(The snow-covered, saw-toothed mountain range)
Charles M. Skinner's book Myths and Legends of Our Own Land is in the public domain and availability in its entirety here.
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Misery Hill
Oh, the mystery of Misery Hill. There is a small, unincorporated city named Pike in Sierra County. This is the city in which Charles M. Skinner was referring to in his book Myths and Legends of Our Own Land in 1896.
However, is it real? Skinner seemed to be writing and relaying myths and stories that were prevalent during his time, but this is the only account of Tom Bower and Misery Hill in Pike, CA.
In his book, Skinner shares a verse about an unlucky gold prospector, Tom Bower, who is murdered on Misery Hill. Supposedly, Bower's had a claim on the land which was unrightfully taken. Because this claim was true, and he was killed unjustly, Skinner's verse reveals that Bower's haunts the claim every night, keeping away anyone who might try and take it for their own.
It seems more likely though that this verse is referring to Mt. Shasta's Misery Hill, also heavily prospected during this same time. Mt. Shasta's Misery Hill is a part of the famous Shasta Glacier, although, not a part of the Sierra Nevada.
There are those in Pike though who guarantee that this story is in fact about the area around, Pike, California, and that Tom Bower does still haunt the place to this day.
The residents of that area will tell visitors that they can direct you to Tom Bower's claim, but they themselves would rather not go.
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