Along the winding Monongahela River and forty miles south of Pittsburgh lies California, Pennsylvania. Hopeful prospectors settled the area in 1849 and named their town in honor of those hunting gold out West. California, Pennsylvania traces the growth of this Mon Valley town and nearby communities from the days of boatbuilding, coal mines, and railroads to today. Drawing on the California Area Historical Society's extensive collection of old newspapers, municipal documents, and vintage photographs from the Harry Harris Photographic Collection, this volume also explores the history of early houses and local businesses, and the emergence of higher education from a state normal school into the California University of Pennsylvania.