Northern California was settled at an extraordinarily rapid pace—its growth ignited by the Gold Rush, but it continued to receive wave after wave of new settlers long after the rush was over. This presentation analyzes some of the complex migration flows within the region during the late 1800s that form the foundation of its present settlement landscape.
Samuel Otterstrom, an associate dean and professor of geography at BYU, was born and raised in Spokane, Washington, and he served an LDS mission in New Mexico. Otterstrom researches population and settlement geography. He received BS and MS degrees in geography from BYU and a PhD from Louisiana State University. Otterstrom and his wife Lori are the parents of nine children.