Go west, young man

This famous quote is often credited to the author Horce Greeley who used it in an article published in 1865, but in fact the first who used it was a John Babsone Lane Soule in 1851. What made reference that expression? It was an invitation to move to the west of the country, to California that offered a prosperous and bright future for all Americans enterprising that they had tried. In 1849 the famous “Gold Rush” had prompted many to migrate to this state, but also toward Nevada, Colorado the Appalachian Mountains, the Klondike and other destinations, but California fully embodied the archetypal of the American dream, the California Dreaming. The railway network was developing, thanks to the feverish work of a multitude of men and Chinese women who had arrived in California through Pacific Ocean, a real diaspora. We said about the gold reserves that animated many to start your journey to the West, indeed the adventure, also if the fate, were uncertain and could be dangerous, but the gold was there, was waiting for them, nugget after nugget, straw after straw. The country demographically grew exponentially in a very short time and many of those who left for the adventure in 1849, became rich, made fortunes, others perished in mines or due to disease, for sure life was hard and the pace of work exhausting. Some towns sprang up out of nowhere, they developed a lot in the middle of the Mojave Desert, in Death Valley, for example, then, once exploited the subsoil not only extracting the gold, but also of other precious minerals, became ghost towns. Their traces are still visible today, in all of Southern California, within the Johua Tree park, such as the Mojave, that’s why I warned you about the danger to fall in one of those old mines while exploring these places. Later, during the Great Depression of 1929 another wave of Americans, pointed towards the Golden State facilitated by the construction of the famous Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. The advent of motorized transport and the building of this great artery, were crucial for further development of the country and its economy. Today, Route 66 is now gone, replaced by new modern roads and more functional to the volume and type of traffic, but the old “Mother Road”, will always remain. You can still drive through it much and I highly recommend it to find the remains of old gas stations and relive the emotions of those who have traveled. You will certainly have understood why the concept “California Dreaming” is still alive and kicking even to this day, because its spaces, its deserts, mountains to the ocean are still irresistible for many. California will always represent freedom and hope that outweigh the fear that pervaded all those over one hundred fifty years ago ventured to realize their dreams. California will always be a way, perhaps unknown, where all, perhaps, if animated by the spirit of enterprise and free dreamers, will find their fortune, which is a hidden nugget, a new life, a profession or simply, but even more precious, find themselves, the pleasure of life, the treasure hidden in our mind of little big men, that flame that animates us and encourages us to move forward to fight against adversity, day after day, certain that we will reach our paradise.

Copyright 2016 by Francesco Nicotera                                                               All right reserved