Denverites once enjoyed a retail landscape rich with personal touches. Revisit May-D&F's animated holiday windows or the ice skating rink in front of the store. Reminisce about the Christmas chandeliers that stretched for four hundred feet on the main floor of the Denver Dry Goods or the elegance of Neusteters, with its fashion shows and exclusive merchandise. Recall finding that perfect outfit at Fashion Bar and going back-to-school shopping at Joslins. Celebrate salespeople who remembered your name and the comforting feeling of shopping locally where your parents and grandparents shopped. Through decades of research and interviews with former staff, Denver's unofficial department store historian Mark Barnhouse assembles the ultimate mosaic of the Mile High City's fabulous retail past.
Southwest Denver
9781467124065
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In 1900, the bucolic landscape that stretched for miles southwest of Denver was made up of truck farms, dairies, and ranches. While the separate town of Valverde would be absorbed by Denver in 1902, the countryside beyond was the domain of Arapahoe and Jefferson Counties. Isolated sentinels such as Loretto Heights and Fort Logan stood tall on the prairie. As happened in countless American cities, however, the abandonment of urban cores for new suburbs would radically change a rural way of life that had lasted for decades. With an aggressive annexation policy after World War II that helped to double Denver's land area in 30 years, the city set forth gobbling up these new subdivisions and former rural county lands. Some clamored to join Denver; others railed against the giant next door. A new sense of place was created in the process, not quite urban and not quite suburban. A proud heritage remains in the hearts of residents fortunate enough to have been brought into Southwest Denver before the annexation floodgates were permanently closed.
The McGlincy Killings in Campbell, California
9781467138437
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On the morning of May 27, 1896, the peaceful township of Campbell awoke to shocking news. Six people were brutally murdered at the home of Colonel Richard P. McGlincy, one of the town's most respected citizens. The suspect, James Dunham—the colonel's son-in-law—fled the scene and disappeared into the hills of Mount Hamilton overlooking Santa Clara County. This heinous crime triggered a massive, nationwide manhunt while investigators pieced together the details. Author Tobin Gilman examines the mind and motives of the killer, the sensational media coverage and the colorful personalities associated with the protracted and unresolved pursuit of justice.
Lost Burbank
9781467119771
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Slowly fading with the city's ever-changing landscape, the places and people of Burbank's past tell a vibrant story. Before the arrival of Warner Bros. and Walt Disney, First National Pictures built its original studio lot on Olive Avenue in 1926. For over sixty years, Lockheed Aircraft Company produced some of the nation's best airplanes where the massive Empire Shopping Center now stands. Heavyweight champion James Jeffries turned his Burbank ranch home and barn into a beloved landmark and boxing venue. And inventor Joseph Wesley Fawkes's scheme to build a monorail to Los Angeles became a local laughingstock. Die-hard Burbankers Wes Clark and Michael McDaniel collect these and many more forgotten local stories where they can finally be found.
Denver's Historic Homes
9781467130585
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Images of America: Denver's Historic Homes provides a mere introduction into the myriad of architectural styles and the unique blending of cultures that have made the Rocky Mountain region so remarkable, from the city's inception as a mining claim to what it has become today. From itinerantly used sod and log homes to mansions that rivaled the grandest of their period, Denver's eclectic gathering of early residents produced a landscape of architectural monuments that attest to the people's needs, desires, values, and occasional eccentricities.
Santa Maria Valley
9780738588803
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Located in the heart of California's central coast, the Santa Maria Valley covers an area of mountains and hills that reaches the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara County. The valley's early history dates back to the Portola Expedition, which passed through Santa Maria on the California Mission Trail--called El Camino Real--and ended near Monterey Bay. When early settlers arrived, the valley was dry and desolate. Nearby water sources, however, helped transform the land into one of the most fertile and beautiful valleys in California. The valley became a leader in innovative agriculture transport, a depot on the busiest short-line railroad system in the country, and a training ground for many World War II pilots at its renowned aeronautic college. Today, its landscape of richly colored agricultural fields is framed by rolling hills and scenic miles of grapevines that produce some of the world's most coveted wines. The valley is also famous for its Santa Maria-style barbecue.
Old Town Temecula
9780738595900
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The original inhabitants called Temecula the place of origins, "the place of sand and sun." From the beginnings of the Native American village to the introduction of the railroad that made it into a Western town in 1882, Old Town Temecula captivates visitors and residents with its rustic charm. Cattlemen and cowboys frequented the saloons, and Hollywood's elite found liquor flowing during Prohibition in Old Town establishments where legendary stories of high times and crimes are retold today. After World War II, Old Town was at a crossroads, and residents and travelers dined in roadside cafés along historic Highway 395. In 1977, after nearly losing its Old West flair, several visionary businessmen decided to promote Old Town Temecula's historic past by recreating an 1890s Western architectural motif for Old Town. Now a tourist destination for antiquing, dining, and viewing vintage cars, Old Town has something of interest for everyone.
Lone Pine
9780738547848
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Lone Pine's history is as dramatic and violent as the magnificent landscape in which the town is located. Long before the first white settlers arrived during the Gold Rush, small groups of Paiute-Shoshone Indians lived in the area. With the discovery of gold and silver, miners and ranchers supplying food for the mines came into violent conflict with the native inhabitants between 1860 and 1865. In the 1870s, the Cerro Gordo mines (the largest silver strike in the state) buoyed the growth of Los Angeles. At the turn of the century, the City of Los Angeles clandestinely bought up land and water rights and initiated a period of conflict with the Owens Valley. In the 1920s, Hollywood discovered the Sierra Nevada Mountains and high deserts of the area. Over 400 films and countless commercials have been filmed in Lone Pine, featuring such stars as John Wayne, Gene Autry, Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power, Rita Hayworth, Barbara Stanwyck, and Brad Pitt.
Morgan County
9781467115650
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Pioneers came by the thousands, drawn by the promise of wealth in the Rocky Mountains. The dry, arid plains were a pass-through to most, but a few hardy souls saw potential in the region. They faced the harshest conditions; howling winds, little rainfall, intense heat followed by bone-chilling cold, isolation, and hostile Native American tribes were constant threats to survival. The pioneers of Morgan County were men and women of vision, perseverance, and inner strength. They were problem solvers who dug reservoirs and irrigation canals, built roads and railroads, and created an economy out of what others refused to see. Today, Morgan County is a place of an active agricultural lifestyle, supported by the businesses in the area. Its rich cultural diversity encompasses residents whose countries of origin span the world.
Sacramento's Land Park
9780738529653
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Sacramento wasn't always so proud of the area now called Land Park. In fact, due to a notorious roadhouse at Sutterville and Riverside roads, the city took great pains to distance itself from here in the early days, calling the roadhouse and environs a "foul plaguespot" and a "sink of iniquity," and purposely excluding it from city borders! But times change, and the 1911 death of hotelier and philanthropist William Land set the stage for Land Park's remarkable renaissance. A bequest in Land's will directed that some monies be used to find "a recreation spot for the children and a pleasure ground for the poor," and so began the pleasant area of homes, parklands and riverfront paths we know today.
