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This hefty green book underwent a stunning metamorphosis from conception to
birth. My editor watched in some consternation as the original manuscript
grew from puny caterpillar to the butterfly that ate the Mother Lode. The
original plan was very modest—to research and write a pamphlet about the
history of Shady Flat. The mining cabin at Shady Flat was one of several
threatened Gold Rush era landmarks along the Yuba River in Sierra County
which also was the picturesque site where I whiled away my lucky childhood.
However, just as the miners wandered, so did my interest. Hundreds of
irresistible anecdotes and deathless tidbits of information later, the
project was reconceived as a more generous book designed to fill empty
niches in the written history of this corner of the once-fabulously rich and
populous Northern Mines.
The book is an admittedly personal, subjective—but balanced, I trust—view of what happened along the river corridor in the pioneer days. Not
wishing to be narrowly parochial, I nestled our local events in the larger
happenings of the region, the State, the Republic and the world in those
tumultuous times. True to my rep as a crusading journalist, I couldn't
resist probing uncomfortable or unpopular subjects other County historians
avoided 'ere now, such as:
 Native Americans (Maidu or Nisenan) — little attention was previously
paid to those who first occupied the land in our county, save to repeat the
invaders' ridicule and condemnation. They wuz robbed! - Women — the role of women except as domestic icons was ignored and their
feelings, contributions and legal status in and out of marriage left undocumented. Come forth, ladies, into the light of day.
- Immigrants — previous histories were silent about the plight of
immigrants, especially the non-Northern European ethnic and racial groups,
who suffered discrimination of the harshest sort and were deprived of basic civil
rights. Some of the nastiest chapters in Gold Country history.
- Environment — the environmental devastation wrought by mining and
timbering was largely undescribed and unreported (although early photos tell
the tale). Read it and weep.
- US Forest Service — The successes, excesses and missteps of the USFS, as
the agency has groped (since 1897) for a workable multi-use "management plan" for public lands that also honors and protects historic sites. Grrr.
- Finally, the stories of the small settlements and isolated, more
modestly-producing mines were overlooked, although many of the wildest, most
colorful characters lived and worked at these places. They live again!
LIKE A LEAF...was published in 2001 in a limited edition of 300 books and
sold out within a couple of weeks. Amazed, I revised and expanded it for a
second larger printing which also sold out within the year. For the 3rd
Edition the book has been revised and enlarged yet again (is now about 80
pages longer than the first edition) to be a rich and varied tour guide to
the present and the past along the roaring Yuba between Downieville and
Sierra City -- with side excursions Over North and the Lakes Basin back
country, to Alleghany-Forest City-Henness Pass area, the Sierra Valley, etc.
Click on REVIEWS to read nice things written about the book...and click on
ORDER 3rd EDITION to find out how you may add LIKE A LEAF to your collection
of Western History.
Particulars: 324 pages, lavishly illustrated, in oversized 8½" x 11" format
Cost: $35 plus $2.54 CA tax and handling costs, if mailed
ISBN: 0-615-12004-0
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