Name: Towns of the Sacramento River Delta
Brand: Philip Pezzaglia
SKU: 9780738596266
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Towns of the Sacramento River Delta

9780738596266

$24.99

What can be considered the first major exploration of the Sacramento River, from its mouth northward, began on May 13, 1817, when Padres Duran and Abella and 20 other men under the command of Lt. Louis Antonio Argullo sailed in two launches up the river. They continued north until May 20, 1817, when they turned back. The group recorded their point of farthest exploration by carving a cross into an oak tree; some believe this point is near the present-day town of Freeport. Three decades later, Clarksburg was established, followed by Walnut Grove, Paintersville, Rio Vista, Onsibo, Freeport, Courtland, Emmaton, Isleton, Vorden, Ryde, Hood, and Locke. Each one of the settlements has its own exciting tale about its founders and the origins of the name that it was given.

Pittsburg

9780738529042

$24.99

Situated at the far reaches of the Bay Area, Pittsburg has long been perceived as a commuter town, an out-of-the-way bedroom community. Yet this city has a rich and varied history stretching back to the early days of statehood and has played an important role in commerce, both to the state and to the Bay Area. Before long the burgeoning city had a fishing industry rivaling that of San Francisco's famed Fisherman's Wharf and a largely Italian fishing community. By the 1900s, a surprising number of industries set up factories along the waterfront property of Pittsburg. In 1942, the beginning of World War II brought the building of Camp Stoneman, an important departure point for many servicemen. Later, the city became known as a residential destination. Readers of this book will surely see Pittsburg in a new light as they enjoy the surprising and varied tales of the city's previous generations.

Ferries of San Francisco Bay

9780738547312

$24.99

Decades before San Francisco Bay was crisscrossed by bridges, an extensive network of ferries plied these green waters, moving passengers, vehicles, and freight between San Francisco, Alameda, Marin, Solano, Sonoma, and Contra Costa Counties. Very few of the ferries survive today, but at one time, elegant and sturdy vessels like the Santa Clara, Sacramento, Encinal, Eureka, Oakland, and Tamalpais ruled the waves and supported the critical commerce of this region. From the early days of single-enders, double-enders, stern-wheelers, and side-wheelers burning coal and crude oil, to more modern designs of diesel-powered craft, these vessels have long been an important link in Bay Area transport, along with their railway connections. Equipped with up to four decks, the ferries' cargoes included commuters, livestock, automobiles, mail, convicts, express packages, and even entire railroad trains.

San Francisco Bay Area Aviation

9780738547237

$24.99

From hot-air balloons to jets, no other location has a more diverse aviation history than the San Francisco Bay Area. Aside from private and commercial airline operations, the area has housed the NACA/NASA Research Center, the prestigious Boeing School of Aeronautics, and the dirigible USS Macon. It is currently the center for antique aircraft in Northern California and has been the site of numerous flight records, including the Dole Race and Amelia Earhart's circumnavigation attempts. San Francisco was also home to the pioneer Pan American Airways flying boat, which opened the Pacific Ocean to air travel.

Sebastopol

9780738528526

$24.99

Since the 1850s, the soothing countryside hamlets of Sonoma County have beckoned settlers of every stripe-farmers, homesteaders, businesspeople, and commuters. Sebastopol has always been among the county's loveliest towns, retaining its small-town feel even as its population has steadily grown. This book of vintage photography presents Sebastopol's journey through time, the early Mexican land grants and initial settlements, Luther Burbank's far-ranging botanical experiments, and the rich farming industry that made this town one of California's premier agricultural zones, producing grapes, hops, cherries, and dairy products. In these pages readers will experience Sebastopol's turn-of-the-century days at the Apple Fair, with its astonishing fruit sculptures. The first days of railroads are illustrated with images of the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railway, an electric train system that took passengers to and from Sebastopol Depot. The architecture of the region and the stories of local businesses and institutions are all shown here, along with Sebastopol's early religious institutions, schools, sawmills, factories, and even its small airport in the 1920s. Together with views of the town's sporting teams, natural history, outlying communities, and important citizens, these photographs tell a unique story of a unique place that transcends the generations.

Cover image for Sebastopol, isbn: 9780738528526

Yorba Linda

9780738529622

$24.99

Through the mid-20th century, Yorba Linda epitomized the Southern California pastoral experience during the advent and heyday of the citrus boom, with its vast cattle-grazing lands and fruit trees to the horizons. Among the families working this fertile Orange County land in the 1910s was that of President Richard M. Nixon, who was born in Yorba Linda in 1913. The land was named for Bernardo Yorba, son of original Californio Jose Yorba, an explorer who was awarded a 62,000-acre land grant from the king of Spain in 1809. In the 19th century, John Bixby planted orange and avocado groves and grazed cattle over much of the same area, which was incorporated as a city in 1967. An affluent community today, the city has retained its agrarian heritage through hundreds of miles of hiking and horse trails.

Hawthorne

9780738529714

$24.99

A semi-rural alternative to bustling Los Angeles early in the 20th century, Hawthorne grew through the World War I years, welcoming oil wells and eventually airplane factories. The city became home to the chart-topping Beach Boys, athlete Jim Thorpe, and the greatest glamour blondes of their times, Marilyn Monroe and Mattel's Barbie. Bisected by Hawthorne Boulevard, the main north-south thoroughfare through the South Bay region, Hawthorne's notable events ran the gamut, from the annual Kiwanis Parade--second in California prestige only to Pasadena's Tournament of Roses
Parade--to a furious 1971 police gun-battle with the desperate Charles Manson gang. Today, the city is a support community to Los Angeles International Airport and the aerospace industry.

Jewish San Francisco

9780738546834

$24.99

In San Francisco, the "instant city" of the gold rush days, Jews were pioneers among pioneers. Some came as immigrants directly from Europe, others as resettled adventurers from the East Coast, and still others as scions of southern Sephardic families. Out of this mixed multitude emerged a community with synagogues and institutions to care for the needy and the sick, along with a dignified social fabric. New immigrants following the Russian pogroms of 1883 were absorbed, and the ashen ruins from the 1906 earthquake were rebuilt. The city's cultural treasures and social needs were enriched, and the city's Jews were nurtured by civic commitments. Today's 70,000 San Francisco Jews, standing upon the shoulders of pioneering giants, continue to build and rebuild.

Cover image for Jewish San Francisco, isbn: 9780738546834

Camp Roberts

9780738530550

$24.99

Camp Roberts, in the Salinas Valley, is one of California's largest military training camps. Named for a heroic World War I tank driver, it took the threat of global war in 1940 to kick-start its construction. Soon Camp Roberts had a capacity to house and train 23,000 men. During the war, almost half a million men trained here. Row upon row of wooden buildings, replete with churches, stores, a hospital, and an amphitheater where A-list stars performed, made it a mobilized city of 45,000 at its peak. In 1946, it became a ghost town overnight. Revived during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, it passed into National Guard control in 1971. However, all branches of the military continue to train here, and the camp has renewed relevance for troops bound for the Middle East.

Cover image for Camp Roberts, isbn: 9780738530550

Early Amusement Parks of Orange County

9780738559476

$24.99

The Orange County coast had its Joy Zone and its Fun Zone in the early decades of the 20th century. Knott's Berry Farm sprouted from a simple berry stand in Buena Park. The spot that would become Walt Disney's theme-park empire began as a citrus grove in Anaheim. Before long, Orange County was recognized as the nurturing ground for the growing amusement park industry. This book concerns the early history of such parks in the county east and south of Los Angeles, before high-tech digitization, when custom cars, enormous alligators, stunt planes, dolphin leaps, and movie stars' wax likenesses thrilled patrons. Some amusement parks have come and gone over a century of development, and some are still here, changing with the times to create new adventure and excitement for park goers.

Monterey's Waterfront

9780738530031

$24.99

On Monterey's waterfront the words sardine, salmon, mackerel, pompano, albacore, abalone, flounder, and squid were music to the ears of fishermen. With its deep underwater canyon, Monterey Bay hosted a sealife jamboree long before the native Rumsien set out in small tule boats to harvest its bounty. It has sounded a siren call to fishermen and biologists ever since. Chinese fishermen pioneered modern commercial fishing in the 1850s, clustering in villages along Monterey's rugged coast. The cry "Baleia!" sounded through town, summoning Portuguese whalers to their longboats. Japanese divers in primitive hard-hat gear brought a sea snail called abalone to national attention, while Sicilians earned Monterey the title "sardine capital of the world." The railroad opened the way for visitors to discover this natural coastal paradise, now a tourist mecca.

Santa Ana 1940-2007

9780738558349

$24.99

Before World War II, agriculture was still a mainstay in Orange County and Santa Ana was a small community of only 32,000 residents. The war brought military personnel to the area, and many of them chose to stay or return after the war. By 1960, the county seat had 100,000 residents, and the rapid growth continued throughout the next several decades. By the 21st century, more than 350,000 residents called Santa Ana home. With the increased growth in population came more houses, more government and retail centers, expanded and reconstructed streets, and the development of a significant industry base, as well as a shift in culture and lifestyle. Today Santa Ana continues to be both a government and cultural center in Orange County, as well as home to many landmarks and events that have shaped Orange County history.

