Name: Cemeteries of the Western Sierra
Brand: Christopher A. Ward
SKU: 9781467134965
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Cemeteries of the Western Sierra

9781467134965

$24.99

Cemeteries are more than final resting places for the dead; they are gateways to an area's shared history. Every hand-carved granite or marble monument, every faded wooden marker, holds a clue. Western Sierra populations boomed with the discovery of gold and often dwindled as gold fever waned. Cemeteries of the Western Sierra uses the lens of the cemetery to glimpse a rich and disappearing history. Displaced indigenous populations, miners, dueling newspaper magnates, Chinese pioneers: all are part of the mosaic of history represented in a historical cemetery. From solitary graves in the forest to almost forgotten graveyards near the center of a town, cemeteries tell a story not just of who may have died but also of who lived and what was meaningful in their time.

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Ghosts of Ventura County's Heritage Valley

9781467119856

$21.99

Strange secrets and eerie tales shadow the idyllic beauty of the Heritage Valley and the meandering Santa Clara River. The spirit of a playful little boy wanders the halls of the historic Glen Tavern Inn, and the ghostly phantom of the real Zorro, Joaquin Murrieta, guards his buried gold in the foothills of Piru. The chilling cries of La Llorona echo along Sespe Creek, and a beast is still reportedly seen loping upright across the countryside near Santa Paula. Outside Fillmore, the Lady in White lingers by the old sycamore tree, sometimes materializing in cars traveling down Highway 126. Author Evie Ybarra recounts spine-tingling tales and local lore from Valencia to Ventura.

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Kauai

9780738574936

$24.99

This collection of vintage postcards of Kauai spans 100 years, beginning with Hawaii's annexation and Kauai's history as a tourist destination.

Postcards bring back the history of Kauai from the earliest visitors, arriving first by sailing vessel and then steamers to the infancy of air travel. Surely some of the people who saw these postcards for the first time thought there must be a good amount of artistic license being taken--surely this little slice of paradise was too good to be true! As droves of tourists descended upon the island from mainland United States and all across the world, they realized if anything, the postcards couldn't capture Hawaii's real beauty. Viewing these vintage postcards, the reader will be reminded of the glory years of the Kauai Surf, the Coco Palms, and the Hanalei Plantation, showing many other favorite landmarks that have been lost to time and Mother Nature.

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Fairfax

9780738530901

$24.99

Fairfax is surrounded by oak-draped glens that have enchanted many, including its early owner and namesake, Lord Charles Snowden Fairfax. The hereditary baron, whose family once owned much of Virginia, entertained guests in grand Southern style on his lovely estate known as Bird's Nest Glen. Later the home became Pastori's, the beloved local landmark hotel and restaurant visited by famous guests like Irving Berlin, who once serenaded diners from a piano perched on a tree house. The 1906 earthquake chased refugees from San Francisco across the bay, and new Fairfax subdivisions appeared, along with the Fairfax Incline Railway, built to help sell hillside lots. In the same era, its meadows, hay fields, and dairy ranches provided the setting for early silent movie Westerns. Today Bird's Nest Glen is known as the Marin Town and Country Club property, and the city boasts a thriving business district and prosperous residential areas. But it has never lost its rustic charm and hospitality.

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Antioch

9780738530291

$24.99

When the first settlers arrived here in 1850, they could never have guessed that their tiny settlement would one day be home to over 100,000 souls, scores of factories, and the gateway to the California Delta with some of the most productive agricultural lands in the world. In earlier days, the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers were the main routes into the state's interior, as the swampy delta land had yet to be tamed. Antioch and nearby Pittsburg served as major depots for supplies to the Sierra gold fields, stockpiling lumber, produce, hay, dry goods, medicine, and fuel from the Stewartville, Empire, and Judsonville coal mines. Named in 1851 after the biblical city in Syria, this town served for many years as the Bay Area's easternmost outpost and provided its inhabitants with a bounty both man-made and natural.

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Pioneer Ranch Life in Orange

9781626190740

$21.99

This previously unpublished account of early California ranch life from 1875 to 1887 covers a pivotal era in Orange County history. Vassar-educated Mary Teegarden Clark captured the future Orange County during its transition from the untamed cattle rancho era to citrus empire. Mary writes engagingly about breaking ground for the citrus Yale Grove in the city of Orange, her home life with husband Albert B. Clark and workaday ranch chores with Chinese and Latino farmhands. Her firsthand accounts enlarge the historical record of citrus marketing, wilderness excursions and the escapades of Wild West pistoleros. Through deft editing, Paul F. Clark, Mary's great-grandson, provides the historical framework through which to view Mary's remarkably vivid experiences.

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Dixon

9780738529721

$24.99

The charming town of Dixon lies on the pastoral plains of Solano County. Its history stretches back to the 1850s and a settlement called Silveyville, where Elijah Silvey guided in pony express riders and stagecoaches with a red lantern swung from the porch of his hotel. When the California Pacific Railroad bypassed their young town to build a depot on Thomas Dickson's ranch, the cooperative citizens of Silveyville opted to move their buildings four miles to the station on log rollers, pulled by gangs of men and 40-mule teams. Legend has it that the first train schedules arrived with the name misspelled as Dixon, but Thomas Dickson agreeably went along with the change. Now a town of almost 18,000, it is home to the Dixon May Fair, the oldest fair in the state, and the Lambtown, U.S.A. Festival. It remains, as it has throughout its history, the same cooperative, close-knit community.

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Santa Clara County

9781467128148

$24.99

Originally inhabited by the Ohlone, Santa Clara County was one of 27 counties created when California achieved statehood in September 1850. The first settlements began when Fr. Junípero Serra established the Mission Santa Clara de Asís in 1777. For over 100 years, the valley was known for its rich soil and thriving farm region. In the 1940s and 1950s, William Hewlett and David Packard, along with Lockheed, IBM, and hundreds of other companies, altered the scope of Santa Clara County forever. With the influx of tech jobs and ensuing building boom, the county went from Valley of the Heart's Delight to Silicon Valley.

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Growing Up in San Francisco's Chinatown

9781467139359

$21.99

Chinese American baby boomers who grew up within the twenty-nine square blocks of San Francisco's Chinatown lived in two worlds. Elders implored the younger generation to retain ties with old China even as the youth felt the pull of a future sheathed in red, white and blue. The family-owned shops, favorite siu-yeh (snack) joints and the gai-chongs where mothers labored as low-wage seamstresses contrasted with the allure of Disney, new cars and football. It was a childhood immersed in two vibrant cultures and languages, shaped by both. Author Edmund S. Wong brings to life Chinatown's heart and soul from its golden age.

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Filipinos in Ventura County

9780738574738

$24.99

Filipino immigrants came to Ventura County in the 1920s, beginning American lives mostly as farm laborers in work camps, notably the Arneill Ranch and Springville Ranch in Camarillo. They organized early societies like the Filipino Brotherhood Association of Ventura County, the Jordan Lodge 604 Legionarios del Trabajo, the Caballeros de Dimas Alang, the Filipino Optimist Club, and the Filipino Community of Ventura County. During World War II, Filipinos served in the 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments of the U.S. Army. The omnipresence of the U.S. Navy in coastal Ventura prodded many second- and third-generation Filipinos to serve their country in Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and the Persian Gulf. Today the same spirit of community engagement is illustrated in the 26 local Filipino organizations all under the umbrella of the Filipino American Council, which celebrates history, community, and culture.

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Rexburg

9781467132206

$24.99

The mountainous terrain and abundance of rivers near what would later become the city of Rexburg were a magnet for the Missouri Fur Company; in 1810, Maj. Andrew Henry, a representative for the company, built a trading post seven miles north of Rexburg. On March 10, 1883, Thomas E. Ricks, who was accompanied by 10 men, settled an area located east of the three buttes across the Snake River. Rexburg's early days reflected the typical lifestyle of many northwestern towns in the late 19th century: saloons dotted Main Street, cowboys got into shooting matches in town, and farmers struggled to conquer mother earth while pioneer families endured the cold harsh winters. The combination of tall sagebrush and volcanic ash proved to be an ideal agricultural combination for producing wheat, barley, and potatoes. Education was important, and a college was established in the early years, starting in 1888.

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Bolinas and Stinson Beach

9780738528953

$24.99

This is the story of two small towns, Bolinas and Stinson Beach, and the body of water that separates and joins them. Although San Francisco's packed urban skyline is visible from its shores, this part of West Marin is isolated in spirit and in fact. For thousands of years the territory of the Coast Miwok Indians, this land became the six-mile-long Briones Mexican land grant, a ranch that lasted less than a decade before being overrun with entrepreneurs, farmers, and failed gold miners. The towns that they built have been visited by earthquake, shipwreck, forest fires, ranchers, rumrunners, bohemians, and the National Park Service, and all of these have shaped their story. While Bolinas maintained its spirit of isolation, removing the road sign that might beckon visitors, Stinson Beach grew from a tent camp for urban refugees to a favorite coastal beach town visited by millions annually.

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Sacramento Baseball

9781467117104

$24.99

Sacramento has enjoyed baseball since the Gold Rush. As early as 1869, the first professional baseball team in America, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, came to Sacramento and played against a locally organized team. A few years later, the Sacramento team joined the California League to compete against those from San Francisco and Oakland, becoming a charter member of the newly formed Pacific Coast League in 1903. All the while, children and adults alike were picking up the sport in the many parks, sandlots, and schoolyards throughout the city. In the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, amateur and sponsored teams competed against each other for trophies and bragging rights. Then, in the 1950s, Little League, Babe Ruth League, and American Legion Baseball flourished.

