Tom Towle's main interest is studying history, including his family history. The Towle family, a name not generally known, are found around the world and while direct family links are not always traceable, the best guess is they all originated from ancestors in the UK. Tom's line of the 'Towle' family migrated to Australia from Stapleford in Derby, UK

This book is about the logging railroad, sawmills, and businesses three members of the family built and operated as Towle Brothers Company, the now forgotten town of Towle they created in the Sierra foothills to support their lumber empire, and some interesting stories about their heirs.