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The Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railway (CA&E) ran electric passenger and freight service from 1902 until 1959. Although classed as an interurban, it was a hybrid of rapid transit and commuter rail. CA&E trains ran to downtown Chicago via the Metropolitan West Side “L,” ending at the Well Street Terminal. This was a high-tech endeavor funded by industrialists from Cleveland, Ohio, who wanted to open Chicago’s western suburbs for development. The result was a high-speed operation, built to steam road standards, with an electrified third rail powering the trains. It thrived until World War I, was modernized in the Roaring Twenties, weathered the Great Depression, and did its duty during World War II. A privately owned railroad, without subsidies, the CA&E began losing money in the 1950s due to highway construction that stopped it from running into Chicago. Efforts to save the railroad failed, and passenger service ended in 1957, with freight following two years later. 

David Sadowski is the author of Chicago Trolleys, Building Chicago’s Subways, Chicago’s Lost “L”s, and The North Shore Line and runs the online Trolley Dodger blog. Photographs shown are from the author’s extensive collections and archival sources such as the Chicago History Museum, Forest Park Historical Society, and Lake States Railway Historical Association.

Chicopee: 1950–1975 tells the story of a three-decade Cold War relationship between the Strategic Air Command of the US Air Force and its considerable impact on a small New England city.

On September 19, 1939, Chicopee mayor Anthony J. Stonina was sitting at his desk wiping away tears. The three-term mayor had just finished reading a brief letter from the US War Department. The seven square miles of Chicopee's tobacco plains had been selected as the site for the Northeast base of the Army Air Corps. The city was destined to permanently be a City with Wings. In 1942, the facility, already the largest air base in the country, was named to honor the memory of military aviation pioneer Maj. Gen. Oscar Westover. This is the story of a community's initial misgivings growing into a beneficial symbiotic relationship, which continues to this day.

These vintage postcards illustrate the significant role that manufacturing played in the day-to-day life of the blue-collar community of Chicopee River.

The original meaning of Chicopee is place where water rushes. In 1823, Jonathan Dwight purchased the water privilege at Skenungonuck Falls in Chicopee. Five years later, the textile mill had fourteen thousand spindles and nearly five hundred looms, making it the second-largest operation in Massachusetts. By 1831, there were two giant dams, two waterpower canals, and two manufacturing communities on the Chicopee River. During the next one-hundred years, eight Chicopee River companies gained product recognition around the globe: Ames, Belcher, Lamb, Dwight, Stevens, Spalding, Fisk, and Duryea. These vintage postcards illustrate the significant role that manufacturing played in the day-to-day life of this blue-collar community.

Burdened with bundles and baskets, a million or more immigrant children passed through the often grim halls of Ellis Island.

Having left behind their homes in Europe and other parts of the world, they made the long voyage to America by steamer ship. Some came with parents or guardians; a few came as stowaways. Whether they traveled in luxury or just barely made it to the other side of the Atlantic, they found themselves a part of one of the grandest waves of human migration that the world has ever known.Children of Ellis Islandexplores this world and what it was like for an uprooted youngster at America's golden door. There would have been an uneasiness created by a collage of language barriers, but also new friendships with other children that never would have been founded in the old world.

Children's Hospital Boston is one of the oldest, most distinguished pediatric medical centers in the world.

It grew from a modest beginning in 1869, in a single Boston brick house, to become a major pediatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For well over a century, this hospital has been a pioneer in providing healthcare for children, performing research in childhood and adult diseases, and training future leaders in medicine and surgery. Children's Hospital Boston presents a visual tour of the history and development of this institution. Simultaneously, this book reflects the history of pediatrics in America.

Chimney Rock and Rutherford County honors the accomplishments of one of North Carolina's most scenic counties. More than 200 vintage images, culled from postcards, newspapers, business files, and personal collections, offer a window into the county's past. Readers will learn of the county's defining moments, from its separation from Lincoln County to its supreme sacrifice during World War II of 149 young men, as well as the county's historic places, like Pine Gables (1700s), the Lake Lure Inn, and the Bechtler's Mint (1831). Readers also have the singular chance to meet well-known Rutherford County figures, including textile magnate Raleigh Rutherford Haynes, screenwriter Earl Owensby, radio announcer Jerrell Bedford, and Sheriff Damon Huskey, who served the county for 24 years.