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Haunted Lake Tahoe

9781626199460

$21.99

Lake Tahoe's natural splendor conceals its haunted history. Locals say the ghosts of the Donner Party haunt their doomed campsite in the Sierras. Wealthy recluse George Whittell is said to have never left his beloved Thunderbird Lodge, though he died in 1969. The ghosts of Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and members of the Rat Pack are thought to gallivant in the showroom and cabins of the Cal Neva Lodge, a popular celebrity retreat. Prisoners from the past may remain in the old Truckee Jail, and the restless spirit of a murdered showgirl might linger in the Tahoe Biltmore. Travel back to Tahoe's golden age and explore where glamour meets ghoul with the queen of haunted Nevada, Janice Oberding.

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San Francisco's Bayview Hunters Point

9780738530079

$24.99

It's hard to imagine cows walking up Third Street or sheep on Innes Avenue, yet a large portion of the area known today as Bayview Hunters Point was once extremely rural. Called Butchertown by locals, the neighborhood was a source of much of San Francisco's food. Over the years, it evolved into an interesting combination of residences, businesses, and industries. The area was home to slaughterhouses, tanneries, tallow works, a saddle shop, the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, numerous boat yards including the legendary Allemand Brothers Boat Repair, and the U.S. Naval operations at Hunters Point Shipyard. Alongside these entities lived thousands of residents with unique stories and lifestyles.

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Point Arena Lighthouse

9780738599663

$24.99

The low rumbles of the fog signal and flashing beam of light from the powerful lens have guided mariners away from the perilous waters surrounding Point Arena Lighthouse since 1870. After the great earthquake in 1906 and the rebuilding of the tower in 1908, Point Arena's navigational aids continued to warn ships away from the peninsula off Northern California's Pacific coastline. The original tower was replaced with a concrete cylindrical tower that rises 115 feet from the headland. This became the first lighthouse tower in the United States constructed with materials found to be superior to the stone and masonry lighthouse structures of the past. The new tower, crowned with a nearly 13,000-pound first-order Fresnel lens, sent a beam of light 20 miles out to sea and continued alerting ships of the dangers just offshore.

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Plymouth and Northwestern Amador County

9781467108775

$23.99

In Plymouth and Northwestern Amador County mother and daughter authors Deborah Coleen Cook and Amy Elizabeth Champ present a look into the chronological past of the region from the native Miwok people to the 21st century with photographs gleaned from local families and historic repositories.

Situated near the Sierra Nevada foothills in the northwestern region of Amador County is the small town of Plymouth. This hamlet, and other surrounding towns such as Drytown, Fiddletown, and River Pines, have been home to farmers, ranchers, and merchants since the early days of the California Gold Rush. Plymouth, known to be the gateway to the world-famous Shenandoah Valley wine country, is a thriving community with a hometown feel. History lives here, from the aged buildings along Main Street to the ruins of the Plymouth-Consolidated Mine, one of the largest gold producers in California.

Cook, a retired historic archaeologist and former Amador County archivist, spent much of her professional career studying the history of Amador County and is a former longtime resident of Plymouth. Champ has been a resident of Plymouth since obtaining her doctoral degree at the University of California at Davis. She currently teaches in Amador County.

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Brewing in Montana

9781467109086

$23.99

Montana can trace its brewing roots back more than 150 years to when a barrel of beer was brewed in Virginia City and carried to the town saloon. Since then, Montana has seen breweries large and small erupt along cattle trails and at train stations and riverside trading posts. Some of the brewers and breweries set in Montana were the foundations of future, national-brand breweries, having unique ties to Olympia Brewing and Pabst Brewing Company. And like many other states across the country, Montana was not immune to Prohibition, though not every brewer laid down without a fight. The breweries in the Big Sky state showed resilience when needed, but more so, they were reflections of the diverse communities and economies the state fostered. Fortunately, when Montana’s mines began to dry up, agriculture took over, and even in the early 20th century, state officials documented in the Seventh Annual Report 1900–1901 that Montana could be “one the chief beer producing states in the nation” because of the amount of barley growing on the land.

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San Lorenzo

9780738546933

$24.99

San Lorenzo has been a desirable place to live since 1847, when squatters built their cabins on the north side of San Lorenzo Creek, then part of two Mexican ranchos. When landowners could not evict their unwanted guests, the settlement known as Squatterville grew into a town at Four Corners, now the intersection of Hesperian and Lewelling Boulevards. Named San Lorenzo in 1854, over the next 90 years it developed into a close-knit rural community. The great shipyard boom during World War II brought many new families to one of the first self-contained communities of tract homes in the nation, initially developed by David D. Bohannon. This tract, San Lorenzo Village, helped swell the population of this unincorporated area, striving to hold its own between the urban encroachment of San Leandro and Hayward.

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True Tales of California Coastside State Parks

9781467153034

$23.99

The beautiful landscapes of central California’s Coastside state parks were once home to forgotten pioneers and unique industries.

The tumultuous personal life of Robert Mills didn’t hinder his commitment to his dairy business in Half Moon Bay, now the Burleigh H. Murray Ranch State Park. And the Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park, named after a shipwreck, remains a beacon of architectural beauty more than a century later. From hideaways for freedom fighters rebelling against the Spanish to the site of several booming lumber operations, Coastside parks have long been an integral part of California’s history.

Join author JoAnn Semones as she explores the innovators and entrepreneurs behind these stunning parks.

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California's Whaling Coast

9781467131711

$24.99

Yankee whaling, shore whaling, and modern whaling were sometimes occurring simultaneously. Each type of whaling went through periods of discovery, stability, and then a gradual decrease as the products lost their markets or the number of whales began to wane as some species moved toward commercial if not actual extinction due to over-fishing. Small whaling operations from California, called shore whaling, continued from the 1850s until Secretary of Commerce Maurice Stans (1969–1972) whistled down the industry in 1971.

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Los Angeles's Koreatown

9780738575520

$24.99

Koreatown, located in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles, is the heart and nexus for Koreans in America. In the early 20th century, a small Korean community--many of whom were active leaders and supporters of the Korean independence movement--initially settled around Bunker Hill. The community migrated in the 1930s toward Jefferson Boulevard, near the University of Southern California, to an area known as Old Koreatown. By the late 1960s, following the freeway construction boom and the Hart-Cellar Act of 1965, Korean markets, restaurants, and businesses began to blossom along Olympic Boulevard. Today, Koreatown is a thriving urban center where Koreans, Hispanics, and Bangladeshis coreside in one of the most densely populated and diverse sections of Los Angeles. Its boundaries were officially designated by the Los Angeles City Council on August 20, 2010.

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Cemeteries of Carson City and Carson Valley

9780738581064

$24.99

In Roughing It, Mark Twain wrote that "in order to know a community, one must observe the style of its funerals and know what manner of men they bury with most ceremony." Many of Nevada's most prominent pioneers can be found by visiting the historic cemeteries of Carson City and Carson Valley. A visit to the final resting sites of the pioneers of the Silver State, some dating from the 1850s, will readily provide the confirmation of Twain's statement. Those buried with "the most ceremony" include governors, stagecoach drivers, business owners, soldiers, desperados, and lawmen. Headstones with biographical epitaphs and symbolic expressions of grief are often the only record that still exists to provide a glimpse into a community's history or the lives of the individuals who forged Nevada from the sagebrush. Many locations are readily accessible to visit, while others are not. The sites presented here provide an overview of the state's pioneers and their role in the history of Nevada.

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Ocean Shore Railroad

9780738529387

$24.99

With one of the world's most scenic backdrops as a brilliant seascape for passengers, the Ocean Shore Railroad skirted northern California's coastline to service communities south of San Francisco for the first two decades of the 20th century. As impressive as it was idealistic, the line was held prisoner by natural forces that eventually took too much of a toll to keep its striking route churning. Today's Highway 1 traces the passage once paved with tracks, and points to the few remnants of one of California's most well-known excursion lines.

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Hiking Lake Tahoe

9781467148603

$23.99

The history of Lake Tahoe, nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, stretches far beyond its shores. Travel back in time on more than two dozen hikes, from short lakeside trails used by the Washoe People to all-day trips exploring the abandoned shelters left behind by early mapmakers. Visit the remains of one of California's most violent towns and the ruins of a lighthouse built in the early twentieth century when travel by boat was preferred over driving treacherous roads. Discover the legend of "Hermit Isle" and walk in the footsteps of the earliest pioneers. Join author and hiker Suzie Dundas as she dives deep into the history of Tahoe's scenic trails.

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University of the Pacific

9781467107068

$23.99

Located in the Central Valley in the city of Stockton, California, the University of the Pacific has thrived. Founded in Santa Clara in 1851, the university moved to College Park in 1871 and then Stockton in 1924, and it now has campuses in Sacramento and San Francisco. Pacific is considered to hold many firsts in California, including being the first chartered university, the first music conservatory, and the first university to open its doors to women. University of the Pacific’s mission is to provide a superior, student-centered learning experience integrating liberal arts and professional education and preparing individuals for lasting achievement and responsible leadership in their careers and communities.

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Ghosts of Ogden, Brigham City and Logan

9781467137850

$21.99

Tales of fascinating pasts and spirited encounters in northern Utah’s spookiest locations from the author and founder of The Dead History.