Lake Elsinore
9780738530666
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At the foot of the Ortega Mountains on the flank of Cleveland National Forest, the 3,300-acre Lake Elsinore is one of Southern California's more spectacular natural wonders. It is also the region's only large natural lake. The city of the same name on its shores was incorporated in 1888 through the efforts of financier Franklin H. Heald. His partner, D. M. Graham, fancifully wrote, "We can imagine no more enchanting picture than Elsinore will present when the taste and energy of the settlers shall have made it a valley of fruit and flowers in the midst of which the lake shall lie like a priceless gem." Named after the castle in Shakespeare's Hamlet, the lake and city proved to be a stopover spot for hunters and ranchers, eventually vacationers, and then water and motor sports aficionados. Today Lake Elsinore has a thriving population of about 30,000 year-round residents in the southwestern corner of Riverside County.
Port Hueneme
9780738530642
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Port Hueneme is a city of 25,000 residents surrounded on three sides by the City of Oxnard, with the Pacific Ocean as its western front. Port Hueneme's identity and character have endured valiantly despite the outside influences of the much larger city, a sometimes violent ocean, and the world's greatest armada. The U.S. Navy arrived in an enormous way at Port Hueneme during World War II to take command of the only deep-water port between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The servicemen stayed during the Korean War, maintaining an abiding relationship with the community. And still, the town itself has the strength of longevity, being three decades older than Oxnard and with a pioneering legacy of farmers, fishermen, merchants, and families. They survived, repeating the requisite spelling and pronunciation ("Y-nee-mee") of their city's name, which is Chumash Indian for "halfway" or "resting place" between Point Mugu and the estuary of the Santa Clara River.
Hidden History of Elko County
9781626199958
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Elko County in Nevada's remote northeastern corner has long attracted independent, spirited individuals determined to carve out lives of their own. Born to former slaves, Henry Harris worked his way from John Sparks's house hand to one of the most respected buckaroos in the region. Pete Itcaina, the unlikely millionaire, once bought a local bar on the spot just to fire the bartender, who mistook Itcaina for a bum and refused to serve him. The beautiful cattle rustler Susie Raper charmed her way out of numerous arrests and trials, despite her trail of dead husbands. Local author Claudia Wines excavates sagas buried in the dust and probes conventional wisdom surrounding local legend.
Towns of Mount Lassen
9780738547206
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The imposing and dormant peak of Mount Lassen, the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range, has been held in awe and wonder since well before the California Gold Rush. The Yahi Nation called the volcano Waganupa, meaning the center of the world, and the volcano's peak, named after the Dutch immigrant and prospector Peter Lassen, is the centerpiece of the scenic Lassen Volcanic National Park. Within the guarded perimeters of this park--inducted into the park system under Woodrow Wilson in 1916, hardly a year after the devastation of its most recent eruptions--there was once a thriving lumber industry, narrow-gauge railroad system, and flume network that sustained a community of lumber camps and the lost town of Lyonsville, all threatened by volcanic destruction and the changing West.
Mines Around Silverton
9781467132862
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Silverton is located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, which have been described by H.H. Bancroft as the wildest and most inaccessible region of Colorado, if not North America. The region has a long and colorful mining history, dating back to the Spanish exploration of the area in the 18th century. For the past 250 years, men have sought gold and silver in these mountains. However, full-scale mining did not begin until the 1870s, and for more than a century, mining was the lifeblood of Silverton and the surrounding area. The San Juan Mountains have been called one of the four great mining areas of Colorado, in a state known for its mining heritage. This is not only the story of the mines but also of the men and women who worked and lived in these rugged mountains.
Martinez
9780738529202
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Martinez, nestled in a gentle valley by the calm waters of the Carquinez Strait, became an important early inland port that welcomed ships from all over the world. Once a commercial center for grain growers from as far away as the Livermore Valley, it was named Contra Costa's county seat in 1850. From the days of the Gold Rush when ferries carried hopeful miners across the strait on their way north, through the linking of its railway track to the transcontinental network in 1879, to the thriving industries of today, Martinez has remained the governmental and transportation center of the region.
Oakland Hills
9780738529264
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The native Huchiun people once traversed the lush greenery of the Oakland hills, glimpsing breathtaking vistas as they followed the creeks down to the bay. In 1829, their territory became part of the huge land grant awarded to Mexican soldier Luis Maria Peralta, who in turn lost control of the hills as settlers arrived to harvest the virgin redwood. Although at one time a rustic haven for poet Joaquin Miller, who set up camp where a park now bears his name, the hills proved irresistible to developers. After transit lines reached the hills, promoters held picnics at the end of the line to entice people to buy land. Meadows and windswept hills turned to orchards and, soon after, to lovely neighborhoods. With the scars of the disastrous 1991 firestorm fading, the Oakland hills retain a bucolic beauty, a majestic backdrop for the city of Oakland.
San Francisco's Mission District
9780738546575
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On June 29, 1776, Fr. Francisco Palou dedicated the first site of Mission San Francisco de Asis on the shores of Dolores Lagoon. At the time, it was a just a patch in the village of Chutchuii, the home of the Ohlone people, and Palou could never have foreseen the vibrant city that would eventually spring up around the humble settlement. The final mission building, popularly known as Mission Dolores and San Francisco's oldest complete structure, was dedicated on August 2, 1791, at what became Sixteenth and Dolores Streets. After the gold rush, the district around the mission began its dramatic evolution to the diverse area we know today, a bustling mix of immigrants from other states, Europe, and South and Central America.
La Quinta
9781467105903
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La Quinta lies nestled in the beautiful Santa Rosa mountain range of Southern California. Unique landforms and Cahuilla cultural heritage, combined with early agricultural and commercial endeavors and the iconic La Quinta Hotel, would shape and develop this extraordinary area from ancient times through the 1980s. Building on these historic and strategic foundations, local residents and leaders worked tirelessly toward incorporating La Quinta, with their sustained efforts leading to fruition on May 1, 1982. La Quinta, known as the "Gem of the Desert," continues to grow rapidly and flourish, welcoming all to its friendly locale as in days past.
Haunted Cheyenne
9781626191587
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In 1867, at the spot where the Union Pacific Railroad crossed Crow Creek, the city of Cheyenne was born. Since then, the Magic City of the Plains has had a long history of hauntings. Drop into the Shadows Pub and Grill, and you may find yourself sharing a drink with a spectral patron from another era. Spend a night at the Historic Plains Hotel, and you may run into one of the many ghostly guests who refuse to check out. Even the Wrangler store seems to be home to a phantom cowboy. From the ghosts of the historic Depot and Rail Yard to the spirits that still linger in some of the city's private homes, this frontier town is filled with spooky happenings and chilling sightings. Join writer and guide Jill Pope on a tour of the stories behind this city's most chilling spots.
