Rush it's a term you don't fully understand.

Nate Grover