Los Gatos

9780738529035

$24.99

Nestled in the heart of a dramatic natural amphitheater formed by the Santa Cruz Mountains, Los Gatos serves as the gateway from the Santa Clara Valley to the Pacific Ocean. This happy accident of location allowed historic Los Gatos to witness a colorful parade of swashbuckling explorers, Franciscan padres, and hearty American pioneers, many of whom came to harvest virgin redwood forests from the mountains and grow fruit in exceptionally fertile soil. Los Gatos grew up around the 1850s flour mill established by Scotsman James Alexander Forbes. In 1878 the railroad arrived and was a powerful influence for more than 80 years. Named for the mountain lions that still inhabit the area, Los Gatos has reflected the expansive richness of the California Dream for 150 years.

Mills of Humboldt County

9781467134736

$24.99

Humboldt County was at the forefront of the massive redwood logging industry. The impressive size of the trees necessitated drastic technological advances. Many innovations were invented by Humboldt mill owners like John Dolbeer, whose steam donkey engine mechanized and revolutionized logging all along the West Coast. In 1896, there were 13 mills devoted to sawing redwood lumber and 26 mills making redwood shingles operating in Humboldt County. Other related industries, such as shipbuilding, boiler works, tanbark, and split products, further shaped the economic vitality of the county. Most of these industries no longer exist, and the logging industry is now a shadow of its former self. However, many remnants of the loggers' heyday can still be found. This book explores the sites of Humboldt County's historic lumber industry and the day-to-day realities of life in the mills and the woods.

Cover image for Mills of Humboldt County, isbn: 9781467134736

Sawtelle

9780738547978

$24.99

A 1.48-square-mile piece of unincorporated Los Angeles County when it was annexed by the City of Los Angeles in 1922, tiny Sawtelle has lived very large in the hearts and minds of Japanese Americans. Their homes, livelihoods, religions, businesses, language, and other ethnocentric and social involvements are rooted in the area, with the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle as the cultural nexus. Bisected by Sawtelle Boulevard, this particular Japantown flourished through a close-knit network of immigrants who were denied citizenship until 1952 and were excluded by law from land ownership. Only through second-generation, American-born children could they buy real property. These vintage images--collected from local families, businesses, and organizations--provide rare glimpses into the Japanese immigrant experience in Los Angeles.

Cover image for Sawtelle, isbn: 9780738547978

Ojai

9780738555775

$24.99

A resort community surrounded by mountains, Ojai is the gateway to Los Padres National Forest, the Sespe Creek Valley, and Lake Casitas Recreational Area. The setting offers inspiring views of and from Chief Peak and the majestic Topa Topa bluffs. The sleepy, spa reputation of Ojai (pronounced Oh-hi) belies one of the busier civic schedules of any California community its size. This corner of Ventura County is home of the world-renowned Ojai Music Festival and the century-old Ojai Tennis Tournament, as well as a concentration of top-quality boarding schools. It's a meeting and greeting place known for its painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, and filmmakers. The valley also welcomed the New Age when it was still very new--as many of the area's denizens are committed to the well-being of body, mind, and soul--and has been favored through the years by such resident spiritual leaders as the philosopher Krishnamurti.

Cover image for Ojai, isbn: 9780738555775

San Francisco

9780738529875

$24.99

The "real" San Francisco lies below the streets, sidewalks, and buildings, hidden from view. This famous city is known for its beautiful setting of water, trees, hills, and beaches, but relatively few people know of its true natural state. Before it
was built up and paved over, the earth here was a diverse ecosystem of creeks, marshes, sand dunes, estuaries, and densely forested hills. Over this landscape roamed elk, rabbit, bears, bobcat, and mountain lion, and the now-crowded bayfront teemed with mollusks, otters, dolphins, and whales, while huge flocks of birds blocked out the sun overhead. Today, only about two percent of the city's natural areas remain as they were.

Red Bluff

9780738531489

$24.99

The riverfront town of Red Bluff, now a magnet for most of the population of Tehama County, was once the lonely campsite of rancher Peter Lassen, who ventured here from his Mexican land grant while chasing horse thieves in 1843. A few years later, masses of humanity and tons of material floated past those red banks that rise high above the Sacramento River, the state's earliest highway, supplying the Sierra gold fields. Red Bluff, first known as Duncan Heights, had a busy port and nearby logging operations generating enough wealth to fund rows of substantial brick, two-story commercial buildings and neighborhoods of ornate Italianate and Queen Anne homes, many of which still stand.

California State Fair

9780738580890

$24.99

Starting in San Francisco in 1854, the California State Fair and Exposition began as a vehicle to showcase, encourage, and expand California's agricultural industry.

The event quickly became an attraction for thousands of residents, both local and from across the state. By 1884, it occupied the largest exhibit hall in the United States; within 100 years, it became the largest fair in the country by adding horse racing, elaborate exhibits from every county in the state and from around the world, thrill rides, top-flight entertainment, and, of course, the best food. The original goal of the fair was met some 50 years ago, as California remains the nation's top producer of agricultural products.

Cover image for California State Fair, isbn: 9780738580890

Temecula Wine Country

9780738570143

$21.99

Vineyards flourish in Temecula because of the ideal climate. The name Temecula is taken from Luiseno words that mean "where the sun and earth were created." At an altitude of 1,500 feet, the filtered sunlight and an ocean breeze that drifts through a gap in the mountains coax the decomposed granite soil of Temecula Valley to produce high-quality grapes for premium wines today just as they did over a century ago. From the time the Spanish padres entered the valley and made sacramental wines and French and Italian immigrants brought vines from the Old World, its grape harvests were unknown to the rest of the world. In 1967, Vincenzo and Audrey Cilurzo came from Hollywood to plant the first commercial vineyard, followed by Ely Callaway, who built the first commercial winery in 1974, and soon the Temecula Wine Country was home to 14 wineries. The annual Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival, started in 1983, draws as many as 50,000 attendees.

Dunsmuir

9780738580562

$24.99

In the 1880s, the Central Pacific Railroad labored through the rugged upper Sacramento River canyon to connect California with the far northwest. Where the canyon's steep walls open up to a view of snowcapped Mount Shasta, a railroad switching yard, a depot, a roundhouse, a turntable, and repair shops were constructed. Surrounded by virgin timber, rushing waters, and dramatic geologic formations, this railhead camp--named for a Canadian collier--grew.
?Completion of the rail line brought commerce and growth as timber was harvested and streams were prospected for gold. Visitors were, and continue to be, drawn by the pure mountain air, scenic beauty, healing mineral waters, hunting, and world-class trout fishing. Though facing many obstacles, including storms, fires, and floods, the town thrived. Incorporated in 1909, Dunsmuir became the headquarters for the Southern Pacific Railroad's fabled Shasta Division in 1916. Today Dunsmuir is known as California's Historic Railroad Town and is recognized in the National Register of Historic Places.

San Jose's Japantown

9781467125291

$24.99

The Japanese started to arrive in San Jose, California, around 1890 in the Heinlenville area, which was once on the outskirts of the city. Many of the businesses that the Japanese opened would serve the needs of the growing Japanese population, who came to the Santa Clara Valley to take advantage of opportunities in the agricultural industry. Out of 46 Japantowns, only three remain in California. San Jose's Japantown is unique in that it is the only surviving Japantown that has remained in its original location. Today, San Jose's Japantown is a thriving and evolving mix of traditional and contemporary arts, culture, and lifestyle.

Cover image for San Jose's Japantown, isbn: 9781467125291

Northwestern Pacific Railroad

9780738531212

$26.99

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad--the Redwood Empire Route--once stretched its shining track from Humboldt Bay to San Francisco Bay. Created by the amalgamation of 42 different companies, the North Coast railroad network ranged from the Sonoma Prismoidal, an early wooden monorail, to broad-gauge logging lines built to be hauled by horses. In between were the two-foot Sonoma Magnesite Railroad, the narrow-gauge North Pacific Coast, and standard-gauge lines. Determining the route of major highways, this versatile transportation system also incorporated electric interurbans, ferry steamboats, sternwheel riverboats, tugs, car floats, and unusual connectors like funiculars and scenic tourist railways. From the time of its formation in 1907 until the 1970s, Northwestern Pacific trains and boats were loaded with passengers and freight.

Riverside

9780738570792

$24.99

Riverside is a visual journey showcasing change within a city that has witnessed tremendous growth in its relatively short lifespan. By comparing and contrasting the same building, street, or block several decades apart, this book shows how a dusty landscape east of Los Angeles blossomed into Southern California's sixth-largest city.

Shaver, Huntington, and Hume Lakes

9781467131438

$24.99

The Sierra Nevada of Fresno County is rich in natural resources. Logging operations of the 19th century built dams and millponds, such as Hume Lake, sawmills, railroads, and two of the longest flumes in the world. In the 20th century, the Southern California Edison Company began the massive Big Creek Hydroelectric Project. It resulted in the creation of several lakes, including Shaver and Huntington, and a series of powerhouses for hydroelectric power. These lakes provided new venues for fishing and boating. Included here are epic stories told with historical postcards of logging, electricity, and leisure in the Central Sierra Nevada within Fresno County.

