Name: Kaiser Steel, Fontana
Brand: John Charles Anicic Jr.
SKU: 9780738546506
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Kaiser Steel, Fontana

9780738546506

$24.99

In the first half of the 20th century, Fontana Farms Company operated a hog ranch on the site where Kaiser Company Incorporated later erected one of the nation's largest steel mills. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States was forced into an unprecedented escalation in the production of ships, planes, and armaments. Soon the sensational announcement came to San Bernardino County that Fontana, a railroad convergence located a safe distance from possible coastal bombardment, would become home to thousands of sweathogs in the war effort. A "gold rush" of sorts ensued, and all property south of Valencia Street to the railroad was sold in a week. This book pays tribute to the fact that, for two generations, Kaiser Steel Corporation at Fontana was among California's and the nation's industrial giants.

Orange

9780738559056

$24.99

Located in the heart of Orange County, the City of Orange has a rich history in the citrus industry and beyond. Founded in 1871 as an agricultural community, the town flourished with the growth of orange and lemon trees in the early 1900s. Downtown Orange grew up around the iconic plaza, with its distinctive circular park and classic fountain. The surrounding neighborhoods filled with homes that reflected architectural styles from the 1880s to the 1940s. As late as 1950, Orange was still just a little town of 10,000 people. Despite the enormous postwar residential growth throughout the county and a tenfold population explosion in the city itself, the community has retained much of the small-town feel of yesteryear.

Cover image for Orange, isbn: 9780738559056

Marinship

9781467129770

$24.99

Marinship was a World War II shipyard built by the W.A. Bechtel Company to fulfill an urgent need for cargo ships to support soldiers all over the world. Sausalito was selected as the site for its unused railroad capacity and access to a deepwater channel and the Golden Gate Bridge. In March 1942, the shipyard was built on the site of the railroad maintenance yard and adjacent vacant mudflats, with the first ship being launched in September. At the time of its peak operation, there were as many as 20,000 workers. Workers were recruited from local resources at first but eventually a more widespread recruitment brought people from the Midwest and the South. These new workers, including minorities and women, enabled Marinship to become a leader in the integrated workforce phenomenon. As the war in Europe was won, fewer ships were needed. The Marinship labor force was reduced by about half until the victory in Japan, when ships were no longer needed. Marinship was soon taken over by the US Army Corps of Engineers, which disposed of what it did not need for its operations and currently maintains several buildings to facilitate its regional operations.

Cover image for Marinship, isbn: 9781467129770

Monterey Peninsula

9780738520803

$24.99

From the building of Hotel Del Monte in 1880 to the completion of the Pacific Coast Highway in 1937, connecting the peninsula to the redwood forests of Big Sur and San Simeon beyond, the history of the Monterey Peninsula is the story of the development of a collection of coastal communities-each with its own unique character. Captured here in over 200 vintage images is the heritage of these seaside communities and their role in the peninsula's history. The Monterey Peninsula is home to some of the most famous (and most photographed) shoreline in the world. Pictured in this book is the peninsula's golden era, explored through images that document the growth of Carmel, Pacific Grove, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Point Lobos, and Big Sur. Here you will find rare photographs of Cannery Row, the mission at Carmel, the bathhouse at Lover's Point, the bridges of the Pacific Coast Highway, the cottages of Carmel, the adobes of Monterey, and the cypress trees of Pebble Beach. Included in these pages are images from the author's collection as well as from the Monterey Public Library and Carmel's Harrison Memorial Library. Many of these have never been published.

Steamboat Springs

9780738570174

$24.99

Known as Ski Town, U.S.A., for its deep powder and its growing crop of winter Olympians, Steamboat Springs was named nearly two centuries ago by French trappers. Hearing the "chug, chug" of one of many hot springs, they supposed they had reached navigable waters. For centuries, the area's abundant fish, game, and mineral springs drew the Yampatika, a Ute subtribe. In the 1870s, a rush of settlers came, first for precious metals, followed by more renewable riches--the lush summer pastures--and next the extraction of carbonized forests (coal) millions of years old. Ironically, real wealth ultimately fell free from leaden winter skies, and this Routt County community experienced a boom like few places on earth. Winter sports, including ski jumping, with some world records, made Steamboat Springs famous worldwide.

Washoe County

9780738581682

$24.99

Located in the northwestern corner of Nevada, bordering Oregon to the north and California to the west, Washoe County was a crossroads for miners seeking riches in the California Gold Rush and later in the neighboring Comstock Lode. Occupied by the Wassau (or Washo) and Paiute Indians, Washoe County was explored by John Bidwell in 1841 and John C. Fremont in 1844. Settlers began to arrive in the area claimed by Utah Territory as part of Tooele County in 1852, and it became part of Carson County in the Nevada Territory in 1854. Washoe County became one of the original nine counties in the Nevada Territory in 1861 and expanded to its current size with the addition of Lake or Roop County land in 1864.

Healdsburg

9780738530604

$24.99

Healdsburg was founded in 1857, when Harmon Heald, gold seeker and pioneer merchant, laid out a central plaza among the trees to serve as the heart of one of California's early communities. As Healdsburg evolved from rough farm town to wine-country destination, the plaza has drawn residents and visitors together to shop, socialize, and celebrate. The Western Wappo and Southern Pomo people lived on the bounty of this generous land and created the finest woven baskets in the world. The American settlers in the 1860s found these rich valleys could grow virtually any crop. In 1871, the railroad opened up new markets for farm produce and established Healdsburg as the center of a prosperous agricultural district.

San Francisco's Castro

9780738528663

$24.99

Nestled in the Eureka Valley area, the Castro is arguably the most well-known of San Francisco's neighborhoods, having been the epicenter of the gay rights movement since the 1970s. This new collection of photographs shows the area's growth from a smattering of Victorian houses built for working-class families in the 1870s to the flood of young gay men who settled in the neighborhood during the 1970s. This influx transformed the area and led to the rise of Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to a major public office. This book also chronicles the 1978 assassination of Milk and Mayor George Moscone, the subsequent riots, and the effects of AIDS on the community in the 1980s and 1990s. Ultimately, these stirring images bear witness to the resilience of the Castro today.

West Hollywood

9780738528502

$24.99

West Hollywood, which began as Sherman, a rail yard town, played an integral role in creating the "Hollywood" film industry while it grew up alongside the fashionable Beverly Hills to house the service industries needed by these wealthy neighbors. During Prohibition, the still unincorporated area was the site of the entertainment industry's watering holes and gambling parlors, and nicknames such as the "Sinful Drag," "The Adult Playground," and "Hollywood's Soul" were bestowed upon West Hollywood's world-famous Sunset Strip, where today's visitors can still dance in the footsteps of legends like Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. As time marched on, the predominantly renter, Jewish, gay, and senior citizen residents of the progressive-minded area determined to step out of the shadows of nearby communities and create a city of their own, an effort that caused some controversy but resulted in the incorporation of West Hollywood in 1984. Since incorporation West Hollywood has been a beacon of hope, drawing refugees from Russia and around the world to its tolerant streets.

Theodore Roosevelt & Bison Restoration on the Great Plains

9781467135696

$21.99

Rapidly disappearing bison in the late 1800s prompted progressive thinkers to call for the preservation of wild lands and wildlife in North America. Following a legendary hunt for the last wild bison in central Montana, Dr. William Hornady sought to immortalize the West's most iconic species. Activists like Theodore Roosevelt rose to the call, initiating a restoration plan that seemed almost incomprehensible in that era. Follow the journey from the first animals bred at the Bronx Zoo to today's National Bison Range. Glenn Plumb, retired National Park Service chief wildlife biologist, and Keith Aune, retired Wildlife Conservation Society director of bison programs, detail Roosevelt's conservation legacy and the landmark efforts of many others.

Cover image for Theodore Roosevelt & Bison Restoration on the Great Plains, isbn: 9781467135696

Riverside's Mission Inn

9780738546711

$24.99

The story of the internationally famous Mission Inn Hotel, and its predecessor, has been intertwined with the city of Riverside's history since both began. As the slogan once said, Riverside is a "City with a Mission Inn its Heart." For more than a century, the Mission Inn and its eclectic collections have intrigued visitors, artisans, architects, and dignitaries who have come to Riverside for a myriad of reasons. The Mission Inn, founded by colorful entrepreneur Frank Miller, was integral to the city's turn-of-the-20th-century tourism as wealthy Easterners flocked to Riverside and its famous hotel, lured by a Mediterranean climate, investment opportunities, and vast navel orange groves. Unlike other grand hotels of the time, the Mission Inn, with its Mission style architecture, was a luxury hotel that was uniquely Californian.

Emerald Bay and Desolation Wilderness

9781467128186

$24.99

Emerald Bay sparkles as a diamond within the jeweled landscape known as Lake Tahoe. Designated a California State Park in 1953 and a National Natural Landmark in 1968, Emerald Bay is one of the most photographed landscapes in the Sierra, featuring California's first underwater park, dramatic Eagle Falls, and Lake Tahoe's only boat-in camp. Vikingsholm, nestled within the southwestern edge of the bay, is a 38-room mansion that is a dramatic example of historic Scandinavian architecture. A small stone teahouse steeped in fanciful lore is perched atop Emerald Bay's Fannette Island. The Desolation Wilderness, established in 1969, is one of the most popular wilderness-designated areas in the United States. The geographic area of the wilderness is just less than 100 square miles, includes 130 lakes scattered throughout the alpine topography, and contains countless waterfalls and streams intersecting the hiking trails and granite landscapes.

