Just ran across this book and wondering if anyone (Jim MC especially) has seen it- can you recommend??? Carolyn Beard, Franklin Gold Fields to Grazing Fields La Grange, CA: Southern Mines Press, 1988 Decorative Cloth. Fine/Fine. First Edition. Signed by Author. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. This collection of oral histories captures firsthand the struggles of California pioneers in the gold rush towns of eastern Stanislaus County (Snelling, Cooperstown, Warnersville, etc.) To the extent possible, early linguistic patterns have been retained, and the photographs --most of which come from personal collections--were here published for the first time. Extensive use also was made of institutional archival material, much of which is reproduced within. A (no pun intended) gold mine for genealogists. Signed by the author on the title page. In a Brodart cover. Bookseller Inventory # 000051 Price: US$ 60.00 convert currency Presented by 49er Books, Palmdale, CA, U.S.A.

Carolyn, Thanks for calling this book to my attention. I wonder, since the publication date was 1988 (or was that an error), just when the oral histories were collected. Obviously there were no pioneers left then, or was the author's definition of pioneers different from mine?. Is this a single copy or are there a warehouse full of them? Do the libraries or historical societies in Merced and Modesto have copies? If not, I wonder why. A phone friend was in Snelling several days ago and reported that the librarian there knew nothing of the history of the place. He gave them a copy of my Snelling second edition and they wrote for another (at my friend's expense, but I sent the check back with the copy), though they have a copy of the first edition I donated last year. It has my story about the Snellings' part in the town's history. Is it available on ILL, I wonder? My genealogy budget for this year is past the breaking point, but I wish I could see the thing or determine who, if any, of my folks gave interviews or if there are any pictures I don't have. I'll do a follow-up and try to get some answers. Cheers, Jim