Cover image for Shaver, Huntington, and Hume Lakes, isbn: 9781467131438

Indio

9780738556185

$24.99

Located halfway between Los Angeles and Yuma, Arizona, Indio came into being as a railroad town in 1876 when the Southern Pacific Railroad completed this last link in its southern transcontinental route. Settling this arid land took ingenuity and courage, and Indio's early residents had both. In the 1930s, Indio became a mining town when 92 miles of tunnel were dug through its eastern mountains for the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the largest construction project in the United States during the Depression. World War II brought Gen. George Patton's Desert Tank Corps to train nearby and crowd into Indio for rest and relaxation. The completion of the Coachella Branch of the All-American Canal brought Colorado River water to the desert in the late 1940s, and a land boom ensued. Today Indio's reputation as the "Date Capital of the United States" and "City of Festivals" is long held and well deserved.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

9780738595139

$24.99

The Eel River in Northern California is the third largest river in the state. Along its banks stand the largest remaining redwood groves in the world. They are preserved within Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Created in 1921 with the purchase of Bolling Grove near Myers Flat by the Save the Redwoods League, the park currently preserves 53,000 acres of forestland. Within the park are structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and a monolithic four-fireplace structure designed by Julia Morgan. The park also encompasses many small towns. The settlement of these towns is included in this pictorial history of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Additionally, steps taken to preserve the redwoods are documented. Finally, floods along the river that have shaped the environment and influenced the growth of the park are also featured.

Haunted San Jose

9781467150811

$21.99

The long history of San Jose has accumulated a remarkable amount of ghostly tales, from things that go bump in the night to its most famous haunt, the Winchester Mystery House.

A ghostly bride stalks the corridors of the Sainte Claire Hotel, and a spectral janitor still carries out his duties at Overfelt High. At the La Forêt Restaurant, long-dead miners from New Almaden are rumored to appear in rooms they once called home. The ancestral land of the Ohlone people might now be the home of high tech, but its haunted past remains.

Author, educator and lifelong resident Elizabeth Kile brings to life the memories of those who came before -- and those who never left.

Bullock's Department Store

9781467132961

$24.99

From the store's beginnings in March 1907 until its closing on June 25, 1983, Bullock's was Los Angeles's store of choice. Throughout its 76 years of operation, Bullock's flagship department store became an icon, a commercial beacon in the vast city. The name Bullock's has engendered many memories in many people. For those loyal patrons who grew up, lived in, or visited the City of Angels, Bullock's was—and still is—a part of their lives. Bullock's was a rite of passage. From baby clothing to back-to-school gear, prom dresses to bridal gowns, Bullock's offered quality merchandise and exemplary customer service. The store's professional sales staff solidified its place in retail history. The staff knew you by name, and Bullock's was more than just a shopping destination. It was part of the community; it was your family and was always there for you.

Carpinteria

9780738547589

$24.99

A small jewel on the map along the coast of southern Santa Barbara County, Carpinteria--or "Carp"--has an enduring and endearing idiosyncratic character that suits locals, welcomes visitors, and resists
reinvention. Charlie Chaplin was married in Carpinteria, and Charles Lindbergh was an occasional fly-in visitor. The "world's fastest human" once hailed from Carpinteria, the same place where a single grape arbor consistently delivered 10 tons of grapes annually. Unspoken traditions included upstanding teachers by day using aliases at night to drive in rough-and-tumble jalopy races. The infectious small-town sensibility remains so intact that most Carpinterians don't vacation elsewhere.
Many of the vintage photographs in Carpinteria, which were collected from local families and institutions, including the Carpinteria Valley
Museum of History, prove that the city's visuals are as spectacular as its history is intriguing.

Arroyo Grande

9780738569444

$21.99

Located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Arroyo Grande Valley was founded during the period of the Mexican land grants. In 1837, the San Manuela Rancho was granted to Francis and Manuela Branch. The rich soils and mild coastal climate created a wonderful location to build a home, grow crops, and raise livestock. While livestock production has diminished, it has been replaced by a growing wine industry and field crops continue to flourish. Arroyo Grande remains one of the most pleasant and safest environments to live and work and maintains much of its historic village commercial area with little change over the past 100 years.

Solvang

9780738559353

$24.99

"Denmark in America" describes the charming village of Solvang, California. What began as a Danish colony has become something entirely different than what the founders intended. Following World War II, Danish-style architecture was emphasized in this Santa Barbara County coastal community, and generations of visitors have come to Solvang for the annual Danish Days celebration. However, understanding Solvang as merely a tourist destination would overlook the historical foundation upon which the Danish colony was established in the Santa Ynez Valley--to establish a cultural community for religious and educational purposes in the desirable California climate. This book celebrates the old Solvang as well as the one millions of tourists know today.

Rim of the World Drive

9780738547701

$24.99

On July 18, 1915, the Rim of the World Drive was dedicated as politicians, businessmen, and local luminaries looked on. What followed is the incredible story of how a road changed the lives of San Bernardino Mountain visitors and residents alike. In a single generation, the slow 19th-century lifestyle that moved at the pace of horses was transformed into the streamlined and fast-paced 20th-century age of the automobile. By the 1930s, a realigned high-gear route led up the hill from San Bernardino to Crestline, then along the crest to Lake Arrowhead, Running Springs, and Big Bear, and finally down the hill to Redlands. This fascinating evolution of Southern California's landmark Rim of the World Drive--from Native American trail to state highway--is showcased here in a meticulously researched presentation of rare photographs, many never before published.

1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet, The

9780738571904

$24.99

America's first international air meet was held January 10-20, 1910, in Los Angeles on a mesa called Dominguez Hill, situated 13.5 miles south of the plaza at the pueblo of Los Angeles. Enthusiasm for aviation grew after the first international air meet in 1909 in Rheims, France, where American aviator Glenn H. Curtiss won three prestigious speed prizes and 36,000 francs. An even more spectacular air meet, which would also invigorate the local economy, was promoted for Los Angeles. Businessman Dick Ferris, the Los Angeles Merchants and Manufacturers Association, and the Los Angeles Examiner collaborated to make it possible. Most Americans had never seen the newfangled machines that soared in the skies. Initially skeptical, they soon were awed. So began America's love affair with aviation. The air meet influenced aviation in Southern California and transportation worldwide into the 21st century.

1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet, The

Lynwood

9780738588896

$24.99

Charles H. Sessions was an early-20th-century landowning businessman who named his dairy creamery after his wife, Lynne Wood. Her name would also grace the remarkable city that he pioneered, Lynwood. Early settlers, visionary residents, and city officials through the years have all helped Lynwood develop into a two-time All-America City Award winner. Lynwood's exciting history stretches from its earliest colonization by Don Antonio Maria Lugo through its establishment in 1921 and to the present. Today, Lynwood has moved forward as a visionary city filled with strong, hardworking residents who continue to build paths of opportunity for future generations.

Depression-Era Murals of the Bay Area

9781467131445

$24.99

The San Francisco Bay Area's art community was thriving until the Great Depression strangled commerce in the 1930s. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal art programs brought relief to many talented but financially strapped artists. Their legacy, and that of the New Deal, adorns the walls and halls of many public spaces throughout the region. Murals cover the lobbies of the Coit Memorial Tower, the Beach Chalet, and the Aquatic Park Bathhouse (today's San Francisco Maritime Museum) and decorate many public schools and post offices. Today, almost all of this wonderful art can be viewed by the public, free of charge.

Cover image for Depression-Era Murals of the Bay Area, isbn: 9781467131445

California Lighthouse Life in the 1920s and 1930s

9780738508832

$24.99

Like giant sentinels standing guard, California's lighthouses keep silent vigils over the turbulent waters of the Pacific. In 1850, Congress appropriated funds to build eight lighthouses on the West Coast, and three years later, construction began on the project. The first lighthouse to become operational on the West Coast was that on Alcatraz Island on June 1, 1854. While the other seven were being completed, Congress authorized funds to construct a second set of eight lighthouses, and by 1930, California boasted 40 light stations. This new photographic history contains over 200 rare and beautiful images featuring lighthouses of the South Coast, San Francisco Bay, and the North Coast, as well as lightships and support facilities.

California Lighthouse Life in the 1920s and 1930s

Breweries of the Gold Country

9780738576213

$24.99

California's Gold Country, known historically as the Mother Lode, is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was here that the famous goldfields of the Gold Rush were located. From 1849 onward, thousands of miners flooded into the area. These men brought with them a powerful thirst, which they sought to slake with their beverage of choice--beer. As quickly as rudimentary towns were established, breweries were erected to supply miners with their desired drink. These breweries produced regionally crafted beers for surrounding populations, and some gained national and international recognition. Many also housed saloons, which became an integral part of these foothill communities. A number of these establishments remained in operation until Prohibition, which ended most local brewing. This volume seeks to document the Gold Country breweries and the brewers who operated them.

