I'm a diehard fan of Michener, I read almost all of his books set in the US (and Mexico), unfortunately he didn't touch the golden state, and I was looking forward to read something written there, written with his perspective through history.
No, Steinbeck is not an option because he tackles only the 19th and 20th century.
No, that guy who is the first Google result when you look up this query is also not an option because I don't like the almost clickbaity sound of his title, and he has a ton of negative reviews.
by CyberneticSandwich