True Tales from Redwoods: a Kid’s True Adventures and Survival Among the Loggers in the 1940s is a unique blend of story, history and creative non-fiction that appeals to both young and old. Readers will laugh and cry learning true stories of loggers and Indians somewhere near the Lost Coast in Northern California.
Sharon is a gutsy young girl who struggles with the adult world of violence, alcoholism, poverty and ignorance. Rather than being crushed she meets her world with humor, strength and honesty learning to shoot, trap and ride horses. .Her story is similar to Jeannette Wall’s best selling memoir The Glass Castle transferred to a loggers setting and mixed with a blend of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn.
“The winter rains and mud brings logging to a dead halt in Whitethorn. The Cat roads leading to the timberland turn into muddy quicksand and the loggers, log pond, the mill, the planing mill, and the cookhouse all sit idle until the rains stop and the mud dries. At this time, many of the men set their muscles to the rowdiest spells of poker, drinking and fighting.”
There is a growing market for books about loggers. Interest has soared as witness by the history discovery channel’s documentaries such as Axe Men and America Loggers.
On a recent trip to the heart of the redwood country, I learned from numerous bookstores thousands of tourists who visit every summer, eats up anything written about the life of the of the loggers. Every book dealer I spoke with was very eager to sell my book in their store.
According to the Humboldt County convention and visitors Bureau approximately 1.3 million tourist visits annually spending over $278 million dollars.
I am a retired school psychologist who has published in the California Alliance for the Mentally Ill Journal and women's voices. My blog, The Whitethorn Kid logger Journal, has been collected by the Mattole history society and filed for viewing for the public. My co-author Susan Dregey graduated from the top journalism school in the nation at the University of Missouri. She has been a feature writer in daily newspapers, was employed in editing text books and as an editorial assistant on major magazines.
copyright 2009 Sharon Porter Moxley
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Book Finally Finished
I have finally finished my book about my childhood growing up with Loggers in Whitethorn in late 1940s and early 1950s. The title has been changed from Tales of Whitethorn to Tales From the Redwoods: A kid"s True Adventures and Survival Among the Loggers.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Ruby Doers Obituary
A viewer has asked about the newspaper that published my mother's obituary. The Obit was written by my daughter, Marilyn Kay at the time of her grandmother's death. It was published in the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, California.
Yesterday I revised it adding a few details such as her living in Whitethorn, California. She was an unusual woman with gifted intelligence and as a young woman she looked like Susan Hayward. My step-father, Albert Sharpe, claimed she was the smartest woman he had ever known and she was the only one he ever loved.
Copyright 2009 Sharon Porter Moxley
Yesterday I revised it adding a few details such as her living in Whitethorn, California. She was an unusual woman with gifted intelligence and as a young woman she looked like Susan Hayward. My step-father, Albert Sharpe, claimed she was the smartest woman he had ever known and she was the only one he ever loved.
Copyright 2009 Sharon Porter Moxley
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Ruby E. Doers "Rosie the Riveter" Amended Obituary
Obituary
Ruby E. Roberts (Doers) passed away at home on October 13, 2006, surrounded by her loving family. She was 90. Born in Wisconsin, she came to California at the age of 9. Following in the genetic heritage of the Doers family, she could charm the whiskers off a mountain lion. Her childhood was spent in Bull Creek, California. In her early twenties she married George Porter of Arcata, California. Her second marriage was to Albert P. Sharpe, a Canadian who owned the Whitethorn Lumber Company. Ruby and I lived in Whitethorn between the years 1947 to 1951 when the family moved to Santa Rosa. She has lived in Clearlake for the past 20 years. During World War II, she worked as a welder on the first floating dry dock in Eureka earning the title as one of the “Rosie the Riveters”. From 1959 to 1979, she was a psychiatric technician at Sonoma Developmental Center. After her retirement she often remarked how she missed working with her disabled clients. She was an avid reader of books, especially suspense and mystery novels. She was a talented artist, a champion crossword puzzler, a wonderful cook, and loved to garden. She also loved to play bingo. Whenever she won a pot, she would always spend her winnings on her family. She was a good friend to her family, a lot of fun, easy going, a good listener, and very wise. She’ll be forever missed and in our hearts. She is survived by her two daughters, Sharon Moxley and Karen Sharpe; her grandchildren Marilyn, Antoinette, Jessica, Nicole, and Mariah; great grandchildren Melissa, Monica, Megan, Erin, and a little girl on the way who will be named Ruby. She is also survived by her niece Pam Mueller and her children Mike and Jennifer; nephew Jerry Croy; and great niece Teresa and great nephew Guy.
