The story depicts a period in the history of California seldom written about. Weaverville, the county seat of rural Trinity County was a bustling mining town in 1894. The La Grange Mine, at the time the World"s largest placer mine was in full swing. Men flocked to the hills with the word of gold strikes in the steep rugged high country. Deputy United States Marshal Chance Bowie comes to town looking for the remnants of his family. On medical leave for a condition that will kill him, Marshal Bowie is determined to find his father, brother, sister and possibly his cousin, who turns out to be the county Sheriff James Bowie, Jr. Marshal Bowie finds murder, but no justice. He chooses to come off medical leave to dispense his own brand of frontier justice. Herk Shriner was born in the lumber town of Eureka, California, in 1946. Growing up in rural, small towns in Northern California, Herk developed an interest in history and the Gold Rush. An accomplished historian for both E Clampus Vitus and the Native Sons of California, Herk has always loved a good story. After a long career in the telephone industry and construction contracting, Herk has now chosen a comfortable chair in front of his computer instead of his backhoe. There will be more time for his wife and family, especially his three granddaughters. Herk writes about what could have happened in the small town he lives in, Weaverville, Trinity County, California.