From Ogden up to Logan, northern Utah claims more than its fair share of restless spirits. The Ben Lomond Hotel was rumored to be the site of a honeymooning bride who tragically drowned in her bathtub, only to have her distraught son consequently commit suicide in the adjoining room. The iconic Union Station still houses passengers in the form of apparitions and disembodied voices. The owner of the Shooting Star Saloon purportedly continues to monkey around with the jukebox and a phantom piano, while Crystal Hot Springs hosts a bevy of spirits, including a crying child, a stabbing victim and multiple pool-related fatalities.

Author Jennifer Jones unearths the stories behind the ghosts that continue to preside over their final destinations.

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Wicked Sacramento

9781467140591

$24.99

In the early 1900s, Sacramento became a battleground in a statewide struggle. On one side were Progressive political reformers and suffragettes. Opposing them were bars, dance halls, brothels and powerful business interests. Caught in the middle was the city’s West End, a place where Grant “Skewball” Cross hosted jazz dances that often attracted police attention and Charmion performed her infamous trapeze striptease act before becoming a movie star. It was home to the “Queen of the Sacramento Tenderloin,” Cherry de Saint Maurice, who met her untimely end at the peak of her success, and Ancil Hoffman, who ingeniously got around the city’s dancing laws by renting riverboats for his soirées. Historian William Burg shares the long-hidden stories of criminals and crusaders from Sacramento’s past.

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Goshen County

9780738593029

$24.99

Either a French trapper named Goshe or the biblical Land of Goshen was responsible for the name given to Wyoming's southeast region. In 1911, the Wyoming Legislature approved a bill to create Goshen County, and it was signed by Gov. Joseph Carey. The county was extracted from Laramie County and is bordered by the state of Nebraska, as well as Platte, Laramie, and Niobrara Counties. Goshen County has blossomed from settlers passing through on the Oregon-California trail, which cut across the county, to an area that includes farming and ranching, a railroad transporting coal from the northern part of the state, and several small towns that support schools, post offices, retail entities, factories, and municipal governments. The towns of Torrington, Lingle, Fort Laramie, Hawk Springs, Yoder, LaGrange, Veteran, and Jay Em make up the county. This volume details the growth of Goshen County due to the Homestead Act of 1862, an irrigation project near Hawk Springs, and veterans from World War I who were part of a second round of homesteading.

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California’s Capitol Corridor

9781467124171

$24.99

The "Capitol Corridor" is the name of the Amtrak passenger train route between California's capital, Sacramento, and San Jose, the state's first capital upon admission to the Union in 1850. The scenery between these two areas highlights vastly different land uses; examples include an industrialized shoreline covered with a forest of petroleum refineries, urban areas transitioning from industrial to residential use, and a wildlife refuge disturbed only by the passage of trains. The Capitol Corridor is now an integral part of the transportation scene in Northern California. Since 1991, its equipment and infrastructure have evolved to keep pace with technology as well as the area's dynamic economic and social environment.

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Elko County

9780738558868

$24.99

Elko County, located in the northeast corner of Nevada, is the fourth largest county in the continental United States. Miles and miles of sagebrush give way to scenic spots, such as Lamoille Canyon and the Ruby Mountains, and locals are proud of this ruggedly beautiful land. Although the county's area is vast, there are only 2.5 people per square mile, and almost 90 percent of the land is owned by the federal government. The major towns in Elko County were established in the late 1860s, when the railroad arrived and brought ranching and mining jobs to the area. In the 1930s, Elko County began attracting big-name entertainment and also became a destination for gaming, and those traditions continue today. With its rich heritage and unique, high-desert landscapes, Elko County is considered one of the last frontiers of the Old West.

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Nipomo and Los Berros

9780738593098

$24.99

Nipomo, Chumash for at the foot of the hills, and Los Berros, Spanish for watercress, comprise an important Central Coast area that is often overlooked by history. First established by Chumash Indians and then formally recognized in 1837 in the form of a 38,000-acre land grant from the Mexican government, the area evolved into a hidden national treasure. What started with a ranch owned by William Goodwin Dana and his wife, Maria Josefa Carrillo, quickly spread and became vast farmlands. With the arrival of the railroad and the immigration of workers, unique local goods found their way across the country and trade networks connected the region to the rest of the world. Much of this legacy still stands and can be found today if you know where to look.

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Women Trailblazers of California

9781609496753

$23.99

Throughout California's history, remarkable women have been at the core of change and innovation. In this unparalleled collection, Gloria Harris and Hannah Cohen relate the stories of forty women whose struggles and achievements have paved the way for generations. These women were strong and determined, overcoming prejudice, skepticism and injustice. Visionary architect Julia Morgan designed Hearst Castle; Dolores Huerta co-founded United Farm Workers; Donaldina Cameron, the angry angel of Chinatown, rescued brothel workers; and silent film actress Mary Pickford helped form United Artists Pictures. From fearless pioneers and determined reformers to professionals from every walk of life, Harris and Cohen chronicle the triumphs and disappointments of diverse women who dared to take risks and break down barriers.

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Santa Rosa

9780738528854

$24.99

The Santa Rosa Valley, once carpeted in wild oats and littered with acorns from ancient oaks, was home to Pomo and Miwok Indians for thousands of years. The cattle ranches and farms that displaced them in the mid-1800s had already spawned a thriving commercial town named Santa Rosa, the county seat, when the railroad arrived in 1870. That railroad, and the commerce it brought, secured the city's role as the legal and financial nexus of Sonoma County and its most populous city. When many of the downtown buildings collapsed in the famous 1906 earthquake, the community built itself back into a picture-perfect all-American city, the setting for such films as Hitchcock's Shadow of Doubt and Disney's Pollyanna. Another devastating quake in 1969 damaged many structures, but once again that destruction prompted redevelopment and renewed growth for Santa Rosa in the 21st century.

Cover image for Santa Rosa, isbn: 9780738528854

American River Canyon

9780738593197

$24.99

The American River Canyon below Auburn is seen as a natural and scenic area but still contains signs of an extensive historical past. This includes historic bridges and bridge sites dating back to the 1850s. The 1849 Gold Rush brought 75 years of mining that ended after massive dredges worked the river for its gold in the 1910s. Unique to the canyon is the Mountain Quarries Railroad, which traveled its way across 17 trestles and an elegant, still-standing concrete bridge to reach the main line in Auburn. The long-stalled Auburn Dam is the latest incarnation of earlier dams, like the 1890s Birdsall Dam that diverted water for 50 years through the North Fork Ditch to communities downstream.

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Mexican Americans in Wilmington

9780738581743

$24.99

Under Spanish, Mexican, and American flags, the Los Angeles harbor area has developed many industries and businesses that survived on Mexican labor, supporting families of Mexican origin for more than a century. Pioneering Mexican Americans have worked the railroads, fields, canneries, plants, refineries, waterfront, and family-owned businesses for generations, forming strong bonds and lifelong friendships. Active in the military and sports, as well as involved in the church and community, Mexican Americans have overcome poverty, hardships, and discrimination, retained cultural values and customs, intermarried and assimilated with other cultures, and become the largest ethnic group in Wilmington. Many of the early families still have relatives that live and work in Wilmington, with sons and daughters achieving successful careers in various realms. Through education, hard work, and determination, Wilmington's Mexican Americans have contributed extensively to the harbor's vibrant American way of life.

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Anacapa Island

9781467129015

$23.99

Anacapa Island lies 12.2 miles from the nearest mainland in Ventura, California. Waves and wind have eroded this five-mile-long volcanic spine into three islets with towering sea cliffs, caves, and natural bridges. This waterless island supports one native mammal, one species of amphibian, and two species of reptiles. In addition, nine seabird species and two dozen species of land birds nest on Anacapa Island. Of these, six are endemic subspecies. Anacapa Island became US government property in 1848. During the 19th century, the island served as home to transient otter and seal hunters, Chinese and Japanese abalone fishermen, crawfishermen, and others seeking economic opportunity. A series of ranchers occupied Anacapa Island as squatters, claiming possessory rights. Beginning in 1902, the federal government issued a series of five-year leases to Anacapa Island. The last new lighthouse on the West Coast was lit on East Anacapa Island in 1932, and five years later, the lease system was terminated. President Roosevelt declared Anacapa Island a national monument in 1938, and in 1980, it became one of five islands in Channel Islands National Park.

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Talkeetna

9780738596280

$24.99

Located at the end of the road in the land of the midnight sun, the historic village of Talkeetna has played a significant role in trapping, mining, railroading, and mountaineering history. Talkeetna's function as a gathering place and transportation hub in America's last frontier has been important from its onset and continues today. People from around the world gather in Talkeetna each year in preparation to ascend Denali (Mount McKinley), North America's tallest peak and one of the world's most challenging mountains. Talkeetna continues to preserve its rural Alaskan character, charm, and culture while annually hosting thousands of climbers and visitors from around the globe. Locals and guests enjoy Talkeetna's Bachelor Auction, Mountain Mama Contest, and Moose on the Loose events.