Los Angeles's Central Avenue Jazz

9781467131308

$24.99

From the late 1910s until the early 1950s, a series of aggressive segregation policies toward Los Angeles's rapidly expanding African American community inadvertently led to one of the most culturally rich avenues in the United States. From Downtown Los Angeles to the largely undeveloped city of Watts to the south, Central Avenue became the center of the West Coast jazz scene, nurturing homegrown talents like Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordon, and Buddy Collette while also hosting countless touring jazz legends such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday. Twenty-four hours a day, the sound of live jazz wafted out of nightclubs, restaurants, hotel lobbies, music schools, and anywhere else a jazz combo could squeeze in its instruments for nearly 50 years, helping to advance and define the sound of America's greatest musical contribution.

Cover image for Los Angeles's Central Avenue Jazz, isbn: 9781467131308

Lake Tahoe

9780738589121

$24.99

Lake Tahoe's legendary scenic beauty is witnessed annually by millions of visitors. While the lake's first sighting (in 1843) by a nonnative was made from a mountain peak, the lake's maritime history began a scant seven years later. Although most of the early steamers were designed for industrial use, the sight of a boat venturing out into the vast, deep blue expanse of Lake Tahoe attracted the attention of residents and visitors alike. After the inevitable decline of extractive industries, tourism became the main economic engine in Lake Tahoe. The steamer era and the evolution of wooden-boat racing are celebrated today by the romantic races of the two paddle wheelers and the annual Concours d'Elegance boat show.

The Stagecoach in Northern California

9781626192546

$23.99

New England stagemen followed thousands of bedazzled gold rushers out west in 1849, carving out the first public overland transportation routes in California. Daring drivers like Hank Monk navigated treacherous terrain, while entrepreneurs such as James Birch, Jared Crandall and Louis McLane founded stagecoach companies traveling from Stockton to the Oregon border and over the formidable Sierra Nevada. Stagecoaches hauling gold from isolated mines to big-city safes were easy targets for highwaymen like Black Bart. Road accidents could end in disaster--coaches even tumbled down mountainsides. Journey back with author Cheryl Anne Stapp to an era before the railroad and automobile arrived and discover the wild history of stagecoach travel in California.

Cover image for The Stagecoach in Northern California, isbn: 9781626192546

La Verne

9781467104982

$24.99

Founded in 1887 and located at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, Lordsburg was poised to grow with the railroads and prosper with the citrus industry. Although some cities faded into obscurity when the Southern California land boom went bust, Lordsburg survived largely due to the intervention of four members of the German Baptist Brethren Church who bought the unoccupied Lordsburg Hotel and surrounding land. They established an academy that eventually became the University of La Verne. In 1917, Lordsburg was officially renamed La Verne. Church of the Brethren families settled in the area to further their children's higher education. Housing demands after World War II, followed by the declining citrus industry, transformed the landscape from rural to residential. Much of La Verne's small-town feel is preserved in its downtown and many original residences, while the centrally located university enlivens the community with its diverse student population. Attention to public art and care for La Verne's senior residents reflect civic pride.

Arden-Arcade

9781467160018

$23.99

Arden-Arcade is a vibrant community. The first inhabitants were members of the Valley Nisenan tribe; however, world events, including the arrival of Europeans and the Gold Rush of 1849, changed the area’s dynamics in drastic ways. Arden-Arcade was part of the Mexican land grant known as the Rancho Del Paso. When Col. James Ben Ali Haggin became the owner of Rancho Del Paso, it became known for breeding champion racehorses. The horse that won the Kentucky Derby in 1886—aptly named Ben Ali—was bred on Rancho Del Paso. In 1905, Orlando Robertson, owner of the Sacramento Colonization Company, purchased the land and began mapping out tracts for development, later advertising the area as the perfect place to farm citrus, olives, and hops. After World War II, Arden-Arcade experienced a boom of economic development. The construction of Town and Country Village, Country Club Centre, and Arden Fair Mall fueled the growth of residential homes. US Route 40 boasted numerous travel accommodations and was a popular destination until the construction of the Capital City Freeway. Notably, the area features many mid-century modern homes and buildings with Googie architecture.

Rancho Guadalasca

9781467151146

$23.99

A journey through Ventura County history.
A Mexican land grant awarded in 1836, Rancho Guadalasca lay at the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains along the eastern Oxnard Plain. Grantee Ysabel Yorba, an illiterate widow who successfully managed the ranch for over 35 years, is just one of many fascinating people who once lived there. Indigenous Chumash, Californio ranchers, Anglo-American farmers, Japanese fishermen, and Basque sheepherders all left their marks on the land, along with local institutions like Camarillo State Hospital and CSU Channel Islands.
Join archaeologist and anthropology professor Colleen M. Delaney as she traces the 5,000 years of community and lifeways that shaped Ventura County.

California and the Civil War

9781625858245

$23.99

In the long and bitter prelude to war, southern transplants dominated California government, keeping the state aligned with Dixie. However, a murderous duel in 1859 killed "Free Soil" U.S. Senator David C. Broderick, and public opinion began to change. As war broke out back east, a golden-tongued preacher named Reverend Thomas Starr King crisscrossed the state endeavoring to save the Golden State for the Union. Seventeen thousand California volunteers thwarted secessionist schemes and waged brutal campaigns against native tribesmen resisting white encroachment as far away as Idaho and New Mexico. And a determined battalion of California cavalry journeyed to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to battle John Singleton Mosby, the South's deadliest partisan ranger. Author Richard Hurley delves into homefront activities during the nation's bloodiest war and chronicles the adventures of the brave men who fought far from home.

Cover image for California and the Civil War, isbn: 9781625858245

Lake San Marcos

9781467132411

$24.99

In 1962, the Frazar brothers purchased 1,648 acres of land, which included a 40-acre lake, in San Diego's North County with the goal of building a lakeside community of homes and two golf courses. By 1964, the lake was enlarged to 80 acres and the land was reshaped to accommodate 1,500 homes (eventually growing to over 2,500 homes); two golf courses, one a private country club and the other a public course; and a bridge across the lake. A motel, restaurant, shopping center, and residents' recreation center were later added. In 1967, the National Home Builders Association Convention in Chicago awarded the Lake San Marcos design the title of "Best Planned Lakeside Community in the Nation."

Lost Stories of West Coast Latino Boxing

9781467107327

$23.99

Many West Coast Latino boxers have entered and departed the ring, their anecdotes left behind like another stain on the mat. Latino boxing stories have floated around for ages without the benefit of being passed down from generation to generation. Buried tales and colorful narratives of beloved Mexican ring idols such as Ruben Olivares, Mando Ramos, Carlos Zarate, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Bobby Chacon, Carlos Palomino, and Alberto Davila are showcased in these pages, their stories revived because no champion deserves to be forgotten. Other overlooked heroes and one-hit wonders of the golden era of Southland boxing (1940s-1970s) will also be saluted, along with the bygone contenders of the barrio who never saw their name in neon lights.

Lost Stories of West Coast Latino Boxing

William S. Hart Park

9781467107440

$23.99

Nickelodeon cowboy star William S. Hart thrilled millions of fans in over 70 shoot-'em-ups in the early days of silent cinema. After completing his film career in 1925, Hart retired to Horseshoe Ranch in Newhall, California, where he lived until his death in 1946. Hart willed the property to the County of Los Angeles, requesting that it become a park and museum, stating: "When I was making pictures, the people gave me their nickels, dimes, and quarters. When I am gone, I want them to have my home." William S. Hart Park stands as a fitting testament to Hart's life and generosity. On its 265 acres, visitors can tour his 22-room retirement mansion and ranch house, picnic on the park's spacious tree-shaded lawns, wander miles of trails, feed animals at the barnyard, and admire the herd of American bison, descendants of those gifted to the park by Walt Disney. The park is also home to Heritage Junction, which houses many of Santa Clarita's most historic buildings and serves as headquarters for the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.

San Francisco's Powell Street Cable Cars

9780738530475

$24.99

San Francisco's cable cars are an internationally recognized symbol of the city, but they also have a long and fractious history. There are actually three cable lines in operation today: the California Street line and the two Powell Street lines-- the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde. The Powell Street lines have been the subject of much controversy through the years, due to a complex lineage of private and public ownership. Cable cars on Powell Street began in 1888, operating under the Ferries and Cliff House Railway Company and utilizing the same basic design pioneered by Andrew Hallidie in 1873. Among the story's twists and turns are the line's actual routes following the 1906 earthquake, which caused heavy damage and forced major repairs. Post-quake, United Railroads was able to replace many of the cable car lines with streetcars, including a part of the Powell Street system. San Francisco at one time had eight separate cable car operators. Gradually most were replaced by streetcars, buses, and trolley buses, given the complexities and expense of cable systems. The Powell lines were taken over by the city in 1944, but the mayor tried to abandon them in 1947. The public disapproved of this move, and since then the Powell Street line has only grown in stature and its importance to San Francisco.

San Francisco's Powell Street Cable Cars

Location Filming in Los Angeles

9780738581323

$24.99

Los Angeles has reigned for more than a century as the world capital of the film industry, a unique and ever-changing city that has been molded and recast thousands of times through the artistic visions and cinematic dreams of Hollywood's elite. As early as 1907, filmmakers migrated west to avoid lengthy eastern winters. In Los Angeles, they discovered an ideal world of abundant and diverse locales blessed with a mild and sunny climate ideal for filming. Location Filming in Los Angeles provides a historic view of the diversity of locations that provided the backdrop for Hollywood's greatest films, from the silent era to the modern age.

