Down Wild Goose Canyon

# MUSEUM CATALOG NOTE

This 1910 self-published book by Charles Elmer Upton collects five short stories and six poems. "Down Wild Goose Canyon" depicts three school friends building a raft during a picnic, launching it on the swollen American River swollen by April rains, and experiencing near-disaster when the raft breaks apart in rapids; rescued by encountering a sandbar, they escape with their lives and resolve against reckless risk-taking. "An Unpopular Boy" begins with schoolmate dialogue about reporting hazing at Springville Academy—specifically an incident where students ducked a younger boy in a reservoir. The protagonist Harry Winthrop refuses violence despite taunts. Other stories include "In Darkness," "When Minnie Went to School," and "A Girl of the Sierras." The verse section contains poems titled "Endeavor" (previously in Youth's Companion) and verses addressing themes of companionship, ambition, war, and contentment.