02-20-2023, 02:29 PM
The King of California by Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman
The subtitle for the book is J.G. Boswell and the making of a secret American Empire.
Wow, history makes me sad, especially when it's the tale of an unrepentant oligarch. Jim Boswell and his father before carved out a giant patch of the San Joaquin Valley near Corcoran made themselves a pack of money growing cotton. It is probably the largest farm in the US. They carved up four rivers and drained the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi to do it. The authors did a ton of research to tell the story including a couple of interviews with the elusive Boswell himself. The authors also tell the story of early California farming in that end of the valley and the role Boswell and his Uncle played in it. It's all kind of slimy but worth the read if you have an interest in California history.
The subtitle for the book is J.G. Boswell and the making of a secret American Empire.
Wow, history makes me sad, especially when it's the tale of an unrepentant oligarch. Jim Boswell and his father before carved out a giant patch of the San Joaquin Valley near Corcoran made themselves a pack of money growing cotton. It is probably the largest farm in the US. They carved up four rivers and drained the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi to do it. The authors did a ton of research to tell the story including a couple of interviews with the elusive Boswell himself. The authors also tell the story of early California farming in that end of the valley and the role Boswell and his Uncle played in it. It's all kind of slimy but worth the read if you have an interest in California history.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm