Yes, local newspapers are one of the best sources. But be careful, Joe, I always find something unrelated to my search that interests me and I sort of get lost and wander down other roads.

I once was interested in the Hawaiians that worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, most on Royal contract for set periods, as voyageurs, carpenters, farmers and fish packers, etc. There was a large HB warehouse/store in Honolulu, but all that remains is a beaver, once hung at the entry, now in private hands. I spent days going through old records of Royal hiring contracts in Honolulu when I should have been out soaking up the sun on the beaches.

There are several Joe Bowers living at present and have records on the net- the name is not uncommon and there must have been more than one "Joe Bowers" in the 1850s-1860s. One is buried in Missouri, and there seems to have one that went with Doniphan to Mexico, and then the California Bowers-Stone question. Confusion, and as you say, unanswered questions.
Frank