The Black West by William Loren Katz
“The Black community of the gold rush California became one of the most culturally advanced and probably the richest black community in the country. Its wealth was placed at more than two million dollars in assets, with more than half of this located in San Francisco. This wealth acted as a precipitant of black demands for equal justice and was repeatedly used as a further argument in its favor.”
“General William Tecumseh Sherman liked to tell about his California friend, General Persifer F. Smith, who would ‘take off his cap and make a profound bow to every colored man who he met in San Francisco in 1849, because he said, they were the only gentlemen who kept their promises.’”
Excerpts taken from the book: The Black West by William Loren Katz
You have seen me mention this book several times throughout this site. This is an excellent book for those who want to know more about Black history in the west. In this book you will find out things like how Blacks built many of their own cities from the ground up. And guess what? They did not use any loans 
. You will also ready about how Black women in some parts of the west were more educated and business savvy than that of many of their white counterparts. The information in this book in my opinion is priceless. Much of what you read in this book you would not find in most school history books. Check it out!
