[1] At the end of the Civil War, the economy in the United States re-stabilized and simultaneously California started to produce a surplus of wheat beyond the needs of west coast markets.

[2] Friedlander and other producers experimented with shipping to Pacific rim countries, but by coincidence weather-related crop failures in Great Britain created excess demand there.

One was a fast new clipper ship, called the Down Easter, which was particularly suited to cargo such as wheat, and could make the trip to England in about 100 days.

[6] Beyond his business enterprises, Friedlander's involvement in public life included being water commissioner, one of the original regents of the University of California,[7] and a several term vice-president and president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

However he left a legacy of business methods such that California wheat production remained a major industry for another twenty-five years.