Literature in the Dry Diggings

Although a resident of San Francisco, I never heard much about the "Art Union Association" of that city until I got hold of some old newspapers during my three months' stay in the Big Tree region of Calaveras county.  Up there, you know, they read every thing, because in most of those little camps they have no libraries, and no books to speak of, except now and then a patent office report or a pra...