The Last Days of the Late, Great State of California facts for kids
The Last Days of the Late, Great State of California is a book written by Curt Gentry. It was published in 1968 by G.P. Putnam's Sons. This novel tells a story about the history and culture of California. It's told from a future time when the state of California has vanished.
What the Story is About
This book looks back at California's history and culture, starting from its very early days. It also shows how California influenced the rest of the United States and the world. The story describes a huge earthquake that happens in 1969. This earthquake measures 9 on the Richter scale. Because of it, the crowded coastal areas of California, west of the San Andreas Fault, sink into the Pacific Ocean. This event is based on a fictional idea from a real-life psychic named Edgar Cayce.
The book describes the terrible earthquake just before its last chapter. The quake starts in the north, near Point Arena, California. It then moves south along the San Andreas Fault, stopping near Taft, California. After a short pause, an even bigger quake begins. This second quake continues south through the Los Angeles area and into the Salton Sea. Strangely, the rupture then turns towards San Diego and goes back into the Pacific Ocean, where the quake finally ends.
As the earthquake happens, the book describes many different events, both big and small. After the quake, the story changes to "present tense" news reports. It's like you are changing channels on a radio or TV to hear different news updates about the disaster. The Central Valley becomes covered by the sea. Famous landmarks like the Embarcadero Freeway and Coit Tower collapse. The Oakland Bay Bridge also falls apart. However, the Golden Gate Bridge stays standing at first. Los Angeles is left in ruins.
As this part of the story ends, two more disasters happen almost at the same time. The Oroville Dam bursts open. Also, as evening falls, a passenger plane over San Bernardino is pulled down by strong winds. The pilot was trying to describe the San Andreas Fault splitting open at dusk. The final chapter makes it clear that the pilot was watching Southern California slide into the sea.
The end of the book lists all the things the world will now have to do without because of this event. This includes a large amount of farm products that used to come from California. Most of the book describes three main areas: the north, the Central Valley, and the south. The story also talks a lot about the 1966 election campaign for California's governor. It also mentions other important events of the time.
