I'm Tracy Thomas, host of One For The Books, a literary live event series from LAS,

join me and author's Attica Law, Families in Junior, and Jeff Yang for a night of book talk,

games, and fun. On September 14th, at the Crawford Tickets are available at LAS.com slash events.

Hi, California City listeners. This is Emily Garen, your host. What you're about to hear

might sound familiar. It's a tale of a city in the Mojave Desert that was on the verge of bankruptcy

until a stranger came to town with a wild idea. This is the story of Adelanto,

where host and reporter David Weinberg spent years following the city as it transformed itself

from a city of prisons into a city of pot. Stay tuned for a special feature of Dream Town,

the story of Adelanto from Crooked Media. Enjoy!

In the beginning, all this was underwater. Ben? About a hundred million years ago,

the water receded, and these 56 square miles of desert land appeared.

Eventually, humans appeared, too. A Native American tribe called the Van U.

They discovered this part of the Mojave River Valley, and they called it home.

Then, a period of violence and conflict. In 1542, a spaniard showed up,

claimed authority over the land, and its people. But, as you will soon see,

when it comes to this place, things don't often turn out the way people expect them to.

Other Europeans showed up and told the Spaniards that this land was theirs.

They said it was God's will, of course. Blood was shed, treaties were made and broken,

borders were drawn and re-drawn, more of violence.

Eventually, the dust settled, and these 56 square miles were nestled inside a much bigger

piece of land with a new name. California.

Then in the early 1900s, a new plan. An American inventor by the name of E.H. Richardson

...