Marye Roeser

Author, Marye Roeser, long an integral part of the Sierra Nevada mule packing industry, is a writer, historian, and painter of the Eastern Sierra packing, cowboy, and ranch scenes. Her summer job was at a family resort in Mammoth Lakes, Calif, while attending college in Southern California. She graduated from UCLA where she majored in art and minored in history. Marye and her future husband, Lou Roeser, met while he was packing mules at the Mammoth Lakes Pack Outfit and she was Recreation Director at Camp High Sierra. After their marriage, they worked together at McGee Creek Pack Station and Rainbow Pack Outfit before purchasing the historic Mammoth Lakes Pack Station. Lou and Marye’s four children, Lee, Kerry, Maryl and Leslie grew up riding their horses, guiding and packing guests into the Sierra Nevada Wilderness working in the family pack station businesses based in Mammoth Lakes, CA.

Marye earned two teaching credentials and taught school in the area for over 20 years. She has a compelling fascination with the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains geographic region and that interest has led her to study and absorb all the history and natural sciences that she so expressively writes about. Marye has written many short articles and stories as well as developing her High Sierra Western Art business with her specialty of watercolor painting. Besides showcasing her colorful representational style paintings of pack strings and pack trips on her web page, High Sierra Western Art, she has also included stories and accounts of pack station life and history under the menu item Sierra Ramblings.

Being part of Mule Days Celebration in Bishop, CA, since its inception, led to the Roesers being selected Grand Marshals of the 2013 Mule Days Parade. Marye and her husband were active in creating the American Mule Museum and were on the Board where Marye was also secretary for many years. Her book, Switchback Trails Across the Sierra, is the result of years of researching the commercial recreational packing industry in the Sierra Nevada as well as living it and being a part of this adventurous and historic culture.