Haunted Hotels of the California Gold Country

9781626194380

$21.99

Step across the threshold of a haunted hotel in California's renowned Gold Country and encounter phantom figures of yesteryear. Wispy apparitions of gentleman guests in Victorian coats and ladies in fashionable flapper gowns glide through the walls, while unexplained sobs and choking gasps disturb the night. There's Stan, the Cary House's eternal desk clerk, and bachelor ghost Lyle, who tidies the Groveland Hotel. Flo tosses pots and pans in the National's kitchen, while the once-scorned spirit of Isabella ties the Sierra Nevada House's curtains in knots. From suicidal gamblers to murdered miners, the Mother Lode's one-time boomtowns are crowded with characters of centuries past. Book your stay with author Nancy Williams as she explores the history and haunts of the Gold Country's iconic hotels.

Cover image for Haunted Hotels of the California Gold Country, isbn: 9781626194380

Conejo Valley

9780738580395

$24.99

The amorphous Conejo Valley today encompasses the southeastern portion of Ventura County in and around Thousand Oaks, including Newbury Park and Lake Sherwood, near where the I-101 exits Los Angeles County at Westlake Village on its way west and north. Human history in the Conejo Valley dates back to the hunting and gathering days of the Chumash Native Americans. The short Spanish and Mexican periods added a few adobe buildings, erected for respites taken by vaqueros and later cattle rustlers on these rolling grasslands north of the coastal Santa Monica Mountains. In the 19th century, a grand hotel was constructed, and a stage route was established. Grain farmers tried to tame the thirsty hills of the Conejo Valley before the arrival of scenic neighborhoods and malls after World War II.

Surfing in Hawai'i

9780738574882

$24.99

When the early European explorers traversed the globe, their journals held numerous accounts of Hawaiians enjoying surfing. Since Europeans of that era were not accustomed to swimming in their own cold waters, it must have seemed like a dream to watch naked native Hawaiians riding the waves of a turbulent sea. Nowhere in the ancient world was surfing as ingrained into the culture as on the islands of Hawai'i. He'e nalu (wave sliding) was the national sport and enjoyed by all. When a swell was up, whole villages were deserted as everyone fled to the beach to test their surfing skills. Legends of famous surf riders were retold in mele (song/chant), and fortunes could be decided on the outcome of a surfing contest. From these shores, modern surfing was born, along with the iconic romantic images of bronzed surfers, grass shacks, and hula.

Pueblo

9781467124140

$24.99

At the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek, Native Americans were the first to inhabit Pueblo and its surroundings. Pueblo means village in Spanish, appropriate for an area that was settled in the early 1800s by people from present-day New Mexico with Spanish and Native American roots. A trading post established in 1842 was named El Pueblo. The gold rush of 1858 attracted the first influx of people who saw more opportunity in Pueblo than in the goldfields. With its vision to become a great city with railroads, a steel mill, and smelters, Pueblo was soon known as the Pittsburgh of the West. Employment and business opportunities invited emigrants from all over the world, creating a diverse city populated with people of many ethnicities. Pueblo has persevered through natural disasters and economic turmoil, building a thriving and resilient community through each chapter of its history.

Cover image for Pueblo, isbn: 9781467124140

Big Meadows and Lake Almanor

9781467132299

$24.99

Few among the thousands of vacationers who recreate on and around Lake Almanor each summer realize that beneath its waters lie the remains of a vanished way of life. This tiny Atlantis, Big Meadows, was a microcosm of the cultural forces and conflicts that racked the West in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Rich in natural resources, the Meadows sustained the lives of the native Maidu and the hundreds of encroaching whites who followed on the heels of the Lassen Trail immigrant parties. White men came seeking to exploit those precious resources for gold mining, stock raising, dairying, tourism, timber, and later, hydroelectric power. In the tumult of cultural and industrial change, a pastoral way of life was lost and a native culture vanquished.

Walnut Creek

9780738559919

$24.99

Nestled at the base of Mount Diablo in the Diablo Valley, Walnut Creek is a prosperous East Bay community with a rich history. In 1772, Capt. Pedro Fages led the first Spanish exploration party into Contra Costa County. They encountered the Bolbones Indians, the original inhabitants of the region. In 1849, William Slusher, the first settler, arrived to build a house on the bank of what was then Nuts Creek. Until 1862, Walnut Creek was known as The Corners; the intersection of two dirt roads leading from Pacheco and Oakland and where four Mexican land grants met. The Corners was officially renamed Walnut Creek, and over time its walnut and pear orchards gave way to today's modern community. Walnut Creek is home to thriving businesses, spectacular natural settings, and family values. This transformation over a period of 200 years is the remarkable story of a classic American city.

Cover image for Walnut Creek, isbn: 9780738559919

Sacramento

9781467103466

$24.99

Going back to its Native American origins, Sacramento has withstood flood, fire, and plague to honestly earn the moniker Urbs Indomita or Indomitable City. Such grit—enhanced by an unmatched embrace of diversity and the strength that comes with it—has powered the Sacramento area's role as gold rush epicenter, railroading Goliath, purveyor of hydroelectric power, world war and Cold War arsenal, agricultural hub, and policy center for one of the nation's most innovative states. Truly, the impact of the Capital City extends so much farther than the Central Valley. It is through exploring the pages within that the reader will truly understand why, as stated by Sacramento historian and developer Gregg Lukenbill, America may have been born in Philadelphia, but the American West was born in Sacramento.

Cover image for Sacramento, isbn: 9781467103466

Mount Whitney

9780738595368

$24.99

The history of Mount Whitney is long, complex, and revealing. Identified in 1864 and named for the head of the California Geological Survey, Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. Throughout the years, it challenged several accomplished mountaineers who failed to reach its summit; it was as if the mountain were working to confuse and impede them. Finally, the mountain was climbed from the west side by three fishermen from Lone Pine. Mount Whitney has always called to the adventurous heart of the climber. Gustave Marsh put in the trail to the summit and then built the Smithsonian Observatory. Writers and artists have applied their talents to capturing elements of the Whitney experience, and there is fascinating geological, natural, and cultural history that rounds out this original approach to the story of a mountain.

Oxnard

9781467107266

$23.99

As early as 1910, Oxnard was known as the "Biggest Little City on the Coast," when the population was a mere 2,200. A hundred years later, the population topped 200,000, and Oxnard became the most populous city in Ventura County. Built around the largest sugar processing plant in the world in 1898, the city now hosts an 800,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center on the land that once grew sugar beets.

Hetch Hetchy

9780738593227

$24.99

When water from the Sierra Nevada reached the San Francisco Bay area in 1934, it was greeted by a national celebration after two decades of grueling construction. The Hetch Hetchy Project evolved from a long search for a reliable source of water for San Francisco that began after the 1906 Great Earthquake. Prior to the earthquake, San Francisco had burned to the ground repeatedly due to the lack of water to fight fires. Studies of 14 different sources led to the design of an engineering marvel that conveys water using gravity across California via a complex system of tunnels, reservoirs, pipelines, powerhouses, treatment plants, and dams. But before the Hetch Hetchy Project broke ground, controversy roiled over the project. Finally, the Raker Act was passed by Congress in 1913 and signed by Pres. Woodrow Wilson to permit the use of the rights-of-way for the project. Today, this system serves some of the highest-quality water in the nation to 2.4 million people.

Concord

9780738569130

$24.99

Located in central Contra Costa County in the shadow of Mount Diablo, the land that includes Concord was originally a Mexican land grant given to Don Salvio Pacheco in 1834. The original Mexican land grant families of Concord were quickly supplanted by American settlers during the Gold Rush in the 1840s and 1850s. The original Spanish name for the town, Todos Santos, was changed to Concord by the American settlers and their local newspaper, against the wishes of the Pacheco family. The name stuck, and the town became Concord in 1869. Now a town of over 120,000 people, Concord's development is a true American story of Native Americans, Spanish explorers, Mexican Californios, and settlers from across the country and around the world.

Cover image for Concord, isbn: 9780738569130

Early Escondido

9780738555959

$24.99

Louis A. Havens was a Southern California pioneer businessman, storyteller, and artist who brought the community of Escondido together via his camera. He was the first successful photographer in the thriving north San Diego County agricultural city, incorporated in 1888. Prior to his arrival, the occasional photographer might seasonally visit Escondido or attempt to set up shop, realizing little success. Havens's timing in his arrival, combined with his skillful eye, ensured his success from 1911 to 1944. His collection documents Escondido's early residents, architecture, events, and landscapes, and it now persists as a historic record of past events, culture, and development of the fourth largest city in San Diego County.

Cover image for Early Escondido, isbn: 9780738555959

Eureka and Humboldt County

9780738518725

$24.99

The cry amongst the redwoods-Eureka!-was the shout heard from early pioneers in 1850 as they came to settle in Humboldt County. Discovery of gold permanently changed the area's history, and eventually lead to the extraction of Humboldt's other natural resource: the "red gold" of its forests. Captured here in over 200 vintage photographs is the pictorial history of this bountiful county and its residents.

As the gold fever faded in the late 1800s, Humboldt County's primary source of industry became the lumbering of its vast redwoods. Pictured here are the men and machines that felled, transported, and milled the lumber, as well as photographs of the elegant Victorian mansions of the industry's lumber barons, such as William Carson. Weaving the history of Humboldt County together are the stories of its earliest residents, including the Native American tribes, fevered Gold Rushers, the early Chinese community, railroad workers, shipyard sailors, and industrious farming families, all of whom created the foundation it prospers on today.