San Diego Drag Racing and the Bean Bandits

9781467127103

$24.99

San Diego enjoys a long and storied race car and drag racing history, and the Bean Bandits are a huge part of that heritage. Yet their story remains buried in plain sight. Told here in photographs garnered from private, personal, and historical collections, the 1950s pioneering exploits of Bean Bandits leader Joaquin Arnett and his contributions to that racing history come to life. The San Diego native led his Bean Bandits to over 300 wins and several land speed records while competing against other local clubs, like the Prowlers, Oilers, Roadsters, and Roadrunners. Eventually, the Bean Bandits' streamliners set records on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Arnett won the first National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Championship in 1953, was named to the International Car Racing Hall of Fame in 1992, and was awarded an NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. Arnett and his Bean Bandits' car also graced the cover of Hot Rod magazine's special drag strip issue in 1953.

San Diego Drag Racing and the Bean Bandits

Hollister

9780738595795

$24.99

The history of Rancho San Justo and Hollister began in 1839 when Gov. Juan Alvarado gave the land grant to Jose Castro. Castro sold the land to Francisco Pacheco, who, in turn, sold the land grant to William Hollister and his partners Llwellyn Bixby and Thomas and Benjamin Flint. In 1861, the men agreed to split the property. The site for the town was surveyed in 1868 with plans to divide the site into 50 homestead lots. Colonel Hollister sold his portion of the rancho to a group of men who called themselves the San Justo Homestead Association. At that time, the town of Hollister was still in Monterey County; however, the homestead association started agitating for a division of the county. An act to create the county of San Benito was approved by the governor on February 12, 1874, and Hollister became the county seat.

Sonoma Valley

9780738529431

$24.99

California's Wine Country, its rolling hills studded with ancient oaks and laced with vines. Tourists flock to the charming, historic towns in the "Valley of the Moon," from Kenwood in the north to Schellville in the south. The town of Sonoma may be the birthplace of the State of California. Its central plaza, designed as a parade ground by Mexican general Mariano Vallejo and still ringed by mid-19th century buildings, was the site of the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt. Since 1823, when Mission San Francisco Solano, the last link in the long chain of California missions, was established here, to the famous present-day wineries, restaurants, and shops, Sonoma Valley has been treasured by residents and visitors alike.

Cover image for Sonoma Valley, isbn: 9780738529431

The Ghostly Tales of Alcatraz

9781467197328

$12.99

Ghost stories from America’s most infamous prison have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

Welcome to the spooky island of Alcatraz!

Stay alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms.

Did you know a ghost nurse wanders the halls in search of prisoners to heal? Or that nobody has ever escaped from Alcatraz…and lived to tell the tale? Can you believe Cell 14D is haunted by a mysterious, red-eyed monster?

Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see Alcatraz and have you sleeping with the light on!

Cover image for The Ghostly Tales of Alcatraz, isbn: 9781467197328

The History of Long Beach Poly

9781467135283

$24.99

Long Beach Poly has produced more NFL and MLB players than any other high school. Alumni include household names like Billie Jean King, Snoop Dogg and Cameron Diaz. But before it was named the top athletic high school in America by Sports Illustrated, before it boasted nationally acclaimed academic magnet programs, Long Beach Poly had to overcome an extraordinary set of challenges. From a devastating earthquake that destroyed the original campus to racial tensions that rocked the school, Poly has persevered and excelled. Since its founding in 1895, Poly has been intrinsically woven into the fabric of the Long Beach community, affectionately known as the “Home of Scholars and Champions.” Mike Guardabascio and Tyler Hendrickson tell the story of how a school rose from the ashes to become a powerhouse.

Cover image for The History of Long Beach Poly, isbn: 9781467135283

San Francisco's West Portal Neighborhoods

9780738529974

$24.99

When you're in West Portal and the adjacent Forest Hill and St. Francis Wood, it's hard to believe you're still in San Francisco. These quiet and picturesque neighborhoods are decidedly non-urban, yet they are connected by a streetcar tunnel that leads under Twin Peaks to the bustling downtown area, two miles through the city's mountainous core. In fact, West Portal is named for the western end of this tunnel, which opened in 1917 to bring residents from the city center to what were new garden suburbs. Originally West Portal was sandy and scruffy, while Forest Hill and St. Francis Wood were heavily forested. The neighborhoods grew rapidly in the 1920s, and today West Portal is a popular shopping and entertainment district, while St. Francis Wood and Forest Hill boast some of the city's finest architecture and landscaping.

San Francisco's West Portal Neighborhoods

Napa

9780738529516

$24.99

The name "Napa" may come from "Napato," a clan of the Wintun Indians who once lived along a river that flows into San Francisco Bay. In the 1850s, miners sought refuge in the young city that grew up by the Napa River, living in tents along its main street. Later they and other newcomers found work at businesses and nearby ranches while Napa City flourished as goods and produce from all over the valley were loaded onto steamers bound for San Francisco. Shortening its name in 1900, Napa continued to provide housing and shops, utilities and transportation for a growing agricultural center, and it shared the valley's economic hard times through Prohibition and the Great Depression.

Cover image for Napa, isbn: 9780738529516

Stone Architecture in Santa Barbara

9780738569680

$24.99

Building with stone requires a commitment to permanence, like the extraordinary, almost citywide conviction of builders in Santa Barbara from the 1870s through the 1930s. As Santa Barbara was evolving from a dusty little port and outlying resort into a vibrant and growing city, there occurred an extraordinary era of stone construction. This was made possible by a fortuitous conjunction of factors: abundant material, a cadre of expert artisans, and almost unlimited financing. This period provided an atmosphere not only conducive to the building of public spaces, homes, bridges, walls, and an assortment of other stonework, but encouraged some exceptional expressions of the stoneworkers' art. Many of these artistic fabrications remain a testimony to the skills and tastes of their creators and add a distinctive element to the particular ambiance that makes Santa Barbara the special place that it is.

Tales of the Russian River

9781609496265

$21.99

The Russian River has drawn tourists to its colossal redwoods, picturesque seashore and idyllic resorts for more than a century. This collection of John C. Schubert's Stumptown Stories columns relates the history of this California river valley through in-depth research and firsthand stories. Ride the first train to chug across the Hacienda Bridge and wave farewell to the town's last train in 1935. Swing around in the many dance halls to the big bands of the 1930s, '40s and '50s. Let the entertaining stories behind once stately, now hidden, landmarks carry you into Stumptown's past. Reconnect over coffee at Pat's Cafe and discover the rich history that formed the Russian River's communities.

Wells Fargo

9780738531434

$24.99

Those striking images of stagecoaches traversing rugged mountain terrain are no mere marketing gimmick, but part and parcel of Wells Fargo's storied past. When Henry Wells and William Fargo founded the company in 1852, the gold rush had already brought thousands of people to California and uncovered the largest amount of wealth then known to the world. Wells Fargo served a unique role as a banking, express or transporting, and mail-delivery agency. In 1857, the company helped establish the Overland Mail Company; in 1861, it operated the Pony Express; and in 1866, it put together a 3,000-mile network of stagecoaches running between California and Nebraska. Three decades later, Wells Fargo covered the nation over a web of iron rails. Miners and merchants, ranchers and farmers alike depended on Wells Fargo. The company always used the fastest means possible for its deliveries and fund transfers, whether by riverboat, ocean steamer, pony express, stagecoach, railroad, or the fastest method of all, the telegraph.

Suisun City and Valley

9780738595177

$24.99

Suisun, a Patwin word for "where the west wind blows," was the name given to the city and valley that flourished as a port between the vast regions of Sacramento and San Francisco. For over a thousand years, the Suisun region was inhabited by Native Americans, who thrived in the lush, temperate climate until the Mission Period brought forth devastation from conquest and epidemics. Suisun Valley served as the last vestige of the Mission Period with the establishment of Santa Eulalia, an asistencia for Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma. Following statehood, Suisun City and Valley became a cultural hub from the influx of pioneers, such as founder Capt. Josiah Wing, who saw potential for industry, agriculture, and trade.

Filipinos in Hollywood

9780738555980

$24.99

The memoirs of Filipinos in Hollywood span more than 80 years, dating back to the early 1920s when the first wave of immigrants, who were mostly males, arrived and settled in Los Angeles. Despite the obstacles and hardships of discrimination, these early Filipino settlers had high hopes and dreams for the future. Many sought employment in Hollywood, only to be marginalized into service-related fields, becoming waiters, busboys, dishwashers, cooks, houseboys, janitors, and chauffeurs. They worked at popular restaurants, homes of the rich and famous, movie and television studios, clubs, and diners. For decades, Filipinos were the least recognized and least documented Asians in Hollywood. But many emerged from the shadows to become highly recognized talents, some occupying positions in the entertainment industry that makes Hollywood what it is today--the world's capital of entertainment and glamour.

