As We Were Told: (A Written and Oral History)

This 383 page book, fully indexed, contains transcribed tape-recorded interviews of scores of early settlers in the Sierra foothills. Their recollections & those of their parents, & grandparents show clearly what life was like for pioneers in a country of narrow, winding dirt roads when everything from medical help to a sack of flour came only with much effort. The book is rich not only in history, but also in drama, pathos & humor. Near Yosemite were gold mines, a bustling lumber industry, quarries supplying granite for the San Francisco & Los Angeles City Halls, huge ranches, & even the stage which carried Teddy Roosevelt to the park. In this book, a quarry owner speaks. A "Herder" for the flume that carried lumber from the mountains to the San Joaquin Valley recounts its workings...& its hazards. Stories about Indian traditions, food & medicines appear often. Tales of home-made entertainment are touching & amusing. "As We Were Told" is a fascinating book & an invaluable source for historians & genealogists & is available for $40.00 plus $6.50 United States postage & handling from: Coarsegold Historical Society, P.O. Box 117, Coarsegold, CA 93614. California residents add sales (1991 - 6 1/2% $2.60) tax. Foreign postage - 3 pounds weight.Stenzel, Jane is the author of 'As We Were Told: (A Written and Oral History)', published 1996 under ISBN 9780962637773 and ISBN 0962637777.