Cover image for Eureka and Humboldt County, isbn: 9780738518725

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

9781467132947

$24.99

Located in one of the most isolated places on the earth, thousands of miles from the nearest landmass, the area surrounding the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park was created by violent earthquakes and fiery volcanic eruptions. Shrouded in ancient myth and legend, the park's history dates back to a time before the Hawaiians first arrived. It was a time when gods and goddesses roamed throughout these islands; the most famous, the fierce goddess of the volcanoes, Pele, is believed to live here still. It took a decade of lobbying efforts to finally preserve this unique area as Volcanoes National Park. Since 1916, not only has this area been a national park for all to experience, but also the scientific advances due to the ability to constantly monitor the volcanic activity here has had a huge impact on the science of volcanology, understanding earthquakes, and creating an early warning system for tsunamis.

Lakewood

9780738599908

$24.99

Lakewood, California--once the largest planned community in America--grew almost overnight. From lima bean and sugar beet fields, it became a model of postwar suburban development. Everything about the young Lakewood was new: constructing 17,500 homes in just 33 months, opening California's first regional shopping center in 1951, and achieving cityhood under an innovative plan for local government in 1954. Those early years tell an inspiring story of pioneering developers, enthusiastic residents, and the dedicated leaders of community institutions whose legacy continues to sustain Lakewood. Above all, the Lakewood story is about the ability of ordinary men and women to shape their future--and Lakewood's--as their city begins its seventh decade. Today, Lakewood residents continue to see--in their history, traditions, and values--a reflection of the quality of life they seek to pass to future generations, aided always by a community of caring neighbors.

Fillmore

9781467109185

$23.99

Fillmore is nestled at the foot of the Topatopa Mountains at the confluence of the Santa Clara River and Sespe Creek. The town was formed in 1887 and named after Jerome A. Fillmore, who was the general superintendent for the Southern Pacific Railroad at the time. The rail line enabled passenger travel and the transport of commercial agricultural products, and it put Fillmore on the map. Incorporated in 1914, Fillmore is one of the oldest incorporated towns in Ventura County and is designated as part of the county's agricultural greenbelt. Fillmore's history is based on it being located on some of the most productive agricultural and oil-rich lands in the country. Today, it is still a predominately agricultural town that supplies citrus, avocados, and a variety of vegetable crops around the country and abroad. It is a hidden small-town gem in Southern California, and its downtown architecture epitomizes small-town charm, making it a popular tourist destination and site for film and television productions.

Legends, Lore and True Tales of Utah

9781467150675

$23.99

Legends, Lore and True Tales of Utah explores an eclectic past

Ordinary history books often fail to address the obscure or the unexplained, leaving questions buried in annals of yesteryear. Where were Utah’s mythical monsters, including Bigfoot, spotted? How did ‘Schoolmarm’s Bloomers’ become a state symbol? What created the Lagoon Amusement Park’s ‘dark side’? Why did ‘Frankenstein’ prowl through the Cache town of Clarkston? Does Sardine Canyon hide the state’s fishiest story? Exactly what was the ‘Lakemobile’ that rolled through the Great Salt Lake? When and why did BYU temporarily ban football? How is it that the first college basketball team to ever play in the state was all women, and they beat the men?

Retired journalist Lynn Arave presents this unique collection, including over a hundred photographs, of the Beehive State’s offbeat history.

Ventura County

9781467106955

$24.99

Ventura County has its roots in the founding of Mission San Buenaventura during the Spanish era (1769–1821). During the Mexican era (1822–1846), expansive mission lands were divided and granted out as ranchos for individual landownership to those with political influence and to former soldiers for loyal service during the war. When California became a state in 1850, settlers, prospectors, and developers began to purchase rancho lands. Ventura County became one of the most productive agricultural and oil-rich lands in the state and country. Farmland dominated much of the county’s landscape in the early years—oranges were its most popular fruit, and sugar beets were its prized commodity. Although the county still has an agricultural landscape in many of its cities and towns, the county is a patchwork of farms, islands, high-tech businesses, and military defense installations. It is as diverse as its people.

Cover image for Ventura County, isbn: 9781467106955

Lake Merritt

9781467109536

$23.99

Lake Merritt, located in the heart of Oakland, California, is the pride of the city. An estuary connected to San Francisco Bay, mixing sea and fresh waters, the lake formed about 4,000 years ago when the sea level rose to fill the mouths of two streams as glaciers collapsed worldwide. For at least the past 3,500 years, the Ohlone people lived by the estuary and its mud flats, building mounds nearby. Lake Merritt, known by other names prior to 1869, served as a waste dump until Samuel Merritt dammed the channel to the lake, thus preventing high-tide water from leaving the lake at low tide. As Oakland grew from a small town, the lake attracted the attention of well-to-do citizens of Oakland, who built mansions around it. In 1870, California designated it as a wildlife refuge, the first in America, protecting all organisms in and around the lake. Growing in importance to the residents of Oakland, the lake has undergone modifications to integrate it into the city as the welcoming and enjoyable place it is today.

The University of California Museum of Paleontology

9781467108089

$23.99

The University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) had a long and rich history even before California became a state.

Formally established in 1921, UCMP was built with collections accumulated over 150 years. This treasure trove comes from all continents and ages; it is a major source for research, outreach, and teaching in paleontology--extinctions, radiations, asteroids, climate change, paleoceanography, and the animals, plants, and microbes themselves. Now the collections, built by the California Geological Survey (1864-1874), faculty, staff, students, and donors, are among the largest in America. Recently, UCMP members studied the biology of T. rex, the killer asteroid, human ancestors, reef paleobiology, flowering plants, and life on Mars and Europa. UCMP continues to make discoveries, interpretations, and outreach that inspire people.

Prof. Jere H. Lipps, faculty curator and past director of UCMP, studies paleontology, geology, marine biology, and astrobiology, publishing over 520 contributions. Elected fellow of six science organizations and president (1997) of the Paleontological Society, Lipps has also received various awards, including an island in Antarctica named for him (1979). He taught thousands of students in oceanography, paleobiology, and field courses at the University of California, Berkeley. Here, Lipps reviews the major events and people that have built UCMP.

The University of California Museum of Paleontology

Lake Tahoe's Railroads

9781467117371

$24.99

Lake Tahoe is the majestic mountain lake that spans the boundary line of California and Nevada. The lake's clarity and scenic beauty are legendary. In the 1870s, the Nevada Comstock Lode created an insatiable appetite for Lake Tahoe's virgin pine forests. The timbers would shore up underground mining and build communities approaching 40,000 inhabitants. Railroads on three shores delivered the logs lakeside, where they were towed by steam-powered tugs to sawmills, to lumber flumes, and again by rail to their final destinations. As the mines and giant lake pines subsided, railroads pushed farther north after 1898 into new timber stands in the Lake Tahoe and Truckee River basins. Other rail lines were sold, barged across the lake, and repurposed for the burgeoning new industry of tourism. For the next 40 years, railroads marketed Lake Tahoe as their unique scenic destination.

Cover image for Lake Tahoe's Railroads, isbn: 9781467117371

Denver

9781467109055

$23.99

Denver has evolved continuously since its 1858 founding, experiencing boom-and-bust cycles that have each left a mark on the cityscape. During the area’s 21st-century growth spurt, impressive new buildings have arisen, but it is the charming old Denver remembered by long-term residents that gives the Mile High City its character.

Cover image for Denver, isbn: 9781467109055

Vanished Denver Landmarks

9781467148405

$21.99

From its 1858 birth, the Mile High City has undergone continuous change, with each successive generation putting its stamp on Denver’s architectural character. Along the way, landmarks initially considered first class were later deemed disposable by those who had different visions of what Denver should be. Beloved buildings like the Tabor Grand Opera House, the Windsor Hotel and the Republic Building vanished. Historian Mark A. Barnhouse revisits these lost treasures along with the lesser known and rarely explored, including an apartment building dubbed “Denver’s Bohemia,” the humble abode of one of the early twentieth century’s most successful novelists and the opulent mansion of a man who gave Denver three consecutive baseball championships.

Cover image for Vanished Denver Landmarks, isbn: 9781467148405

Nine Mile Canyon

9781467131643

$24.99

North of Price, Utah, Nine Mile Canyon slashes through the West Tavaputs Plateau and erodes its way east to the Green River, Utah. In 1847, settlements began in Utah along the Wasatch Front. The rangeland was soon taken, and stockmen pushed up Spanish Fork Canyon to discover great grazing for their stock--and an amazing place where ancient people had lived, leaving homes and their stories on brown slate walls with inscriptions and paint. These stockmen were the first homesteaders in Nine Mile Canyon. Three families of early settlers were the Houskeepers, Algers, and Rich families, coming between 1885 and 1893.

Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch

9781467103909

$24.99

At the southernmost end of California’s Central Valley lie Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch. Although each is distinct, their histories are intertwined. The Yokuts were in the area for thousands of years, followed by Spanish, Mexican, and US settlers. The first seeds of Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch were planted in the late 1800s. Over the years, agriculture became a central part of the economy and attracted people from all walks of life. The Dust Bowl and Mexican migrations left an impact on the area that is visible to this day. The Dust Bowl Festival immerses attendees in nostalgic memories of a life that was, and businesses and social, religious, and educational centers celebrate the vibrant Latino cultures that thrive in these communities.

