Author Maria E. Brower is manager of the Doris Foley historical branch of the county library, editor of the county historical society�s newsletter, and founder of the county geneal...ver maisAuthor Maria E. Brower is manager of the Doris Foley historical branch of the county library, editor of the county historical society�s newsletter, and founder of the county genealogical society. Choosing from the magnificent archives of the historical society�s Searles Library, she narrates this pictorial saga of a town that once rivaled San Francisco and Sacramento but is content to reign as the antique and still-sparkling gem of the Mother Lode.ver menos