Daily gunfights, daily murders, frequent public hangings. Welcome to Los Angeles, California in the 1850's. This amazing first-person account of adventures, revolution history and tales, REMINISCENCES OF A RANGER was written by Major Horace Bell, who was there when it happened and wrote this eyewitness account of Los Angeles' violent transition from a Mexican Pueblo to an American City.
You'll learn the beginnings of political scheming and corruption. Bell was witness to the election of the first US Senators and Congressmen from California and saw the original corrupt practices of running for office.
Among the many stories and tall tales, you'll hear how:
• Los Angeles became the Murder Capital of the United States in the 1850's
• A political schemer changed a presidential vote by lying to a parish priest
• A woman's angry curse gave Los Angeles its largest public park
• A bunch of foot soldiers, with no enemy to fight, invented California's Bear flag
• An old Spanish Soldier with a 30-year-old memory of Spain caused Los Angeles to become a pueblo.
• Men bought liquor on Sunday during mass in old Mission San Gabriel.
• The gold rush in the North changed Southern California economy
• A jury of white gamblers easily voted to hang poor Mexicans
• Dozens of Chinese were massacred as a result of misunderstanding.
• The old Spanish Californio life was shattered by lawyers. taxes and drought
• Americans tried to make money bringing democracy to Nicaragua.
• Scalping really meant scalping.
• A heroic sea captain saved the passengers of a doomed ship.
• Spanish California became part of the Gringo nation
REMINISCENCES OF A RANGER describes Southern California in a time of rapid clashes of culture. Los Angeles was established as El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles September 4, 1781, upsetting the long established Native American culture by imposing Spanish culture and religion. By 1881, only 100 years after Los Angeles was founded by Spain, the entire culture and structure of the city had changed from Native American to a mostly English speaking Eastern American culture. Horace Bell witnessed much of it.
Horace Bell's book, REMINISCENCES OF A RANGER," Early Times in Southern California, was self-published in 1881. It is said to be the first book printed and bound in Los Angeles. In fact, there was not enough type at the printers to set the entire book at one time, so the first half was set, printed and then the second half followed. Finally, the two halves were combined, and the entire book bound. Bell attempted to sell copies himself, once bringing 200 copies to a Los Angeles bookstore and complaining that the bookseller did not charge enough for them.
Around 1910, the public rediscovered the book. New railroad lines brought large numbers of people into Los Angeles, evolving the city into a large and important place Chronicles of its early history and culture became valuable and REMINISCENCES OF A RANGER" was ready to tell its fascinating and uninhibited story.
Although it contains some language that would not be appropriate or acceptable today, REMINISCENCESOF A RANGER" is considered by many as one of the most accurate, albeit flamboyant and irreverent, books of the early history of Los Angeles and California. It is a true story of how Los Angeles became Los Angeles and how California became California. Reminiscences of a Ranger contains 37 chapters, plus an original Afterward With occasional sound effects and music.
