New Book Releases

When visiting a church such as Holy Cross in Back of the Yards or Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary in Marquette Park, it is easy to stand in awe of what generations of Lithuanians in Chicago have accomplished. 

The community’s many churches, sprawling cultural institutions, schools, and countless organizations stand as a testament to its pride and work ethic. For nearly 150 years and across three waves of immigration, Lithuanians came to Chicago seeking freedom and opportunity not afforded them at home. The first people to come at the turn of the 20th century worked and lived mostly in and around the stockyards and centered their community on the parish church. Those who came after World War II, fleeing the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, were foremost committed to advocating for their homeland and keeping their heritage alive. The numerous organizations and cultural centers they established reflect this. The most recent wave revitalized an aging community, injecting new energy into existing organizations and opening new businesses, schools, and other organizations.

Justin G. Riskus is a history teacher and writer who has many fond memories of growing up in the Lithuanian communities of Chicago, Lemont, and Gary, Indiana. He is also the author of Arcadia’s Lithuanian Chicago, published in 2013. The majority of images in this book come from the archives of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture as well as other organizations and community members. 

New York City was the center of business, commerce, manufacturing, culture, and war spirit in the North during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln gained an important national audience at the Cooper Institute in February 1860.

Tens of thousands of young men enlisted in the city and marched off to fight. Factories churned out materiel for the soldiers. Black leaders such as Frederick Douglass mobilized African American support for the Union. Foreign dignitaries were the subject of grand celebrations on Broadway. Immigrants raised celebrated ethnic regiments, and nationally renowned newspapers debated the pressing issues of the day. In short, the city was a vital engine that powered Union efforts. Yet New York was also a divided metropolis where political differences were hashed out—sometimes violently. The deadliest urban racial violence in American history took place in Manhattan in July 1863. In this book, New Yorkers regain their place at the center of the Union war effort on both the battlefield and the home front.

Acclaimed historians Jonathan W. White and Timothy J. Orr bring New York City’s Civil War story to life through photographs and illustrations drawn from libraries, archives, and private collections around the United States. Foreword author Harold Holzer is the Jonathan F. Fanton Director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College and a leading historian of Lincoln and the Civil War in New York City.

What began as a small farming community has grown into one of the fastest developing cities in the Pacific Northwest. Kent, Washington is a part of the White River Valley, about 7.5 miles south of Seattle and 18 miles northeast of Tacoma.

Situated between the two ports, Kent is in an advantageous position for trade and development. It was named after the county in England for its shared history of growing hops. Due to frequent flooding, the rich soil was good for growing a variety of crops. The hills on either side of the valley were abundant in red cedar; the logging and farming opportunities made the land a popular spot for white pioneers to set out to make their fortunes. Within the last 50 years, both Boeing and Amazon have built facilities in the city.

Rachel E. Friedland has lived in Kent for over 20 years. She has a bachelors degree in history from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and a certificate in museum studies from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. She has been an educator for five years and a volunteer at the Greater Kent Historical Society. Compiled from images from the Greater Kent Historical Society, the Museum of History and Industry, and the White River Valley Historical Museum, this book is a visual journey through the rich history of Kent.

Using rarely seen images to illustrate the most interesting features of the city, this book showcases the events that molded Petersburg's history.

Petersburg is one of Virginia’s oldest cities. The story begins with a frontier boundary that also allowed trade with the Native Americans. Located on the banks of the Appomattox River, Petersburg’s deepwater harbor was a depot for all supplies going south. In 1830, the first train tracks leading into North Carolina were located here.

Petersburg became the largest transportation hub in the state. Best known for its contribution to the tobacco industry, by the 20th century it was also a leader in numerous other businesses, some so big they were featured at the 1939 World’s Fair. Today, it is a city that has its own special reputation and works extremely hard to maintain it. A history lovers’ gem, there are 12 districts and 44 properties on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

More than 14,000 people of Japanese descent—two-thirds of them US citizens—were exiled from August 1942 to November 1945 to the Heart Mountain Incarceration Site on the high desert prairie of Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin.

