Name: Southern California Funny Cars
Brand: Mr. Steve Reyes
SKU: 9781467109727
Price: 17.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Southern California Funny Cars

9781467109727

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Southern California was the birthplace of organized drag racing, with the first organized race held at the Santa Ana airport in 1949 and the subsequent founding of the National Hot Rod Association in 1950. Over the next decade and a half, the dragster became the king of the quarter mile on Southern California drag strips. In 1964, veteran dragster owner/driver Jack Chrisman had an idea for something different to grace Southern California's drag strips. It was not a dragster but a stock-bodied race car using nitromethane for fuel in a supercharged engine. With the help of Gene Mooneyham, Mercury's Fran Hernandez, and sponsor Helen Sachs, Chrisman put together the world's first nitro-burning "funny car." It was a steel stock-bodied Mercury Cyclone with a supercharged 427 Ford engine running on pure nitromethane. Chrisman started the evolution that soon turned stock steel-bodied cars into fiberglass-bodied tube chassis funny cars. Southern California drag racers began to lead the way for racers all over the United States in the new funny car class.

Northern California Drag Racing

9781467108171

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Organized drag racing began in Northern California in 1949 thanks to World War II veterans with a "need for speed." Towns like Redding, Lodi, Fresno, Bakersfield, and Fremont would host their own drag events featuring homebuilt jalopies. Anyone with a driver's license and a paid entry fee could participate, and as the cars got more sophisticated and faster, more and more spectators came to watch the local "speed demons." By the 1960s, a metamorphosis began with the introduction of the slingshot-style dragsters. For the next 12 years, the slingshot dragster was the king of the quarter mile, and it made stars of Gary Ormsby, Frank Bradley, Dennis Baca, and James Warren. Meanwhile, in 1965, a funny new race car challenged "The King" as it gained popularity in Northern California. Leading this funny car charge was a Pennsylvania transplant named Russell James Liberman. However, the golden years of Northern California drag racing came to an end in the mid-1970s. Today, only 5 out of 17 drag strips are still open. Photographer Steve Reyes journeyed into the world of Northern California drag racing in 1963 as a 15-year-old kid. Upon seeing an advertisement from the Oakland Tribune that read, "Come see the nitro powered 200mph slingshot dragsters," Reyes and his father made the 23-mile trek to the Fremont drag strip. With the noise of high-powered engines filling the air, Reyes was hooked and made it his duty to capture this one-of-a-kind world on film.

Pacific Coast Highway in California

9781467127516

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More commonly known as Pacific Coast Highway, State Route 1 ribbons along or near the Pacific Ocean from Northern California at Leggett in Mendocino down to Southern California at San Juan Capistrano in Orange County. Its construction began in 1913 and was done incrementally, largely because of funding issues, shortage of labor, legal challenges, deep canyons, steep mountains, solid rock, and unstable earth. A true modern marvel, its unique and extraordinary construction allows easy access to some of the country's most famous and historical places and picturesque sights. Thousands of pounds of dynamite were used to blast through granite, marble, and sandstone to build a highway following near or along the coastline. Among the 33 bridges along the route is the remarkable Bixby (Rainbow) Bridge at Big Sur. The highway wends its way through some of the most magnificent and scenic landscapes and historical places found between Ventura and Humboldt Counties, making it more than just a road. It is a destination.

Southern California Top Fuel Dragsters

9781467161503

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Southern California front-engine top fuel dragsters were the kings of the quarter mile. Fathers and sons, friends, and next-door neighbors joined together to build and race these cars. From 1963 to 1971, considered the toughest years to complete, the top fuel dragster became faster and quicker with new innovations in the chassis design and engine building.

Southern California quickly became the place to prove top fuel racing skills as racers from all over the United States ventured to see how they matched up against those killer cars. For any top fuel racer or team to win in that era, it was truly a lifetime achievement. Many tried and failed to make their mark in Southern California.

Photographer Steve Reyes made the five-hour drive from his home in Northern California on many a weekend to capture Southern California’s top fuel teams in action at Riverside, Irwindale, Lions, and Orange County raceways. His images of these nitro warriors capture the action and feel of those bygone days of top fuel dragster racing as well as the memories of great racers and great racing in Southern California.

Cover image for Southern California Top Fuel Dragsters, isbn: 9781467161503

Pacific Palisades

9780738569482

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Pacific Palisades owes its name to its geography. The cliffs looming above the beach reminded the early developers of the Hudson River Palisades in New York. The name for this eventually affluent coastal enclave of the city of Los Angeles was first used in 1906 for an area of Santa Monica homes. Palisades Park in Santa Monica hugs the top of the bluff. So it must have seemed natural to name the area north of the Santa Monica Palisades Pacific Palisades. Today Pacific Palisades is synonymous with lovely homes and distinguished residents as well as rocky cliffs. Many of the photographs reproduced here have never before been published and show how the land changed from open mesas to the thriving community it is today. Pacific Palisades completes the story of the Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica and its neighboring rancho--the Boca de Santa Monica--and the Santa Monica Land and Water Company.

10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale

9781467109178

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In 1942, at the beginning of World War II, the US Army built its most unusual military post for its most unusual division in a high, remote, Rocky Mountain valley 100 miles west of Denver, Colorado. Located at 9,250 feet above sea level, Camp Hale was the training home of the famed 13,459-man 10th Mountain Division, which trained in mountain warfare techniques for two years--and almost missed the war. After they were finally deployed for combat in early 1945 in the Northern Apennine Mountains of Italy, the young men of the 10th never lost a battle or gave up a foot of ground. And, after the war, many of the veterans returned home to create America's ski and winter sports industry. Building Camp Hale was an incredible feat of wartime engineering and construction. To transform the wild, alpine meadow into an Army camp, 10,000 civilian construction workers were hired to scrape away the vegetation; level the valley floor; install roads and water and sewer lines; build 1,000 structures and two ski areas; and relocate a highway and railroad line--all within seven months and at a cost of $31 million (over a half billion dollars in today's money). Yet Camp Hale was demolished two years after it was built.