Gay and Lesbian San Francisco
9780738531380
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In recent years, San Francisco has been synonymous with gay and lesbian pride, and the various achievements of the gay and lesbian community are personified in the city by the bay. The tumultuous and ongoing struggles for this community's civil rights from the 1950s to the present are well documented, but queer culture itself goes back much further than that, in fact all the way back to the California gold rush.
Early Glendale
9780738529905
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The ridges and ranchlands that once covered the expanse between Burbank and Pasadena became the 16th city in Los Angeles County to incorporate. This 1906 act formalized the Township of Glendale, which had grown from the Rancho San Rafael of the Verdugo family through the Spanish, Mexican, and American colonial eras. In the 20th century, some of the oldest film studios called Glendale home, as did their royalty, including Marion Michael Morrison, who graduated from Glendale High in 1925, yet a few years away from his notoriety as John Wayne. Seven movie theaters operated in the city in the 1920s and so did the first airport offering cross-country flight, Grand Central. In this book, nearly 200 vintage photographs provide a window to the city's bygone days, focusing on the era up to the Second World War, when Glendale's pleasant neighborhoods were evolving together to form one of the county's most populous and ethnically diverse cities.
Garden Grove
9780738530024
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While its name connotes a pastoral vision beyond a pleasant wide place in the road, Garden Grove has expanded exponentially since pioneers founded it in 1874. Early cattle ranches gave way to walnut and citrus groves during the 20th century, as this land between the cities of Long Beach and Anaheim grew into one of Orange County's most populous municipalities, incorporating in 1956. Hotels sprang up in Garden Grove in reaction to the nearby vacation draws of Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and the county's popular beach communities. In later decades, Garden Grove's distinctive identity was further shaped by its role as home to one of the largest Korean-American communities outside of Korea and home to televangelist Robert Schuller's famed Crystal Cathedral.
Theatres of Hawai'i
9780738581606
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Famous for its lush beauty and inviting beaches, Hawai‘i also boasts a rich theatrical history dating back to the mid-19th century and spanning its years as a kingdom, U.S. territory, and a state. Its warm, tropical climate and social, cultural, and ethnic diversity contributed to the variety of theatres unique to the islands—from simple, rural plantation theatres on the neighbor islands, to neighborhood movie houses in exotic styles, to an incomparable tropical moderne jewel near the beach at Waikiki. Most of these theatres are now just a memory, except for those few saved by dedicated individuals and restored for another life. This book celebrates the rich history of these theatrical venues through rare archival photographs and little-known details.
Murder & Mayhem in Gallatin County, Montana
9781467149143
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Quiet fields broken by gunfire, the splash of a body dropping into the Madison River, cries for help cut off into silence and the grim last words spoken on the gallows all color the bloody history of Gallatin County. Cut-and-dried murder charges, unsolved cases and questionable accusations all paint the picture of law enforcement in and around early Bozeman. From the gruesome to the mysterious, sordid accounts of robbery, crimes of passion and fatal self-defense fill the annals of the historic county jail. Gallatin History Museum curator Kelly Suzanne Hartman chronicles each tale, allowing the reader to follow along the path of the investigations and the pursuit for justice.
Alameda
9780738530390
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Alameda was once a peninsula of grassy fields and sandy beaches, separated from Oakland by a snaking estuary. A tidal canal made Alameda an island in 1902 and its waterfront became a major shipping port. Park Street's bay-windowed commercial buildings looked out on a prosperous city of streetcars and comfortable homes. Between the two world wars, Alameda's Neptune Beach resort and amusement park became the "Coney Island of the West," eventually boasting a Moorish entrance tower on Webster Street, a stadium, two swimming pools, a high dive, and a roller coaster called the "Whoopie." Alameda's strategic location made its "airdrome" the busiest in the world in the 1930s and eventually attracted a U.S. Coast Guard base, known as Government Island, and the Alameda Naval Air Station.
Palmdale
9780738581224
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One of the nation's fastest growing cities and a center for the aerospace and defense industries, Palmdale began in 1886 with the doomed colony of Palmenthal in a land plentiful with Joshua trees and jackrabbits but very little water. The gateway to the southern Antelope Valley, Palmdale has enjoyed a rich, diverse, and eventful history while resourceful pioneers created neighboring communities of unique character. Littlerock, a "pearadise," became the fruit basket for the Antelope Valley. Neil Armstrong, before becoming the first man to walk on the moon in 1969, resided in Juniper Hills. Pearblossom's rustic landscape was ideal for early cowboy movies. The crumbling site of Llano del Rio is the location of perhaps the most important nonreligious utopian colony in Western American history. Valyermo owes its existence to the San Andreas Fault, and the Big Rock Creek area became known for Noah Beery Sr.'s Paradise Trout Club, a favorite rendezvous for many Hollywood movie stars and notables.
Union Station in Denver
9781626199644
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On June 1, 1881, Denver's Union Station opened as the largest structure west of the Mississippi. The station welcomed people from all walks of life, from pioneers and miners to U.S. presidents and Buffalo Bill Cody—and even royalty from abroad. It served as the center point for transporting cargo to Denver before the rise in popularity of air travel. Due to revitalization efforts, Union Station is the centerpiece of the nation's largest transportation hub and the pride of the city. Author Rhonda Beck explores the history and stories behind one of the Mile High City's most iconic historic landmarks.
Seal Beach
9780738529806
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Situated along the Pacific Coast Highway, Seal Beach is the coastal portal between Los Angeles and Orange Counties. This vacation spot and largely residential community separates the City of Long Beach from the broad, open, southerly beaches of the OC--Sunset, Bolsa Chica, Huntington, Newport, Laguna, and beyond. The regional fame of Anaheim Landing and Anaheim Bay preceded the founding of Bay City, which became Seal Beach after too much mail intended for Bay City found its way to the "City by the Bay," San Francisco. In the early 20th century, the popular Joy Zone was a huge beachside amusement park in Seal Beach enjoyed by thousands of vacationers brought south by the Pacific Electric Red Car Line. This entertaining retrospective documents these landmarks, as well as local residents, events, Seal Beach Pier, the nearby U.S. Naval Weapons Station, and other points of interest.
Dixon
9780738529721
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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.
Carmel
9780738547053
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Carmel is a microcosm of California's architectural heritage, sited at one of the most scenic meetings of land and sea in the world. Mission San Carlos Borromeo became a root building for California's first regional building style, the Mission Revival. "Carmel City," as it was called in the 1880s, was marketed as a seaside resort for Catholics. Its pine-studded sand dunes survived the imposition of a standard American gridiron street pattern, with a Western, false-front main street, to become "Carmel-by-the-Sea." Artists, academics, and writers embraced the arts-and-crafts aesthetic of handcrafted homes built from native materials, informally sited in the landscape. In the mid-1920s, Tudor Revival and Spanish Romantic Revival styles enhanced the storybook quality of the community. Carmel's architectural character is primarily the product of working builders. Its design traditions have been interpreted and modified for modern times by noted architects, building designers, and craftsmen. Individual expression continues as an ongoing aesthetic theme.
