Humboldt County Historical Society
Dear Mad'm
By Stella Walthall Patterson
At the age of 80, the author made a dramatic life choice. Determined to experience freedom and adventure before it was too late, she left her comfrotable life in San Francisco to live in a small unimproved cabin in the Siskiyou Mountains above the Klamath River. Patterson, with her intrepid yet generous spirit, writes with wonderful candor, insight and humor about her life in the wilds and the unique, unexpected bond which develops between her and two young miners who are her nearest neighbors. Her engaging memoir, in addition to capturing a time and place, contains all the elements of a riveting story: suspense and danger; characters we truly care about; and a satisfying uplifting conclusion.