The site was the temporary home for Japanese Americans forced from their homes in California, Oregon, and Washington. Believed to be saboteurs or spies or both, the prisoners were viewed with fear, hatred, and sometimes acceptance by their neighbors in nearby Cody and Powell. During their time at Heart Mountain, the incarcerated people lived like the residents of any American city. Under the eye of the federal War Relocation Authority, they taught school, worked at the fire and police departments, ran stores and barbershops, and spent much of their time wondering what had happened to their former lives. Today, the site is part of the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center and Mineta-Simpson Institute.

Ray Locker is the director of communications and strategy for the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation. The foundation’s staff consists of experts on Japanese American history, the intersections between Wyoming’s Indigenous community and World War II’s incarcerated people, and museum professionals dedicated to telling the story of this sad chapter of American history. They used donations from those incarcerated and their families, collections in the foundation archives, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and museums from around the country.

On November 19, 1906, the School of the Ozarks was chartered by the State of Missouri.

The poverty-stricken Ozarks had limited educational opportunities, but when the first students enrolled, the school did not depend on tuition dollars. Instead, each student worked at the school in exchange for an education. Today, the College of the Ozarks is a liberal arts college where students still work for their degrees. The institution is recognized for its emphasis on academics, faith, patriotism, and vocation, and it continues its commitment to the mission “to provide the advantages of a Christian education for youth of both sexes, especially those found worthy, but who are without sufficient means to procure such training.” Located near Branson, Missouri, the campus hosts thousands of visitors each year who enjoy Williams Memorial Chapel; Edwards Mill; and the Keeter Center, modeled after a historic building on the Point Lookout campus. Visitors discover a unique college where generations of students have gained a life-changing education.

Gwen Simmons is the director of Lyons Memorial Library at the College of the Ozarks and an alumna of the institution. Most of the images featured in this book are a part of the college’s archival collections at the library, alumni center, and museum.

For over a century, the Olympia harbor tugboat Sand Man has worked on Puget Sound waters.

Built in Tacoma in 1910, Sand Man towed such commodities as sand, gravel, oysters, logs, and more to and from Budd Inlet. The tugboat was owned by three commercial companies and one private owner. In 1997, the Sand Man Foundation formed, took ownership, and placed Sand Man on multiple historic registries. Through fundraising efforts, the deteriorating Sand Man was miraculously saved and rebuilt after three sinkings. Over the years, the vessel participated in many Olympia Harbor Days activities and vintage tugboat races and was the festival’s first logo boat in 1983. Sand Man, a workhorse and survivor, is known as “Olympia’s Tugboat.” This is the story of Sand Man, the little tug that could and did. 

Lisa Nickel grew up boating on Puget Sound in her family’s own tugboat. She holds a master’s degree in creative arts and learning. After retiring from a 30-year teaching career, she is now the author of multiple magazine articles. She received the 2022 Algona Great Blue Heron Award for her dedication to her teaching career, partnership in science education, and charter lead educator of the Algona Blue Heron Community Gardens. Maritime historian Chuck Fowler’s previous publications include Arcadia Publishing’s Tall Ships on Puget Sound, Tugboats on Puget Sound, and Patrol and Rescue Boats on Puget Sound, as well as Exploring Maritime Washington, published by The History Press.

The historic houses of worship in Portland date back to 1850 with the creation of the city’s first church, First Methodist.

The Portland community embraced not just faith and values but also their aesthetic priorities as a society. Working in diverse styles such as Gothic Revival, Italianate, Romanesque Revival, and Modernism, architects Warren Williams, A.E. Doyle, Pietro Belluschi, and a host of others helped forge Portland’s architectural identity. While Portland’s earliest houses of worship are gone, a nearly complete photographic record of their existence remains. Portland’s religious communities have a long history of diversity, and the inclusion of as many faiths as possible has been a priority in the creation of this book.

John Doyle has been a lifelong student of history, architecture, and art history. After earning his master’s of art in art history from Tufts University, Doyle lectured at the Met Cloisters and then lived and traveled overseas for several years. He has lived in Portland since 1997 and has been a docent for the Architectural Heritage Center and a private tour guide since 2010. Doyle has devoted hundreds of hours to the study of Portland and Oregon history at the Oregon Historical Society, from whose collection most of the photographs in the book were obtained. 