Cover image for Talkeetna, isbn: 9780738596280

Napa County Wineries

9780738520575

$24.99

Situated in one of the most beautiful valleys in the state, the Napa Valley Wine Country is home to many of California's premiere wineries. As the Native California population of the area declined, more and more of the land was transformed into an agricultural community, with viticulture quickly winning out. One of the unique features that has been defining California's wine history from the earliest days of its Spanish heritage has been both the variation of the vintages and the vintners. One need only to read the names of these visionaries and wineries to gain a sense of the diversity: Beringer, Far Niente, Beaulieu, Charles Krug, and Inglenook. The picturesque setting of the roaming vineyards, along with the attractive quality of the estates and tasting rooms, has made the Napa Valley wineries one of the most popular and fast-growing tourist destinations in the state of California. In this new book, America's most celebrated wine-producing region is presented for visitors and wine connoisseurs alike, using over 200 vintage images to showcase the area's heritage, Golden Age, and incredible expansion. Alongside these photographs are collages of the famous wine labels and illustrated maps.

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Italians of San Joaquin County

9781467132329

$24.99

Italians were among the first European settlers in California, as fishermen from Italy arrived in the 1830s. After gold was discovered in 1848, immigrants from all over the world came for the opportunity that California presented. For the Italians, they encountered a terrain and climate so similar to their homeland that many stayed on to make California their new home. In San Joaquin County, the Italian influence remains profound, with the immigrants and their descendants helping develop the area's cultural, agricultural, and business climate into what it is today. The legacy of the Italian pioneers has enriched San Joaquin County in immeasurable ways. Every aspect of life here has been touched, molded, and made better by this industrious group who came to a distant land to make a better life.

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Building Nevada's Highways

9781467134064

$24.99

Roads are rarely given a second thought yet are indispensable to life. Admittedly, a book dedicated to roadways sounds a bit dry. But behind every double-diamond interchange, every pork chop island, and every type of asphalt is a fascinating history of the traveling public. This book reveals the hidden history of building the Silver State's highways since 1917. The next time you take a road trip across Nevada on the Lincoln Highway (US 50) or the Victory Highway (US 40) or follow a rutted road to a once-booming ghost town think of the ingenious and industrious men and women, surveyors, engineers, chemists, and yes, even the teams of mules that built the roads we still travel today.

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Orange County

9780738530543

$24.99

The formerly wide-open space southeast of Los Angeles blossomed from cattle ranches into a center of citrus production by the early 20th century. Orange County separated from Los Angeles County in 1889; soon Anaheim and Santa Ana changed from farming communities to major cities while coastal communities grew beyond anyone's imagination. One of the most populous counties in the United States today, Orange County began in the mid-20th century to evolve from its bedroom-community status to become an urban-suburban region with its own identity. This collection of vintage postcards follows the county's diverse development, illustrating such spots as Disneyland and the area's world-renowned beaches, as well as remembering the pastoral origins, industries, unique buildings, and cityscapes that have added dimension to its history.

Cover image for Orange County, isbn: 9780738530543

Plateau Valley

9781467115452

$29.99

Known to the Ute Indians as Thigunawat (Home of the Departed Spirits), the Grand Mesa has been a beacon for adventurous souls for hundreds of years. In 1776, the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition crossed through the area while searching for a route that would become the Old Spanish Trail. In 1881, with the removal of the Ute Indians to reservation lands, homesteaders arrived and began settling in Plateau Valley. Nestled along the Grand Mesa, the valley is home to the communities of Collbran, Plateau City, Mesa, and Molina. Many of the historic buildings are still in use, and the Community Church Building has been designated a historic landmark. Recreational opportunities abound, both within the valley and nearby on the Grand Mesa. Camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing are among the favorites.

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Great Sand Dunes National Park

9780738596945

$24.99

Southern Colorado's unique Great Sand Dunes rise to a height of 750 feet above the San Luis Valley floor and are the nation's highest dunes not adjacent to an ocean or lake. The sweeping dunes were protected as a national monument in 1932 and as a national park in 2000. From prehistoric hunter-gatherers to the historic Ute Indian tribe, inhabitants have long used the resources of the land around the dunes. Zebulon Pike was the first American explorer to witness the dunes in 1807, followed by a long procession of other explorers, ranchers, and miners. Today, visitors from around the world come to climb up and slide down the dunes in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

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Mather Field

9780738588773

$24.99

Born from America's need to train aviators for the Great War, Mather Field has sat sentinel to the east of Sacramento for nearly a century. Overnight, the base transformed a lonely domain of cattle and vineyards into an aerie where fledgling man-birds were taught to fly and kill. Although readapted during the interwar period to concerns of fire control and mail delivery, Mather still inspired, as evidenced by the 1930 Air Corps maneuvers. World War II renewed Mather, as training bomber crews and repatriating veterans of the Pacific war were primary responsibilities for what was becoming a self-sustaining city of churches, schools, and burgeoning neighborhoods.

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Montana's Dimple Knees Sex Scandal

9781467139182

$21.99

Beverly Snodgrass made a lot of poor choices. Once a prostitute in the old mining town of Butte, she later became a madam running two of the most popular brothels. She fell deeply in love with a crooked politician, whom she nicknamed Dimple Knees. When corrupt cops in uniform came to her businesses, it usually wasn't to serve and protect but rather to collect payoffs. Butte is sometimes described as a town that drinks her liquor straight, but things never were the same after Beverly told her story to a newspaper reporter. That reporter, John Kuglin, recounts the scandal that rocked The Richest Hill on Earth and for a time made Dimple Knees the most famous name in Montana.

Cover image for Montana's Dimple Knees Sex Scandal, isbn: 9781467139182

Agoura Hills

9780738599519

$24.99

Nestled amongst the Santa Monica Mountains, Agoura Hills is considered the western gateway to Los Angeles County. Originally inhabited by the Chumash Indians, the area was a well-known stagecoach stop for early settlers heading west thanks to its accessibility to well water. In 1927, Paramount Pictures purchased a ranch and started making movies; hence, the town became known as Picture City, having drawn the likes of silent film star Laura LaPlante (for whom a street was named), Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, and Claudette Colbert. The town was renamed by the Post Office to Agoura Hills after French settler Pierre Agoure. In 1982, the residents voted to officially incorporate the 7.9-square-mile region, making Agoura Hills Los Angeles County's 82nd city. Today, Agoura Hills is a flourishing, family-friendly community known for its award-winning schools, lush and beautiful parks, biking and hiking trails, and burgeoning businesses. The area has become one of the most desirable places to live in Los Angeles, yet the population remains relatively low at approximately 20,000 residents.

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Draper

9781467109550

$23.99

Businessman George Whetman, who managed automobile dealerships in Draper, Utah, between 1931 and 1960, predicted that one day the town would become “the Beverly Hills of the state.” His prediction was remarkably accurate. Draper has been ranked as one of the most livable cities in the United States with its neighborhoods of luxury homes, a thriving high-tech business sector, cultural offerings, acclaimed schools, and unique opportunities for outdoor recreation. In Whetman’s time, however, Draper was a quiet agricultural community where one third of the working population raised chickens or worked for the local egg and feed industry. Dairy farms and fields of sugar beets and many other crops stretched out as far as the eye could see. When population growth and economic change contributed to the decline of Draper’s family-owned farms in the late 20th century, the city survived and flourished thanks to the tenacious spirit of the community and the value they placed on education.

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New Almaden

9780738531311

$24.99

In a rocky, wooded canyon south of San Jose lies New Almaden, a settlement that grew near the oldest and richest mine in California. Discovered in 1845, its quicksilver payload was once crucial for gold and silver processing and manufacturing munitions. It produced over $75 million from the deepest network of quicksilver shafts on earth. Diverse laborers populated this thriving town, creating neighborhoods called Hacienda, Englishtown, and Spanishtown, along with the mine manager's stately home, Casa Grande. Although the mines are now closed and the great ore furnace cold, the Casa Grande still stands along with a residential community that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1963.

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Eagle River

9780738599700

$24.99

A fascinating look into the history of Eagle River's beginnings and vibrant community.

Eagle River's written history begins in 1898, when the valley was explored by W.C. Mendenhall of the US Geological Survey. Since that first journey, a vibrant community has grown just 10 miles from Anchorage, still retaining its small town characteristics. The early years include the Iditarod Trail, the building of the Alaska Railroad, and a fox farm around Fire Lake. World War II brought many families to the area, and some of these families started homesteads in Eagle River. By the 1960s, Eagle River had a shopping center, post office, and schools—earning it a place on the map. The 1970s and 1980s saw an explosion in growth as Pippel's Field was built up with businesses and housing, the Chugiak–Eagle River Chamber of Commerce was organized, and the Bear Paw Festival was started.

Cover image for Eagle River, isbn: 9780738599700

LGBTQ Las Vegas

9781467127165

$24.99

Las Vegas is known around the world as a flashy, libertarian oasis where an individual's pursuit of happiness and profit is paramount. This was not true for the city's queer community. Being gay in Las Vegas until the 1990s was a felony with a hefty fine and long prison sentence. The Las Vegas LGBTQ community did not organize to fight for its rights until the late 1970s and by the early 1980s had made significant headway, before AIDS stopped their momentum. While the plague was devastating, it taught compassion, self-reliance, and political savvy. In 1993, the community persuaded the Nevada State Legislature to repeal the state's sodomy law, and throughout the 1990s and 2000s—even with some significant setbacks—Las Vegas rapidly caught up with more enlightened places in the United States. By 2017, Las Vegas was a city among the most welcoming of the nation's queer community.

