Playing Chess with God BY VERNE R. ALBRIGHT
Henning Dietzel--at the urging of a Chilean prostitute--investigates rumors of gold in California prior to the 1849 rush. Intrigued he heads to the Gold Country to stake his claim. When others flee a brutal winter, Henning perseveres, and by the time the Forty-Niners arrive, he's already a wealthy young man. His saga...