In the second half of the nineteenth century, many people flocked to California, including Anglo-Saxons. It could be said that California was entering an era of “Anglo hegemony.” In this article I intend to discuss why they came to California, their encounters, their notable success, as well as the role of sex and gender in helping these newcomers take control of California. During the Mexican era (before the American-Mexican War), trade and the lure of land attracted Anglo-Americans to travel to California. After gaining independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico (including California) reformed Spain's trade laws. The leather and tallow trade was very profitable and dominated the economy of Mexican California. According to Albert L. Hurtado, it had “a profit large enough to attract Yankee investors and competitors from the United States and England” (Hurtado, 23). Furthermore, the Californios were so rich in land because of the new property transfer created by the government. These irresistibly attractive trades and lands caused almost Anglo-Americans to convert to Catholics and marry California women. One of them was Alfred Robinson, a native of Massachusetts, who sailed to California in 1829. His material reason seemed obvious. Furthermore, his marriage to Dona Anita, a daughter of an elite family, could secure land holdings and strengthen his social status, that is, he could become a part of the nobility. In the interior, the desire to control domestic herds – a critical resource in California was why American fur trappers, horse thieves, Mexican soldiers and rancheros gathered together. Sutter's connection with an Indian woman (p. 39) Some women came to California with their husbands and children. The men thought of the adventure... the center of the card... the controversial story. Sometimes they saw the implications of race and gender in their stories. Harte ventured to California in 1854, worked briefly in mining, but later decided to become a writer. It flourished here. According to Hurtado, "Gold Rush stories such as "The Luck of Roaring Camp" and "Outcasts of Poker Flat" were best-sellers that brought Harte to the favorable attention of Eastern critics as well as Western readers" (Hurtado, 137 ). Mark Twain ventured to California in 1861 where he continued his journalism career. He wrote about women's clothing. Ambrose Bierce was the last to come to California. He was attracted not only to California's local color and recent gold rush, but also to a history of interraciality and gender. His bitter story The Haunted Valley "captured some of the cold truths that most Californians wanted to ignore." (Hurtado 140)