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Colorado's Deadliest Floods

9781467137102

$21.99

Ranked among the top ten states for both disasters and dry climate, Colorado has a long history of extreme weather. On May 19, 1864, residents of the fledgling gold rush town of Denver awoke to a wall of water slamming into the city with enough force to flatten buildings and rip clothing from its victims. The infamous Big Thompson Canyon flood of 1976 killed 144 residents, tourists and campers. Per the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Coloradoans experienced twenty-two floods with contemporary monetary losses of $2 million or more since the flood of 1864. And as the population continues to grow, the loss of lives, property, crops and livestock may increase. Local author Darla Sue Dollman, who witnessed and survived many of the contemporary disasters, examines the state's most catastrophic flash floods from 1864 to 2013.

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San Juan Capistrano

9780738530444

$24.99

The legendary swallows aren't the only annual returnees to San Juan Capistrano. The great coastal mission draws more than 500,000 visitors a year into the southern reaches of Orange County. The most famous of all the missions in the California system established in the 18th century by Franciscan friar Junipero Serra, Mission San Juan Capistrano still contains the Serra Chapel, the oldest church in California, and the only building still standing where the good padre celebrated mass. But San Juan Capistrano is more than its well-known mission. Its epic story encompasses the rancho days and land barons, California statehood, the arrival of the San Diego Freeway in 1958, city incorporation in 1961, and recent growth from 10,000 residents in 1974 to 34,000 in 2004.

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Murder & Mayhem in Boise

9781467151696

$23.99

Explore Boise’s Bloody History!

Shortly after the nearby discovery of gold in 1862, outlaws and ruffians from all over began to congregate in newly platted Boise City. One of the city's only recorded pistol duels settled a dispute between a covetous husband and the lover of a young damsel--both happened to be lawyers. After getting busted running a long con, the King of Boise's Underworld was sent to the penitentiary. What could be called the area's first mass shooting occurred when an Alaskan gold miner sought revenge against the young woman who stood him up. A local postmaster found himself in a notorious case of a love triangle gone wrong. And, a death cult returned the mummy of one of its followers to Boise. Authors Mark Iverson and Jeff Wade go beyond the traditional histories to gain an appreciation for the lives often willfully removed from history's pages and thus forgotten.

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The Building of the Oroville Dam

9781467130790

$24.99

In the early 1960s, thousands of construction workers and their families came to Oroville, in Northern California, to help build the largest earth-fill dam in the world. Located nine miles northeast of town, the Oroville Dam would be the cornerstone of the California State Water Project, which would provide flood control, electric power, recreation, and water to California residents. The project was so massive that it would reinvent the look of much of the area; require the building of roads, bridges, and railroads; inundate much of the area's history under hundreds of feet of water; and greatly effect the lives of the residents of Oroville. The successful completion of the project came at a price—34 construction workers died.

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Irvington, Fremont

9780738530055

$24.99

Before there was a city of Fremont, there was the town of Irvington, and earlier still a busy crossroads called Washington Corners. Fields of grain once spilled over an open landscape, spurring production here of the first wheat harvesters in California. After local landowners built the Washington College of Science and Industry in the 1870s, they renamed its host town Irvington. By 1890, it boasted the largest, most advanced winery in the state and had earned the title, Beautiful Irvington, home of gracious estates, apricot orchards, baseball, and first-class, high-bred trotters. Cows from Swiss dairy farms populated its green fields by the 1920s, and experimental airplanes dotted its blue skies soon after. In 1956, the City of Fremont absorbed Irvington, and its muddy sloughs were transformed into Central Park and lovely Lake Elizabeth.

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Ramona

9780738581620

$24.99

Originally founded as Nuevo, the community of Ramona is now known affectionately as the Valley of the Sun and was for decades labeled the Turkey Capital of the World. Long before Spanish missionaries trekked across the verdant valley, 'Ipaay and Kumeyaay Indians called the area home. The temperate climate, fertile valleys, and easy access to both the ocean and to the mountains have made Ramona an ideal place to live for thousands of years. From the Mexican era of land grants to today, Ramona has always been associated with ranching, rodeos, and rural life. Today, nestled in the hills above San Diego, Ramona is a unique blend of rural and urban life.

Cover image for Ramona, isbn: 9780738581620

Baseball in San Diego

9780738532615

$24.99

The first color action photo of Ted Williams (as shown on the front cover) was taken at Lane Field in San Diego on October 5, 1941 by an amateur photographer. Nobody knew of its existence until an old wooden cigar box was found in a basement in 1999. This book is a treasure chest of such old San Diego baseball pictures and memories. From the Padres to Petco focuses on San Diego's love affair with the Padres from the Pacific Coast League years at Lane Field (1936-57), Westgate Park (1958-67), San Diego Stadium (1968) and through 35 more exciting and often exasperating National League summers in Mission Valley (1969-2003). Through it all, Padre fans have been faithful and forgiving. With a new ballpark, San Diego looks to build a winning tradition.

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Covina

9780738555553

$24.99

Covina began as a coffee plantation carved out of Rancho La Puente, which John Rowland had purchased from California's Mexican government. Rowland later shared the land with his friend and partner William Workman, and after Rowland's death, his widow, Charlotte, sold 5,500 acres to Julian and Antonio Badillo, on which they attempted unsuccessfully to grow coffee. Joseph Swift Phillips purchased 2,000 acres of the Badillo land, subdivided the tract, and laid out Covina's town site. Covina came to grow, process, and ship eight percent of California's citrus, transforming into a farming community that was neither rural nor urban. Residents established cultural, social, and civic organizations, founded a scientific study group and a literary society, and even built an opera house.

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Fishing on the Russian River

9781467132381

$24.99

The Russian River tells a rich story of Sonoma County, both historically and ecologically. For as long as can be remembered, there has been an intimate relationship between the people of the Russian River and the fish, specifically the salmon and the steelhead. This tale of fishing begins with the Pomo people's communal fishing forays, winds through Russian exploration and early American settlement, and lands in the present time. For millennia, fishing has been a cultural cornerstone on the Russian River. Unfortunately, this once lively and productive salmonid fishery is dying. Overfishing, gravel mining, increased sedimentation from logging and agriculture, dams, and overdevelopment along the riverbanks and tributaries have all caused a decline in salmonid numbers. Thankfully, through collaborative efforts of local residents, nonprofit organizations, ranchers, farmers, and government agencies, fish populations are rebounding.

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Pasadena

9780738555676

$24.99

From its earliest years, the town of Pasadena has been richly endowed by nature. The abundant sunshine, dramatic mountains, and sparkling streams invited settlers to a near-paradise. Health seekers and wealth seekers arrived, amazed at the mild climate where just about anything would grow. Agriculture thrived, and Pasadenans loved the canyons and the wild edges of their community. Today Pasadena is a sophisticated city but still fringed with large natural areas: the Arroyo Seco on the west, Eaton Canyon on the east, and the San Gabriel Mountains to the north. Parks and native plant gardens preserve gems of nature within the city. Pasadena's natural history is not just a memory of the past but a living companion for the present.

Cover image for Pasadena, isbn: 9780738555676

Vanishing Los Angeles County

9780738581002

$24.99

Home to more than 10 million people, modern Los Angeles County bears little resemblance to the largely agricultural landscape, dotted with small towns, of just over a century ago. Los Angeles County has surged forward on a path of phenomenal growth and constant transformation. Over this course, much of what was both famous and familiar to Angelenos 100 or even 50 years ago has been lost in the name of progress. This collection of more than 200 vintage postcards explores a sampling of these vanishing sites, including the once ubiquitous orange groves, views from the early days of the county's towns, yesteryear's famed attractions, landmarks, hotels, and restaurants, and scenes from the roadside era.

Cover image for Vanishing Los Angeles County, isbn: 9780738581002

Beaver Creek

9781467131933

$24.99

Since 1883, Beaver Creek has attracted adventurous individuals. The allure of precious minerals brought miners to the valley, and many stayed after the illusion of striking it rich began to fade. Those folks homesteaded and farmed or ranched. Ranching flourished for a few families until the early 1970s. Two men credited with developing the Vail ski area set their sights on the Beaver Creek drainage for a new ski resort. Political battles over permits stretched from Denver to Washington, DC. In addition, environmental issues burgeoning in the early 1970s added another layer of complexity to the proposed ski area. Dark days were looming as interest rates hit 18 percent and a recession hit the national economy. A silver lining in all the turmoil at the fledgling resort occurred when former president Gerald R. Ford bought one of the first residential lots, making Beaver Creek his address. The original visionaries' goal to build a world-class resort was on its way to completion after years of challenges.

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Auerbach's

9781467137454

$23.99

After an arduous journey to Utah's Mormon frontier, three Jewish immigrant brothers built a flagship institution that lasted more than a century in downtown Salt Lake City. The F. Auerbach & Bros. story is one of personal challenges, Prussian folktales, perilous sea voyages, Wild West tenacity and those elegant and sophisticated fashions found on the second floor. Built along railroad tracks and dressing boomtown Ladies of Aristocracy in finery, Auerbach's tent stores evolved into one of the finest retailers in state history, providing something for everyone under one roof. Award-winning author and former Salt Lake Tribune columnist Eileen Hallet Stone brings to life the magical moments of the shopping dynasty that lasted until 1979.

