Clairitage Press debuted with our first and best-loved book: Silver Mountain City: Ghost of the Sierra. Lavishly-illustrated with old photos and newspaper clippings, this fun and well-researched book brings Alpine County’s silver mining years to life.
Next came Historic Alpine: A Self-Guided Driving Tour of Woodfords, Diamond Valley, and Fredericksburg, offering a different window into Alpine County’s history from a “drive it to discover it for yourself” perspective.
Cemeteries, too, are a great source of local history, and through the pages of our self-guided walking tour, The Fredericksburg Cemetery you’ll meet many of Alpine County’s original settlers, prominent ranchers, and early county officials; even a tiny Welshwoman who foretold her own death.
The rollicking details of Markleeville’s early years are all here in A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Markleeville from the town’s first saloons and “hurdy house” to the spot where town founder Jacob Markley likely breathed his last in 1863.
We’ve also produced a handful of lovingly-crafted oral histories to help families pass down their stories, including the reminiscences of a true Alpine “mountain man.” And with a pair of local experts we’ve created a book on the culinary, medicinal, and practical uses of native Sierra plants. Stay tuned as we add more titles!
Here at Clairitage, our goal is preserving our vanishing heritage. We love what we do. We hope you will read, enjoy and treasure these special books for years to come.
