Book Synopsis
Although the town of Mayfield existed on the South Bay below San
Francisco a mere seventy years, it stands as a kind of microcosm of its
time. Before Europeans began to explore the pristine region, it was
covered with oak forests, lush grasslands, herds of wild animals and was
inhabited by a people that lived off the land. Then came the Jesuit
missionaries who established religious colonies and introduced domestic
plants and animals to the area. This was the beginning, but the nucleus
of Mayfield began in the period between 1841 and 1853, after the
Mexican government granted land ownership to individuals and ceded
Alta California to the United States. Hordes of adventurers, gold seekers
and settlers from Mexico, the eastern United States and abroad rushed to
the region to establish extensive cattle rancheros and small businesses.
The creation of Stanford University fostered much growth as high tech-tech
has in current times.