Virginia City
9780738582054
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Tucked between the Tobacco Root Mountains and Mount Baldy in southwestern Montana, Virginia City began in May 1863, when gold was discovered in Alder Gulch. Some 10,000 fortune seekers arrived, and the days of whiskey, revolvers, road agents, and vigilantes began. Boot Hill, overlooking the town, is a constant reminder of its rough, tough, and unruly past. A great number of mining towns have become ghost towns, but not Virginia City, thanks to the men and women who gave of themselves to establish a permanent town where families, schools, churches, businesses, and organizations would thrive.
Meeker
9781467132022
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The free-roaming Ute Indians were the first modern-day people to live in the White River valley. After mounting tensions erupted into violence and the Indian agency near present-day Meeker was attacked, the Ute were soon evicted from northwestern Colorado in 1881. By that time, adventurous people were pressing in at all sides to settle the area. Settlers drawn by land speculation and ranching populated this rural area. Ranching, hunting, guiding, and coal, oil shale, oil, and gas extraction were the ways people made their livings, or hoped to, in this region. Meeker had it all with a touch of Wild West and a promise of the American dream--and all in a setting that would lure Teddy Roosevelt himself. Inside this book are glimpses of the people, traditions, celebrations, and ways of life of those who lived here before us.
Bolinas and Stinson Beach
9780738528953
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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.
Levi Strauss & Co.
9780738555539
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When Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss opened his wholesale dry goods warehouse on the San Francisco waterfront in 1853, he likely had no inkling that his business would become one of the world's largest clothing companies. Levi Strauss & Co. started with imported clothing, bedding, and notions to supply the many small stores serving the Gold Rush and the expanding American West. By 1873, he and partner Jacob Davis invented the very first blue jeans, which were soon worn by working men from Los Angeles to Laramie. Strauss parlayed his business acumen into social progress by giving back to his community and embedding a company culture committed to positively impacting society. In this spirit, the Levi Strauss Foundation was created after World War II, formalizing the philanthropic work started by Strauss himself a century earlier. All the while, the company has evolved with successive generations of family owners, expanding product lines to meet the ever-changing needs of consumers around the world.
Wyoming's Friendly Skies
9781467147637
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Boeing Air Transport, a precursor of United Air Lines, began carrying passengers in 1927 on small, uncomfortable airplanes with few amenities. Steve Stimpson, manager of Boeing’s San Francisco office, considered hiring stewards to alleviate passengers’ concerns. Ellen Church convinced him that employing women, especially nurses, as stewardesses would be a visionary solution. Eight brave young women entered Boeing’s brief training program in Cheyenne in May 1930, making them the first airline stewardesses in the world. In 1947, United Air Lines established its Stewardess Training Center in Cheyenne, operating for nearly two decades. Authors Starley Talbott and Michael Kassel celebrate the world’s first stewardesses, as well as the thousands who followed in their footsteps.
Early Los Altos and Los Altos Hills
9780738580104
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Los Altos would never have existed if not for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Since the 1850s, Los Altos, Spanish for heights or foothills, was the name generally applied to the two ranchos (San Antonio and La Purisima Concepcion) between Palo Alto and Mountain View southwest of El Camino Real. In 1906, visionaries Paul Shoup, who worked for the railroad, and Walter Clark, a Mountain View real estate developer, saw the potential to turn Sarah Winchester's ranch near Stanford University into an ideal San Francisco suburb. They would capitalize on new commuters—those who wanted to live in comfort in the country but work in the city. Slowly, a new town grew in influence well beyond its original Altos Land Company plat, realizing tremendous post–World War II expansion. Now two communities solidly embedded in Silicon Valley, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills share a school system, downtown shopping, libraries, and water system, as well as a history of interesting people.
San Francisco's Nob Hill
9780738581286
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More than a neighborhood, San Francisco's Nob Hill encapsulates some of the major elements of the city's history. Early European settlers' cattle grazed on the windy hill, and with the Gold Rush of 1849, it became a lookout point as ships arrived daily, bringing thousands to San Francisco. Within the next 40 years, the moguls of the Central Pacific Railroad, along with other magnates, built spectacular residences atop Nob Hill, which became a focal point of San Francisco. Today Nob Hill is home to elegant hotels, a cathedral, and a variety of residents. It remains a center of activity in a legendary city.
Northwestern Pacific Railroad
9781467130622
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The year 2014 marks the centennial of the completion of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP), celebrated by driving a golden spike at Cain Rock in October 1914. This achievement was the culmination of a massive, six-year engineering effort to connect rail lines ending at Willits with the early lumber company railroads of the Humboldt Bay region. When it was completed, the NWP linked Eureka with San Francisco by rail, a milestone in the history of Humboldt and Northern Mendocino Counties. This book examines the impact of the NWP on Northwestern California. Although no longer operational, the railroad today symbolizes the ongoing struggle to connect this isolated region with the wider world.
Point Arena Lighthouse
9780738599663
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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.
Logging in the Central Sierra
9780738558165
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The logging industry in the Central Sierra was essential to the expanding economies of both California and Nevada for well over 150 years. During the Gold Rush, harvested timber in the foothill region of the Sierra was used for mining activities, in the construction of early day communities, and as fuel. Extensive logging of forestland in the higher elevations came with the advent of hard-rock mining, which required incredible quantities of timber. During the 1860s, the Comstock Lode of Nevada put a tremendous demand for lumber on the east slope of the Sierra. By the time the Comstock had concluded, much of the eastern face was denuded, with over one quarter of the prehistoric forest gone. Advances in technology further fueled the logging industry during the first half of 20th century. The Sierra's logging days are waning now, but as this volume shows, it once played a vital role in the mountains' economy, lifestyle, and identity.
Palm Springs Golf
9781626199637
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Against a dramatic background of desert mountains, the sparkling green fairways of the Coachella Valley have attracted world-class golf tournaments, athletes and dignitaries for decades. In the 1920s, enterprising oil tycoon Tom O'Donnell built one of the first nine-hole courses in Palm Springs, and the area was a hangout for Hollywood's elite by the 1940s and '50s. Bob Hope's namesake PGA Tour event became a mainstay, while Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, the Marx Brothers, Marilyn Monroe and more frequented over the years. Today, the valley is a renowned perennial golf destination boasting over 120 courses and exceptional resorts. Follow award-winning local golf columnist Larry Bohannan as he recounts the storied history of the game under the desert palms.