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Conifer

9781467103008

$24.99

Gold! The lure of the precious metal brought 1860s prospectors along the toll roads that met to form the nucleus of today's Conifer. That era also brought Confederate guerrillas who buried a fortune in treasure and new settlers who were greeted by the Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne people. Successful ranches grew, worked by families whose descendants still remain in the area and harvest the land's bounty. In later years, the area's natural beauty inspired the creation of both the Denver Mountain Parks and Jefferson County Open Space parks systems, as well as the magnificent Staunton State Park. That same beauty led to housing developments with amazing views south to Pike's Peak and north to Mount Evans. Today, Conifer offers a glimpse of the past with its Yellow Barn and Little White Schoolhouse, as well as exciting new attractions such as the Venue and Stage Door Theaters, the annual Elevation Celebration and Christmas parade, and vibrant retail centers.

Cover image for Conifer, isbn: 9781467103008

The Land of Orland

9780738556178

$24.99

The Land of Orland dates from the pre-Gold Rush 1840s when Granville Perry Swift selected the area for the adobe headquarters of his vast cattle operation. The naming of the town took place in 1875 when three men--who could not agree on a name--put their choices on slips of paper and the name "Orland" was drawn from the hat. Orland saw a great influx of development in the 1910s with the completion of the Orland Irrigation Project" the first federally funded irrigation project on the West Coast. With water available at reasonable prices, small dairies and orchards sprang up around the town. Promotional efforts brought new families into the community. Vintage photographs from these "good old days" give a lasting picture of Orland's agricultural heritage.

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Monterey's Hotel del Monte

9780738530321

$24.99

California's Big Four railroad tycoons built the Hotel del Monte to be the most elegant seaside resort in the world. Although it boasted 126 landscaped acres when it was constructed in 1880, pampered guests, including presidents and kings, stars and magnates, needed a larger playground. Owners added the 7,000-acre Del Monte Forest and 17-Mile Drive, planned to optimize picturesque spots along the Monterey coast, like Cypress Point and Pebble Beach. Burned to the ground in 1887 and 1924, the Del Monte became more luxurious with each incarnation, at one time incorporating a glass-roofed swimming pavilion, racetrack, lake, tennis courts, and Del Monte Golf Course, now the oldest continuously operating golf course in the West. The third hotel became the Naval Postgraduate School in 1952.

Cover image for Monterey's Hotel del Monte, isbn: 9780738530321

Oakland

9780738530147

$24.99

Oakland became a transportation and industrial hub in the late 19th century as its oak-studded ranches and fruit orchards evolved into urban neighborhoods. Just as the postcard was born at the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition, Oakland began its transformation into a major city. As postcards grew in popularity, Oakland grew astride, led by two ambitious mayors, Frank K. Mott and John L. Davie. Mott, a proponent of the City Beautiful movement, fostered the creation of grand boulevards and imposing civic buildings, while his successor Davie oversaw expansion of the port, a regional parks system, and one of the first commercial airports in the nation. All of these, along with picturesque Lake Merritt, made excellent subjects for hundreds of postcards.

Cover image for Oakland, isbn: 9780738530147

Hemet

9780738558462

$24.99

The breathtaking San Jacinto Valley, with Mount San Jacinto on its eastern boundary, is home to the community of Hemet, conceived by two developers in the late 19th century. These San Francisco entrepreneurs built the Great Lake Hemet Dam, Lake Hemet, and the distribution system from the mountain lake to the valley, which provided a year-round water supply. With fertile lands and abundant water, people were lured from the East Coast and Midwest to purchase land and settle in the fledging town and on the farmlands around it. From its origins as a farm town, Hemet evolved as a retirement center and a bedroom city, as well as a bustling commercial hub. Along the way, it became the home of the world-famous Ramona Outdoor Play. Indeed Hemet prospered, and in 2008 more than 150,000 people live in the city and on surrounding lands.

Cover image for Hemet, isbn: 9780738558462

San Timoteo Canyon

9780738547442

$24.99

San Timoteo Canyon, known locally as the canyon, has always been a major thoroughfare for the area. Once a favorite passage for desert tribes traveling to the sea to trade their wares, it was also used as the main corridor for wagon teams coming from the San Gabriel Mission en route to the Salton Sea to harvest precious salt. Stagecoach lines later traversed the canyon from Los Angeles to Arizona, requiring the establishment of stagecoach stops in the San Timoteo Canyon and elsewhere. Wyatt Earp was one of the most famous stagecoach drivers to pass through the canyon. Later the Iron Horse became the primary method of travel, and the stage lines were abandoned, although train transportation remained strong. Today the Riverside Land Conservancy and the California Department of Parks and Recreation are working together to create a 10,000-acre state park to protect and preserve this scenic canyon.

Cover image for San Timoteo Canyon, isbn: 9780738547442

Cortez

9780738574745

$24.99

Colorado's southwesternmost city has perpetually verged on all that is desirable in the American Southwest for tourism, recreation, and high-desert living. Cortez is surrounded by scenic mountains and red-rock canyons, Anasazi archaeological sites and a varied Native American heritage, and a sunny climate. Yet for centuries, rugged landscapes and lack of water made communication, transportation, and commerce difficult. Residents developed a fierce self-reliance. Area farmers received a boost when the Dolores River was diverted in 1889 by the nearly unimaginable man-and-mule-hewn Great Cut and a 5,400-foot-long irrigation tunnel. Cortez's hardscrabble growth found additional relief in the 1950s due to the Four Corners gas and oil boom. Congressman Wayne Aspinall helped establish the Dolores Water Conservancy District in 1961, construction of McPhee Dam on the Dolores River began in 1978, and finally in 1986, Montezuma Valley obtained a reliable water supply. Lake McPhee provides water for farms, families, and enterprises and adds to local beauty and recreation.

Cover image for Cortez, isbn: 9780738574745

Neihart Mining

9780738596914

$24.99

The route from silver mine to silver dollar could be long and
dangerous to the miner, owner, and laborers at every step. It is hard to understand the history without some knowledge of that route. More than simply wagon trails, stream crossings, or buffalo sightings, the route also consisted of people. About half the people who followed a route to populate mining towns were miners; the rest served those who mined, like hotel and boardinghouse operators, lawyers, laborers, assay men, merchants, restaurant servers, lumbermen, store owners,
saloon keepers, or a traveling preacher. Images of America: Neihart Mining presents their history in the camp that could have been the richest town in Montana.

Cover image for Neihart Mining, isbn: 9780738596914

San Francisco's West of Twin Peaks

9780738546605

$24.99

Originally part of Rancho San Miguel, the West of Twin Peaks district was among the last to be developed in San Francisco. Behrend Joost, using the fortune he made to start dredging the Panama Canal, built a railway in 1891 to bring people out to his cr¨me de la cr¨me subdivision next to the forest planted by Comstock Lode millionaire Adolph Sutro. After the streetcar tunnel was bored through Twin Peaks in 1918, A. S. Baldwin planned neighborhoods on Sutro's estate around Mount Davidson. With noted architects and engineers, Baldwin created residential parks with well-built Craftsman, art deco, English, and Spanish homes on curvilinear landscaped boulevards. These suburbs in the city—among them, Sunnyside, Balboa Terrace, Ingleside Terraces, Westwood Park, Westwood Highlands, Monterey Heights, Mount Davidson Manor, Sherwood Forest, and Miraloma Park—became home to thousands and a unique part of the San Francisco tapestry.

Cover image for San Francisco's West of Twin Peaks, isbn: 9780738546605

Wild Tulare County

9781609495091

$21.99

In the 1800s, Tulare County, California, was a hotbed of desperate characters whose deadly gunplay and murderous inclinations left a trail of bodies across the region. Although the Central Valley now makes its name in agriculture, Tulare County was once a bastion of the Wild West with a lineup of hardened criminals that has scarcely been equaled in the annals of crime. Train bandits, coldblooded murderers and callous outlaws armed with shotguns and butcher knives plagued Visalia, Porterville and other sleepy central California towns. Join historian and retired Visalia Police captain Terry Ommen as he relates the transgressions of Tulare County's roughest characters, including thrilling tales of the pistol-packing Mason-Henry Gang, a deadly duel between politically divided journalists and vigilante justice exacted by angry mobs.

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Stockton in Vintage Postcards

9780738528786

$24.99

Today's Stockton is a modern California city, home to a quarter of a million people. But few remember the details of its illustrious past. Influenced by strategic waterways and rich soil, Stockton attracted a succession of miners, farmers,
shipbuilders, and industrial entrepreneurs. Throughout the years Stockton has evolved from a rough-and-tumble harbor town to an agricultural, business, and transportation center and has done so with a great amount of style and finesse. This collection of vintage postcards showcases Stockton's early days from 1900 to 1950, capturing the elegance and industry of a young city on the journey to the modern era. This book contains over 200 images of Stockton including the waterfront, paddlewheel steamers, beautiful hotels, graceful estates, sprawling farm vistas, and the ornate buildings of downtown.

Cover image for Stockton in Vintage Postcards, isbn: 9780738528786

Lighthouses of the Ventura Coast

9780738581866

$24.99

The Ventura County coast has been illuminated for more than a century by three distinctive lighthouses, united in their mission of warning mariners of coastal hazards and guiding ships to safe passage. Port Hueneme's original 1874 Victorian Stick Style lighthouse stood sentry until it was replaced in 1940 by the still-standing art moderne structure, which guards the only deepwater port on the California coast between San Francisco and San Pedro. The Anacapa Island Light, a cylindrical brick structure in the Channel Islands lit in 1932, was the last new lighthouse on the West Coast. Ventura, originally dubbed San Buenaventura by Fr. Junipero Serra in 1782, extends its "good fortune" to the steamers, warships, tankers, and other craft guided to safety by these navigation beacons.

