Fugitive Slave in the Gold Rush

by James Williams

2002 · U of Nebraska Press

African American records of the Gold Rush are rare, as are underground railroad accounts from those fleeing to freedom; yet here is the account of a self-taught escaped slave and underground railroad worker who also succumbed to the lure of the California Gold Rush. James Williams was all of these things and more, a fascinating individual who in this memoir manages to cram more life into fewer pages than almost anyone has before or since ? a habit of traveling light that served him well. We learn about Williams's birth and escape from the South and his travels and exciting experiences on the West Coast in the mid-nineteenth century. We become privy to his views on the many people he met, including Chinese immigrants, and his observations on notable events of his time, such as the Modoc War in California.

In The Shadow of Sugarloaf

by Jack James

2024 · BookLocker.com, Inc.

Life in Arkoal, Arkansas, is centered around coal mining in the early 1900s. Young boys and men are expected to work in the Piney Creek mine to provide for their families. The danger in the deep mine shafts has taken the lives of many over the years. Mine bosses do little to ensure the safety of the workers and care even less about what might happen to them, just as long as the mine stays working. With Sugarloaf Mountain in the background, best friends Kenny, Davy, and Ned find or make adventures at school, church, and all around the small town in south Sebastian County. There is mischief to be made and mysteries to solve. With the threat of unionizing the coal mines, lives change quickly for everyone in Arkoal. Disaster, strikes, murders, and fighting turn this little-known town into front-page news, meaning that Kenny, Davy, and Ned have to grow up quickly in the wake.