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a c k n o w l e d g m e n t s This book would not have happened without the wonderful people at the Yolo County Archives in Woodland, California. Like most repositories of local records, the Yolo County Archives operates on a shoestring. It is open one day a week and only for a few hours at that. When I first walked in the door in June of 2000 not expecting much, Howard Moore, one of the many volunteers who keep the place running, showed me Deed Book L, which contained a detailed hand-drawn map of the Big Ranch on Putah Creek. Wow, I thought, there might be something for me here. The archivist, Mel Russell, a true professional in every sense of the word, agreed a few months later to keep the small reading room open for me every day for two weeks. Seventy-two days later by my count (in two-week trips over the next four years), thanks in no small part to Mel’s incredible patience and expertise, my research finally came to an end. On most of those days, volunteer Virginia Isaacs “supervised” me, photocopied countless documents, and kept me going with her wicked sense of humor. When Virginia could not come in, Shipley Walters, the historian of Yolo County, stepped in for her. I am most grateful to them as well as to the Friends of the Yolo County Archives, without whom there would be no archives. Thank you all very much. Other individuals and institutions (in California unless otherwise indicated) also made the research possible. I extend my deep appreciation to the librarians and sta¤s at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley; California State Archives, Sacramento; California State Library, Sacramento; California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento; Davis Public Library; Dixon Public Library; the National Archives, College Park, Maryland; the National Archives, Pacific Sierra Region, San Bruno; Placer County Archives, Auburn; Solano County Administrator ’s Oªce, Fairfield; Solano County Archives, Fairfield; U.S. Bureau of Land Management, California State Oªce, Sacramento; and Yolo County Surveyor’s Oªce, Woodland. Special thanks go to John Skarstad at the Department of Special Collections, University of California Library, Davis; and Pat Johnson at the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center. Generous and greatly appreciated financial support came from the National Endowment for the Humanities , which helped me launch this project with a Fellowship for University Teachers and finish it with a Summer Stipend. And at Texas A&M University, grants from the Program to Enhance Scholarly and Creative Activities, Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, College of Liberal Arts, and Department of History paid for much of my travel and research expenses. As always, I relied heavily on Michael Magliari, who knows more about California history than anyone I know, to read each chapter critically as they rolled o¤ the printer. My debt to him is incalculable. Don Pisani showed me the ropes at the National Archives, provided good company on a couple of other research trips, shared his vast knowledge of California land policy, and gave invaluable feedback on the manuscript itself. Brian Linn, Linda Kato, Ethel Vaught, and Joe Bax also read the manuscript in full and provided insightful and enthusiastic comments. Joe, a former student of mine, taught me much more than I ever taught him, especially about the wonders of Lexis-Nexis and how to decipher nineteenthcentury legal verbiage. Steve Wee, a historian of Putah Creek in his own right, shared with me census records, maps, and other crucial documents. David Brody, my mentor in graduate school, did not read a word of the manuscript this time, but his voice was in my head every time I sat down to write. Others who graciously o¤ered assistance of one kind or another along the way include Quince Adams, Hal Barron, Stuart Graybill, Doug Hurt, Bill Issel, Je¤ Kolnick, Joann Larkey, John Lofland, Peter Moyle, Don Palm, David Robertson, Jim Rose, Susan Rugh, and Richard Schwab. I have not at all times followed everyone’s advice, but I have always valued it highly. Bob Brugger, my editor at the Johns Hopkins University Press, deserves special mention. Upon reading rough drafts of the first few chapters, he uttered the words every historian dreads: “You’re not writing another dissertation.” With his incisive comments at the forefront of my mind, I revamped those chapters, began the next one, and in the process really hit my stride. Kevin...

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