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Sacramento's Elmhurst, Tahoe Park and Colonial Heights

9780738555904

$24.99

The Sacramento suburbs known as Elmhurst, Tahoe Park, and Colonial Heights were once home to the California State Fair, the Sacramento County Hospital, and the Sacramento Army Depot. On May 8, 1910, the Central California Traction Company opened interurban passenger service to Colonial Heights, connecting the neighborhoods to the rest of Sacramento. Today the region is home to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the University of California, Davis Medical Center, and Proctor and Gamble. These neighborhoods began to thrive after 1945 as many wartime workers remained in Sacramento and looked for affordable housing. Bounded by Highway 50, Stockton Boulevard, Fruitridge Road, and Florin-Perkins Road, the area today is a mixture of mature housing tracts, a sprawling medical campus, a converted military facility, commercial service centers, and light industrial operations. The area's recent resurgence, led by groups like the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association and numerous community leaders, has made the district a true success story.

Cover image for Sacramento's Elmhurst, Tahoe Park and Colonial Heights, isbn: 9780738555904

Fighting Fire in the Sierra National Forest

9781626193710

$21.99

To live in the foothills on the periphery of the Sierra National Forest is to live with the certainty of summer wildfires. Each year, from April forward, Californians watch the sky and sniff the air for telltale signs of smoke. While fire remains a constant threat, the strategy for combating it has evolved with the understanding of its beneficial role in the forest environment. Marcia Penner Freedman traces the history of firefighting and fire management from the forest's early years through the policy shifts that began in the 1960s and the measures used today.

Cover image for Fighting Fire in the Sierra National Forest, isbn: 9781626193710

Ghosts of Fort Collins

9781609495190

$21.99

From reports of a figure in the old firehouse bell tower to whispered rumors of apparitions seen in basements and tunnels underneath the city, Fort Collins is filled with disturbing and unnatural occurrences. In Old Town, pictures fly off walls, ghostly noises ring out through passageways and specters pass through brick walls. Tour guide Lori Juszak and her team take readers on a trip through the Choice City's most chilling hauntings and legends. Meet the guest at the Antler's Hotel who never checks out and dance along to the unexplained music in the Museum of Art. Watch out for the ghost at the Armadillo Garage and beware the spirits of the underground morgue!

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Houseboats of Sausalito

9780738555522

$24.99

The unique and colorful houseboat community has long been the centerpiece of life in Sausalito, and while these floating homes are well known, relatively few people know just how far back their history goes. Not a recent phenomenon, as so many assume, the houseboat community has a history stretching back to the 1880s and earlier. While houseboats once existed in nearly a dozen ports in and around San Francisco Bay--and indeed throughout the West Coast--the focus of this buoyant lifestyle is now the waters of Marin County, along the shoreline of Richardson's Bay. Over the years, a variety of forces--including the 1906 earthquake and fire, the building of bridges and the resulting decline of the ferryboat fleet, World War II, and legal pressures on waterfront property owners--helped to shape life on the water, Sausalito's houseboat community, and this fascinating tale.

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Del Mar Fairgrounds

9780738558226

$24.99

The Del Mar Fairgrounds--which hosts the county's annual fair and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club--unites local communities in an arena that attracts worldwide attention. The stunning beauties who were crowned Fairest of the Fair and the smoldering good looks of Tommy Hernandez as Don Diego symbolized the hospitality of the San Diego County Fair, whose historic roots began humbly in the genteel port town of National City, just 10 miles north of the Mexican border. That 1880 inaugural autumn fair, initiated by developer Frank A. Kimball, showcased citrus, agriculture, and horses. Today the 22nd District Agricultural Association hosts the summer fair, which features international superstars, flower shows, livestock contests, exhibits, sports events, carnival rides, and its famed fast food, together with the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's racing meet, which has helped make the city of Del Mar a star-studded world-class destination with a colorful history.

Cover image for Del Mar Fairgrounds, isbn: 9780738558226

Arlington

9780738555805

$24.99

The neighborhood of Arlington, located about five miles southwest of downtown Riverside, was first settled in the 1870s and was later developed as a town site in 1877 by philanthropist Samuel C. Evans and William Sayward. Citrus groves flourished in the area, providing the community with a newfound wealth. Large and gracious homes were built on wide streets lined with beautiful shade trees. Arlington's commercial district at Van Buren Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue expanded to include a bank, chamber of commerce, newspaper, store, church, boardinghouse, and post office with its own Arlington postmark, in use since 1888. In the early 1900s, an electric railway was built down the center of Magnolia Avenue ending at beautiful Chemewa Park with its large trees, dance pavilion, zoo, and polo field. Today Arlington retains much of its neighborhood feeling while undergoing a large-scale redevelopment project for a future retail and commercial district.

Cover image for Arlington, isbn: 9780738555805

Northern Calaveras County

9780738547824

$24.99

Northern Calaveras County stretches eastward from the valley towns of Wallace and Jenny Lind, through the Campo Seco and Mokelumne Hill gold country, to the county seat in San Andreas and finally extends to the upcountry mining camps and logging settlements of West Point and Railroad Flat. Historically water and trails connected these diverse regions. The Mokelumne River and its tributaries—diverted into flumes and ditches—brought water to the river bars, mines, ranches, settlements, and towns and provided their lifeblood. Trails first followed Native American paths and then developed into stage roads, railroads, and state highways. These routes connected the valley to the mountains and carried pioneers seeking gold, water, timber, fertile land, and recreation to new lands and new lives.

Cover image for Northern Calaveras County, isbn: 9780738547824

The Harris Company

9780738559018

$24.99

For almost 100 years, the slogan "Harris" Has It" set a standard for quality merchandise, selection, and personal service. Starting in 1905 with only 25 feet of frontage at its original San Bernardino store, this partnership of three immigrant brothers grew into a corporation of nine stores, with the flagship store alone worth over $1 million. The Harris Company was the first in the region to enhance the shopping experience with the introduction of elevators, electric signs, and escalators. Although the store closed in 1999, the Harris Company is remembered throughout the Inland Empire as a shopping experience that was more than just business, it was "looking after people."

Cover image for The Harris Company, isbn: 9780738559018

Cemeteries of the Eastern Sierra

9780738547862

$24.99

California's Eastern Sierra region, encompassing Inyo and Mono Counties, is a paradise of striking contrasts and beauty. Early settlers came to this area—now known chiefly for recreational activities such as fishing, hiking, and skiing—for its mining and agricultural prospects. Towns like Bodie, Lundy, and Keeler rose with the promise of quick riches but failed when the promise dimmed. Throughout this unique landscape are sprinkled the poignant resting places of early pioneers. Reflecting the diversity of the natural setting, the area's cemeteries range from the Mono County Cemetery overlooking Mono Lake to the overgrown cemetery at the Civil War–era Fort Independence to the garden cemeteries of Bishop. The monuments in these cemeteries, along with the beautiful country that surrounds them, honor the men and women who once carved lives out of this rugged wilderness.

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The Abalone King of Monterey

9781609494698

$21.99

In 1908, Pop Ernest Doelter was crowned the Abalone King. In the kitchen of his Alvarado Street restaurant in Monterey, California, Pop transformed rubbery gastropods into an epicurean delight. Working with red abalone collected by Monterey's community of Japanese divers, Pop dipped the foot in egg wash, added a secret ingredient, rolled it in cracker crumbs and cooked it quickly in olive oil. Tourists and celebrities alike sat down at Pop's table to enjoy his famous recipe, and eventually, he shipped steaks on ice to hotels and restaurants throughout the state. Pull up a chair as historian Tim Thomas recounts the story of an innovative restaurateur and a group of pioneering fishermen who turned underappreciated mollusks into the talk of the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair.

Cover image for The Abalone King of Monterey, isbn: 9781609494698

Pinedale

9780738558837

$24.99

John F. Patterson founded Pinedale in 1904 after proposing the establishment of a town along Pine Creek in western Wyoming. Patterson offered to build and stock a general store if local ranchers Charles Petersen and Robert Graham would donate five acres each for the site. Petersen and Graham agreed to this plan, a surveyor was hired, and Pinedale--named after the post office on Petersen's ranch--was officially established. Free town lots were offered to early settlers, and Pinedale was incorporated in 1912, becoming the farthest incorporated town from a railroad, and later from a major highway, in the country. The community survived in fierce isolation, and the townspeople originally made their living supplying the ranchers, outfitters, and tie hacks. Ranching and tourism helped sustain Pinedale from the beginning, and in the 1990s, the community underwent a fundamental change with the introduction of natural-gas mining in the area. Pinedale residents continue to live and thrive on this harsh but beautiful land.

Cover image for Pinedale, isbn: 9780738558837

Lost Ski Areas of Colorado's Front Range and Northern Mountains

9781626197121

$23.99

Avid skiers have flocked to the northern reaches of the Centennial State for over a century. While the prized powder remains the same, the top skiing destinations bear only a faint resemblance to the resorts of previous generations. Neighborhood slopes, such as Tabernash Hill, featured little more than a rope tow and a storage shed. Other spots like Estes Park's Old Man Mountain held tournaments and contests with Olympic participants. From the Cathy Cisar Winter Playground in Craig to Cheyenne Mountain's Ski Broadmoor and everywhere in between, join authors Caryn and Peter Boddie on a tour through the lost ski areas of northern Colorado and the Front Range.