Cover image for Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch, isbn: 9781467103909

Camarillo State Hospital

9781467103329

$24.99

Camarillo State Hospital, affectionately known as Cam, officially opened its doors in 1936, during a time when the California State Commission in Lunacy oversaw the treatment and care of those deemed mentally ill. A pioneering research institution in autism and schizophrenia, Cam achieved notoriety as one of two state institutions that accommodated children and as the first state hospital to receive certification for treatment of the developmentally disabled. Although it was an independent body, retaining its own dairy, farm, residences, and even a bowling alley, Cam also developed creative relationships with volunteers, educators, and businesspeople for the betterment of its patients. Enhancing Innovation Through Independence became Cam's final ambition and, in the end, its ultimate achievement.

Cover image for Camarillo State Hospital, isbn: 9781467103329

Ranchos of San Diego County

9780738559650

$21.99

The Mexican ranchos of San Diego County were a colorful and vital part of early California history. Ranchos covered the most fertile lands in San Diego and produced grain, vegetables, and fruits and grazed thousands of head of cattle, sheep, and horses. The dons and doñas who owned the ranchos were wealthy in land and cattle and built large adobe ranch-house complexes. The Kumeyaay, Luiseño, and Cupeño were the backbone of the ranchos, providing the labor needed to run a successful ranch. Daily life of the dons, doñas, and their families included the Californio traditions of family and religion, dancing and fiestas, roundups and rodeos, and generous hospitality. Many of the ranchos no longer exist. Those that are preserved provide a window into California's past.

Cañon City

9780738580371

$24.99

From its early days as a frontier town to now, Colorado’s Cañon City has a rich and unique history even in comparison to other former Gold Rush towns.

From the scenic and geological diversity to some of the initial oil discoveries in the United States, this Fremont County seat has been a hub of coal mining and archaeological discoveries, particularly of dinosaur remains. Here the Royal Gorge Bridge crosses the Arkansas River, 1,053 feet below, as the highest suspension span in the world. The temperate weather means long growing seasons, celebrated each May by the Blossom and Music Festival. Once a commerce center supplying food, lumber, and other goods to surrounding gold towns--from Cripple Creek to Leadville--Cañon City also once was a silent-film capital, the base for hundreds of motion pictures produced after the beginning of the 20th century. Like most of history, times weren’t always good in Cañon City, reflected in the first territorial prison founded here, many more still operating today. Learn about Cañon City’s history—the good, the bad, and the ugly—in this engaging title.

Cody

9780738548357

$24.99

Founded in 1896 by William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and members of the Shoshone Land and Irrigation Company, Cody lies 53 miles east of Yellowstone National Park. Situated in a geographical area known as the Big Horn Basin, the town is surrounded by part of the front range of the Absaroka Mountains. The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad's
arrival in 1901 coincided with Cody's incorporation as a town. The Irma Hotel, named for Buffalo Bill's youngest daughter, opened in 1902 and provided visitors with a modern, luxurious place to stay. In 1909, Cody became the county seat of the newly formed Park County. Cody and the surrounding areas are known for their superb scenery, excellent hunting and fishing, gas and mineral reserves, and vast ranching lands.

Cover image for Cody, isbn: 9780738548357

The Springs

9781467124300

$24.99

The Springs area of Sonoma Valley has a fascinating history going back to Spanish colonization of California, continuing through the Mexican period with Vallejo and the mid-19th-century sojourns of Hooker and Leavenworth, and moving into the flowering of the geothermal resort era in the 1880s. Eventually, the unincorporated towns of Boyes Hot Springs, Fetters Hot Springs, Agua Caliente, and El Verano became collectively known as The Springs, which were thriving resort communities from the 1880s through the 1960s. Sharing an illustrious history with the adjacent city of Sonoma, they continue to thrive in new ways into the 21st century. In this volume, the story of the valley is well documented in postcards, snapshots, and newspaper photographs and articles.

Cover image for The Springs, isbn: 9781467124300

The Pullman Porters and West Oakland

9780738547893

$24.99

A hub of transportation and industry since the mid-19th century, West Oakland is today a vital commercial conduit and an inimitably distinct and diverse community within the Greater Oakland
metropolitan area. The catalyst that transformed this neighborhood from a transcontinental rail terminal into a true settlement was the arrival of the railroad porters, employed by the Pullman Palace Car Company as early as 1867. After years of struggling in labor battles and negotiations, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Union became the first African American-led union to sign a contract with a large American company. The union's West Coast headquarters were established at Fifth and Wood Streets in West Oakland. Soon families,
benevolent societies, and churches followed, and a true community came into being.

Cover image for The Pullman Porters and West Oakland, isbn: 9780738547893

Catalina Island

9780738529196

$24.99

Throughout its history, the 76-square-mile island of Catalina has played host to Native Americans, smugglers, otter hunters, ranchers, miners, entrepreneurs, vacationers, movie stars, and nature enthusiasts. William Wrigley Jr. (of chewing-gum fame) bought the island in 1919 and later constructed the recognizable casino building, which was never used for gambling but did become one of the best-known ballrooms in America. In the 1970s, the Wrigley family deeded 88 percent of the island to the Catalina Island Conservancy, which protects the natural state of the island and her inhabitants. Today nearly one million tourists visit annually to take in the fishing, parasailing, glass-bottomed tour boating, scuba diving, cycling, camping, galleries, shopping, and dining.

Cover image for Catalina Island, isbn: 9780738529196

Golden, Colorado

9780738520742

$24.99

Where The West Lives! Golden's motto sums up the colorful history of the small town set at the entrance to the storied gold fields of Colorado. The scenic valley that shelters Golden caught the notice of some of the most famed pioneers of the West: explorer Major Stephen Long, world traveler Isabella Bird, showman Buffalo Bill Cody, and brewer Adolph Coors. Chronicled here in over 200 vintage images is the history of this quintessential "rough-and-ready" Western town. Serving as the territorial capital from 1862-1867, Golden was primed as the perfect business opportunity due to its proximity to the mining districts. Entrepreneurs with a vision of Manifest Destiny worked diligently to civilize the frontier town, and it soon became a major player in the state's mineral extraction, education, and railroad industries. Boasting more saloons than any other structure in town, Golden also had its share of coal mines, gold smelters, a paper mill, and several railroad lines. Featuring many historic images of the town's past, including original panoramic views by William Henry Jackson and images of Buffalo Bill Cody's Masonic funeral, this book captures the heart of a town where the spirit of the West never died.

Cover image for Golden, Colorado, isbn: 9780738520742

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

9780738520650

$24.99

Opened to the public in June of 1923, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum can arguably be called "America's Most Historic Sports Stadium." In 1984 the Memorial Coliseum was declared a State and Federal Historic Landmark for its contributions to both the State of California and the United States. The history of this institution is captured here in over 200 vintage images.

The Memorial Coliseum's history spans eight decades, playing host to two Olympiads, two Super Bowls, one World Series, a multitude of concerts and political rallies, a Papal mass, and one of the most famous Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speeches of the 20th century by John F. Kennedy. Using photographs culled from its archives, pictured here are never-before-seen photographs of the Coliseum's construction; rare images of political and religious rallies held at the Stadium and the Los Angeles Sports Arena, and home to famous speeches by Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela; and a myriad of other sporting and entertainment events hosted by the Memorial Coliseum, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, motocross racing, and the Rolling Stones.

March Air Force Base

9780738571591

$24.99

During World War I, March Air Force Base quickly established its reputation as a major flight-training institution. The base came to define the "Golden Age" of aviation as its roster of training expanded to include aerial pursuit, fighter, and bomber units. Later March would play host to a number of historic firsts, including Bob Hope's first USO show and aerial feats that helped make the U.S. Air Force the undisputed leader in combat aviation today. From kite-like biplanes and cold war sports car races on the tarmac, to the war birds of World War II and some of the modern air force's most sophisticated aircraft, March AFB has sealed a legacy of strength and central importance to its Riverside home--and to the countless servicemen and women around the world associated with the historic base.

Behind the Scenes in Los Angeles

9781467159210

$24.99

Los Angeles’s dizzying array of attractions can easily overwhelm visitors and locals alike, but now there’s a better way to explore the city.

Enjoy a glimpse of the history behind the most prestigious museums and discover sites better known for their part in international scandals. Peek into California’s colonial past, visit sites from the golden age of film or explore the urban legends surrounding the Black Dahlia. With tips from the best times to visit to where to park, experience the best of Los Angeles like a local.

Join author Adam Papagan, experienced tour guide and true California character, for a tour of Los Angeles you’ll never forget.

Cover image for Behind the Scenes in Los Angeles, isbn: 9781467159210

Murder on Montana's Hi-Line

9781467158381

$24.99

Capturing Montana’s Most Elusive Fugitive

During an intense spring blizzard in 1951, affable Clarence Pellett picked up a teenaged hitchhiker along Montana’s Hi-Line. Soon, blood from seven bullet holes in Pellett’s back stained the snow-covered prairie. Following a brief manhunt and confession, a heated debate ensued over capital punishment as Communist attorneys swooped in “to save this poor friendless boy.” Frank Dryman, twice sentenced to hang, escaped the noose when a sympathetic Montana Supreme Court stayed each execution. The “permanently insane and mentally deficient” killer was paroled into the custody of his brother in California after serving thirteen years of a life sentence. Eighteen months later, he vanished. Using a series of aliases, Dryman hid in plain sight for forty years despite state and federal warrants. Clem Pellett recounts the enthralling twists and turns of his hunt for his grandfather’s absconded murderer—the longest in state history.