Early Redlands
9781467130677
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Redlands saw rapid town building from 1880 to 1920, with an expanding citrus industry and a growing, energetic populace. Many early residents came for their health and for the mild winters. These included the wealthy, who brought immediate income to a small town, introducing beautiful mansions, parks, and philanthropic investment. This economic boon allowed over 30 professional photographers to come and go in this young town, producing the legacy of high-quality photographs that illustrate this book. Tourism created the need for souvenir photographs, schools meant graduation pictures, and business promotion demanded commercial views. Walk through the life of days gone by into the stores, neighborhoods, homes, schools, and town entertainment in Early Redlands. A chapter is provided to help other communities locate their local photographers while sharing the rich history of Redlands.
Mining Camps of Placer County
9780738529509
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Everything in Placer County history leads to gold, from its name--the Spanish term for gold-bearing gravel--to the mining camps that sprouted overnight in its rugged river canyons. Ecstatic cries of "Gold on the American River!" in 1848 launched the largest voluntary migration in the history of the world. As claims "panned out," thousands of miners swarmed like locusts between the rough-and-tumble mining camps, from the crest of the Sierra Nevada to the Sacramento Valley. Some camps disappeared along with the easy placer gold; others found new methods to extract gold deposited deep in quartz veins or underground and developed into stable towns that still stand. Sometimes washing whole hillsides into rivers, hydraulic mining was outlawed in the 1880s, but the colorful characters and tall tales of the Gold Rush live on.
Denver's Park Hill Neighborhood
9780738580449
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The stately yet welcoming Park Hill neighborhood, located just east of downtown Denver, was platted from prairie lands in 1871 by energetic real estate speculators. A horse-drawn rail car began transportation service in later years to and from Denver as homes in Park Hill became popular. Eventually, Denverites invested in Park Hill lots and wealthy citizens built architecturally sophisticated homes, creating an enclave of Denver society. When automobiles became popular in the 1910s, Park Hill became a popular place to raise a family and has continued as an attractive residential area for more than a century. The home of Denver's elite for decades, including mayors and other leading politicians, Park Hill has embraced diversity in the 21st century, encompassing blue-collar workers along with the physicians, attorneys, and professional athletes.
Tehama County
9781467117456
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Tehama County—its name is a mystery but its sense of place is not. The county portrays a friendly Norman Rockwell–like America, with everything from May Day picnics and parades to fall harvests, rugged lumbermen, tough cowboys, and rodeo roundups. Carved out of three Northern California counties in 1856, Tehama County is largely rural, with fertile open spaces dominated by ranching and agriculture. To the east and west are lofty mountains and deep-set canyons sculpted by fast-moving streams to delight recreationists. These streams tumble into the mighty Sacramento River that courses through the middle of the county on its way to the Pacific Ocean. While rural, Tehama County has a rich and colorful heritage reflected in its people. Some of the more notable residents have included Ishi, a Yahi Indian considered the last of his people; William B. Ide, commander in chief of the brief Bear Flag Republic; and railroad magnate and governor of California, Leland Stanford, who built the largest vineyard and brandy distillery in the world here.
Boulder City
9781467107501
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During the midst of the Great Depression, Boulder City came to life due to the Boulder Dam project, which offered people a path of hope. This wonderful town's heritage does not end at its buildings or sites, for they are just the icing to a richer culture. Standing in present time with images of their past will allow those in the community or newcomers a fresh view on the preservation efforts and care that Boulder City represents.
Alhambra
9780738576077
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Known as the Gateway to the San Gabriel Valley, the land that would eventually become Alhambra was bought by pioneer Benjamin D. Wilson after he decided to abandon a trip to China in 1841. In 1873, the Southern Pacific Railroad built a line directly through the area and brought with it many settlers, ushering in the "Boom of the 1880s." The community struggled through the 1890s as the boom went bust, but the residents looked ahead to the 20th century with great optimism. Their enthusiasm paid off on July 11, 1903, when Alhambra was incorporated as a city. In 1915, the city became one of the first chartered cities in Southern California. Throughout the 20th century, the city of Alhambra grew by leaps and bounds, and such expansion continues to this day.
Denver's Capitol Hill Neighborhood
9780738571560
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When Henry Cordes Brown donated a parcel of his land in 1868 as a location for a future state capitol, no one could imagine what a thriving neighborhood the area around "Brown's Bluff" would become. Twenty years later, Capitol Hill would grow into the city's most fashionable residential district. Through the years, Capitol Hill evolved, seeing everything from millionaire's row to skid row, and remains today one of Denver's most diverse and intriguing neighborhoods. Not only is the area home to Colorado's government, but it also contains some of the city's most remarkable architecture. More than that, however, the history of Capitol Hill is filled with memorable people, places, and stories.
San Clemente
9780738580517
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In the 1920s, San Clemente founder Ole Hanson envisioned a "Spanish Village" on the Pacific coast halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. His city would have streets that followed the natural contours of the land. Sunny beaches and perfect climate enticed many to settle in this charming community. Known for its hospitality and neighborly atmosphere, the city became host and home to dignitaries such as Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Pres. Richard M. Nixon. Today, professional surfers, skateboarders, and small businesses call San Clemente home--the perfect place for work and leisure.
American River Canyon
9780738593197
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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.
Twin Falls
9780738580272
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Images of America: Twin Falls tells the story of the transformation of a sagebrush plain into productive farmland at the beginning of the 20th century. Engineers and investors found a way to capture the water of the Snake River for extensive irrigation and completed Milner Dam and the related canal system in 1905. The success of the Twin Falls South Side Irrigation Tract was associated with other reclamation projects in the region, resulting in the permanent settlement of south-central Idaho. New residents built modern schools, fine homes, and imposing business blocks. Prosperous farms and orchards dotted the landscape. Twin Falls became a wholesale center for storing, processing, and shipping agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad.
Orange County
9780738530543
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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.
San Francisco's Ocean Beach
9780738528571
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Where the waves of the Pacific Ocean wash up against the quiet neighborhoods of San Francisco, Ocean Beach has endured as a popular destination for tourists and San Francisco residents alike. At water's edge is the Cliff House restaurant where visitors can look down upon the remains of the Sutro Baths, a 19th-century indoor pool complex. Just south is the famous Golden Gate Park with its two stately windmills, followed by the well-loved San Francisco Zoo. But a century of change has altered the landscape and the attractions of Ocean Beach, making way for new developments and reflecting the evolution of the city of San Francisco itself.
Warm Springs, Fremont
9780738596631
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The land area of Warm Springs and the warm bubbling waters for which it was named slope from just below Mission Peak to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay. Native Americans established early settlements near the springs. Rancho Agua Caliente defined the borders of the hamlet of Harrisburg, later named Warm Springs. The Warm Springs Health Resort on this land was known worldwide in the 1850s. In 1869, Gov. Leland Stanford purchased the resort area as a private estate that his brother Josiah developed into a famous winery. Henry Curtner farmed large tracts of land planted in wheat, barley, and grapes. Products were shipped from Dixon and Warm Springs Landings to the large markets in San Francisco. The town of Drawbridge was established off its shores as a sportsman's haven and is now a ghost town. A Portuguese festival drew 10,000 people in 1935. The popular Weibel Winery and Hidden Valley Dude Ranch were established just after World War II.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
9780738596945
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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.