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El Segundo

9781467115896

$24.99

By 1885, Daniel Freeman owned a successful 25,000-acre ranch along the coastline in Southern California. That year, he sold parcels to J.S. Vosberg, and this became the site of the town of El Segundo. The Standard Oil Company of California purchased 840 acres of dunes in June 1911, and R.J. Hanna was hired to construct and manage the new refinery. His wife is credited with naming the town El Segundo (the second), as it was the location of the second Standard Oil plant. The city quickly expanded and was incorporated on January 18, 1917. From an early oil town to the Aerospace Capital of the World in the mid-1950s, El Segundo today includes a thriving residential community as well as several Fortune 500 corporations, an Air Force base, and the Chevron El Segundo Refinery.

Cover image for El Segundo, isbn: 9781467115896

Early Mendocino Coast

9780738559469

$24.99

Driving Highway 1 along the Mendocino coast is a scenic adventure that draws thousands of visitors every year. Following the coast from Gualala on the south to Needle Rock in the north can be a challenge and features back-road driving. But imagine 100 years ago. Were there roads then too? How did people move along the coast? And what were they doing? Why did they settle here? Forget the Gold Rush and the forty-niners—timber was king here. Logging, milling, and shipping wood was the focus of the economy. Railcars steamed through the forests, and ships pulled up to rickety landings to load shipments for faraway places. Today some coast views remain the same, while others have changed dramatically, and whole towns have vanished over the century.

Cover image for Early Mendocino Coast, isbn: 9780738559469

Maritime Marin

9780738559049

$24.99

Marin County's spectacular Pacific coast has been noted as both one of the most beautiful locations on earth and--for some early mariners--a place of absolute terror. The rocky coast here has claimed hundreds of ships and the lives of thousands of sailors. Though long known for its beautiful natural settings of woodlands, beaches, and hills, Marin's maritime history is surprisingly varied, with tales of English pirates, Spanish explorers, Yankee whalers, and an immense wartime shipbuilding effort. The rocky seascapes and sandy beaches of Point Reyes, Bolinas, and Stinson Beach--along with the bay-side villages of Sausalito, Tiburon, and San Rafael--have long been important ports for commercial and pleasure mariners.

Cover image for Maritime Marin, isbn: 9780738559049

Haunted Breckenridge

9781626198302

$21.99

From the old gold mining towns of Summit County to today's skiing destinations in Breckenridge, eerie and true tales of life and loss in the Wild West abound. The spirit of mutilated miner William Goodwin is said to haunt Blue River, warning of the dangers lurking below. Some say that the ghost of the widow Sylvia, who died destitute and alone at a boarding house on Main Street, still haunts the building today. Coldblooded killer Dr. Condon took revenge on his stalker and killed the town's favorite barkeeper. Tour guide and author Gail Westwood explores the area's most haunted buildings and introduces the ghastly characters who seemingly never left.

Cover image for Haunted Breckenridge, isbn: 9781626198302

Palm Springs in Vintage Postcards

9780738529790

$24.99

Palm Springs has been a desert vacation oasis for nearly a century and remains the ultimate posh desert spa in pop culture. Film stars put Palm Springs on the map as a destination for weekend getaways. In the postwar era, it became a centerpiece for golfers and a second home for such Hollywood icons as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Over the years, postcards portraying Palm Springs have concentrated on its hotels, spas, golf courses, celebrities, and other aspects that have fed the national reputation of the city and its environs as a playground for the rich and famous.

Cover image for Palm Springs in Vintage Postcards, isbn: 9780738529790

San Francisco Police Department

9780738528984

$24.99

The officers of the San Francisco Police Department would be the first to tell you that police work in this city is nothing like Dirty Harry, The Streets of San Francisco, or Nash Bridges. It's a gritty reality, occasionally infused with glamour, but always characterized by the innovation and unusual proceedings found as a matter of course in this unique city. The department was established in 1849, when the population surge from the Gold Rush created a desperate need for law enforcement. An initial 35-member force was formed to protect over 20,000 residents. Since then, the SFPD has presided over notorious events, including the case of the Zodiac Killer, Zebra Murders, the Patty Hearst Hibernia Bank robbery, the 1975 assassination attempt on President Gerald Ford, and the Golden Dragon Restaurant and 101 California Street Massacres. While the SFPD story includes a gruesome and sometimes scandalous past, its dedicated officers continue to provide a positive and invaluable service to the diverse metropolitan community of San Francisco.

Cover image for San Francisco Police Department, isbn: 9780738528984

Montrose

9781467116374

$24.99

The narrow-gauge Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG) Railroad, the first rail system to challenge and successfully conquer Colorado's Rocky Mountains, arrived in the Uncompahgre (un-cum-PAH-gray) Valley on the state's western slope in 1882. Montrose was established to supply mines in the mineral-rich San Juan Mountains and provide a freight transfer depot and a shipping point for gold and silver ore. The US government had forced the Ute Indians off their traditional lands the previous year and opened the area to settlement. Land was quickly claimed and cleared as the booming mining districts created a ready market for all agricultural produce. By the 1893 repeal of the Sherman Silver Act and the US economic decline, Montrose was well established, but continued growth revealed a serious need for supplemental water. Selected as an inaugural project by the newly created US Bureau of Reclamation, the resulting Gunnison Tunnel has provided water since 1909.

Cover image for Montrose, isbn: 9781467116374

Shasta Lake

9780738520766

$24.99

When national newspapers reported in 1938 that a large dam would be built in northern California, hundreds of job-seeking families streamed into Shasta County. Shasta Dam would be America's last large concrete dam and would take years to build, offering employment for those fortunate enough to secure a construction job during the Great Depression. Captured here in over 200 rare photographs is the story of the building of Shasta Dam, the boomtowns that resulted from its construction, and the residents who made the Shasta Lake region what it is today. America's master dam builder Frank T. Crowe and his band of dam builders diverted the Sacramento River and began the massive job of excavating millions of yards of dirt and rock. Meanwhile, boomtowns housing dam workers and their families rapidly expanded, developing both commercial and residential zones. Work on the dam was completed in 1945 and the question arose: Would the boomtowns survive? Featuring images from the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the Shasta Lake Historical Society, this new book focuses on both towns that no longer exist and some that still thrive, including Redding, Toyon, Shasta Dam Village, Project City, Summit City, and Central Valley.

Cover image for Shasta Lake, isbn: 9780738520766

San Bernardino Fire Department

9780738528519

$24.99

Sixty miles east of Los Angeles, the now-bustling city of San Bernardino established its first fire department in 1865 with just 4 ladders, 4 axes, 4 hooks, and 24 buckets. Though this company was soon disbanded, another rose to take its place following several disastrous blazes in 1878. From these early days of leather helmets and hand-drawn trucks to the modern era of computerized equipment, the San Bernardino Fire Department has kept step with the community's rapid growth through the 20th century and, today, continues to provide first-class service to the citizens of San Bernardino.

Cover image for San Bernardino Fire Department, isbn: 9780738528519

Irish San Francisco

9780738530499

$24.99

The Irish have always been an important part of San Francisco. An 1852 census showed that almost nine percent of the city of 36,000 hailed from Ireland; by 1900, nearly a quarter of the population had come here from the Emerald Isle. Today a walk through any part of the city will showcase influential Irish street names such as Downey, Fell, Kearney, O'Farrell, O'Shaughnessy, and McAllister. Churches such as St. Brigid's and St. Patrick's still are supported by many of the faithful, while landmark buildings such as the Fairmont, Phelan, and Flood stand sentinel over the city's bustling downtown. Many businesspeople handle their finances through the successors of the original Hibernia Bank, established here by Irish immigrants in 1859. And after work, many folks like to relax with a pint at pubs such as Kate O'Brien's, Abbey Tavern, or the Little Shamrock.

Cover image for Irish San Francisco, isbn: 9780738530499

Summit County

9780738548463

$24.99

In 1859, a group of men from Denver crossed the Continental Divide with the hope of finding gold in the Blue River Valley. Their initial success changed the landscape as towns blossomed across the countryside, and ranches, which provided much needed food, were established along the lower part of the valley. The arrival of the railroads in 1882 facilitated the movement of people and goods in and out of the area. The railroads also made mining operations much more profitable and diminished the isolation of the county's residents. Women and children began arriving in greater numbers in the 1880s, bringing with them the refinements of the Victorian era. The influx of families spurred the establishment of churches, libraries, social clubs, and hospitals and, at the same time, discouraged gambling, drinking, and prostitution.

Cover image for Summit County, isbn: 9780738548463

Emporium Department Store

9781467132503

$24.99

The Emporium—California's Largest, America's Grandest Store—was a major shopping destination on San Francisco's Market Street for a century, from 1896 to 1996. Shoppers flocked to the mid-price store with its beautiful dome and bandstand. Patrons could find anything at the Emporium, from jewelry to stoves, and it was a meeting place for friends to enjoy tea while listening to the Emporium Orchestra. Founded as the Emporium and Golden Rule Bazaar, the store flourished until the disastrous 1906 earthquake. Once it reopened in 1908, it dominated shopping downtown until mid-century. Many San Franciscans remember with great nostalgia the Christmas Carnival on the roof, complete with slides, a skating rink, and a train. Santa always arrived in grand style with a big parade down Market Street. After World War II, the Emporium, which had merged with H.C. Capwell & Co. in the late 1920s, began its push and opened branch stores throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. However, as competition increased, the company's financial situation worsened, and the Emporium name was no more in 1996.