Ruby E. Roberts (Doers) passed away at home on October 13, 2006, surrounded by her loving family. She was 90. Born in Wisconsin, she came to California at the age of 9. Following in the genetic heritage of the Doers family, she could charm the whiskers off a mountain lion. Her childhood was spent in Bull Creek, California. In her early twenties she married George Porter of Arcata, California. Her second marriage was to Albert P. Sharpe, a Canadian who owned the Whitethorn Lumber Company. Ruby and I lived in Whitethorn between the years 1947 to 1951 when the family moved to Santa Rosa. She has lived in Clearlake for the past 20 years. During World War II, she worked as a welder on the first floating dry dock in Eureka earning the title as one of the “Rosie the Riveters”. From 1959 to 1979, she was a psychiatric technician at Sonoma Developmental Center. After her retirement she often remarked how she missed working with her disabled clients. She was an avid reader of books, especially suspense and mystery novels. She was a talented artist, a champion crossword puzzler, a wonderful cook, and loved to garden. She also loved to play bingo. Whenever she won a pot, she would always spend her winnings on her family. She was a good friend to her family, a lot of fun, easy going, a good listener, and very wise. She’ll be forever missed and in our hearts. She is survived by her two daughters, Sharon Moxley and Karen Sharpe; her grandchildren Marilyn, Antoinette, Jessica, Nicole, and Mariah; great grandchildren Melissa, Monica, Megan, Erin, and a little girl on the way who will be named Ruby. She is also survived by her niece Pam Mueller and her children Mike and Jennifer; nephew Jerry Croy; and great niece Teresa and great nephew Guy.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Review of Former Post Of Al Sharpe
Albert P. Sharpe
Albert Sharpe was my step-father. He came to Whitethorn in the late thirties or early forties and bought the Whitethorn Lumber Company. He also owned about 700 acres of land in and about the Whitethorn Valley. He was born in Canada and ran away from home in his teens because his parents wanted him to work in the family store rather than go on to school. His first stop was a coal mine where he worked for several years. He was a master poker player and the way he got his stake to go to the Redwood timber country was playing poker with the minors. He often said he hated taking their paychecks but he knew he had to get out of the mines. At Whitethorn (Thorn) Al eventually bought or built the Whitethorn bar in joint ownership With George Martin and his wife Virginia. Virginia ran a restaurant in back of the bar and was quite the cook. Many families bought their children to the restaurant and children were allowed in the bar because there was no law enforcement in the valley.Al was greatly respected in the valley because he owned the mill and employed many of the men in Thorn and partly because no one was ever able to put his arm down. He also played poker in the bar in winter and was viewed as not only the best poker player in town but the best bluffer. He never let anyone see his hand unless they put up the money in the pot. When he won he would smile and tell who ever he was playing with to come back next time when he had learned how to play.
Copyright 2008 Sharon Porter Moxley
Albert Sharpe was my step-father. He came to Whitethorn in the late thirties or early forties and bought the Whitethorn Lumber Company. He also owned about 700 acres of land in and about the Whitethorn Valley. He was born in Canada and ran away from home in his teens because his parents wanted him to work in the family store rather than go on to school. His first stop was a coal mine where he worked for several years. He was a master poker player and the way he got his stake to go to the Redwood timber country was playing poker with the minors. He often said he hated taking their paychecks but he knew he had to get out of the mines. At Whitethorn (Thorn) Al eventually bought or built the Whitethorn bar in joint ownership With George Martin and his wife Virginia. Virginia ran a restaurant in back of the bar and was quite the cook. Many families bought their children to the restaurant and children were allowed in the bar because there was no law enforcement in the valley.Al was greatly respected in the valley because he owned the mill and employed many of the men in Thorn and partly because no one was ever able to put his arm down. He also played poker in the bar in winter and was viewed as not only the best poker player in town but the best bluffer. He never let anyone see his hand unless they put up the money in the pot. When he won he would smile and tell who ever he was playing with to come back next time when he had learned how to play.
Copyright 2008 Sharon Porter Moxley
Today's answer
Question: What is a Peavey?
Answer: A Peavey is a long handled tool that loggers use to move logs. It has a hook that loops around the side of a log, allowing the logger to move the log out of a log jam in a river or pond.
Copyright 2009 Sharon Porter Moxley
Answer: A Peavey is a long handled tool that loggers use to move logs. It has a hook that loops around the side of a log, allowing the logger to move the log out of a log jam in a river or pond.
Copyright 2009 Sharon Porter Moxley
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