Victorian Los Angeles

9781626196087

$21.99

Before the oil boom and rise of Hollywood brought today's renowned landmarks to downtown Los Angeles, an entirely different and often forgotten high Victorian city existed. Prior to Union Station, there was the impressive Romanesque Arcade Station of the Southern Pacific line in the 1880s. Before UCLA, the Gothic Revival State Normal School stood in place of today's Los Angeles Public Library. Elsewhere the city held Victorian pleasure gardens, amusement piers and even an ostrich farm, all lost to time and the rapid modernization of a new century. Local author Charles Epting reveals Los Angeles's unknown past at the turn of the twentieth century through the prominent citizens, events and major architectural styles that propelled the growth of a nascent city.

A Brief History of Orange, California

9781609492878

$21.99

Orange, California, a city that started small, but grew big on the promise, sweat and toil of agriculture. Born from the breakup of the old Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, its early days were filled with horse races, gambling, and fiestas. Citrus was the backbone of the economy for more than half a century, though post-war development eventually replaced the orange groves. Historian, and Orange native, Phil Brigandi traces the roots of the city back to its small town origins: the steam whistle of the Peanut Roaster, the citrus packers tissue-wrapping oranges for transport, Miss Orange leading the May Festival parade, and the students of Orange Union High painting the O and celebrating Dutch-Irish Days. In doing so, he captures what makes Orange distinct.

Cover image for A Brief History of Orange, California, isbn: 9781609492878

Russian San Francisco

9780738571676

$24.99

Even before San Francisco was founded as a city, Russian visitors, explorers, and scientists sailed to the area and made contact with both the indigenous people and representatives of the Spanish government. Although the Russian commercial colony of Fort Ross closed in 1842, the Russian presence in San Francisco continued and the community expanded to include churches, societies, businesses, and newspapers. Some came seeking opportunity, while others were fleeing religious or political persecution. In the 1920s, San Francisco's Russian population grew exponentially as refugees of the Russian Revolution and civil war arrived, and by the 1950s, a vibrant and culturally rich Russian émigré community was thriving in San Francisco. Today the 75,000 Russian speakers who live in the San Francisco Bay Area continue to pass on their heritage to their children.

Lifeguards of San Diego County

9780738555867

$24.99

Lifeguards of San Diego County traces the origins of the nine professional lifeguard agencies that serve the public swimming, diving, and boating along the shorelines of San Diego County. Sporadic lifeguard service existed as early as 1906, but on a single day in 1918, thirteen people drowned at Ocean Beach. The drownings focused community and government attention on the need for consistent lifeguard services along San Diego County's beaches. Today there are more than 600 lifeguards from city and state agencies that serve San Diegans throughout the county. Here for the first time, the origins, experiences, and stories of these dedicated and most often heroic people are woven together into one volume.

Sunol

9780738555546

$24.99

In 1839, Antonio Sunol acquired this beautiful valley, originally inhabited by Ohlone Indians, to raise his cattle. Thirty years passed, and the First Transcontinental Railroad was poised to make history, completing the last segment of rail from Sacramento to Oakland. The final link was laid--straight through the middle of Sunol--and a small village was suddenly transformed. The valley prospered with new wealth; hotels and railroad depots were built along with hay warehouses, a grocery and a mercantile, a blacksmith shop, post office, five schools, and a church. San Francisco families built summer homes in the new resort destination. The Spring Valley Water Company purchased property in the valley, where some of their largest water mains to San Francisco would flow, and even commissioned famed architect Willis Polk to design his Italian-style masterpiece, The Water Temple. Early prosperity eventually gave way to the grim realities of the Depression and the war years, however, and families began occupying the summer cabins lining Kilkare Road year-round. But as the town's permanent population grew, a new and unique community emerged.

Cover image for Sunol, isbn: 9780738555546

Ripon

9780738581668

$24.99

Like California, the valley town of Ripon owes it beginnings to early adventurers. A group of Mormons looking for the "Promised Land" in 1846 were the first Europeans to settle along the Stanislaus River near Ripon. In 1850, another adventurous early pioneer, William H. Crow, settled in the region, and the first school to be established in the county was subsequently named for him 12 years later, in 1862. William H. Hughes purchased 1,300 acres in 1857, and in 1872, he gave the railroad a right-of-way and provided land for the depot known as Stanislaus Station. Amplias B. Crook, postmaster of this station, proposed in 1874 to rename the community in honor of his hometown, Ripon, Wisconsin. Hence California's Ripon was established on December 21, 1874.

The Coast Guard in San Diego

9780738580142

$24.99

Located a few miles north from the border of the United States and Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard has maintained a continual presence in San Diego since 1935. It was in May of that year that a single air detachment, led by Cdr. Elmer F. Stone, began operating out of a commercial hangar at Lindbergh Field. From those humble beginnings, a base was constructed on 23 acres of tidelands adjacent to the airstrip and eventually formed into Sector San Diego. Through the years, their units and missions have evolved as new technology and changing world events dictated new missions for the Coast Guard. Today Coast Guard Sector San Diego stands as a model of interagency cooperation for the Department of Homeland Security as the Coast Guard works with other federal agencies to protect San Diego's maritime domain.

Filipinos in Vallejo

9780738529691

$24.99

Filipinos came to Vallejo as early as 1912, and some families here can count five generations back to their roots in the Philippines. Many came to Mare Island Naval Shipyard, where Filipinos found steady, well-paying jobs that spared them from menial work and stoop labor in the fields of California. With each major conflict of the 20th century, and finally with the relaxation of immigration quotas in 1965, waves of Filipino newcomers arrived on these shores. They advanced in their work at the shipyards, settled down, and started families, buying homes and establishing successful businesses. Now this active, politically empowered Filipino community numbers in the tens of thousands, yet traditional histories ignore its contribution to Vallejo's heritage.

Cover image for Filipinos in Vallejo, isbn: 9780738529691

Pasadena

9780738547787

$24.99

Few cities boast a business history as rich and varied as Pasadena's. In the early agricultural days, a brandy distillery and citrus and olive groves helped propel the economy, while the 20th century saw Pasadena emerge as a thriving resort and health town. Together the community's diverse businesses have played a substantial role in determining the fortunes of the "Crown City." In this volume, evocative images recall an extensive range of establishments, from large resort hotels to corner soda fountains, law offices to dry cleaners, restaurants to science labs, local industries to national powerhouses. Seldom-seen photographs from both the Pasadena Museum of History's archives and private collections trace a business legacy unique to Pasadena, one that still thrives on generations-old family businesses and has also embraced corporate headquarters and regional franchises.

Los Angeles's Angels Flight

9780738558127

$24.99

From 1901 to 1969, Angels Flight was America's most famous incline railway, familiar from its many appearances on postcards and in pulp fiction and film noir. It inspired the titles of five novels, including a 1999 best seller, and three films. Angels Flight's two colorful trolleys glided up and down the side of Bunker Hill in the heart of Los Angeles, carrying 100 million passengers between a downtown business district and a Victorian aerie that gradually deteriorated into a gritty slum. When the city turned Bunker Hill into an acropolis of skyscrapers, Angels Flight was packed up like a boy's electric train set and stored away for nearly 30 years. After a restoration in the mid-1990s that led to a fatal accident, Angels Flight has reopened and is now ready to claim its next chapters in Los Angeles history.

Sacramento's Newton Booth and Poverty Ridge

9781467105293

$24.99

In Gold Rush-era Sacramento, turbulent floodwaters chased early citizens to a temporary island--a prominent hill near the Sacramento and American Rivers that came to be known as Poverty Ridge. In the ensuing years, as small farms developed across the southeastern corner of the original city grid, a two-room wooden schoolhouse was erected to serve the educational needs of surrounding families and was named in honor of California's 11th governor, Newton Booth. The surrounding neighborhood came to share the school's name. Since the 1850s, Poverty Ridge and Newton Booth have been home to Gold Rush pioneers, gifted vintners and brewers, devout nuns and nurses, celebrated authors, media giants, and larger-than-life politicians, all with visions of a better life--a California life.

Sacramento's Newton Booth and Poverty Ridge

El Presidio de San Diego

9781467159616

$24.99

Before there was a Los Angeles or a San Francisco, there was Spain’s first colony in upper California, El Presidio de San Diego.

Founded in 1769, this small fortress and mission was the seedling for the twenty-one missions and four presidios that followed. It was here that Franciscan priest Junípero Serra planted the first Catholic cross in what became Alta California. The nearby harbor provided a safe port for sailing ships from all over the world, ensuring a steady stream of goods and supplies. Over its many decades, the San Diego Presidio was home to Spaniards, Mexicans, Native people and, toward the end, Anglo-Americans. Its cemetery became the final resting place for many of them.

Author and historian Richard Carrico provides insights into San Diego’s beginnings.

Cover image for El Presidio de San Diego, isbn: 9781467159616

Historic Marysville City Cemetery

9781467162241

$24.99

The Historic Marysville City Cemetery contains the ghosts of the city founders, politicians, Western heroes and bandits, and murder victims and murderers. Among the 10,000 individuals buried in this cemetery is a survivor of the ill-fated Donner Party; the brother of the founder of Macy’s department store; the minister to Japan, appointed by Pres. Ulysses S. Grant; and the founders and co-owners of one of the oldest continuously operated businesses in California, the Union Lumber Company, established in 1852. This cemetery is one of the oldest city-owned cemeteries in the area, with burials dating from 1850. The cemetery became inactive in 1939, allowing burials only in existing family plots and later only ashes. The most recent interment was in 2016.