See how the Chincoteague and Assteague Islands came about and developed into a tourist destination today.

The thriving barrier islands of Chincoteague and Assateague entice over a million tourists to their shores every year. Adjacent to one another, these parcels of land jutting into the Atlantic have a symbiotic relationship - Chincoteague, a modern, developed community that thrives on tourism, helps attract visitors to neighboring Assateague, which in turn acts as a natural buffer against the surging tides and is home to Assateague Island National Seashore, a state park that provides protection for native flora and fauna and leisure activities for the nature lover.

Overlapping the border between Maryland and Virginia, Assateague Island remains an undisturbed natural habitat boasting extensive wetlands and wildlife. Images of the native inhabitants of this area abound - the ponies, birds, and sea life take center stage, while the sandy dunes and rolling ocean provide a beautiful backdrop. The families who made the island of Chincoteague their home, from as early as 1650, were a tough breed and, over the years, made many contributions to the improvement of their community. Schools, churches, and businesses were established, bridges were built, roads were paved, and waterways made navigable - all of this visually documented and now available in this remarkable volume.

Boston is home to one of the oldest Chinatowns in the US, when Chinese merchants, workers and stdents populated the area. Explore their history there and their part in creating a strong community and unique culture in the area.

Chinese Americans in Boston trace their historical origins to pioneering settlements of merchants, workers, and students in different parts of New England. After the 1880s, hundreds of Chinese arrived in Boston. Beginning as a bachelor male–dominated society, the Chinese in Boston gradually developed stronger bonds of family and community life. Spared natural disasters that characterized the Chinese immigrant experience in the West, Boston's Chinatown nonetheless faced challenges of urban renewal and environmental degradation. Through their participation in community organizations, merchant activities, educational opportunities, and civic protests, the Chinese in Boston persevered, simultaneously maintaining their Chinese identity and acculturating into America. They formed a close-knit community that distinguished Boston's Chinatown as one of the oldest and most enduring Chinese neighborhoods on the East Coast.

Unearth the origins of Napa Valley’s prosperity.

Chinese laborers were once the backbone of Napa Valley. Throughout the late 1800s, they toiled in the grape fields, mines, hop farms, leather tanneries and laundries, and carved out neighborhoods in towns throughout the Valley. These contributions did little to deter discrimination and Anti-Chinese Leagues sprang up to harass and intimidate immigrants like Chan Wah Jack, who ran the successful Sang Lung store in Napa’s Chinatown. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act hastened the decline of local Chinatowns and these once vibrant communities disappeared while the industries they helped to foster flourished.

Join author John McCormick as he uncovers the forgotten contributions of the Chinese people in California’s most famous wine region.

Nineteenth-century Chinese pioneers voyaged across the vast oceans to reach the last steamboat stop in the 旄舝 Gold Mountain, bringing centuries of wisdom from China’s ancient civilization.

Tehama County played a crucial role in shaping California’s early statehood. Its fertile terrain presented ample opportunities to succeed. Despite harsh discriminatory laws and racially driven tunnel folklore to perpetuate a negative narrative, five original families— Foey (Wong), 謯 Chew (Yuen), 鄺 Fong, 衒 On (Liu), and 蠊 Chin—made Red Bluff their permanent home, thriving as merchants and productive citizens. Individuals like Dr. Chew Yuen and Bo Do Hong operated traditional Chinese medicine practices throughout America with Red Bluff as their headquarters. Tehama County blended cultures, with its most distinguishable townsmen attending an annual Chinese and American banquet in Red Bluff’s Chinatown, merging the two cultures together. The deep bonds formed would culminate into a powerful petition by 20 influential leaders in support of the Chew family, who were detained at Angel Island in 1916, proving that Tehama County valued the Chinese community. This single act of kindness set the stage for a 20th-century Chinese American pioneer to be born, Dr. Kenneth Kendall Chew, and his research in aquaculture would change the world.