The name Beartooth suggests strength, rawness, and force. Indeed, the Beartooth Mountains are a power and are unsurpassed in splendor and beauty.

The voluminous masses are said to compromise one of the largest contiguous areas in North America. Early natives came in search of game in both the high country and rich valleys, especially the Crows, who used the area frequently. Later, miners appeared in search of precious metals and developed gold, chrome, and platinum mines. Geographers came and scaled mountain peaks, defining, naming, and mapping. Cattle and sheepmen were also lured to the lush mountain pastures. Eventually, trails became roads, and the Beartooth Plateau was easily accessible upon the completion of the Beartooth Highway. With the creation of the US Forest Service, forestlands were surveyed and protected by wilderness status. Soon, dudes were upon the landscape, and an industry was created amongst the peaks and prairies of the Beartooths. Enjoy the natural beauty and rich history of the Beartooth Mountains in 15 historic black-and-white postcards.

In the mid-1830s, German pioneers found an area 30 miles north of Houston thriving with pure water, an abundance of timber, and rich agricultural resources.

In 1838, the Republic of Texas granted to serviceman William Hurd 320 acres. In the early 1900s, the nucleus of the landscape caught the eye of the Trinity & Brazos Railroad as a favorable stop to the Port of Houston. For 25 years, the town prospered as a major rail stop for commodities from all around the area. In May 1933, oil was struck, which catapulted the small town into one of the largest producing oil fields in the South. The oil boom created a community that has thrived on small-town culture with a melting pot of heritages. Former and current residents alike share a deep-rooted sense of community and are proud to call Tomball their “Hometown with a Heart.” 

Descendants of early pioneers and Lone Star College–Tomball Community Library staff have collected community photographs to share these historic hometown images. 

The origin of the name Southfield is not conclusively known, but it is surmised that the area gained its name because it was located in the “fields” south of Bloomfield Township. For much of its settled history, Southfield was a rural, agricultural community; however, that changed when Detroit experienced phenomenal growth in the early 20th century.

As Detroit’s borders strained to contain the influx of people and spurred by the development of the massive Northland Mall, Southfield rapidly developed in the mid-century. With its central location and connection to other major cities via the newly built John C. Lodge and Southfield Freeways, Southfield was also appealing to businesses. Fueled by the people and wealth flowing into the community, Southfield became an epicenter of the burgeoning Mid-Century Modern movement in architecture. Later, Southfield developed a reputation as a welcoming and tolerant place, and today, residents take pride in the highly diverse community.

The city of River Oaks, Texas, has always been defined by its people. With only 1.9 square miles of land, built up to over 90 percent, the city has little room for geographical expansion. Yet the city has thrived because of the resilient, pioneer spirit of the citizens who call River Oaks home.

From the early pioneer settlers who first farmed and settled the wild prairie to the modern-day citizens who work, play, and raise their families in the city, the people who call River Oaks home have exemplified a blue-collar, industrious, rebellious spirit that rebukes the more humdrum “bedroom community” label hung upon it by others. Many of the original families still have descendants living in the city whose streets bear their name. River Oaks boasts an International Motor Sports Hall of Fame member, several Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame members, an International Hot Rod Association Hall of Fame member, and an Olympian.

Darren Houk, an entrepreneur, has served as mayor and on the city council of River Oaks. Mark A. Nobles is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. The two have endeavored to tell the history of River Oaks through photographs from archives and personal collections as well as interviews with longtime residents and historians. This book is more than the story of a city, it is the story of the people who built and continue to give a thriving heartbeat to the city of River Oaks.

Holbrook was established in 1881 when the railroad came through Northern Arizona. Surviving a catastrophic fire, it was the playground for the Hashknife cowboys, giving it an unparalleled Wild West history.

It also endured floods caused by the Little Colorado River, and although it was once a major stop along Route 66, it was bypassed by Interstate 40 in the 1980s. Nevertheless, Holbrook is still a vibrant community today.

Residents for more than two decades, authors William Gibson Parker and Linda Louise Parker document this rich history.

