It can be said that by the turn of the century, California was experiencing an identity crisis. Though boosters had portrayed the state as an Anglo Eden, various economic conditions in the nation stalled tourism. It was not until Helen Hunt Jackson’s romantic narrative Ramona captivated the hearts of America that Californians found a history to re-imagine for their benefit. In what ways did the ‘Ramona effect’ change California? In what ways was this fictive Spanish heritage at odds with the historical and contemporary realities of late nineteenth/early twentieth century California?