Phyllis E. Smith and Victoria M. Tudor are board members of the Friends for the Preservation of Yuba County History (FPYCH). The group’s monthly newsletter, the Yuba Legacy, is written by Tudor and edited by Smith. They both help plan the organization’s fundraising activities, providing tours of the cemetery. Tudor spends considerable time working in the cemetery and coordinates headstone repairs with a local monument company. Smith digitized the handwritten book of burials, from 1870 to 1930, a four-year effort.

Cover image for Historic Marysville City Cemetery, isbn: 9781467162241

Santa Cruz Coast

9780738546667

$24.99

The scenic coastline of northern Monterey Bay has enthralled residents and visitors alike for well over a century. Yet storms and relentless waves over time have taken their toll, devouring shorelines, washing away beaches, collapsing cliffs, and battering oceanfront structures.

Rosie the Riveter in Long Beach

9780738525327

$7.99

During World War II, an unprecedented number of women took jobs in the defense industry. Thousands of these "Rosie the Riveters" came to the Douglas Aircraft Plant in Long Beach, the largest wartime aircraft manufacturer.

San Francisco Zoo

9780738569161

$7.99

The San Francisco Zoo boasts a rich history.

Cover image for San Francisco Zoo, isbn: 9780738569161

Bolsa Chica Gun Club, The

9781467150439

$24.99

The untold story of the Bolsa Chica Gun Club, one of Southern California’s most important power centers.Before the rise of Huntington Beach, the Bolsa Chica Gun Club stood as a captivating testament to power and ambition. Influential figures like Jared Sidney Torrance and Henry Huntington were members of this exclusive haven where businessmen, politicians, and even stars of early Hollywood gathered to relax and socialize. Once rapid development and the discovery of oil began encroaching on the club lands, it slowly faded into memory, but its influence remains.Join author Chris Epting as he explores the remarkable and sometimes controversial events that unfolded on the club’s hallowed grounds.

Cover image for Bolsa Chica Gun Club, The, isbn: 9781467150439

Calaveras County

9781467161138

$24.99

Calaveras County is one of the original 27 counties created when California was formed in 1850. At the time, it encompassed Alpine, Amador, and Mono Counties. Amador was the first to be separated in 1854, with Mono County following in 1861 and Alpine County in 1864. With the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill on January 24, 1848, Calaveras County saw immigrants from every corner of the world. These pioneers brought with them the drive to make it rich and to make their lives and their families’ lives better. Some did, and some lost their lives trying. Between 1848 and 1965, the county produced about nine million ounces of gold, valued today at over $18 billion. Today, tourism in Calaveras County supports approximately 2,400 jobs and contributes about $6 million to state and local taxes. Miners still find gold in the streams and rivers, families drive the back roads exploring the old towns and mines, and wine lovers enjoy wine tastings at the more than 50 tasting rooms scattered throughout the county.

Cover image for Calaveras County, isbn: 9781467161138

Rim of the World Drive

9780738525167

$7.99

On July 18, 1915, the Rim of the World Drive was dedicated, changing the lives of San Bernardino Mountain visitors and residents. The slow 19th-century lifestyle that moved at the pace of horses was transformed into the streamlined and fast-paced 20th-century age of the automobile.

Olives in California's Gold Country

9781467131667

$24.99

The history of the olive in the Gold Country of Northern California is a story of the Spanish in the New World, of the Gold Rush, of immigrants from Italy and other Mediterranean countries, of bold pioneers, enterprising farmers and scientists, and of businessmen and businesswomen. Focusing on Calaveras County in the south and Placer County in the north, but also exploring the olive throughout most of Northern California, including olive havens such as Corning and Oroville, that story is told within these pages through rare and fascinating photographs. For those who wish to explore the olive in Northern California, whether its history, industry or technology, this volume provides both an appetizer and a satisfying entrée. As love of the olive grows, for the first time a book tells the tale of the olive tree, the king of trees, in the Mother Lode of California.

Cover image for Olives in California's Gold Country, isbn: 9781467131667

San Ysidro and The Tijuana River Valley

9781467131889

$24.99

In 1851, surveyors placed a marble obelisk on a mesa overlooking the Pacific Ocean, which demarcated the United States–Mexico boundary line. Tourists flocked to the region alongside land speculators who envisioned upscale hotels, resorts, and spas. Two decades later, an East Coast journalist, William Smythe, established a utopian agricultural colony in what is today San Ysidro. Tourists began to cross the border in droves when Tijuana earned the reputation as vice city. Racetrack, saloon, and gambling house employees settled in San Ysidro, while ranchers in the Tijuana River Valley bred horses for the racetracks. Dairy and vegetable farmers also moved in, taking advantage of the year-round mild weather. By the 1970s, suburban development and greater restrictions to the flow of people at the border meant the area became a predominantly Spanish-speaking community. The Port of Entry at San Ysidro also became the largest in the world, accommodating over 47 million people annually.

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Paradise

9780738546759

$21.99

It was more than 150 years ago that Uncle Billy" Leonard took refuge from the hellish heat in the shade beneath a Ponderosa pine, breathing in relief to his companions: "Boys, this has got to be Paradise!" Or so the story goes. Yet it is no fiction that the settlement grew to be more than just a stop on the way from Oroville or Chico to the gold country. Although Paradise was surrounded by mines, it had little gold itself. Disappointed miners made a living cutting timber, working at one of the sawmills, or hacking out homesteads in the foothill forests. Diamond Match Company built a railroad to its sawmill, locating the depot a mile west of town in what was sometimes called "New Paradise." For generations before houses began to replace its orchards, Paradise was an apple-growing center, home to harvest festivals that are echoed in today's annual Johnny Appleseed Days."

Alviso, San Jose

9780738531403

$24.99

The old port town of Alviso, nestled in the southernmost point of San Francisco Bay, was busy long before the gold rush. It began in the 1700s as a landing for Mission Santa Clara, where Californios drove oxcarts heavy with cowhides and tallow to load aboard ships bound for New England and Europe. Later immigrants disembarked from paddle-wheel steamers to establish farms and businesses throughout the South Bay. Quicksilver from the New Almaden mines, lumber from the Santa Cruz Mountains, and grains and produce of the Santa Clara Valley all passed over these weathered docks. Several prominent entrepreneurs, including James Lick, got a foothold here, and its yacht harbor, now echoing only the slap of wasteblackened marsh water on mud-bound boats, once drew the likes of Jack London to its colorful saloons, gambling dens, and bordellos.

Cover image for Alviso, San Jose, isbn: 9780738531403

Vacaville

9780738528847

$24.99

Vacaville, named for its founder, Juan Manual Vaca, grew up next to what has become a major highway to Sacramento and points north. It became famous for its Nut Tree Restaurant, which for decades offered travelers the produce of this fertile fruit-growing region. Now the modern highway bypasses Vacaville's historic downtown, leaving it to be enjoyed by the growing population of greater Vaca Valley. Even though the modern city has grown out to engulf that new highway and an ever more diversified economy continues to thrive, old Vacaville still feels and looks like a small town of another era. Unscathed by earthquake since 1892, enlightened city officials have not only preserved much of the original downtown but have added a "Creekwalk" that gives an air of quiet greenery.

Cover image for Vacaville, isbn: 9780738528847

Around Boron

9780738569437

$24.99

In the late 1920s, this high desert area with little water and unproductive soil held no attraction for most people, but the small community of Amargo provided a grocery store, gas station, and of course a saloon for the convenience of tenacious gold and borax prospectors. In 1938, after the large deposit of borax was discovered and mining had begun, a town hall meeting was called and Le Roy Osborne, supervisor of Pacific Coast Borax Company, suggested changing the name from Amargo to Boron. Boron is the fifth element on the periodic table and combines with other nonmetallic minerals to form a family of related minerals called borates; after this was explained to those gathered at the town hall meeting, Boron was unanimously chosen as its new name and the community was forever linked to the borax mining industry.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

9780738569253

$24.99

After more than 50 years, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey is regarded as one of the most famous racetracks in the world. Mazda Raceway offers competitors challenges unlike any other with its mix of corners, which includes the Corkscrew, where drivers encounter the largest elevation change in the shortest distance of any track worldwide. The raceway also offers spectators sweeping open vistas of the track, and all within view of the Pacific Ocean.

Presidio of Monterey

9780738528700

$24.99

The Presidio of Monterey is best known as the home of the post-World War II Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, the Department of Defense's acknowledged leader in foreign language training. It has, however, a much longer and rich history. After the United States seized Monterey in 1846, the U.S. Army began constructing Fort Mervine, which served a number of purposes until it was abandoned in 1866. In 1902-1903, a modern cantonment was built in the area. In 1904, the new post was officially renamed the Presidio of Monterey after a nearby Spanish fort established in 1770 that had fallen into disuse. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the post was home to infantry and cavalry regiments, as well as an inductee reception center. The Military Intelligence Service Language School was moved to the Presidio of Monterey in 1946 and renamed the Army Language School in 1947; this evolved into the present-day Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.

