About Us

Present-day upstairs office of The Mountain Messenger in Downieville

Our History

The Mountain Messenger began in 1853 as a twice-per-month publication. Its claim to fame is that Mark Twain once wrote for the paper under his real name, Sam Clemens. He was hiding from authorities in Nevada, where he had accepted a challenge to a duel after dueling had been outlawed. Since that time, not much has changed in the quaint gold rush town of Downieville; residents still rely on the now weekly paper for local news.