More than 50 years after her death, the story of Clara Mason Fox seemed lost to history until a box in an attic was found. This find would ultimately help in piecing together the narrative of a remarkable woman. Through her art, poetry, and writings, Clara was a storyteller of a past era. Now, at long last, it is time for her story to be told. 

California’s role in western expansion of the United States is most often defined by the discovery of gold and the covered wagon trains that followed. But in the 1880s, the West lured another wave of settlers who had the courage...