Dr. Bobbie Chew Bigby (Cherokee) and Randy Palmer (Kiowa/Choctaw) have collected colorful photographs showcasing one of the earliest, longest-running, and most cherished American Indian cultural attractions in the country, Indian City USA.

Located in Anadarko, Oklahoma, Indian City USA was open from the mid-1950s through the end of the 2000s. Drawing on vibrant postcard images, family photographs, and maps, together with the oral histories of those who worked and lived there, this book provides a unique view into Indian City USA and what made it so special for so many people.

Dr. Leo Mallette is an adjunct faculty at Pepperdine University’s doctoral program. He has collected postcards depicting Rancho Mirage starting with the dude ranches in the 1940s and accelerating with the country clubs in the 1950s.

The city of Rancho Mirage is a low-density resort town with a population that was about 17,000 during the 2020 census. It is in the Coachella Valley, near Palm Springs, and about 110 miles east of Los Angeles. Rancho Mirage encompasses an approximately three-mile-wide swath that includes most of the area south of Interstate 10, extending south past the Whitewater River, Highway 111, and into the Santa Rosa Mountains. It was incorporated in 1973 and is home to many world-class golf courses.

Founded by the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad in 1880, Winslow evolved from a company boomtown into a small city whose historic character is defined primarily by its location along US Route 66 since the highway’s designation in 1926. Now Historic Route 66, it runs the length of Winslow on Second and Third Streets, which are lined with renovated early- to mid-20th-century buildings.

As director of the Winslow Historical Society’s Old Trails Museum, author Ann-Mary J. Lutzick researches and writes about how Winslow’s rich history is reflected in its buildings and sites along Route 66 and beyond, many of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Through the years, relentless change has swept away many of Mishawaka’s businesses and landmarks and the memory of once-prominent events.

The Great Mishawaka Fire of September 5, 1872, destroyed much of the central business district and changed the downtown forever. The street carnival of August 1901 was the most exciting week in the city’s history but later faded into obscurity. The Twin Branch Power Plant supplied the region with electricity, but hardly a trace of it remains today. The massive Rubber Regenerating Company operated for over twenty years, and now a popular park exists atop its buried rubble. Center Point Tower, the landmark that never was, pointed the way to downtown’s future revitalization.

Peter J. De Kever finds these and other lost stories from Mishawaka’s past.

Journalist and Ark City native Foss Farrar has written extensively about the history of his hometown. He shares a photo collection to illustrate its history.

Arkansas City grew quickly from a dusty frontier town in 1870 into a thriving commercial center in south-central Kansas. Nestled between two rivers, the town's location on the border with Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) provided trade advantages that brought in railroads, merchants, and seekers of free land at the time of the Oklahoma land rushes.

Home to the United States Naval Academy since 1845, Annapolis and its busy harbor attract visitors from around the world.

Since its founding in the 1600s, Annapolis has played an important role in American history. The area became Maryland’s capital in 1694, and its capitol building is the longest in continuous use in the United States. John L. Conley is an Annapolis area writer. The historic images in this book are from his personal collection.

Medford has a rich history, beginning with the original Quaker settlers in the late 1600s. In 1847, state legislators divided Evesham Township, creating Medford. At the time of its incorporation, Medford Township included the communities of Fostertown, Crossroads, Medford Village, Cross Keys, Chairville, Flyat, and Taunton. These small farming communities nucleated around gristmills, sawmills, cranberry bogs, churches, taverns, and isolated country schools. Such settlements laid the foundation for the Medford of the 21st century. William B. Cooper, a photographer during the early 20th century, captured many of the images featured in Medford through the Lens. Using photographs from Cooper and others, we glimpse Medford Township’s visual past within the context of county, state, and national issues, offering new insight into how the municipality developed and how its history can better inform the present.

Dennis McDonald is a Medford Township resident and is the author/coauthor of three previous books for Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series: Medford, Smithville, and Whitesbog. Zachary Baer is a history teacher at Shawnee High School in Medford. He is the author of numerous articles related to South Jersey history and is a member of the West Jersey History Roundtable.

David D. Morrison, retired Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) branch line manager and railroad historian, has compiled rare photographs to showcase the shops that power the LIRR, the busiest railroad in North America.

