Much of California history turns on stories of booms and busts, hopes realized and dreams deferred. Evidence of feast and famine appears in archaeological strata, documentary records, material culture, in the push and pull of migration, and in the evocative imagery of social commentary, literature, music and the arts. Memories of successes and failures cut across boundaries of time and space, race, class, gender, and culture. Often hope and despair played out together; Californians Henry George and John Steinbeck pondered the enigma of poverty amid progress, and Woody Guthrie sang of hard times bound for glory, of do-re-mi and deportees.

CCPH invites you to join us in Monterey for our 29th annual conference as we explore these threads of California's history. The conference committee is working to bring together a dynamic program of sessions and field trips. Check back for updates on the conference venue and program.

Call for Papers
CCPH invites proposals that explore how booms and busts have coursed through California history. For more information about the Call for Papers click here. The deadline for proposals is April 30, 2009.