The Fowler Family Early California Pioneers

The 1840s were transformative years in California. What was then a remote Mexican territory became the destination for opportunity-seeking Americans such as the author's fourth-great grandfather, William Fowler. William and his family moved west in three stages over 30 years, always seeking out the frontier. In the mid-1840s, they traveled overland to California and took part in some of the region's pivotal events; they crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains just ahead of the Donner Party, witnessed the Bear Flag Revolt, and were among the first lucky arrivals for the Gold Rush. The large Fowler ranch in Napa Valley became the nucleus of the resort town of Calistoga. Over the decades, the extended Fowler family participated in the evolution of the San Francisco Bay Area from a backwater to a major population center. The story of the Fowler family, with its intimate connections to historic events, illustrates pioneer life and brings the young West alive.