Cover image for Presidio of Monterey, isbn: 9780738528700

Santa Clara

9780738528816

$24.99

Santa Clara, named for the prosperous Spanish mission founded there in 1777, lies in a place once called the "Valley of Heart's Delight." Its black fertile loam produced thousands of acres of bright flowers and vegetables for the largest seed farm in the world, and much of the rest was blanketed in springtime with fruit blossoms. The wealth of its pre-eminent tanning, wood manufacturing, and fruit packing industries gave way to another type of opportunity in the 1950s with the emergence of the semi-conductor. The tiny chip that transformed the world of communication spawned new companies here like Intel, National Semi-Conductor, and Applied Materials, which earned the now urban economic powerhouse a new name, Silicon Valley.

Cover image for Santa Clara, isbn: 9780738528816

Mexican American Baseball in the Inland Empire

9780738593166

$24.99

Mexican American Baseball in the Inland Empire celebrates the thriving culture of former teams from Pomona, Ontario, Cucamonga, Chino, Claremont, San Bernardino, Colton, Riverside, Corona, Beaumont, and the Coachella Valley. From the early 20th century through the 1950s, baseball diamonds in the Inland Empire provided unique opportunities for nurturing athletic and educational skills, ethnic identity, and political self-determination for Mexican Americans during an era of segregation. Legendary men's and women's teams--such as the Corona Athletics, San Bernardino's Mitla Café, the Colton Mercuries, and Las Debs de Corona--served as an important means for Mexican American communities to examine civil and educational rights and offer valuable insight on social, cultural, and gender roles. These evocative photographs recall the often-neglected history of Mexican American barrio baseball clubs of the Inland Empire.

Trinidad

9780738571614

$24.99

When Spanish explorers turned their ships north in the summer of 1775, they were searching for new territory for the Spanish crown. Nearly 300 miles north of San Francisco, they found safe harbor in a small but beautiful bay they called Trinidad. The Spaniards erected a large cross on Trinidad Head and left the Bay of Trinidad prominently marked on maps of what would become the fledgling state of California. Many came to Trinidad to seek their fortunes--from fur traders and Gold Rush miners to pioneer homesteaders and timber barons. They found the land already inhabited by indigenous Yurok tribes, whose ancestral home encompassed the entire greater Trinidad region, bound by three rivers and filled with a vast and ancient redwood forest. Today, after more than a century and a half of boom and bust, Trinidad is a seaside oasis.

Los Angeles's Olvera Street

9780738531052

$24.99

Olvera Street Mexican marketplace and its plaza form the home of Latino culture in the Los Angeles region. Still standing in this downtown location of many fiestas, including Cinco de Mayo, are the Avila Adobe, plaza church-- La Iglesia de Nuestra Se±ora La Reina de Los Angeles, Pico House, Sepulveda House, and L.A. Firehouse No. 1. El Pueblo de La Reina de Los Angeles was founded in 1781. The 1820sbuilt plaza was ruled for decades by the magnanimous Judge Agust n Olvera. Wine Street was renamed in his honor after his 1876 death and took on a back-alley toughness depicted in early Hollywood films. In the 1920s, Christine Sterling campaigned to save
the Avila Adobe from demolition and transform Olvera Street into an internationally recognized tourist destination, which opened in 1930. Today the old plaza and Olvera Street shops, restaurants, museums, and vendors draw 1 million people annually under the auspices of El Pueblo de Los
Angeles Historical Monument.

The Rose Bowl

9780738580586

$24.99

The Rose Bowl is best known for playing host to the "granddaddy of them all"--the much anticipated major college football game held every January 1. It has further secured its place in sports history by playing host to Super Bowls, BCS football championships, Olympic games, and World Cup finals. For the residents of Pasadena, the Rose Bowl is also an important community center. In addition to football games (and Caltech pranks), many Pasadenans remember graduating at the bowl. Over the years, the Rose Bowl has held numerous concerts, peace rallies, festivals, flea markets, and Fourth of July celebrations. And the structure itself, designed by architect Myron Hunt, is seen by many as a proud testament to Pasadena's commitment to architectural innovation. The photographs in this book, many from the archives of the Pasadena Museum of History, highlight the Rose Bowl's memorable sports moments as well as the stadium's unique role in Pasadena's cultural life.

Golden Memories of the Redwood Empire

9780738518732

$24.99

The high-tech paradise just north of San Francisco, known as the Redwood Empire, was once a land of vineyards, chicken ranches, orchards, and dairies. Using their own words and vintage photographs, here are the stories of the area's residents and their 100 years of history, from the lost glitter of the Gold Rush to end of World War II. The stories recalled here come from the reflections of the people who kept their towns and farms running on a daily basis. Among the voices heard in these chapters are Healdsburg's Ferguson family, pioneer survivors of the westward trail, and David Wharff, who brought the first chickens to Sonoma County, helping create the World's Egg Basket. Through the great Santa Rosa earthquake of 1906, to the devastating flu epidemic of World War I, to the Santa Rosa-Petaluma "Big Game" riot of 1943, these diary, interview, and newspaper accounts cover a century of rich history in the Redwood Empire.

Hesperia

9780738581071

$24.99

Set at the top of the Cajon Pass in the High Desert of Southern California, Hesperia was built on the spirit and strength of character of American frontiersmen. From the time of the first documented travelers through the area in the late 1700s and continuing into the 1900s, the region has been a place of innovation and magnificent feats, where men have traveled through to new lands for a new start, striking it rich or making that big business deal in a new frontier. Named for Hesperus, the Greek god of the evening star in the West, Hesperia has proven to be a place of resilience and perseverance. The second largest land purchase in the western United States became the original Hesperia land holdings. In many areas, the people of Hesperia might be considered trendsetters, and Hesperia a land before its time.

Cover image for Hesperia, isbn: 9780738581071

Mining in Yuba County

9781467132909

$24.99

Mining in Yuba County illustrates the story of how this geologically unique part of California drew multitudes of people from around the world during the early days of the Gold Rush. It depicts the region's evolution from anarchy to civilization. It gives faces to the individuals who were instrumental in creating society in Yuba. It elaborates on incidents in which Yuba influenced the nation, on matters as historically significant as California entering the Union as a free state and affecting the outcome of the Civil War. Mining in Yuba fostered technological advancement precipitated by the depletion of surface gold and the necessity to get to the obscured gold. Conflicts between miners and agriculturists over hydraulic mining were litigated, and landmark legal decisions regarding the regulation of hydraulic mining all but ended the practice and were the beginnings of environmental protectionism and water rights issues in California. Finally, it reveals that despite heavy regulations that exist today, there is still mining in Yuba County.

Long Beach Art Deco

9780738546704

$24.99

At 5:55 p.m. on March 10, 1933, Southern California was rocked by a massive earthquake. Wood-frame bungalows lost their chimneys, and engineered concrete buildings suffered minimal damage. But unreinforced masonry buildings near the epicenter failed catastrophically, and Long Beach was particularly hard hit. Nearly three-quarters of the school buildings, as well as many other structures, were rendered unusable until repaired or rebuilt. The Art Deco style, in addition to being fashionably modern in 1933, met the criteria of earthquake safety, and many new structures showed its influence. Both the Zigzag Moderne style of the 1920s, which boasted many structures that survived the earthquake, and the Streamline Moderne style that came into vogue in the 1930s relied on sleek lines with decoration incorporated into the design. This volume celebrates, in both word and image, the Long Beach that rose from the rubble to become a premier Art Deco city.

Oak Glen and Los Rios Rancho

9780738546537

$24.99

The 500-acre Los Rios Rancho has operated through a greater century as the largest apple orchard in Southern California and the centerpiece of Oak Glen, the heart of a dozen orchards on the southern slopes of the San Bernardino Range about eight miles from Yucaipa. Los Rios Rancho is owned by the Wildlands Conservancy, a privately funded corporation headquartered at Oak Glen since 1996 that has purchased more than 750,000 California acres to preserve as natural landscapes for public benefit. The ranch is leased today to the Devon Riley family, which carries on in the tradition of the ranch's founder, H. L. Rivers. The Rivers family--la familia de los Rios--has been a fruit label name known throughout California grocery stores and roadside stands since before World War I. In this collection, more than 180 vintage photographs pay tribute to the Rivers, Wilshire, and other family orchards at Oak Glen over the years.

Motorcycling in Santa Barbara County

9781467117234

$24.99

Starting in the early 1900s, Santa Barbara County became home to over a dozen motorcycle racecourses. Not one of those battlegrounds survives today. Pershing Park once had a stadium, Elings Park on Las Positas Road was Veronica Springs Hill Climb Course, and before that, La Conchita was home to hill climbing and TT events. Motorcycling in Santa Barbara County will take the readers back in time to the glory days of two wheels on city streets and engage them in competition at its racetracks. Preserved in these pages are the firsthand stories of the men that competed on these courses as far back as 1924.