In advance of completion of the New Melones Reservoir, ethnographer Theodoratus and her associates conducted a survey of  immigrant groups who historically inhabited the area --  American, European, Latin American, and Asian -- addressing their settlements, mining practices, and agricultural pursuits.  Incuded is an in-depth study of the town of Melones, its geography, history, and social and family relations.  Social conditions at the Carson Hill mines are surveyed.