New England stagemen followed thousands of bedazzled gold rushers out west in 1849, carving out the first public overland transportation routes in California. Daring drivers like Hank Monk navigated treacherous terrain, while entrepreneurs such as James Birch, Jared Crandall and Louis McLane founded stagecoach companies traveling from Stockton to the Oregon border and over the formidable Sierra Nevada. Stagecoaches hauling gold from isolated mines to big-city safes were easy targets for highwaymen like Black Bart. Road accidents could end in disaster--coaches even tumbled down mountainsides. Journey back with author Cheryl Anne Stapp to an era before the railroad and automobile arrived and discover the wild history of stagecoach travel in California.

Most histories highlight men's lives. Disaster & Triumph: Sacramento Women, Gold Rush Through the Civil War is the first one to uncover the women who helped shape history in today's California capital--then an important "hub" city of the great California Gold Rush. Thousands upon thousands of men from all over the world descended on the region eager to find a fortune . . . but expecting to get rich quick and return home, few brought wives and families. Two years into the Golden Immigration, less than 8% of Sacramento's residents were women. Yet those women made their mark, proving their mettle as decision makers and breadwinners in a uniquely masculine society. Displaying spunk and determination and skills honed by new experiences, their successes altered women's perceived traditional roles in a turbulent city beset with major fires, devastating floods, and other disasters. Read intriguing cameos of respectable ladies and scandalous harlots--then experience the lives and times of six extraordinary women: Jennie Wimmer, the camp cook and laundress at the Coloma gold discovery site; Dorothea Wolfinger Zins, a Donner Party survivor who made bricks for the construction of Sacramento homes and businesses; the accomplished governor's wife Mary Zabriskie Johnson; overland pioneer Margaret Frink, church founder and dairyman's wife; Lavinia Waterhouse, successful water-cure practitioner, midwife, and fiery suffragette; and Margaret Crocker, the beloved benefactress to a maturing city. Meticulously researched and visually written with spirit and wit, Disaster & Triumph: Sacramento Women, Gold Rush Through the Civil War is for history buffs, students, women's discussion groups, or anyone who savors an entertaining and educational read about the struggles and attainments of pioneer women.