Pioneers in Paradise

This book tells the hundred-year history of Three Rivers, California, from the 1850s to the 1950s. Three Rivers has always been a special place, one of rolling wooded hills, nestled close to the High Sierra mountains. Those mountains feed the rivers that give the place its name. It was an ideal place for the pioneers of this story to settle.

The book is divided into two basic parts. The first tells the story of events and places, what life was like for those hardy souls who homesteaded in these hills. The second part relates stories and histories about individual people and their families: when they came to Three Rivers, when they arrived, and how their lives and the lives of their families were impacted by living here. Did they thrive? Did they go elsewhere to search for their dream? The author has endeavored to answer these questions.

About the Author

Sophie Britten has a rich background and a deep appreciation for the history of Three Rivers and surrounding mountain areas. She is the third generation of her family to have deep roots in the foothills and mountains. Those roots go back to the 1800s and include cattle ranching, stock packing, as well as very early citrus farming.

Her writing credits include famiy histories and several published manuscripts. Now that she has retired from the ranching life, Sophie has the time to expand her creative talents in the fields of writing, hand weaving, spinning and knitting. Her favorite place to write or use her spinning wheel is in the Mineral King Valley and she finds that she is more at home in the mountain setting than in the city.

Sophie is already planning her next book; she wants to tell more of the story of the Loverin Family and there is also a mysterious early visitor to the Kaweah canyons who needs his own book.

Book Review:

"I am a local history buff and long-time member of the Tulare County Historical Society. When publications appear that pique my interest in Tulare County History, I usually acquire them. The author and her family are well known and highly respected in the Three Rivers area. Ms. Britten's contribution to the area's history by recording the background and lives of its pioneers is well done." -- Evan Long

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