Mary Edith Wilder Hays was the inspiration for “Wilder’s West”… she was our grandmother and one of the many children of our pioneering families—she had a keen sense and love for writing and storytelling. She was a pioneering woman, wife, mother, mentor and loving Grandmother.

Wilder’s West is a collection of the family histories and tales of the Wilder’s, Hays’, Buschmann’s, Hendrix’s, Volpato’s and the Chen’s. Each family had immigrated from their countries of origin to America—some, at the time when we were still colonies. Their stories of the west start before the gold rush… before California became a state in 1850—they are about Christian pioneering families who crossed the plains in search of a better life. The areas which they settled in at the time were just wide spots in the muddy rutted trails of… Chico, Paradise, Red Bluff, Redding, Hatchet Mountain and the Burney Valley.

When my cousins and I (19) were children, our families would get together at least twice or sometimes three times a year… and Grammy, as we lovingly called her, would sit us down and tell us tales of her adventures… of the Indian’s she had grown up with and loved—and of her journeys with her family and friends when she was young.

She had a way of storytellin’ that, when you closed your eyes you felt like you were right in the middle of the adventure—and it just didn’t get any better than that! The only time our lil’ minds ever strayed was when she was reciting her poetry—we would start fidgeting and she knew then, she had lost us—and would begin another tale. We had no idea at the time how much her presence influenced us—and would throughout the remainder of our lives. She could express more common sense in one short sentence… than any politician could spin in an hour long yarn to the mob. Her tales, stories and her family’s histories that she wrote about and told us—were unique gifts that have sparked all of us throughout our lives. She constantly reminded us to “be better” than we thought we could be!

When her spirit left her frail body on December 21, 1975… we felt lost—she had always been our North Star! We found a few of her tales and many of her stories in an old suitcase… all handwritten, except one—the rest of the tales she had told us, she had never written down and were lost, except for those in our own remembrances. Her tales and stories were like her cakes, pies and pastries… they were all from scratch, nothing ever came from a box—hers were written from having personally ‘experienced’ each and every detail she wrote about. She encouraged us in our little heads to—”write about it or lose it!”

Because of our family’s pioneering spirit, we are eighth generation Northern Californian—families with a rich history. Had it not been for our Grandmother and other family members passing down their tales, stories and pictures, we probably would have eventually lost our sense of “family” and the stock we’ve come from. We encourage everyone to write down all you can about your family… as the day will come when you have no one to ask— and you will remain curious, but without!

If you’re a first timer here, we suggest you start with “About Wilder”—it will give you a real sense of her. Then just follow the titles to the right… an’ when you get to “Our Family Histories”, you’ll find our family stories about the Wilder’s, Hays’, Buschmann’s, Hendrix’s and the Volpato’s—more than 174 years of family lore and history. Civilizations can be divided into two types of folks… the folks who wish and the folks who will—our families have always done their will. If you’re looking for a typical “dramatized” western story or ‘feels good’ tale… you may want to fish another pond—as these are true un-glossed tales and stories of some of the first families to settle the American west.

The rest of our family’s stories, tales and “Wilder’s West” you’ll have to read yourself… if you’re looking for it in an audio book, you’re plum out of luck—those are for idle thinkers, and these tales and stories must be read and viewed, to get a real and vivid sense of the times!