The Helen and Joe Chew Foundation has selected rare images from its collection and invited Chinese American descendants to narrate their origin stories, preserving the legacy of these pioneering families for future generations.

How the U.S. law targeting Chinese laborers impacted families for generations.

Near the end of the nineteenth century, after the railroads were completed and the gold mines exhausted, an economic downturn stirred up anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States. Capitalizing on this prejudice, the government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to limit immigration and naturalization for people of Chinese descent. By 1892, Chinese were required to obtain certificates of residency or identity and carry them at all times. Those who did not could be deported or imprisoned. As the law became stricter, interrogations, affidavits, and Caucasian witnesses were required to prove Chinese people’s right to remain in America. The act wouldn’t be repealed until 1943.

From the National Archives at Seattle, certified genealogist emeritus Trish Hackett Nicola brings to life the case files of Chinese immigrants.

Perfect for readers interested in the abundant and thought-provoking history of the southern United States, the story of Pine Mountain is one of hardship, adaptation, and reconciliation.

Kings Gap, Bethany, Hood, Chipley, and Callaway invoke the different chapters of the story. This area of Georgia was settled in the 1830s following lotteries that distributed land acquired from the Creek Indian Nation. The catalyst for Chipley, chartered in 1882, the precursor of Pine Mountain, was the railroad. It had profound effects: subsistence farming became agriculture, local trading became commerce, and distant neighbors turned into fellow townsfolk.

By the mid-20th century, there were efforts to promote Chipley as a site for industry and a pleasant place to visit. On May 21, 1952, Ida Cason Callaway Gardens opened its gates. Over the following years, it resulted in lasting changes and was the impetus for the alteration of the town’s name to Pine Mountain in 1958.

Chipley Historical Center was founded in 1984 to record the vanishing way of life. The center has collected and preserved photographs, documents, genealogical records, and artifacts that might otherwise have disappeared. Most of the images in this book are from the center’s archives.

Helen L. Brackett and other volunteer staff of the Chipley Historical Center compiled this record from material contributed by current and former residents.

In 1869, the Suez Canal was completed and the city of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, the chief sawmill town on the Chippewa River, was incorporated.

Chippewa Falls grew in popularity and influence. It persevered through hardships and experienced the ebb and flow of wealth and power—and 135 years later, Chippewa Falls remains a vital community. This pictorial history documents the heritage of Chippewa Falls from 1896 through the present, with chapters such as Women at Work, Made in Chippewa for the Rest of the World, Family Albums, and Celebrate! Celebrate! By blending contemporary photographs with archival images and providing opportunities for reflection and comparison, this book contributes significantly to the preservation of the community's collective history.

Chippewa Falls' First World War II Casualty

Young Harry Wellington Kramer was looking for adventure and a leg up in Depression-era Wisconsin. He found both aboard the Navy battleship USS California. Traveling across the western United States and the Pacific Ocean, Harry was quick to share his experiences with family and friends in Chippewa Falls. As he realized his dreams and served his country, his parents anxiously followed the developments that would lead to America’s involvement in World War II. All of these events converged with the attack on Pearl Harbor, in which Harry was tragically killed fulfilling his duties. Though gone, Harry W. Kramer is not forgotten.

Compiling thirty-three letters between Harry and home, local author and history teacher John E. Kinville tells the story of a life cut short but well lived.

In the 1880s, Oscar Townsend and the Cleveland, Lorain, & Wheeling Railroad developed a prosperous vacation resort, eventually called Chippewa Lake Park, on the banks of Ohio's largest natural lake.

The Great Depression and extinction of interurban service crippled the park, but in 1937, Parker Beach purchased the resort, and it enjoyed a swinging Golden Age through 1969, as he kept the park's ballroom filled with dancers and famous bands. In 1978, after more than 100 years of operation, Chippewa Lake Park joined the ghostly ranks of the last traditional amusement parks. Chippewa Lake Park keeps the memory of one of Ohio's longest-lived and best-loved amusement parks alive through vintage images and captivating history.