Hollywood Studios
9780738547084
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Just after the turn of the 20th century, the motion picture industry moved to the West Coast, and the largest land of make-believe was created in Hollywood, California. From the silent-era beginnings of primitive, open-air stages to the fabled back lots of the studios' heyday, Hollywood Studios presents a bygone era of magical moviemaking in rare postcards. Assembled from the author's private collection, these images from the Chaplin Studios to Metro-Goldwyn Mayer depict an insider's look back at the dream factories known as the Hollywood studios.
The Historic Core of Los Angeles
9780738529240
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In the early 20th century, there was no better example of a classic American downtown than Los Angeles. Since World War II, Los Angeles's Historic Core has been "passively preserved," with most of its historic buildings left intact. Recent renovations of the area for residential use and the construction of Disney Hall and the Staples Center are shining a new spotlight on its many pre-1930s Beaux Arts, Art Deco, and Spanish Baroque buildings.
Agoura Hills
9780738599519
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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.
Draper
9781467109550
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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.
New Almaden
9780738531311
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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.
Cheyenne
9781467109963
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Cheyenne, Wyoming, was founded in 1867 and is young compared to cities on the Eastern Seaboard. Cheyenne exists because of the expansion of railroads from coast to coast, and although it was originally a tent city, solid structures began to appear as people settled in the area. It was wild and lawless in the beginning, but with the introduction of the cattle industry, it became a wealthy and refined community.
Murrieta
9780738546698
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In the 1870s, the Spaniard Juan Murrieta and his business partners found green pastures for their sheep in the Temecula Valley, where Native Americans had lived for centuries in southwestern Riverside County. The Spaniards owned 52,000 acres consisting of two Mexican land grants, the Temecula and Pauba Ranchos, until the partnership dissolved. Murrieta stayed on his 1,000-acre ranch until 1884, when he sold his land to a developer who named the new town site Murrietaville. Two years earlier, the Southern California Railroad opened a line into the Temecula Valley. In 1900, a girl named Hale Sykes was born. With her box camera, she documented the growing town as she saw it from her home in the Fountain House Hotel across the street from the Murrieta Train Depot. In the 21st century, the city of Murrieta numbered more than 85,000 residents.
Laramie
9780738548975
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While it was still part of Dakota Territory, the town of Laramie was founded in 1868 with the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad. Laramie's placement on the high plains at an elevation of 7,200 feet has not made for an easy existence, but the hardy ranching families and cowboys, with their cattle hunkered down against the winds and snow, survived in spite of their harsh surroundings and even thrived in this unique eastern Wyoming town. This is the place where the infamous Jack McCall hid from the authorities, where Teddy Roosevelt rode the range, and where Butch Cassidy was held at the Wyoming Territorial Prison. From its early, rowdy days as an end-of-the-tracks tent town on the railroad, with gambling halls and an active nightlife, through the growing-up years of mills, quarries, and local wartime heroes, to the establishment of Wyoming's only state university, Laramie's remarkable story is told here through historic photographs.
Old Idaho Penitentiary
9781467131674
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Between 1872 and 1973, the Idaho State Penitentiary housed over 13,000 inmates. Some of Idaho's most corrupt and cunning criminals resided behind these Boise sandstone walls. Constructed in large part by inmate labor, the Old Idaho Penitentiary stands as a reminder of Idaho's Wild West past. Horse thieves, moonshiners, bank robbers, and assassins alike all called this penitentiary home. Owned and operated by the Idaho State Historical Society, the Old Idaho Penitentiary is one of only four territorial prisons open to the public in the United States.
The Father of Glacier National Park
9781467143240
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George Bird Grinnell was a prolific writer and record-keeper. After a long day's hunt or exploration, he diligently made time in camp for meticulous journal entries. With his small group of explorers, he discovered and named forty geological features east of the Continental Divide and west of the Blackfeet Reservation. As a result, he wrote a series of articles about his trips from 1885 to 1898 for publication in Forest and Stream. In 1891, he began advocating to protect the area as a national park and led that charge for nearly two decades until successful. His discoveries, publications and leadership led to the creation of Glacier National Park. Cousin Hugh Grinnell compiles first-person narratives from unpublished journal entries, personal correspondence and dozens of articles to tell the early story of Glacier.
Hollywood 1900-1950 in Vintage Postcards
9780738520735
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With the advent of new, inexpensive photographic technology emerging in the United States during the mid-19th century, communication by postcard became a very popular way to exchange travel stories, news, and gossip over the decades. Drawing on a private collection of vintage postcards, this new book features a history of Hollywood, spanning half a century. Exploring Hollywood before and after it became the entertainment capital of the world, these images offer readers a glimpse of some of the city's most interesting places during its Golden Years. Long before motion pictures arrived, when the area was a residential neighborhood of beautiful homes and lemon groves, Hollywood was just another suburb of Los Angeles striving to become a community. From the familiar sights of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and the Chinese Theater, to the horse-and-buggy driven dirt roads and pineapple fields at the turn of the century, Hollywood in Vintage Postcards will guide the curious through the city's progress in the first half of the 20th century.
Redondo Beach Pier
9780738575025
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Piers have always drawn people to the mysterious wonder of the ocean. The ability to seemingly walk on water with the construction of a pier has created for humans a sense of temporary mastery of the majestic and merciless sea. The Southern California shoreline has always attracted tourists from near and far to experience the natural beauty of the coastline. Capitalizing on the natural and man-made appeal of the ocean and the pleasure pier, Henry Huntington created in Redondo Beach a fantasyland of wonder and excitement for beachgoers in the early 20th century. As one of the major rivals to the pleasure piers of Santa Monica, Ocean Park, and Venice to the north, the Endless Pier and later the adjacent Monstad Pier in Redondo Beach drew in thousands of tourists a day. Pleasure-seekers can still fish, enjoy dinner and music, shop, or simply take a nighttime stroll over the water on today's Municipal Pier--remnants from the heyday of Redondo Beach's pleasure pier of the early 20th century.
LGBT Salt Lake
9781467125857
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Salt Lake City, located along Utah's majestic Wasatch Mountains, has historically been a cradle of peculiar people. Before Western culture developed terms for lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) identities, diverse communities who recognized their differences from mainstream America made Salt Lake their home. By the early 1970s, a discernible gay community had emerged in Salt Lake City, laying the groundwork for future activism and institutions. In the 1970s, publications like Gayzette, the Salt Lick, and the Open Door documented the nascent movement. In the 1980s, amidst devastation from the HIV/AIDS epidemic, marginalized communities valiantly worked to fight the disease and support each other. By the 1990s, LGBT Utahns had gained traction legally and politically with the formation of the first gay straight alliance at East High School and the election of the first openly gay person to the Utah legislature in 1998. The transgender community became more visible in the new century, and by 2008, Utah began to play a prominent role in the battle over marriage equality.