Cover image for Murder on Montana's Hi-Line, isbn: 9781467158381

The Wyoming Bomber Crash of 1943

9781467158992

$24.99

Bomber Mountain's Namesake Tragedy

June 1943 saw forty-one heavy bombers lost within the continental United States, including a B-17 that went missing over Wyoming late during the night of June 28. That aircraft had ten young men on board destined for World War II. They had been ordered overseas to participate in the intense and constant bombing raids being conducted in Europe, but they never made it out of America. Two years later, area cowboys discovered the wreckage strewn across an otherwise picturesque landscape. U.S. Air Corps Captain Kenneth G. Hamm noted in his personal diary, “The plane was so completely demolished that we were almost on top of it before we saw it.” Author Sylvia A. Bruner shares the stories of the men who lost their lives deep in the Bighorn Mountains and recounts the events of the crash, search and U.S. Air Corps accident investigation.

Cover image for The Wyoming Bomber Crash of 1943, isbn: 9781467158992

Temecula Valley Wineries

9781467160360

$24.99

In the early 1800s, Spanish missionaries were the first to plant vineyards in the area now known as Temecula Valley. Over the next two centuries, the region became known for raising cattle, farming, and as a stop for stage and rail. In the late 1960s, Temecula began to attract a new breed of pioneers. These intrepid individuals believed that the soil, sun, and cool ocean breezes through the coastal mountains made the valley ideal for grape growing. Temecula wine country has been on an upward trajectory ever since. Today, more than two million visitors enjoy the area’s 50 or so wineries every year. Chosen by Wine Enthusiast as one of the top 10 wine travel destinations in the world, Temecula Valley’s diverse and delicious wines consistently win awards in state and national competitions.

Lake Tahoe

9780738525389

$7.99

Lake Tahoe has hosted a variety of visitors and residents through the years, from the early days of Washoe settlements, to rough logging camps, to today's extravagant resorts.

San Francisco Landmarks

9780738596853

$7.99

San Francisco is one of the most recognized and beloved cities in the United States, brilliantly illustrated through a visual history of 493 designated local, state, and national landmarks.

San Francisco's attributes speak to us through stunning topography, the arts, and a unique array of architectural styles. The city inherited the imprint left by the Spanish with Mission Dolores, by the Gold Rush with Jackson Square, and by 20th-century entrepreneurs with the Bank of Italy. The period from the 1920s to 1950s brought a growing cosmopolitan metropolis with such landmarks as the Mark Hopkins Hotel and the Golden Gate Bridge. Residents and visitors want to know why there is a monument in the neighborhood park and why the delightful Victorians next door have a historic plaque by their front steps. Each landmark embodies the characteristics of the surrounding community and the history of the City by the Bay. Enjoy the rich history of San Francisco’s landmarks in this collection of 15 historic black-and-white postcards.

Cover image for San Francisco Landmarks, isbn: 9780738596853

Historic Shipwrecks of Coastside California

9781467155557

$24.99

The stretch of California coast from San Francisco to Monterey has seen its share of disastrous shipwrecks with devastating losses, but there are also stories of courage, innovative rescues and unique salvage operations. Uncover the tale of the adventurous, ill-fated Sir John Franklin, now marked only by a nearly forgotten cemetery, and relive the wreck of the New York, one of the most notorious ships to ever sail. Learn about the Coastside's worst maritime tragedy, when the passenger steamship San Juan was struck by the oil tanker twice her size and sank in minutes, plunging seventy-five men, women and children into the sea.

Join author JoAnn Semones as she shares the stories of doomed ships that found their end along Coastside California.

Cover image for Historic Shipwrecks of Coastside California, isbn: 9781467155557

Catholic Utah

9781467160629

$24.99

In 1776, two Mexican Franciscans trekked into what is now the state of Utah. While they said the rosary and offered litanies to the saints, they did not linger in what was to them unknown territory. It would take almost 100 years for the first parish church of St. Mary Magdalene to be built in 1871 and a Catholic community established. The small number of Catholics maintained and cultivated their religion in a territory dominated by the Latter-day Saints by building churches, starting schools, and maintaining hospitals. Key to their success was the leadership of Fr. Lawrence Scanlan, who served for 42 years, first as pastor and then as bishop. Scanlan ministered to a multiethnic array of Irish, Italian, Slovak, and Mexican Catholics who came to work in and support the dangerous (but lucrative) mining industry. Utah's population expanded after World War II, and Catholic educational and medical institutions increasingly cared for the growing needs of the state.

Houseboats of Sausalito

9780738525204

$7.99

Sausalito boasts a rich history of life afloat.

Cover image for Houseboats of Sausalito, isbn: 9780738525204

Carmel Valley

9780738580005

$7.99

The Carmel Valley boasts a rich history.

Cover image for Carmel Valley, isbn: 9780738580005

Early Reno

9780738581873

$7.99

Reno boasts a rich history.

Cover image for Early Reno, isbn: 9780738581873

Railroads of Los Gatos

9780738546612

$24.99

The picturesque town of Los Gatos stands between the once verdant orchards of the Santa Clara Valley and the forested slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The narrow-gauge South Pacific Coast Railroad arrived in 1878 and, within two years, laid track over the mountains to carry passengers, redwood, and tons of ripe produce. Less than a decade later it was purchased by Southern Pacific, and completely converted to standard gauge by 1909. Invigorating business and industry, the railroad remained a vital part of the economy of Los Gatos for over 80 years. Although the era of commercial rail ended in 1959, Billy Jones and his scaled-down Wildcat Railroad" still offered weekend rides at his ranch to guests, including Walt Disney. The Wildcat still operates in two local parks today."

Cover image for Railroads of Los Gatos, isbn: 9780738546612

Mining in Butte

9780738575476

$24.99

The story of Butte is the story of underground mining. In the early part of the 1900s, Butte had more than 100,000 people and 400 mines in operation. Open-pit surface mining has replaced underground operations, and only a handful of the iconic gallus or head frames are standing today. This collection of vintage imagery showcases the people, machinery, processes, and technology in the mines that comprised Butte Hill.

Cardiff-by-the-Sea

9780738569512

$24.99

Cardiff-by-the-Sea is a beautiful Southern California coastal town nestled between the San Elijo Lagoon to the south and rolling hills to the east. Known simply by locals as Cardiff, it was named by Esther M. Cullen, who arrived from Boston in 1910 with her husband, J. Frank Cullen, a man determined to transform the swampy expanse of fertile farmland into a coastal playground and town. During the 1920s, the town evolved quickly into a bustling community with a school district, post office, train station, and water irrigation district. The independent character of today's residents can be gleaned throughout the history of the area, from Cullen's determination to build a town in a region thought to be unsuitable for inhabitation, to the citizens' battle in the 1980s to retain autonomy as the town was incorporated into a larger city. Today Cardiff-by-the-Sea is one of five communities comprising the city of Encinitas and is proud of the small-town atmosphere first cultivated by the pioneering spirit of its early settlers.

Moffett Field

9780738531328

$24.99

The looming immensity of Moffett Field's Hangar One, built in 1933 to house the world's largest--and last--rigid-frame dirigible, is an unforgettable South Bay landmark. The lighter-than-air Macon cost 2.5 million Depression-era dollars and could hold 100 men and five Sparrowhawk biplanes, yet its silvery bulk hovered silently or sailed up to 80 miles an hour. It drew crowds as it darkened the skies around Mountain View until it broke up in a storm two years later. Other blimp squadrons, equipped with carrier pigeons instead of biplanes, succeeded the Macon. Moffett Field has at various times served the navy, army, and the air force. Now home to the world's largest wind tunnel, the NASA Ames Research Center also supports research that blazes the frontiers of supercomputing, robotics, space sciences, astrobiology, and nanotechnology.

San Juan Skyway

9780738580289

$24.99

The "scenic route" in southwestern Colorado means the San Juan Skyway, a 236-mile loop created by U.S. Routes 550 and 160 and State Routes 62 and 145. The Skyway wends through glacial valleys and over high passes between some of the most breathtaking, ice-sculpted peaks in the Rocky Mountains. Native Americans, pioneering mountain men, miners, and railroaders inhabited these slopes. Although the Skyway towns of Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Ridgway, Telluride, Rico, Dolores, and Cortez were first connected by wilderness trails and railways, the loop's final modern section of highway between Coal Bank and Molas Passes was completed in the 1940s. The rugged San Juan Mountains were the backdrop for exploits by Butch Cassidy and Wyatt Earp, but, as author Frederic B. Wildfang notes, the scenery is also "a syllabus for a course in geology."

Yosemite Valley

9780738528779

$24.99

A natural wonder hewn by glaciers from the granite slopes of the western Sierra Nevada, Yosemite Valley reveals the power and beauty of nature's hand. Here, in the sublime "Incomparable Valley" of naturalist John Muir, alpine forests frame the legendary sites of Half Dome, El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, Yosemite Falls, and other massive stone clefts. These marvels of rock and water have inspired writers, artists, and photographers ever since the American discovery of the valley by gold miners of the Mariposa Battalion acting as militia in l850. Within four years, Americans who realized the commercial value of Yosemite Valley began developing lodging facilities and promoting it as a tourist destination. Concerned Californians encouraged President Lincoln to grant the valley and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees to the State of California for the formation of a state park. This led to the creation of Yosemite National Park in l890.