Choctaw County, one of Alabama's largest counties by area at 909 square miles, is also one of the smallest in population.

Established at the end of 1847 by taking land from Sumter and Washington Counties, Choctaw County today is a recognized leader in the pulpwood industry and renowned for its hunting and fishing. Cattle farming and agriculture also play a large role in daily life and economics, and residents take pride in having the first producing oil well in the state of Alabama. Choctaw County is even home to the remains of the historic healing waters of the former Bladon Springs Hotel, and a curious connection with the basilosaurus cetoides, a prehistoric sea mammal found near Melvin, currently on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

The black-and-white images in Chowan College trace the vast history of the school's existence, while also capturing the natural beauty of the campus. Through the vintage photographs and accompanying narrative, Chowan College's tradition unfolds-providing a detailed glimpse of the institution's athletic, extracurricular, social, and aesthetic history. This pictorial chronicle also showcases the architecture of the campus and displays the familiar faces of Chowan's past.

The Christmas season is a time for traditions and, in Richmond, one particular custom reigned supreme: a family outing to Miller & Rhoadsdepartment store.

A Christmas outing to Miller & Rhoadsdepartment store revealed thousands of smiling faces waiting to enter the kingdom of Santaland- an enchanted world marked by glittering snow and intricate train displays.

From visits to area hospitals to a young man who demanded only a box of raisins, former Snow QueenDonna Strother Deekens shares her touching and humorous holiday memories from her twenty years in the gown. Kids from one to ninety-two will enjoy reminiscing with characters like the elves, Bruce the Spruceand, of course, Miller & Rhoads'legendary real Santa. Discover behind-the-scenes drama and learn firsthand what it was like to partake in this unforgettable event.

Believe in the Magic

The most wonderful time of the year has its own special meaning for those who grew up in the Queen City. The elves at Shillito’s and Pogie and Patter the talking reindeer were as integral to holiday merriment as caroling and eggnog. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden really knows how to throw a Christmas party for people and animals, and WinterFest at Kings Island provides much-needed warmth in the winter chill. Many city squares display Christmas trees bathed in lights and offer horse-drawn carriages or a skating rink. But only Cincinnati offers Santa rappelling down the face of a building and an ice skating rink with bumper cars.

Join local author Wendy Hart Beckman for a merry jaunt through Yuletide years gone by.

Yuletide in the Motor City

No city seems to love Christmas as much as Detroit. Whether at Hudson’s, or sitting at the Fox Theatre, or seeing the hundreds of dolls and live reindeer at the famous Rotunda, the city can’t get enough of the holiday season. Detroiters have been celebrating Christmas for over 300 years, when the city was French and children waited for Pere Noel. As holiday traditions evolve, some endure, like Christmas trees and children writing letters to Santa. Some, such as meat pie and saying 1,000 Hail Marys for good luck, fade, and new ones—Santa at the Thanksgiving Day Parade—take their place.

Local history writer Bill Loomis leads a very merry jaunt through the happiest days of Christmas in Detroit.

This history of Christmas is an endless delight, with stories about all your favorite Christmas traditions, from Mystic to Maine, the Berkshires to Boston.

Here are some of the more than fifty New England holiday traditions traced and described in this enchanting treasury: Charles Follen and the Christmas Tree Church, Flying Santa, Silent Santa, and Secret Santa; Rudolph, the Most Famous Reindeer, A Magical Ride on the Polar Express, Louis Prang, Father of the American Christmas Card, Candlelight Strolls at Old Sturbridge Village and Capt. James Magee's Holiday Party.

Relieve the excitement of State Street's Christmas parade through these historic photographs, many of which have never been published ... until now!

State Street, that Great Street. The name itself stands the test of time, remembered by anyone who lived in or visited Chicago. It is the main artery of the heart of the city. It is where memories were made and kept. This book vividly recreates, for the first time, a Christmas holiday trip down State Street. You will visit many of the major shops and stores that existed during the 1940s and beyond, viewing old display windows and getting reacquainted with famous Christmas characters such as Weiboldts's Cinnamon Bear, Montgomery Wards's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and the crown jewel of State Street, Marshall Fields's Uncle Mistletoe. Get into the Christmas spirit, taste the charm of holiday dining in State Street's fine restaurants, and the go back to that magical wonder of a child's first holiday trip to State Street, complete with a visit to Santa.