Baseball in San Diego
9780738532615
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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.
Magic Mountain
9781467134750
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Nestled in the foothills of Golden, Colorado, construction started on Magic Mountain just two years after Disneyland's opening season. Through never-before-seen photographs, Magic Mountain tells the exciting story of the first attempt in America to spread the Disneyland model. The dream of a theme park in Colorado was conceived by Walter F. Cobb and designed by Marco Engineering of Los Angeles. The park saw tens of thousands of visitors, even during the construction period. They witnessed live gunfights and playhouse melodramas and took a ride on the Magic Mountain Railroad. Unfortunately, the park closed at the end of its premier season in 1960, but it would eventually evolve into Heritage Square. For over 40 years, this venue brought fun and entertainment to the young and young at heart, following Cobb's vision of a clean, entertaining, and educational park for the whole family.
Pasadena
9780738555676
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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.
Auerbach's
9781467137454
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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.
Early Long Beach
9780738575773
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Few other cities can boast of the natural assets, the people, and the events that shaped the first 50 years of their history, as can the city of Long Beach, California. First inhabited by the Tongva people, the land was taken away by the Spanish, then granted to "friends of the King," who in turn sold parcels to real estate speculators working with the railroads. It was called many names before Belle Lowe suggested in 1884 that the townsite be known for its eight miles of long beaches. Its oceanfront provided a resort area, a landing strip for early aviators, a fishing industry, a port for shipbuilding and trade, and a location for the US Navy to anchor its "battle fleet" in 1919. However, discovery of oil in 1921 transformed the city, bringing incredible wealth and an explosive growth in population. By 1938, the city's population was 200,000 and would be a major factor in the Southern California war effort.
Marina del Rey
9781467131803
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To increase trade to the Orient, commercial harbor development in the Ballona wetlands of western Los Angeles was attempted several times from 1880 to 1900, only to be destroyed by disastrous storm-fed floods. After the US Army Corps of Engineers installed revetments on Ballona Creek and moved tons of earth to raise the ground above sea level, Marina del Rey was federally authorized in 1954. Funded by federal, state, and Los Angeles County funds, the largest man-made marina in the nation was built to provide public recreational boating facilities and water access. Private financiers developed restaurants, hotels, premier yacht clubs, Fisherman's Village, and a residential marina lifestyle on county-owned leaseholds. This world-class seaport will celebrate 50 years of dynamic growth on April 10, 2015.
Lighthouses of the Bay Area
9780738559438
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The 1848 discovery of gold in the hills of California brought prospectors and adventurers west; many came across the country on the treacherous western trails, while others came by sea. The rugged coast of California and the dangers of the San Francisco Bay waters claimed many ships and their passengers. The loss of these ships and the ever-increasing number of vessels converging in the San Francisco Bay made it evident that navigational aids were desperately needed. To enhance maritime safety in the region, the San Francisco Bay's first light, located on Alcatraz Island, began construction in 1852. Light stations soon followed at Fort Point, Point Bonita, and the Farallon Islands. An additional 15 lights later served the bay, and two lightships were stationed outside the Golden Gate.
Conifer
9781467103008
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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.
Nampa
9781467132121
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Nampa began as a railroad siding on the Idaho Central Railway in 1885. There was no town then, only a water tower and a few shacks. In 1886, however, Alexander Duffes incorporated the town of Nampa. A year later, the Boise & Idaho Railway was completed, and the town grew from 15 to 50 houses. By 1904, cultivated land reached 40,000 acres. The Deer Flat Reservoir, finished in 1909, irrigated 150,000 acres, and farms, livestock, and fruit orchards flourished across the desert. Canning and evaporating facilities were built to process local crops, and an iron foundry, lumber yards, and other industries helped the town grow to 1,500 people. Three railroads met in Nampa to transport local goods to the markets of the world. Today, Nampa is Idaho's second-largest city.
Erie
9780738576169
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Erie grew from the discovery of coal in the mid-1800s. Its mines became the largest suppliers of lignite coal in the northern Colorado coalfield. Unions quickly moved into Colorado to push for improved working conditions and miners' rights to participate in decisions affecting their jobs. When mine owners refused to honor their requests, miners went on strike, and owners hired scab labor from Europe, Asia, and Mexico. Tensions mounted, and local miners sabotaged mines by setting explosives and otherwise damaging property. Colorado's governor established a special militia to deal with the strikers. The armed militia wounded and killed miners and their families in southern Colorado's Ludlow Mine and Erie's Columbine Mine. Government intervention and the sympathetic viewpoint of the owner of the Columbine Mine led to the first Colorado coal company to unionize. Miners fought for working conditions that characterize many of today's best-run companies. With the closing of the last mine in the area in 1979, Erie has grown to become a bedroom community in the Denver-Boulder metropolitan community.
San Timoteo Canyon
9780738547442
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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.
Cortez
9780738574745
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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.
Palos Verdes Estates
9780738581446
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Situated on the westernmost cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the city of Palos Verdes Estates continues to fulfill former landowner and developer Frank Vanderlip's vision of the area as the nation's "most fashionable and exclusive residential colony," and it remains one of Los Angeles County's most affluent cities. Development of open land began in 1922 under the direction of landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. One of the first master-planned communities in the United States, Palos Verdes Estates (PVE) became the first of the four peninsula cities to be incorporated, in 1939. Early community life revolved around the Palos Verdes Golf Club, La Venta Inn, Malaga Cove School, and the charming Malaga Cove and Lunada Bay commercial areas, both of which have been graced by their own distinctive fountains. The Malaga Cove Library, a fine example of Early Californian design executed by architect Myron Hunt in 1930, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
Neihart Mining
9780738596914
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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."
Historic Tales from Palos Verdes and the South Bay
9781626196070
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Palos Verdes and the South Bay's dramatic beauty is mirrored by a dramatic history. Feuding over claims to the Rancho San Pedro continued for seventy-three years. The Vanderlip family's forty-year development of the Palos Verdes Peninsula resulted in one of California's wealthiest and most well-kept enclaves of coastal cities. Marineland of the Pacific on the Peninsula's end was one of the West Coast's more popular tourism draws before its controversial closing. But that's only the beginning. In this exciting compilation of articles, authors Bruce and Maureen Megowan reveal some of the intriguing secrets and little-known facts nestled within the hills, valleys and nearby cities of this beautiful area. Discover some of the fascinating stories about the development of the South Bay and Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Jackson
9780738547244
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Today's Jackson is an active and vibrant Sierra foothills town that has grown from its early roots as a small gold-mining settlement into a thriving economic and recreational destination and the county seat for Amador County. Nestled in a valley at the foot of Butte Mountain, with attractions like the Jackson Rancheria Casino and Lake Camanche nearby, the city is a gold-country favorite. In years past, Jackson was visited by such notables at Will Rogers, Max Baer, and John Wayne, and its gold mines (such as the Argonaut and Kennedy operations) are famed as among the world's most productive. Growing from a small gold-rush camp at the present-day location of the National Hotel, Jackson holds onto its history in the face of the modern world.