Cover image for Yosemite Valley, isbn: 9780738528779

Coloma

9780738595498

$24.99

A chance discovery on January 24, 1848, profoundly shaped the destiny of California--and the world. On this day, in a river valley that quickly became the town of Coloma, James W. Marshall found gold in the tailrace of a sawmill he was building for John Sutter. The discovery precipitated the largest gold rush in history, bringing an estimated 300,000 fortune-seekers from all over the world in just a few years. By 1849, Coloma mushroomed into a town of 10,000 people, most of them transient miners. Soon, the town became more permanent, with grand hotels, fine homes, and stout brick buildings. In 1857, with the moving of the county seat to Placerville, Coloma entered a period of relative slumber. By the 1870s, however, Robert Chalmers presided over the largest winery outside of the Napa Valley. Orchards and ranches proliferated. The discovery site later became a state park. By the 1970s, tourism brought in even more wealth with the advent of the white-water rafting and kayaking industry.

Boulder

9780738558905

$24.99

Born out of the 1859 Pikes Peak gold rush, Boulder sits along the Front Range where the Rocky Mountains meet the plains.

Discoveries of gold, silver, telluride, and coal nearby put the little supply town on the map, and early miners, farmers, and businessmen prospered there. The railroad's arrival in 1873 brought more newcomers who cultivated a diverse community full of new businesses, social organizations, and schools, and the town flourished despite the social problems and economic fluctuations that were typical of early mining towns. By the 1890s, education, health, and tourism had become significant to Boulder's economic development, a pattern that continues to this day. Great change came about during the early 1900s in the form of a citywide alcohol prohibition, the influenza epidemic, and the closure of the Switzerland Trail railroad in 1919, but Boulder weathered these difficult times even as it witnessed the end of the great railroading era.

Cover image for Boulder, isbn: 9780738558905

Highland Park

9780738555706

$24.99

Founded during the 1886 land boom in Southern California midway between the cities of Los Angeles and Pasadena, the original Highland Park Tract was part of the Rancho San Rafael. Highland Park was the first town to be annexed by Los Angeles, but it nonetheless retains a strong sense of its own identity and has taken a fiercely independent path. The community prides itself on its unique history, architecture, and diversity, and it has always been the home of artists and writers. One such resident was Charles Fletcher Lummis, who helped to preserve the history and culture of the land he dubbed "the Southwest."

Los Angeles's The Palms Neighborhood

9780738569932

$24.99

The Westside neighborhood of Palms is the oldest suburb of Los Angeles. Founded in 1886 halfway between L.A. and the beach on a steam railroad line, Palms attracted wealthy Angelinos escaping the summer's downtown heat as well as Easterners seeking a new life in the natural home of the fig, olive, lemon, lime, apricot, and that class of fruit that brings the largest profit in the local market. Rancho Park and Mar Vista had yet to make it onto maps—it was all The Palms. The school district stretched from the Santa Monica Mountains on the north toward Redondo Beach on the south. A lively social and business life sprang up, but gradually the metropolis enfolded Palms, which was annexed into Los Angeles in 1915. After World War II, subdivisions brought young families, the flatlands became a huge swath of apartments, and the barren hill area became the tree-shrouded Westside Village.

Cover image for Los Angeles's The Palms Neighborhood, isbn: 9780738569932

Mt. Baldy

9780738559995

$24.99

Visible throughout the entire Los Angeles Basin, Mt. Baldy, originally known as Mt. San Antonio and affectionately referred to as "Old Baldy," is the tallest peak in the majestic San Gabriel Mountains. Approximately 49 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, Mt. Baldy first gained popularity during the Great Hiking Era--the decades before and after the turn of the 20th century--when visitors traveled up San Antonio Canyon to hike, camp, fish, and hunt. Before outdoor recreation became fashionable, the resource-rich area was a haven for gold miners and businessmen who sought their fortunes in the steep and rugged terrain. Despite natural disasters in recent decades, the mountain community continues to receive record numbers of visitors to its rustic lodges, state-of-the-art ski facilities, and superb hiking areas. The community of Mt. Baldy Village, once known as Camp Baldy, is a quaint and picturesque locale that includes a post office, volunteer fire department, school, church, visitor's center, and resort accommodations.

Downtown Stockton

9780738529424

$24.99

Between 1850 and 1950, Stockton grew from gold rush depot to booming California metropolis. Capitalizing on its abundance of water and rich soils, Mediterranean-like climate, hard-working population, and efficient transportation system, Stockton quickly became an epicenter of "the breadbasket of the world." The historic downtown skyline reflects the abundance and adversity of California's Central Valley over the years, and Stockton's ever-changing, ever-expanding role as a modern city.

Mountain Home Air Force Base

9780738548050

$24.99

Mountain Home Air Force Base began inauspiciously as a small effort to support and train B-24 combat aircrews for the rigors of World War II. Today it represents the only active-duty air force installation in the heart of Idaho. From its shadowy rebirth in the late 1940s to its buildup under Strategic Air Command, the base housed some of the cold war's most important assets in the battle against communism. Mountain Home's most recent and longest-serving tenant is the world-famous 366th Fighter Wing "Gunfighters." Under the stewardship of the Gunfighters, Mountain Home has been transformed from a remote, dusty World War II airstrip to one of the air force's premier training facilities, readying aircrews and their support agencies for the demands of modern warfare.

Surfing in Santa Cruz

9780738570761

$24.99

Santa Cruz is located on the northern tip of Monterey Bay on California's central coast. Surfing was first introduced to the U.S. mainland in Santa Cruz by three visiting Hawaiian princes in the late 1880s. Since those early days, the Santa Cruz surfing culture has blossomed into a thriving lifestyle. Many of the world's most highly regarded surfers hail from Santa Cruz. In fact, Santa Cruz, or "Surf City" as its known, has become a popular destination for surfing aficionados of all ages. Surfing in Santa Cruz is a concise historical overview of the diverse and colorful surfing culture inhabiting the area.

Clovis

9780738576138

$24.99

In the late 1800s, Clovis M. Cole purchased large tracts of land in California's San Joaquin Valley with the intent to farm wheat. Marcus Pollasky, a businessman from the East with a keen eye for a profit, proposed building a railroad that would bring more people and gains to the area. The two struck a deal. Cole sold key landholdings to Pollasky, and the town was given Cole's first name. Businesses grew along Front Street, and families purchased nearby 20-acre parcels where they built homes and grew abundant crops. Living in Clovis became a way of life as dedication to family, friends, and community defined the area.

Pacific Electric Red Cars

9780738546889

$24.99

Of the rail lines created at the turn of the 20th century, in order to build interurban links through Southern California communities around metropolitan Los Angeles, the Pacific Electric grew to be the most prominent of all. The Pacific Electric Railway is synonymous with Henry Edwards Huntington, the capitalist with many decades of railroad experience, who formed the "P. E." and expanded it as principal owner for nearly its first decade. Huntington sold his PE holdings to the giant Southern Pacific Railroad in 1910, and the following year the SP absorbed nearly every electric line in the fourcounty area around Los Angeles in the "Great Merger" into a "new" Pacific Electric. Founded in 1901 and terminated in 1965, Pacific Electric was known as the "World's Great Interurban."

Salida

9780738520674

$24.99

Modern-day Salida is admired and sought out for its natural beauty. Surrounded by numerous 14,000-foot, snow-covered mountains that feed the Arkansas River's rushing whitewater, the quiet and hospitable town is situated in a picturesque valley that draws tens of thousands of visitors for summer and winter activities. But nearly 130 years ago, most of the people were coming to the area known as South Arkansas for new opportunities and the fortunes they hoped to find. The images in this book offer a glimpse of some of those individuals and times-the early settlers, miners, railroaders, forestry pioneers, and families who spawned commerce and businesses that held the community together when hard times hit. The photographs reveal the rich variety of people, how they worked, how they played, and how they made Colorado their home.

Moab and Grand County

9781467130509

$24.99

Grand County's story begins long before the first white settlers entered the valley. The land holds ruins, artifacts, and remnants of many ancient peoples, including Ute, Navajo, Anasazi, and others. Spanish missionaries--who were seeking gold as much as souls--were followed by French fur traders into the mid-1800s, and the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848 brought the land to be known as Grand County into the Union. Soon, the valley was teeming with settlers. In 1880, the name "Moab" appeared in the US Postal Register; it was chosen by William Peirce, a businessman who became the town's first postmaster, and was a reference to the Biblical desert. In 1902, Moab, Utah, was officially incorporated. The coming railroads brought more settlers from around the world. Basque sheepherders, Chinese laborers, and African American cowboys joined followers of Brigham Young to become residents of the growing county. Towns like Thompson, Cisco, and Stateline sprang up along with fruitful orchards, and peaches from Moab were being served at restaurants in Paris.

Sacramento's Boulevard Park

9780738529554

$24.99

Perhaps more than any other Central Valley community, Sacramento is changing so rapidly as to become almost unrecognizable. New housing projects and ongoing redevelopment efforts have led to a decline in the original, elegant homes in this city. Thankfully, this is not the case in Boulevard Park! Preservationists and architectural historians have prevailed in this neighborhood to keep the Colonial Revival and Craftsman homes intact for the most part, even as the city around them grows as never before. Boulevard Park sits on the site of the old Union Park racetrack, where Edweard Muybridge's early experiments in motion picture technology (photographing Occidental, Leland Stanford's horse) were pioneered in the 1870s; the street signs here have a horse-and-carriage motif to honor those equine origins.