Chronicles of a Rochester Major Crimes Detective details the detective work of Patrick Crough.

Patrick Crough served more than twenty years as a Monroe County Major Crimes detective, where he investigated some of the region's most tragic crimes. They include horrifying acts, like that of a Valentine's Day killing rampage that left four people dead, as well as the case against Ed Laraby, the serial rapist who terrorized women in Rochester and Monroe County. But they are also stories of heroism and bravery—strangers coming to the aid of those in peril, parents who laid down their lives to save their children and the team of people who put violent criminals behind bars. In these pages, Crough details four of his most memorable cases in which he was forced to confront evil and chose to pursue truth.

Along the Indiana border in Southwest Michigan lies Cass County, a place rich in historical significance.

Nearly one thousand freedom seekers traveled through the area on their way to Canada. The first rendition of “The Old Rugged Cross” was sung in a local church before it became one of the best-loved gospel hymns in America. The first stop on the Orphan Train, which moved street orphans from New York City to homes across the Midwest, was in Dowagiac, and the invention of Kitty Litter by local Edward Lowe allowed cat lovers the world over to finally bring their furry friends in from the cold.

Author Rose Mary Wood commemorates the events and individuals who left their mark on Cass County and the world.

Long Island was occupied under the brutal yolk of the British army and navy from 1776-1783. The scars, trials and experiences of the occupation would not soon be forgotten...

Author David M. Griffin presents harrowing narratives of life during the British occupation of Long Island and the struggle for freedom during the Revolutionary War.

Did you know that escapees from an escargot farm keep the snail police on their toes?

The Outer Banks has a long history of unconventional characters and curious occurrences. A larger-than-life likeness of Sir Walter Raleigh was once beheaded in Manteo, and the town gave itself a royal makeover in honor of a visit from a princess. The village of Corolla was integral to the early years of the Space Race. Local author Sarah Downing shares these and many more offbeat tales.

Baseball’s Mr. Sunshine/

A beloved son of Western Pennsylvania, Chuck Tanner spent a career in baseball both as a player and manager. He lead the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1977 to 1985 and helped capture the 1979 World Series. Tanner was key in developing the relief pitcher through his work with Goose Gossage and he played a role in the careers of numerous players such as Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and more.  Through extensive research and interviews, author Dale Perelman presents the life and career of Chuck Tanner.

In the bustling city streets of late 18th century Louisville began a tradition of thoroughbred racing that has transcended centuries.

Follow author Kimberly Gatto as she chronicles the history of the world’s most famous racing venue, which revolutionized the “Sport of Kings” and created the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and Clark Handicap races. Fans will enjoy the tales of various horses, from the early triumph of Ten Broeck over Mollie McCarthy to the Derby victory of the heroic thoroughbred Barbaro. Churchill Downs: America’s Most Historic Racetrack recounts the various financial hardships, the introduction of parimutuel betting, the construction of the famed twin spire grandstand, and how the age of television transformed Churchill Downs into the majestic track we recognize today.

Cicero is well known for its mob history in the Roaring Twenties, and its evolution into a town representing the American Dream.

Mention the town of Cicero just about anywhere in the world, and you may receive two responses: first, a mimed tommy-gun pointed at you, reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties when Al Capone ran the town; second, a comment about Cicero's racial intolerance. Although the old Capone hangouts are mostly gone, and the town's racial makeup ischanging, those old stereotypes linger. Cicero: The First Suburb West tells the story of thisvibrant community and its links to the past—including its connections to Western Electric and the tragic Eastland disaster. The Hispanic families that are making their homes in Cicero today mirror the Slavic immigrants who settled here a century ago. Their goal was, and is, to provide safe and affordable housing for their families, and pursue the American Dream.