Author’s Note
I’ve been fascinated by stories of the Underground Railroad since I was a child growing up in a small Ohio town where residents once harbored runaway slaves. Until recently, I didn’t realize that freed slaves—along with abolitionist lawyers who fought alongside them—organized a movement in California to help runaways find freedom as well.
Even though California technically became a free state in 1850, it’s estimated that there were between five hundred and six hundred slaves working in the mines during the gold rush. Slavery was a hotly contested issue in California for the next decade, and I read multiple accounts of the Fugitive Slave Act being tested in the courts as judges and lawyers tried to interpret contradictory federal and state laws.
In 1854, for example, a former slave by the name of Stephen Hill was kidnapped from his home near Columbia. His deed of manumission had disappeared, and because Mr. Hill was not permitted by law to testify about his freedom, an agent sent by his former master won the court case that remanded Mr. Hill back to slavery. The agent took Mr. Hill to Stockton and held him in chains on a steamer while he gambled and drank. During the night, neighbors of Mr. Hill swept in and stole him away. There is no record of what happened to Mr. Hill after his rescue. I suspect his friends took him up to Vancouver Island.
Four years later, a runaway slave by the name of Archy Lee hid at the Hackett House in Sacramento, a hotel run by two African American men who were leaders in the free Negro movement. The wrangling in this case resulted in the arrest of both Lee and his owner, but on April 14, 1858, the courts declared Archy Lee free. He left for Vancouver Island as well.
The state of California and the entire West changed dramatically between the years of 1849 and 1858, and I’ve tried to remain as historically accurate as possible to that era. This novel was inspired in part by the stories of Mary Ellen Pleasant, a light-skinned former slave and wealthy boardinghouse owner in San Francisco who helped fugitive slaves. Little is known about the Hackett House, but this safe haven inspired Isabelle’s hotel.
While most of the mining towns in the Sierra foothills are gone, the historic town of Columbia is thriving as a state park, and many of the old brick buildings are still intact. The inspiration for the hidden room in the Golden Hotel came during a tour in Columbia when a child pointed out the crack in the outside wall between the bank and building next door. Our guide said it was a narrow room where the original owner could hide his gold and escape out a secret entrance in the back.
If you visit Old Sacramento today, you’ll discover a labyrinth of abandoned rooms hidden under the street, left behind from the 1850s before the city began the immense task of elevating all the buildings to prevent flooding. Stepping under the brick archways, through these underground rooms, is like stepping back a hundred and fifty years.
I relied on a number of experts and resources as I researched this story—any errors are my fault. A special thank-you to:
The amazing librarians at the California State Library in Sacramento—Marianne Leach, Kathleen Correia, Karen Paige, and Elena Smith—and their support staff for helping me find old journals, newspaper articles, and other documents written during the gold rush era.
Shawn Turner at the Sacramento History Museum for escorting me through streets of Old Sacramento and down into the underground. Bob Holton, a history writer from Sonora, who shared stories about the freed slaves who lived around Columbia before the Civil War and educated me on the prejudices that people of different ethnic backgrounds faced. Thank you to Janet Lee Turner as well for connecting me with Bob.
Julie Thomas, the special collections librarian at California State University, Sacramento, for her gracious direction. CSU Sacramento’s collection about California’s Underground Railroad, a collaborative project directed by the late Joe Moore, inspired the heart of this story.
Dolores with California State Parks, the volunteers at the Columbia Museum, and Diane at the Tuolumne County Museum for answering my many questions. Pinn Crawford—my research partner—for once again helping me locate a mound of books. And my critique partners—Nicole Miller, Dawn Shipman, and Kelly Chang—for helping me stay on track and editing my work.
My dear sistas—Ann Menke, Jodi Stilp, Diane Comer, Julie Kohl, and Mary Kay Taylor—for your prayers and love. Michelle Heath—my amazing first reader—for the gift of your insight and encouragement.
My agent, Natasha Kern, and my editors, Erin Calligan Mooney and Jennifer Lawler, for all your support. It’s such a joy to work with each of you!
My entire family, including my parents, Jim and Lyn Beroth, for your encouragement and prayers—and to Lyn, an amazing sleuth, for helping me hunt down information about the Hacketts.
My husband, Jon, and my daughters, Karlyn and Kinzel, for venturing down to gold rush country with me the week before Christmas and for celebrating Christmas Eve on the way home in a snowstorm. I treasure each one of you and am so grateful to be on this adventure of life as a family.
And to our Creator God, who gives the gift of freedom to every man and woman. Psalm 57:1 says we can find refuge in the shadow of his wings.
With joy,
Melanie