Return to Sierra Valley

Return to Sierra Valley is the story of a teenager raised in a remote valley in the Northern Sierra Nevada mountain valley in the mid 1800's. It follows this young man as he runs away from home and makes his way east on the newly completed continental railroad, his journey back to his beloved valley, and his role in changing the valley economy from subsistence farming to cattle ranching.

In 1869, shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War, and right after the completion of the continental railroad, a flood of young men left their homes to find their fortunes in the "Wild West." In contrast to the "49ers who flocked to California to get rich, these young men were just out for adventure. This story is one of such a young man. His story stands out because he was bucking the tide. He traveled east from his home in Sierra Valley, in the remote northern reaches of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to see what life was like in the "civilized" world of the east. Serving as a horse wrangler for the U.S. Army he began to gain a reputation as a n Indian fighter and a charmer of women (a reputation he felt was for from the truth). During this period he realized his future was to be found back in his beloved Sierra Valley. His trip home was wrought with adventures and valuable learning experience. He eventually returned a man of reputation and valuable knowledge of the growing western cattle business. Through his assistance his home area began to convert from a subsistence farming economy to an important center of cattle ranching. This non stop adventure novel is based on true stories heard by the author as a young man working on the ranches in and around Sierra Valley.

Arthur Rathburn is a former college professor, private consultant, and a retire army sergeant. He holds a BA in Social Science, a MS in combined studies of Geography, Anthropology, and History, and a PhD in Geography. He has been actively engaged in writing since his retirement from the US Army in 2001. RETURN TO SIERRA VALLEY is his eighth book. It is his first western historic novel. His prior work was concentrating on biographies and historic novels of the WWII era. Dr. Rathburn was born and raised in the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. He has lived in several location in Western America, but now resides with his wife, Ursula, in South Central Wisconsin.