If you had been alive 150 years ago, it's likely that you would have gotten your first mental glimpse of Southern California from reading Helen Hunt Jackson's Ramona. It was to books what Star Wars was to films. It was Jackson's romantic descriptions of Southern California in the days before Mexico gave it up to the United States that filled the hearts and minds of romantics everywhere.
It's a Romeo and Juliet story of the beautiful, young Ramona embroiled in a forbidden and impossible romance with Alessandro at a time when Mexicans were not allowed to fall in love with Indians.
Even though the story was complete fiction, people flocked to Southern California to visit the real locations where they believed the fictional romance really took place. And the people already living here were more than willing to take advantage of the frenzy. "Ramona Slept Here" was an all-too-common sign in front of inns and hotels. There were Ramona dolls and maps to where Ramona and Alessandro romanced. There were streets and highways named after the two. If you haven't already guessed it, the town of Ramona got its name from the romantic legend. Isn't it time you knew the story behind what's some consider to be the origin of all of the product marketing and hype that accompanies feature films today? You deserve to have your own original copy of Southern California's most important piece of literature.
By the way, it was Helen Hunt Jackson who coined the term "Southern California, An Island on the Land."
It's a Romeo and Juliet story of the beautiful, young Ramona embroiled in a forbidden and impossible romance with Alessandro at a time when Mexicans were not allowed to fall in love with Indians.
Even though the story was complete fiction, people flocked to Southern California to visit the real locations where they believed the fictional romance really took place. And the people already living here were more than willing to take advantage of the frenzy. "Ramona Slept Here" was an all-too-common sign in front of inns and hotels. There were Ramona dolls and maps to where Ramona and Alessandro romanced. There were streets and highways named after the two. If you haven't already guessed it, the town of Ramona got its name from the romantic legend. Isn't it time you knew the story behind what's some consider to be the origin of all of the product marketing and hype that accompanies feature films today? You deserve to have your own original copy of Southern California's most important piece of literature.
By the way, it was Helen Hunt Jackson who coined the term "Southern California, An Island on the Land."
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