Story told by Thomas Jefferson "Uncle Jeff" Mayfield about the Yokuts Indians and nineteenth century life in the southern San Joaquin Valley, specifically in the area known as Tailholt or White River in southern Tulare County, and on the Kings River, south of Fresno, California. Great ethnographic material.

Tailholt Tales

LAtta, Frank F.

Bear State Books

Handbook of Yokuts Indians

Story told by Thomas Jefferson "Uncle Jeff" Mayfield about the Yokuts Indians and nineteenth century life in the southern San Joaquin Valley, specifically in the area known as Tailholt or White River in southern Tulare County, and on the Kings River, south of Fresno, California. Great ethnographic material.

Brewer's Historical Press

About the Author Frank F. Latta was born near the mouth of Orestimba Creek in Stanislaus County, September 18, 1892, son of Cumberland Presbyterian Minister, Eli C. Latta, and Schoolteacher Harmonia Campbell Latta. In 1919, while in the U.5 Army he married Jeanette M. Allen horn in Oakland, September 3, 1897. Frank and Jean with their four children have shared equally in the efforts and sacrifices made to gather, prepare and publish these data. In 1906 Occidental Elementary Teacher, Edith V. Hollingsworth, encouraged him to gather the history of the school district by interview-ing the original settlers, many of whom then were still living. Latta started with James Hitchcock who came to California before the discovery of gold by James Marshall. He came with the first wagons to cross the Sierra Nevada, led by Captain Elijah Stevens, and was scalped by the Indians on the way. Latta gathered more than 17,000 stories of San Joaquin Valley pioneers. His combined books, newspaper and magazine articles total more than 3000 publications. DALTON GANG DAYS, SAGA OF RANCHO EL TEJON, AND TAILHOLT TALES were published by the Latta family press, Bear State Books, in 1976 honoring that year with the Bear State Books Bicentennial seal. The second edition of HANDBOOK OF YOKUTS INDIANS, first edition issued in 1949, was published in 1978. Latta's comprehensive book on Death Valley, DEATH VALLEY '49ERS, was published in 1979. His last book, JOAQUIN MURRIETA AND HIS HORSE GANGS, was published in 1980. Latta died in 1981. Product description California history

Joaquin Murrieta and His Horse Gangs

The latest book from Brewer’s Historical Press, in Exeter, is one that anyone interested in local history and Native American culture must have. The Handbook of Yokuts Indians, the classic reference text for scholars studying area Indians, as well as collectors, has been re-released with a whole new look. Written by Frank F. Latta and originally published in 1949, the Handbook of the Yokuts Indians is considered by many historians and cultural anthropologists to be the single most important work on the lives and culture of the more than 60 tribes that made up the Yokuts. The book is the definitive reference on Yokuts Indians, said Chris Brewer, local historian, Exeter Sun columnist and publisher of the Handbook. It lives up to the name Handbook, and is the only major reference source on Yokuts. The original 1949 publication was enlarged and edited by Latta and his daughter, Monna Latta Olson. It was released in an enlarged second edition in 1977. The edition was soon sold out, and collectors and researchers found themselves paying up to 10 times the original cover price. Brewer felt it was time to republish the book as the price for the old edition was way too inflated. The inflated cost of the second edition, as well as its scarcity are what prompted Brewer to gain the rights from the Latta Family Trust to re-release the Handbook. The release of the 50-Year Anniversary Edition is priced at a more reasonable $75. The book’s latest incarnation was published for collectors, and serious researchers, as well as for those interested in Native American culture and local history. People who are interested in local history or the history of the San Joaquin Valley will want this book, especially those who missed it last time. It is also felt to be a superb text book for anthropology, history, and archaeology students. Drawn from first hand interviews, the book contains literally hundreds of photographs of the Yokuts people demonstrating their traditions and artifacts. There are dozens of photographs in the book, many of rare Yokuts ceremonies and basket makers. This release is an early commemorative edition to mark the book’s 50th anniversary next year. Little has been changed from the 1977 second edition. It is the 50th Anniversary Edition, with 1,000 copies, 100 of which are signed by Latta’s daughter, who did all the editing and the proofing of the second edition. It has undergone cosmetic changes with a redesigned the cover, added dust wrapper, and minor updated book information. The book’s quality has been upgraded with heavier paper and cover boards. The signed, numbered editions of the Handbook are available at $125 each from the publisher. Exeter residents in particular will notice the 50th anniversary edition has a very familiar look. It’s dust jacket features a four-color reproduction of the original watercolor used for the Yokuts Harvest mural in Exeter, by artist Ben Barker of Susanville, now deceased. The new release also features a better overall appearance than the earlier editions.

Brewer's Historical Publications

California Indian Folklore is a fascinating book, well written, and full of interesting first hand lore of California's Yokuts Indians. It is because Frank Latta was able to interview the last of the old tribal leaders that this book exists. Latta's expertise in gaining information from the Yokuts has enabled us to preserve, in writing, some of their heritage. California Indian Folklore is a valuable resource on the life of the Yokuts of the San Joaquin Valley. The Yokuts, overall, were a happy people who made admirable use of the natural resources that surrounded them. It would make excellent first person quotes for exhibits or school study, even at the elementary level. The reader who has an interest in early California native ways will enjoy this historic volume.

California Indian Folklore

Bear State Books, in Exeter, has released its newest publication, Dalton Gang Days, by Frank F. Latta. Latta first published the book in 1976 as one of several historical books on California. It is considered to be one of the best resources for the history of the Dalton Gang, which plied the rails and roads of California and the Midwest in the 1890s. 
The historical information and photographs found in Latta’s book are of particular interest to professional historians and others who are interested in the wild-and-wooly west and its outlaws. The book is easy to read and loaded with great factual information on the Dalton family in California and the west. 
Few characters in American History have been fictionalized as much as the Dalton Gang. Born in 1892 and raised in Stanislaus County, Frank F. Latta grew up in California with the stories and rumors of the Daltons. From an early age he was exposed to the then-fresh tales of the Daltons. Although from Missouri, the Daltons had family who were farming in the San Joaquin Valley of California. When it became too dangerous for them to continue operations in the Midwest, several of the Dalton brothers made their way out to California and the family farms. 
From 1889 to 1898, seven train robberies were attempted in the San Joaquin Valley, between Ceres in Stanislaus County, and Alila (Pixley) in Tulare County. Over the ten-year period, thousands of dollars were robbed from the trains of the San Joaquin, with sheriffs of no less than a dozen counties, countless U.S. Deputy Marshals, and Southern Pacific and Wells Fargo detectives in the field looking for the Daltons. 
Latta’s Dalton Gang Days portrays the Daltons in an accurate light, with a great deal of material from family sources, including Emmett and Littleton Dalton. It is a “must-have” volume for any collector of or person interested in the outlaws of the old west. 
Bear State Books has printed the book in softbound for ease of handling and reading. It is a “must have” for those who are interested in the days of outlaws and the Daltons. The book is packed full of down-to-earth history and images and shows the lore, legend, and facts of the Daltons as they moved from Missouri to California and back.

Dalton Gang Days

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Books by LAtta, Frank F.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by LAtta, Frank F.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Tailholt Tales

Handbook of Yokuts Indians

Tailholt Tales

Joaquin Murrieta and His Horse Gangs

Handbook of Yokuts Indians

California Indian Folklore

Dalton Gang Days