The LIRR provides passenger rail service from Midtown Manhattan to to the far ends of Long Island at Greenport and Montauk. A vast operation such as this requires a huge fleet of locomotives and cars. The reliability of the fleet rests mainly upon the shop maintenance facility. The Morris Park Shops, opened in 1889 and closed in the early 2000s, provided over a century of maintenance and repair service, allowing the LIRR to develop and expand through the years. The complexity of the shop facility, from the days of steam locomotives to multiple-unit electric cars and diesel locomotives, is a fascinating chapter in LIRR history.

Historian Jeff Sellers, director of education at the Tennessee State Museum and the state capitol, has compiled images from archives and private collections to showcase the history of the Tennessee State Capitol. He also introduces us to the individuals who have breathed life into what has become known as the people's house.

On July 4, 1845, an immense crowd gathered atop the highest hill in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The locals had known it as Campbell's Hill after its owner, Judge George Washington Campbell. Now it had a new name: Capitol Hill. It was on this day that the cornerstone of the new Tennessee State Capitol would be ceremoniously laid. Beneath it, a time capsule was placed with a scroll that read, Dum Tempus fugit, hoc Templum stabit, which translates to Though Time Passes, This Temple will Stand. For over 170 years, that phrase has held true. The building begun on that day and completed 14 years later is still Tennesseans' seat of government. It has seen wars, depressions, celebrations, funerals, demonstrations, debates, and compromise and remains a temple of democracy.

With its undulating hills and sweeping views of the river valleys, located less than eight miles from downtown Cincinnati, Mt. Lookout quickly grew from rural farms to a picturesque suburb that could have inspired Norman Rockwell to paint it. Originally a small village called Delta, Mt. Lookout was annexed by the City of Cincinnati in 1870 and was renamed after the new Cincinnati Observatory was built at the end of Observatory Place. Thanks to John and Charles Kilgour, brothers who invested in real estate and public transportation, Mt. Lookout became an upscale destination by the turn of the 20th century. This book showcases the people, buildings, landmarks, and events that have made Mt. Lookout such an idyllic place for its residents to call home. It is equally important to mention the cozy, bustling Mt. Lookout Square, the heart of the town; many businesses have been open and operating for over 50 years, while Geo. H. Rohde & Sons Funeral Home has already celebrated its centennial anniversary.

Jason Fitzhugh is a teacher, historian, and collector. He has carefully selected over 150 images to create a nostalgic time line from Mt. Lookout’s early beginnings to the thriving, established neighborhood it is today.

Located along the west bank of the Willamette River at the falls in Oregon, the West Linn area offers a vibrant and interesting array of geological history, including ice age floods and the Willamette Meteorite. It is a significant historic site for Native Americans because of fishing and trading at the falls, and it was a settling place for early pioneers at the end of the Oregon Trail. It was known as an important hub of the paper and electric production industry.

The West Linn Historical Society has been sharing “History Without Walls” since 2014.

Alton, Illinois, is a historic river town with a fascinating history. It was the home of multiple Native American tribes and later served as a busy river port. It played an important role in the Civil War and became a major industrial town. The end of the 20th century marked great changes as Alton lost much of its industrial base and population, although it was rejuvenated by new industry and commerce.

Michael Barr Mossman, a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, grew up in Alton. The main sources for this book are Robert K. Graul (longtime photographer for the Alton Telegraph) and the Hayner Public Library District.

The story of Santa Fe Speedway harkens back to the mid-1800s, when the first German settlers, with a true entrepreneurial spirit, created Tiedtville and Santa Fe Park. These establishments were the accomplishment of one of the first founding families and their long-lasting legacy. Driving through Willow Springs today, south down Wolf Road from Eighty-Seventh Street, will reveal modest homes tucked away among the wooded landscape. At Ninety-First Street, a new townhouse subdivision has taken the place of what was once Tiedtville and Santa Fe Speedway. All that remains is a commemorative boulder bearing witness to what came before and the lasting mark it made on the history of the southwest suburbs of Chicago. 

