The subject and author of this Life-Sketch of a Pioneer is James Stephens Brown, a notable participant in the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California, a member of the Mormon Battalion, a missionary, and notable writer and speaker. His life has been one of thrilling experiences, more than ordinarily falls to the lot even of a pioneer settler in the West. This book is full of peril and hardship; with startling episodes and thrilling adventures.

James Stephens Brown (1828 – 1902 was a notable participant in the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California. He was also a member of the Mormon Battalion, a missionary, notable writer and speaker, and a prolific husband and father.