Gold Oak Press

Gold Oak Press was founded in 2009 to produce and publish works of special interest in western history and selected other subjects.  The Press works with local historical societies, libraries, and other organizations to document the contributions of those often half-forgotten but powerful personalities who helped shape the world we live in.  

Ann Foley Scheuring

is a published author, professional editor, and teacher with a special interest in western history and California agriculture.  She has produced a long list of publications, including A Guidebook to California Agriculture and Abundant Harvest: The History of the University of California, Davis. She delights in exploring the byways of the West.  She and her husband David have been operating Gold Oak Ranch in Yolo County since 1977, growing walnuts, almonds, citrus,  and other crops.    

Thoughts on writing Valley Empires

I wanted to communicate a feeling for the Central Valley landscape as well as a nuanced view of the book's characters.  I also wanted to synthesize a wide variety of sources, from scholarly studies to local scrapbooks, to tell a wide-ranging and informative story.  And it was important to give a balanced perspective on agriculture to help inform those who may know little about farming.

I included a chapter called "The Oregon Connection" because I wanted to document the activities of both Glenn and Miller in Harney County, southeastern Oregon, where both men owned legendary ranches.  Here I had something of a personal connection, because my grandfather worked as a superintendent for Henry Miller before developing his own ranch near Burns in the late 1890s.

Ann Scheuring