Another Place and Time: Voices from the Carrisa Plains, Paperback

In the early- and mid-twentieth century the Carrisa Plains was a thriving agricultural community in central California. Today it holds only relics of this past: abandoned machinery, empty corrals, decaying homesteads, and a scattering of retired farmers and ranchers. Fascinated by these remnants, the author, along with a colleague, undertook an oral history to document the way of life which had only recently vanished. Another Place and Time describes the search for these people, many of whom no longer live on the Plains, and this is the thread into which their stories fit. The persons interviewed were fourth generation landowners, seasonal hired hands, cattlemen, sheepmen, and the women who worked with them raising families and holding the community together. This book is the story of pioneer life in an isolated rural valley. These people were stubborn, and they were adaptable. They were trusting, and they were generous. They made extraordinary efforts to take care of their children, and they were loyal to friends. Some kept to themselves. Some quarreled with neighbors. Some drank, some partied, and some were drifters. Many marriages lasted a lifetime, and others found the work and isolation on the Plains more than their marriage could tolerate. They all, all worked hard, and many of them truly loved the work they did and the place where they lived. Today few people would accept the circumstances that were the norm in those earlier years. Although they had few of the conveniences that we consider essential, still they did not live empty lives. By the end of the book, it is the people, not the history that matters. Including many passages quoted directly from interview transcripts, along with maps of the valley, and a number of family trees, this book does, indeed, take you to Another Place and Time.

As a volunteer in the Carrizo Plain National Monument, Craig Deutsche became fascinated with the history of the area and undertook an extensive oral history project with former residents. In a former life he was a high school teacher, a distance runner, and a desert conservation advocate. In his present life he humors a birdwatching wife and continues to volunteer in the Carrizo Plain National Monument. He is a first time author and insists that the stories of the Plains found him; he did not find them.