The Shirley Letters, written from the mining camps in 1851 and 1852, are something valuable and rare -- a portrait by a woman of an era dominated by men. They offer a vivid picture of gold rush life, from accounts of murders, fearful accidents, bloody deaths, a mob, whippings, a hanging, an attempt at suicide, and a fatal duel to bars lined with that eternal crimson calico which flushes the whole social life of the Golden State, and the rare and welcome luxury of oyster feasts. With the wild grandeur and awful magnificence of the Sierra as background, this classic account presents a picture of the gold rush that is at times humorous, at times empathetic, and always trustworthy.