The Beginnings of Marysville

San Francisco: California Historical Society, 1936 First book edition. Although not indicated, one of only 200 copies printed by Lawton Kennedy. Foreword by Douglas S. Watson. [8], 105pp. Frontis portrait, title page map in color, 4 plates, 2 full-page facsimiles, large folding map. Chapter notes. Rust cloth-backed tan boards, printed paper labels on spine and front cover. Minor rubbing to head of spine, slight darkening to edges of covers, but a fine, uncut copy. Very scarce. Third in the series on early California towns published by the Historical Society. San Jose and Los Angeles were also covered in separate volumes. The intent of the series was to focus on the local events which provided the individual "personalities" of towns. This book is then, like the others, a "town biography" and is extremely comprehensive, covering every aspect of the town's establishment and social and political history. It is crammed with detailed information. "Although settlement of Marysville occurred at the junction of the Feather and Yuba rivers prior to the discovery of gold, the actual birth of the community is traced to the Gold Rush and the town's location at the end of the river route to the northern mines" (Evans). The two facsimiles are of the Marysville Herald of 1850 and 1851. The folding map is, "A Complete Map of the Feather and Yuba Rivers," showing towns, ranches, diggings, roads, and distances. [Evans, Publications of the California Historical Society: 19]..