The Flagg Creek Heritage Society has selected its best archival images, with contributions by family members and lifelong residents, to tell this story. Christina Andino is a lifelong Countryside resident and a local realtor. She is a board member of the Flagg Creek Heritage Society and volunteers with the LaGrange and Willow Springs Historical Societies. 

Local historian Robert C. Dinsdale, MD, searched more than 30,000 photographs to bring forth a time-travel tale of the founding, building, and full expression of what makes Mass Street one of the most beloved main thoroughfares in the country. 

Massachusetts Street (known as “Mass Street” in local lingo) has been the heart of Lawrence, Kansas, since 1854, when the political aspirations and commercial motivations of the abolitionist founders intersected on this ground between the right-angle bend of the Kansas River and the meandering Oregon Trail. It is where optimistic entrepreneurs built a dam and a bridge and railroads to power and grow our town for commerce and where residents of Kansas Territory met to form antislavery political parties. Mass Street, laid out to point to the North Star, was the scene of terror when mass murder and arson were visited on the town in 1863; within days, it was the hub of resolute reconstruction. This is the place to be, the place where people live, shop, parade, protest, and be themselves as only Lawrencians can. The story of Mass Street includes the inventor of basketball, James Naismith; the post-Prohibition rebirth of Kansas beer brewing; and the arena for the greatest Native American athlete ever.

Las Vegas is truly a city unlike any other. Beginning as a railroad stop in the desert and growing to become one of the top tourist destinations in the nation, the city continues to grow and redefine itself.

Maggie Bukowski Gaspar has lived in Las Vegas for 20 years and is the curator of Manuscripts, Photographs, and Library at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. All historic images in this book come from the museum’s collection. 

The Town of Olive has long been a sought-after place known for its beauty and natural resources. From the late 1600s, pioneers explored the area and established homes in the majestic Blue Hills and along the Esopus River. These early pioneers made a living in agriculture, tanneries, and mills. Later, when visitors wanted to escape the heat of New York City, residents hosted boarders, and a booming industry was born. The community drastically changed in the early 1900s, when New York City came not just to visit but to look for a new source of water. This book offers a glimpse at how the Town of Olive began and how it has been affected by its proximity to the Esopus River through tourism and by industry. These images transport readers from the early 1700s to the mid-1900s and encapsulate how the various citizens of the Town of Olive through the years earned a living and spent their time and leisure. 

Melissa McHugh is an educator, a businesswoman, an archivist, and the director for the Olive Free Library in West Shokan, New York. She tells the story of the Town of Olive through photographs, many of which are from her curated exhibit about the history of the Ashokan Reservoir. 

Echoes of the past can be found in every corner of Monroe County.

Incredibly, the county has over a hundred lost towns across its fifteen townships. Some of these towns have notorious histories, such as the murderer who founded a village and the town that robbed its own citizens. Some succumbed to tragedy, including one that was swallowed up by the water and a resort town that disappeared. Others were simply absorbed by another state. Local historian and author of Hidden History of Monroe County, Michigan, Shawna Mazur collects the stories behind these vanished communities, revealing where these towns were located, how they grew and why they disappeared, often without a trace.

Sublette County encompasses much of the upper Green River Valley, a stunningly beautiful area encased on three sides by rugged mountain ranges.

The county is named in honor of fur trapper and trader William Sublette, who attended several Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Rendezvous in the early 19th century. The short-lived fur trade era had a lasting impact when the mountain men, with Native American assistance, passed on the knowledge of the area’s geography, including migration routes used by the next group to travel to the area, the homesteaders. Permanent settlement started in the 1870s by stubborn, hardy settlers who maintained cattle and sheep herds despite the high altitude and harsh climate. Sublette County was Wyoming’s last county created when it was officially organized in 1923. The county’s economic base also included tourism and energy extraction. Supporting the small population over the vast landscape were only three incorporated towns, making post offices, trading posts, and schools scattered throughout the county important for the isolated communities.

Ann Chambers Noble has authored several award-winning histories of Sublette County in Arcadia’s Images of America series, including Pinedale and Big Piney and Marbleton. The photographs in this book are new to the series and are provided by the county’s museums and Sublette County family albums. 

