A young journalist traveling in the mountains of California in 1893 has the good fortune to meet Professor Phibias T. Quakenbush, purveyor of medicines and exciting tales of California's gold rush days. While the sparks from their campfire swirl upwards through the tall pines, the Professor tells a story about “Pitch-Pine Billy,” a Miwok Indian who finds a most unusual frog-shaped gold nugget, and about Mary McGraw, a young Irish girl whose heart has been smitten by a dashing Pony Express rider named Quentin Saunders. Two exciting tales of California folklore you are sure to enjoy.

Grade Level 4-8
California History/Folklore