Lava Beds National Monument

9781467134071

$24.99

The region in far northeastern California encompassed by Lava Beds National Monument is often called the Land of Burnt Out Fires. The name reflects a landscape created by fiery volcanic forces, including cataclysmic events that created more than 700 lava tube caves and an aboveground landscape shaped and fractured by lava flows and other geologic turmoil. Despite its tortured landscape, the region has also been a place of human habitation for thousands of years. Early natives traveled through the lava beds as part of their seasonal travels for food and shelter. The Modoc Indians' knowledge of that landscape, a natural lava fortress now known as Captain Jack's Stronghold, was used during the Modoc War of 1872 and 1873. Modocs, settlers, and others who followed—sheep ranchers, homesteaders, cave discoverers, tourists, spelunkers, and US Forest Service and National Park Service managers—have played prominent roles in creating the region's, and Lava Beds National Monument's, always evolving human history.

African Americans in Vallejo

9780738595818

$24.99

African Americans have been part of the Vallejo mosaic since 1850, the year of the North Bay city's birth. John Grider, a Tennessee native and former slave who arrived in Vallejo in 1850, was one of the city's earliest residents and a veteran of the California Bear Flag Revolt of 1846. While many 19th-century black pioneers established homes, businesses, and schools, it was during the Great Migration period of 1910-1970s that the bulk of Vallejo's black community took firm root. During this period, black folks from throughout the South--tiny towns and big cities alike, from places like Itasca, Texas; Heidelberg, Mississippi; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Lake Wales, Florida--made their way west searching for war-industry jobs at Mare Island Naval Shipyard and lives relatively free of unrelenting racial discord. African Americans in Vallejo chronicles this proud and oftentimes complicated journey.

Japanese Americans of Florin

9781467105910

$24.99

First-generation Japanese Issei immigrants arrived in Florin in the 1890s, after attempts at profitable strawberry cultivation by Florin landowners had failed. By 1905, however, Issei farmers had developed effective techniques for growing strawberries that delivered a resurgence of the crop. The Issei farmers discovered that Florin's shallow hardpan grew strawberries and grapes well; these fruits would blossom into Florin's major cash crops and lead to the crowning of Florin as the "strawberry capital of the world." But Japanese successes were hard-earned in the face of racist organizations such as the Asiatic Exclusion League and laws like Executive Order 9066, signed by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942. Florin was a community with a majority of Japanese Americans, but their forced removal--mandated by Roosevelt's order--dealt a crushing blow to the bustling agricultural town, as many Florin families never returned. The Japanese American Archival Collection (JAAC) was established in 1994 as an educational partnership between California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), and the Florin Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). The content collection was led by Florinite Mary Tsukamoto, an educator, author, and activist who was sent with her family to Japanese American concentration camps between 1942 and 1945.

Monterey County's North Coast and Coastal Valleys

9780738546773

$24.99

Fog billows gently across Monterey County's north coast, a white blanket tucked up against the hills of Aromas. Beneath its protective shroud, fishing boats gently rock, artichokes thrive, and shorebirds build nests along Elkhorn Slough. In this muffled landscape of fertile loam crisscrossed by sloughs, settlers built four distinct communities. Juan B. Castro subdivided his family's rancho to found Castroville, now known as the artichoke capital of the world. Captain Moss and Cato Vierra opened a port, a sea gate to a premier agricultural area. Moss Landing later hosted whalers, a salt works, canneries, and a power generation plant. John Porter's ranch was a safe haven for Chinese immigrants. Their apple-drying businesses spearheaded Pajaro's development as a central rail-shipping point with several produce-packing companies. Aromas pioneers judged their valley well suited for growing apricots. Drifts of white blossoms buried Aromas in spring, while summer's vistas were golden with trays of drying apricots.

Monterey County's North Coast and Coastal Valleys

Utahisms

9781467152440

$21.99

Utahisms: Unique Expressions, Inventions, Place Names and more ranges from the characteristic to the bizarre

The Beehive State’s iconic vistas are singular and distinctive. So too are its colloquialisms, peculiar place names and landmark firsts. Confusion from local dialect ultimately thwarted a would be robber in Salt Lake City. The proper pronunciation of Tooele might surprise visitors, while residents still debate its origins. And, phrases once thought to be solely Utahn often prove otherwise. The world’s first department store was born out of xenophobia and religious persecution in 1869. Martha Hughes Cannon followed through on Brigham Young’s encouraging women to become physicians. She later became the first female state senator in the United States, defeating her own husband.

Examining everything from phonetics to history, BYU Linguistics Professor David Eddington reveals the roots of what is truly, uniquely Utah.

Carmel Valley

9780738571621

$24.99

From the Ventana Wilderness, the Carmel River descends 36 miles through steep canyons into the spreading Carmel Valley. Rain-gorged in spring, it rushes to the Pacific Ocean at Carmel Bay. In summer, shallow riverbanks welcome deer, mountain lions, and waterfowl. For millennia, native tribes fished along the river, which was discovered in 1602 by Sebastian de Vizcaino. He called the waterway El Rio del Carmelo, describing it as "lined with black poplars and other trees of Castile." Ranches, dairies, and orchards thrived under Spanish, Mexican, and finally American flags. The Carmel River, like the valley it defines, has accommodated native, farmer, resident, and now the vacationer as it flows along through time. Today vineyards, tasting rooms, boutiques, and resorts decorate the rural landscape, beckoning visitors and locals alike.

Point Reyes Peninsula

9780738558486

$24.99

The Point Reyes Peninsula has a rich history encompassing thriving Native American settlements, visits by Francis Drake and Spanish explorers, dramatic shipwrecks, Mexican rancheros, famous dairy farms, railroads, and one of the country's most spectacular lighthouses. These historical facets spawned the three small towns of Olema, Point Reyes Station, and Inverness; each is unique with its own distinctive foundations. Most of the land is now within Point Reyes National Seashore, a refuge created during the Kennedy administration and now one of the more popular destinations on the California coast. The unique geography of the forest, bay, and ocean environments and the abundant wildlife in Point Reyes offers fine scenery, diverse recreational opportunities, and good food and lodging, while the towns retain their old-time character.

Cover image for Point Reyes Peninsula, isbn: 9780738558486

Canyon Village in Yellowstone

9781467119559

$21.99

By 1955, the national parks were facing a crisis of dilapidation from heavy use and lack of funding. The answer was Mission 66. This visionary plan, implemented over the next decade, included installation of new facilities to accommodate the influx of visitors and enhance their experiences. The pilot development in Yellowstone, named Canyon Village, introduced a modern aesthetic to the parks and emphasized the concept of conservation. This man-made environment was purposefully sited away from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, providing a natural buffer. Architect Lesley M. Gilmore presents the complexities of this historic, ambitious model for the movement that marked the continued evolution of the national parks into the destinations we flock to today.

Cover image for Canyon Village in Yellowstone, isbn: 9781467119559

Arcadia

9780738558066

$24.99

Santa Anita Rancho's famously ambitious and colorful owner, Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin, had established a popular tourist attraction on his productive working ranch by the late 1800s. Baldwin planned to incorporate the section of his ranch known as Arcadia, but opponents feared that he would turn such a city into a "gambling hell and booze pleasure park." However, the vote for city-hood was virtually unanimous, and Baldwin took over as mayor on July 27, 1903. Arcadia flourished as alcohol sales were approved, saloons and gambling halls remained open 24 hours a day, and Baldwin's ranch, racetrack, and Oakwood Hotel became popular with society's elite. After Baldwin's death in 1909, Arcadia's new leaders prohibited the sale of alcohol and steered the city in a less controversial direction. Agriculture, poultry farms, dairies, and land development became staples of the economy, and Arcadia gradually lost its rural simplicity, growing into a sophisticated, bustling city.

La Jolla

9780738558035

$24.99

La Jolla, California, famously known as "The Jewel," is noted for its natural beauty and appealing Mediterranean-like climate. Magnificent sea cliffs and caves, bathing coves, and sandy beaches have attracted visitors, developers, and residents since the 1880s. By the early 1900s, a small community developed with artists congregating to the internationally known Green Dragon Colony. Newspaper heiress Ellen Browning Scripps and her half-sister Eliza Virginia established residences and became the community's renowned philanthropists. Many beautiful homes and institutions, along with a growing commercial district next to the sea, owe their designs to architect Irving Gill. Today La Jolla still attracts visitors from around the world and is home to the rich, the famous, the avant-garde, and intelligentsia.

Cover image for La Jolla, isbn: 9780738558035

Around the Gunnison Country

9781467115186

$24.99

The Gunnison country, 4,000 square miles of high valleys, heavy snows, deep canyons, and 14,000-foot-high mountains, is one of Colorado's most beautiful regions. Located on the Western Slope of Colorado, the Gunnison country has a long history involving Native Americans, mining, narrow-gauge railroads, ranching, Western State Colorado University, and recreation. The region has also been influenced by nearby Lake City in the San Juan Mountains, Aspen in the Elk Mountains, and towns on the east side of the famed and historic Alpine Railroad Tunnel. Today, the Gunnison country still is beautiful and tranquil, hosting nearly 2,000,000 visitors yearly while remaining much the same as it was over 125 years ago.

Cover image for Around the Gunnison Country, isbn: 9781467115186

CAL FIRE

9781467116527

$24.99

Since the establishment of the California State Board of Forestry in 1885, the mission of the California Division of Forestry has been to protect and preserve natural resources via a focus on resource management and protection of valuable watersheds. From the beginning, pioneers within the communities of San Bernardino County were actively involved in protecting their homes from the ravages of wildfire. In August 1930, San Bernardino County entered into a contract with the state to provide fire suppression and prevention on nonfederal lands within the county. The cooperative services agreement evolved to provide municipal fire protection services from both paid and volunteer staff. In addition to responsibilities within San Bernardino County, in the late 1980s the State Responsibility Area land within Inyo and Mono forestry units were consolidated under the San Bernardino, California Department of Forestry, Ranger Unit.

