Pleasanton is known today as the "City of Planned Progress," home to tech companies, grand houses and the Alameda County Fairgrounds. A century and a half ago, however, it was little more than an idea--a real estate project in the Bay Area backwater conceived to profit from the railroad's advance through the Amador-Livermore Valley. Discover Pleasanton's evolution from open range to a thriving modern city. From the Ohlone encounter with the Spanish to the city's formal incorporation and beyond, author Ken MacLennan and the Museum on Main offer up an incisive and detailed look at Pleasanton's history.
The Museum on Main was established in 1970 by the Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society to preserve and promote the history of the Tri Valley region through public programming, which includes exhibits, lectures, school tours and annual events. Ken MacLennan joined the Museum on Main staff in 2008, shortly after completing his MA in museum studies at San Francisco State University. He also holds an MA in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he worked in exhibit development for the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures. Mr. MacLennan is a member of the American Alliance of Museums, the California Association of Museums and the Society for Military History.