Book Reviews
A
Small
Corner
of
the
West
by
Adams,
Dennison,
Hill,
Jessee,
Maggi,
Mahler,
Mann,
Nopel,
Norton,
Roney,
Thornsberry,
Vanous,
Wakefield
Histories
of
Butte
Meadows,
Chico
Meadows,
Jonesville,
and
the
Humboldt
Road,
Butte
County,
California.
Comments by the publisher
Enthusiasm and unique information, stories, and lore “jump off” the pages of Small Corner of the West: Butte Meadows, Chico Meadows and Jonesville. Fifteen authors wrote the text, dozens more assisted the project through the Butte Meadows/Jonesville Community Association and History Committee, 130 cabin owners contributed histories, and over 150 people shared memories on tape, in writing, or with photos.
A map of Butte County, California, shows an arm stretching from the Sacramento Valley northeast into the high mountains of the southern Cascade range. The upper reach of that arm is the “small corner of the West” brought alive in this volume. The histories of Butte Meadows, Chico Meadows, Jonesville, and the Humboldt Road are rich with events that affected California and the West as a whole.
Men and women of every vocation and persuasion—gold seekers, homesteaders, sheepherders, cattlemen, horsemen, muleskinners, stage coach drivers, loggers, millworkers, flume tenders, railroaders, firemen, foresters, fishermen, hunters, and those just seeking physical and spiritual recreation for a day, a week, or a whole summer—have found a haven here. Each has left a legacy and so many memories and tales to tell. This book is for them, their descendants, and those who simply appreciate their story.
This book began in 1987 on a cabin deck in Jonesville, when a gathering of friends and neighbors conceived the idea of producing a pamphlet describing the special history and lore of the area. Thus began over ten years of immense volunteer effort that has resulted in this volume. It has been a labor of love. The contributors’ affection for this corner of the west is as evident today as in August 1896 when Rosa Miser wrote to her niece Jenny Jones, “I tell you Jenny, this is a pretty place, and only 35 miles from Chico. … Here the mountains are so close to the valley” … and so close to our hearts. We hope you enjoy this delightful reading.
"... The history of Northern California is rich with events that affected California and the West as a whole. Men and women of many persuasions - gold seekers, homesteaders, sheepherders, cattlemen, horsemen, muleskinners, stagecoach drivers and loggers - have found a haven here. Each left a legacy and this book seeks to chronicle their stories." --The Orion