In 1879, Marvin Hughitt, president of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, looked across the James River at a vast prairie. He envisioned a town that would become a division headquarters for the fast-growing railroad system as it extended west. With that, the town of Huron, South Dakota, was born and immediately attracted new arrivals. These hardy pioneers braved the unknown to settle in the area, acquire land, and earn a living. They built the first churches, schools, and businesses, creating a vibrant and dynamic community. Huron’s central location, its industrious citizens, and the influence of the railroad established the town as an important transportation hub, a contender for the state capital, a location for higher education, and the home of the state fair. This book features historical photographs of the individuals who transformed this region from a prairie into a thriving and influential community during the first half of the 20th century. 

Jennifer Littlefield is the reference librarian at the Huron Public Library. She has a passion for researching local history and has written several articles for South Dakota History. Louise Van Poll is the executive director of the Dakotaland Museum, which includes three historic sites. She is also a freelance journalist and educator, with a passion for history, teaching, and writing.

Beginning with the Spanish padres in 1769 and reaching its apex in the 1950s, California’s rise to a global leader in agriculture rested on a series of converging events. California’s population exploded during the Gold Rush, and many who chose to stay found their gold in California’s sunshine, fertile soil, and optimal growing climate.

Initially, those settlers grew staples such as grain, but by the early 1900s, due to innovations in irrigation, transportation, mechanization, and food processing, California rose to the nation’s top grower and shipper of fresh produce. California currently grows over two thirds of America’s fruits and nuts and over one third of its vegetables, and each fruit, vegetable, nut, and grain has its own unique backstory. California’s crop history is full of the risk-taking and determination of pioneers, immigrants, and entrepreneurs. California also deserves credit for many modern marketing and advertising methods, and the preponderance of food “capitals of the world” is a nostalgic feature of California culture.

Patti DesMarais has lived in six California cities. She has a bachelor of arts degree in television and film production from San Diego State University and a master of arts in humanities from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She collects vintage crate labels and has picked lemons, oranges, grapefruits, peaches, and avocados from her own California backyards.

In World War II Hawaii, experience the untold stories of Hawaii at war where children worked the pineapple fields and women served in armed volunteer units. Makeshift bomb shelters were constructed, trenches dug around public buildings, and barbed wire strung on beaches. This tropical paradise transitioned into an active war front where over one million servicemen and tens of thousands of civilian defense workers came through and changed Hawaii forever. 

Within hours of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, martial law was declared in Hawaii. Schools were taken over by the military, and neighborhoods were evacuated. All communication was censored, and every citizen was fingerprinted and registered. The US government burned over $2 million and replaced it with newly minted currency that had “Hawaii” stamped on it in case of invasion by the Empire of Japan.

Dorothea N. Buckingham is a librarian, author, and World War II historian. John C. Buckingham is a retired US Marine Corps officer, author, and active docent with Pearl Harbor museums. Through this collection of rarely seen images, taken mainly from the Hawaii War Records Depository, they present daily life in Hawaii during World War II as it has never been seen before.

With over a hundred photos collected by G. Faye Dant, and with an introduction by renowned Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin.

When Mark Twain published Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885, he turned Hannibal, Missouri, into one of the most famous towns in the American imagination. But like Twain’s novel, Hannibal’s idyllic façade often elided the darker racial violence that had marked its past, and it overlooked the history and humanity of the Black residents who have called Hannibal home for generations. Without them, there would be no “America’s hometown.”

In Hannibal’s Invisibles, G. Faye Dant, a Hannibal resident and the executive director of Jim’s Journey: The Huck Finn Freedom Center, tells the incredible story of the Black community in this small Missouri town, giving voice to a history that has been marginalized far too long. Hear first-hand accounts from those who survived enslavement, faced racism after emancipation, endured Jim Crow, and contributed to the triumphs of the civil rights movement. These are the stories of Black doctors, entrepreneurs, and teachers who helped uplift the community, and remembrances of the countless individuals who gave richness and meaning to Hannibal’s everyday life. The vintage photographs and historical documents collected here are a celebration of these resilient people who built and sustained this corner of the Midwest, despite the immense obstacles they met at every turn.