Fort Ross and the Sonoma Coast
9780738528960
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The Kashaya Indians made foot trails through the grassy mountain slopes of Sonoma's northern coast for centuries before colonists from the Russian-American Company arrived in 1812. These Russians, the vanguard of European settlement, built Fort Ross from virgin redwood on a bluff overlooking the sea. Although they stayed only 30 years, they left behind a heritage that includes the earliest detailed scientific and ethnographic studies of the area and California's first ships and windmills. Soon others came to ranch, lumber, and quarry, shipping their harvest and stone to help build and feed San Francisco. Ranches and mill sites evolved into towns, often bearing the names of the rugged men who first settled there. Much of the coastline remains as it was in centuries past, its rich history still visible in ship moorings and chiseled sandstone, and new residents and visitors are still drawn to this dramatic meeting of blue Pacific and forested coastal mountains.
Brief History of Los Alamitos-Rossmoor, A
9781609498610
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The city of Los Alamitos and the contiguous, unincorporated community of Rossmoor exemplify small-town America amid the populous western Orange County sprawl. Their tree-lined streets, well-kept homes and first-rate schools are reflected in Rossmoor's selection as the No. 1 suburb in California (and No. 9 nationwide) in a 2012 study by Coldwell Banker Realty. The evolution of Los Alamitos from cattle ranches and sugar beet factory town to World War II military town and ultimately into residential neighborhoods took a century. Meanwhile, the planned walled 'city' of Rossmoor was created between 1955 and 1961. Despite annexation talk, Rossmoor and Los Al coexist apart together, so to speak, on Long Beach's outskirts. Author Larry Strawther traces the histories of these interdependent sister communities, which epitomize the reality in the legend of the Orange County lifestyle.
Lost Restaurants of Denver
9781626197152
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Sample the hearty helpings at the Hungry Dutchman and the dainty morsels at the Denver Dry Goods Tearoom to get a taste of a tradition rich with innovation, hard work, and crazy ideas. Waitresses, chefs, owners, and suppliers bring back the restaurants of yesteryear by sharing success stories and signature recipes. Just don't be surprised by sudden cravings for savory cannolis from Carbones, rich Mija Pie from Baur's, egg rolls at the Lotus Room, or chile rellenos at Casa Mayan.
Chinese in Mendocino County
9780738559131
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Mendocino County's name comes from the Native Americans who resided seasonally on the coast. The county is known as a scenic destination for its panoramic views of the sea, parks, wineries, and open space. Less well known are the diverse cultural groups who were responsible for building the county of Mendocino. The Chinese were instrumental in the county's development in the 1800s, but little has been written documenting their contribution to local history. Various museums throughout the region tell only fragments of their story. Outside of the over-100-year-old Taoist Temple of Kwan Tai in the village of Mendocino, which is well documented, this volume will become the first broad history of the Chinese in Mendocino County.
Arlington
9780738555805
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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.
Moraga
9781467116206
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Long before the Gold Rush drew settlers from the East, the land that would one day be developed into the town of Moraga was situated on a large rancho owned by the Moraga family. Nestled amongst hills just east of Oakland and Berkeley, the Moraga Valley of the 19th century attracted cattle ranchers and farmers who planted vegetables, fruit, and nuts. In particular, pear orchards established in the earliest farming days are still celebrated in the city's annual Pear & Wine Festival. In the early 20th century, tourists escaped the sometimes chilly and fog-bound cities near San Francisco Bay to picnic in the Moraga redwoods. Electric trains, which brought Moraga's commuters to cities and students to St. Mary's College, enabled the growth of subdivisions and businesses. Train tracks eventually gave way to trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Once considered a potential site for the United Nations, Moraga has maintained its rural beauty while developing into a thriving suburb.
Pinedale
9780738558837
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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.
Hammond's Candies
9781626197169
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In 1920, Carl T. Hammond founded his company with a commitment to quality. He single-handedly developed recipes, sold candy and handled everything else required to run the small operation. Nearly a century after that humble beginning, Hammond's Candies still clings to that original vision, creating prized confections by hand. The Mitchell Sweet, first introduced in the 1930s, is still a top seller, and visitors touring the factory can view the original machinery being used in production. Author Corky Thompson traces the history and growth of this family-owned company from 1920 until its sale at the end of the twentieth century and follows its transition under new ownership to the present time.
El Segundo
9781467115896
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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.
Early Mendocino Coast
9780738559469
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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.
Growing Up in San Francisco's Western Neighborhoods
9781626193840
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From football games at Kezar Stadium to a perfectly broiled Zim burger, San Franciscans have fond memories of the decades after World War II. Dressing up for a movie at the Fox Theatre on Market Street, catching the train at the old S.P. Station on Third and Townsend, taking the streetcar downtown to see magnificent displays in the Emporium's windows or spending a day at Golden Gate Park, the outside lands of San Francisco were teeming with youngsters and the young-at-heart alike. Western Neighborhoods Project columnist and San Francisco native Frank Dunnigan offers a charming collection of nostalgic vignettes about the thriving Western communities of unforgettable people and places that defined generations.
Haunted Breckenridge
9781626198302
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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.
Palm Springs in Vintage Postcards
9780738529790
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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.
Lodi
9780738575483
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From its beginning as a small pioneering settlement in 1869 to its growth into an agricultural and industrial modern city, Lodi has been touted for years as a desirable place to put down roots and raise a family. The fertile soil here on the south bank of the Mokelumne River has seen several generations of citizens proud of their city at the crossroads of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. Following World War II, Lodi's attractiveness as a family city has caused it to boom and grow, to the delight of some and consternation of others. In 2006, Lodi celebrated the centennial anniversary of its incorporation as a city and is now trying to preserve its unique heritage and identity as the livable and lovable place that it is.
Los Angeles's Angels Flight
9780738558127
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From 1901 to 1969, Angels Flight was America's most famous incline railway, familiar from its many appearances on postcards and in pulp fiction and film noir. It inspired the titles of five novels, including a 1999 best seller, and three films. Angels Flight's two colorful trolleys glided up and down the side of Bunker Hill in the heart of Los Angeles, carrying 100 million passengers between a downtown business district and a Victorian aerie that gradually deteriorated into a gritty slum. When the city turned Bunker Hill into an acropolis of skyscrapers, Angels Flight was packed up like a boy's electric train set and stored away for nearly 30 years. After a restoration in the mid-1990s that led to a fatal accident, Angels Flight has reopened and is now ready to claim its next chapters in Los Angeles history.