Event

California: West of the West

Join author Adam Collings for an indepth look at the early days of California as a Spanish colony.

Following a year of studies in Urban Planning at Cal Poly Pomona, Adam Collings subsequently completed his Associate of Arts Degree in Business at Fullerton College. That same year, 1978, Colling's first book Sendro was published, whereupon Collings parted company with the world of traditional academic pursuit to begin a fulltime career as a writer/researcher. While serving a mission in Chile, Collings became interested in exploring history from a Spanish perspective. Mr. Collings has maintained an academic connection with what he refers to as "organized religion," through ongoing membership and active participation in the California Mission Studies Association, Huntington Westerners and Mormon History Association to name but a few, while otherwise serving as a volunteer docent at among other sites Mission San Juan Capistrano and in Walt Disney's Barn.

California: West of the West recounts the early days of California as a Spanish colony, marks the 51st publication for Collings. The leading figure is Father Junpero Serra. Serra founded most of California's missions in the late 1700's and was long treated by historians as a pioneering hero. But some later views have depicted him as an imperialist who oppressed the Native American community. Collings' monumental effort to treat with fairness both Catholic and Ancient Americans alike sets this work apart and successfully turns any traditional interpretation of California's history on its ear.