Lost Mines and Treasures of the Pacific Northwest by Ruby El Hult, 3/5

This book, written in 1957 about events that largely took place in the late 1800s, occupies a strange middle ground both methodologically and temporally.  Not only was the author’s research ability limited to the pre-Information Age resources of her time, but there was the further complication of the existence of personal accounts from living people who were within a generation or two of original events (close enough to be convincing, but not close enough to be reliable).  Thus, the book is an awkward mix of fanciful hearsay and dry research that takes a few chapters to get into the spirit of.  Whether entirely true or not, these stories provide interesting insight into the early history of the Pacific Northwest and the world of pioneers, pirates and prospectors.

Why I read it: The sequel, Treasure Hunting Northwest caught my eye in a used bookstore so I thought I’d better buy the original too.