"Though the Gold Rush and its adventurous spirit helped define the California Dream, progress ultimately came at a price." "When photographer Robert Dawson and writer Gray Brechin received the 1992 Dorothea Lange - Paul Taylor Prize from Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies, they began a five-year project of exploring California to record the present state of its environment and the legacy of the California Dream. Their study grew to include the historical and social forces that are so radically altering one of the earth's most favored and mythical regions. This book is the result Dawson and Brechin peel back the myth to reveal California as an ironic and often tragic place that few travelers, whether tourist or native, ever encounter." "A sobering reminder of the Golden State's possible future, Farewell, Promised Land also introduces individuals and organizations committed to rescuing the state from its present course of exploitation. Dawson and Brechin show how the image of California was and continues to be shaped through mass media, and they conclude that if California is indeed the bellwether for the nation, then its fate has relevance to every other place living with the pressures of development."--Jacket.