Cover image for CAL FIRE, isbn: 9781467116527

Ghosts and Legends of Calico

9781467146593

$21.99

Set against the painted hills of the Mojave Desert, this town "as purdy as a gal's calico skirt" once was California's most prolific silver mining community. Now Calico lives again as a museum and tourist attraction, but the dead have not abandoned it. Shades of the past are everywhere, from the mischievous little boy that runs into the Sweet Shop and disappears to the ghostly schoolteacher still eager to pass on knowledge. Dark shadows appear at the old Calico Cemetery, where few names mark graves. Join authors Brian Clune and Bob Davis as they explore the haunted side of this historic town.

Victorville

9781467129985

$24.99

Victorville, California, was inhabited by settlers in 1858. It was not founded formally until 1895, when the town was named Victor in honor of California's Southern Railroad general manager Jacob Nash Victor. In 1901, the name was changed to Victorville to end much confusion with the town of Victor, Colorado. Victorville is many things: a historic crossing for the mass migrations and expeditions to the West, a historic railroad depot, a ranch town, a hideaway for the glamorous of Hollywood during the Golden Era, and a stop on the Mother Road of Grapes of Wrath fame. Several Native American sites are located in Victorville and along the Mojave River, which spans its northernmost borders. Petroglyphs and pictographs, prehistoric symbols etched or drawn by the first High Desert occupants, can still be seen along the rock walls of the Narrows where the river sliced into slabs of solid granite over thousands of years.

Lincoln

9781467132053

$24.99

Charles Lincoln Wilson was the founder of Lincoln. His enthusiasm brought the Sacramento Valley Railroad from Folsom as far as the Auburn Ravine. The citizens of Western Placer now had a rail terminal. The new town was given Charles Lincoln Wilson's middle name. After the goldfields played out, copper deposits were discovered. By April 1863, large pieces of copper were being exhibited from the Gardner Claim. There were large copper mines at the J.D. Saunders ranch and at Whiskey Diggins, later Kilaga Springs. In 1874, clay deposits were also found while mining for coal. Charles Gladding, Peter McBean, and George Chambers, all from Chicago, had read about the superior, widespread clay deposits in Lincoln, and they started the California Clay Manufacturing Company in May 1875. The name soon became Gladding, McBean & Company.

Cover image for Lincoln, isbn: 9781467132053

Growing Up in Fairfield, California

9781467149105

$21.99

A magic nostalgia ride awaits.

Life in Fairfield in the decades after World War II was an unparalleled experience. From cruising down Texas Street on weekends to catching a carnival in the Wonder World parking lot, fond memories of long-lost times haven't been forgotten. People flocked to vintage eateries like Joe's Buffet and Smorga Bob's, and played on the rocket ship slide at Allan Witt Park. Roller Rinks like the M&M Skateway hosted not just skaters, but dances featuring Fats Domino and Roy Orbison. Commuters hopped aboard the FART bus to save on gas, and frequenting Dave's Giant Hamburgers was a rite of passage.

Longtime Daily Republic journalist and accidental historian Tony Wade takes a deep dive into the Fairfield of yesteryear.

The Key System

9780738547220

$24.99

It is difficult now to imagine San Francisco Bay without bridges, but not too long ago, a complex system of ferries and trains helped span the waters in an elegant way. The Key System was a huge portion of this network; it was part of businessman "Borax" Smith's method to attract San Francisco workers to live in the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and Piedmont, where he dealt in real estate. The Southern Pacific Railroad was the Key System's fierce competitor, then later an ally, before it was vanquished. Thousands of commuters rode the system for years, until a ridership decline eventually doomed the Key when bridges finally crisscrossed the bay.

Honolulu Town

9780738593005

$24.99

Before Honolulu became one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, there was a small Hawai’ian settlement at the edge of a natural harbor known as Kou.

Named Kou for the sheltering, orange-blossomed trees, the area was ideal for launching canoes for fishing and cultivating fields adjacent to the Nuuanu Stream. In 1845, King Kamehameha III moved the permanent capital of the Hawai’ian Kingdom from Lahaina to O’ahu, and the Honolulu we know today started to take shape. The name Honolulu means “protected harbor” and that is what the tropic paradise must have felt like as the city began to grow in commerce and resources. Americans began to flock in from the mainland as tourists, businessmen, and missionaries, and immigrants from around the world traveled to this small island to begin a new life. Successive waves of immigrants came to this port town, bringing with them new religions, architecture, education, foods, and social mores. The small confines of this town encouraged cross-pollination of peoples and ideas that fostered the unique neighborhoods that give Honolulu its character.

Cover image for Honolulu Town, isbn: 9780738593005

Folsom, California

9780738502014

$24.99

With the nearby discovery of gold in 1848, Folsom, which began as a remote camp for trappers and traders, quickly
became a prosperous mining town in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. When the railroad arrived, Folsom boomed, serving as a transportation hub and gateway to the gold country. Downtown's Sutter Street became a busy center for merchants, hotels, and commerce, as well as the terminus for the Pony Express. Encompassing 135 years, this book celebrates Folsom's diverse heritage from its beginnings as "Granite City" to the recent growth attributed to the influx of high-tech corporations. Over two hundred images illustrate its history, including personal glimpses of family and home life, churches, schools, holiday celebrations, local culture, politics, and social organizations, to photographs of well-known landmarks and institutions such as the Cohn House, Sutter Street, the Folsom Powerhouse, the railroad, and of course, the infamous Folsom Prison.

Cover image for Folsom, California, isbn: 9780738502014

Residential Architecture in the East Bay

9781467109628

$23.99

Flat Pack, catalogue and pre-manufactured homes have a secret history in the Bay Area. Many homes were pre-cut and delivered to the job site to be assembled in a matter of days. From small 2 bedroom beach bungalows to spacious 2000+ square foot shingle houses that line the streets of Alameda, many homes were ordered from a catalog and assembled on urban lots where people still live contented lives. There were also local architects and developers that created pre-fabricated homes locally to be delivered and built in developments. This book explores this history, through local leaders, archives, historians as well real estate brokers, investors, agents and homeowners. Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley and the surrounding areas were architecturally developed and influenced by the modern concept of efficient assembly line building. The book also explores how that building was affected by redlining and race relations at that time.

Residential Architecture in the East Bay

Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley Movie Theatres

9781467107242

$24.99

Los Angeles County’s San Gabriel Valley and the adjacent Inland Empire, encompassing San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, boasted a wealth of movie theatres throughout the 20th century. 

Entertainment options proliferated as people flocked to both areas, which were famed for their wealth-producing citrus groves and vineyards, their position along Route 66, and their mountain and desert resorts. Residents and vacationers could enjoy films at nickelodeons, picture palaces, drive-ins, and other venues; some still operate. Due to the regions’ proximity to Hollywood and their more rural and suburban settings, local cinemas frequently held studios’ test screenings (including for Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz); audiences there thus influenced what moviegoers elsewhere watched. Film exhibition’s history there reflects cultural, social, and demographic trends in these areas and the United States.

Kelli Shapiro, PhD, is a public historian and preservationist who has lived in both regions. She holds degrees from Pomona College, Texas State University, and Brown University. She wrote the Los Angeles Conservancy’s successful California Register of Historical Resources nomination for Route 66’s Azusa Foothill Drive-in Theatre—as well as Historic Movie Theatres of West Virginia, another Images of America book. This book’s images came from multiple museums, archives, and collections.

Cover image for Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley Movie Theatres, isbn: 9781467107242

Westwood

9780738569109

$24.99

Don Maximo Alanes was awarded a land grant from the king of Spain in 1843 known as El Rancho San Jose de Buenos Aires, stretching east-west from what is now Sawtelle Boulevard to Beverly Hills, and from Sunset to Pico Boulevards. Preserved into the 20th century under state senator John Wolfskill's ownership, the rancho was sold to Broadway Department Store founder Arthur Letts for $100 an acre in 1920 for estates he called Holmby Hills after his British birthplace. His son-in-law Harold Janss developed Westwood Hills in the southern tracts. Letts, a former trustee of the Los Angeles State Normal School, which became UCLA, agreed in 1925 to deed 375 acres of the hilly ranch land north of Wilshire Boulevard to the college. Janss developed a university town-style commercial village of 26 Spanish Revival buildings, some with towers and neon signs that remain icons of today's Westwood Village.

Sacramento's Southern Pacific Shops

9780738580524

$24.99

In 1862, the Central Pacific Railroad was founded and began building eastward from Sacramento as part of the transcontinental railroad. This required a shop capable of keeping the railroad's equipment in running order. So in 1867, in the swamps just north of town, the Sacramento shops were born. For well more than a century, this massive complex kept the Central Pacific and its corporate successor, the Southern Pacific, operating smoothly. For many decades, the shops were the largest employer in the Sacramento area, employing carpenters, painters, draftsmen, boilermakers, electricians, clerks, upholsterers, and others. The shops' forces designed, built, and maintained locomotives, freight and passenger cars, and other railroading equipment. The complex closed in 1999. Most of the area, popularly known as the Railyards, is set for redevelopment. The California State Railroad Museum handles maintenance and restoration of its collection in two of the shops buildings and plans to develop a Railroad Technology Museum on the site.