Hot Rodding in the San Fernando Valley

9781467160650

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This book chronicles the once-vibrant hot rod scene in California's San Fernando Valley--from the iconic Bob's Big Boy drive-in to the San Fernando drag strip.

Author and Los Angeles native, Tony Baker, grew up in Hollywood during the height of the sixties hot-rod scene. He has written six books on the subject of motor sports in California for Arcadia Publishing and has had articles published in Hot Rod magazine, Hot Rod Deluxe , and Rodder's Journal as well as regional history publications like the Ventura County Historical Society Quarterly Journal . He currently lives in Ventura, California.

Cover image for Hot Rodding in the San Fernando Valley, isbn: 9781467160650

Filipinos in the San Fernando Valley

9781467162203

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From stories and photographs of longtime residents and community leaders in the San Fernando Valley, Joseph Bernardo pieces together a largely fragmented, hidden, yet rich history of Filipino Americans in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley.

Filipinos comprise the largest Asian American community in the place that some have deemed “America’s Suburb.” Although a small number of Filipinos formed farm laborer communities in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley beginning in the 1920s when the area was largely an agribusiness hub, most Filipinos settled in the valley when the post–World War II bedroom community largely integrated beginning in the 1970s and 1980s. From the postindustrial age to the present, thousands of Filipinos flocked to the San Fernando Valley seeking affordable homeownership and a suburban quality of life, helping to change the makeup of communities, neighborhoods, schools, and even suburbia itself. Filipinos in the San Fernando Valley traces the historical and cultural shifts of this quintessential suburb through the lens of generations of Filipinos who made the valley their home.

Dr. Bernardo is a native and current resident of the valley thanks to his immigrant parents, who settled in Northridge in the 1970s. He also cohosts the podcast This Filipino American Life with other Valleyites.

Cover image for Filipinos in the San Fernando Valley, isbn: 9781467162203

World War II Hawaii

9781467161770

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

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

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

Cover image for World War II Hawaii, isbn: 9781467161770

Yellowstone National Park

9780738548494

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Yellowstone National Park is one of the earth's most famous places. Established in 1872 as the world's first national park, it has preserved remarkable natural wonders like Old Faithful Geyser and cultural icons such as Old Faithful Inn. For centuries, it was home to the Shoshone, Crow, Bannock, Blackfeet, and other Indian tribes, but these groups were banished in the 1870s by park
promoters who feared that tourists would not visit if American Indians lived there. Almost immediately after its establishment, Yellowstone became the primary destination for tourist travel to the American West following the Civil War. By 1900, it was a vast tourist success, and today it is both a world biosphere preserve and a world heritage site.

Cover image for Yellowstone National Park, isbn: 9780738548494

Route 66 in California

9780738530376

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The Mother Road hauled it all, traversing the American West from Chicago to Santa Monica Beach, the last 350 miles through Southern California. For settlers, Depression-era Okies and Arkies, and post–World War II families bound for suburbia, Route 66 was a migration funnel for generations. Wending through the mountains and badlands of San Bernardino County into Los Angeles County, Route 66 became a state of mind and a catchphrase for travelers everywhere, especially after singer Bobby Troupe popularized the hit song (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 and actors Martin Milner and George Maharis hit the road with the ragtop down and the shades on in the namesake television series that seemed to go anywhere every week. The shield of the Route 66 sign has become iconography for the growth of Southern California's economy, population, popularity, and folklore.

Cover image for Route 66 in California, isbn: 9780738530376

The Little Bighorn, Tiospaye

9780738508283

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In June of 1876, members of various northern Plains tribes gathered at the Little Bighorn River to form the largest Indian encampment in recorded American history. The huge gathering, called Tiospaye, encompassed over 1,000 lodges housing approximately 7,000 men, women, and children. The over 200 vintage photographs portrayed here represent the weeks just before the infamous Battle of Little Bighorn and the creation of legends. Two major events occurred in June 1876 that would forever alter the course of Native American history. The defeat of Custer and the Seventh Cavalry was the most infamous event, but only the ending to a greater celebration. Offering a portrait of a people at the renaissance of their culture, this new book showcases images of the lifestyle of the encampment and the many brave leaders who fought at Little Bighorn, including Sitting Bull and the author's grandfather, Feather Earring.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego

9780738588780

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Located northwest of downtown San Diego, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) is rich in the history and traditions of the US Marine Corps. The base was born in part of the perseverance of Col. Joseph H. Pendleton and the efforts of Congressman William Kettner. MCRD San Diego was commissioned in 1921 and officially designated as the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in 1948. It is the oldest operational Marine Corps base on the West Coast and graduates over 20,000 new Marines every year. MCRD San Diego is one of only two Marine Corps recruit-training bases in the United States and is responsible for the basic training of all male recruits west of the Mississippi River. Every Marine begins his career by participating in a 13-week training period that isolates him from the civilian world. Basic training at MCRD San Diego emphasizes physical fitness and adaption to the Marine Corps lifestyle.

Vanished San Francisco

9781467109215

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San Francisco is well-known for its beautiful vistas and fascinating destinations. However, many places that were once part of the San Francisco experience have vanished from the land, lost to earthquakes, fire, development, and other forces that led to their disappearance, but not from memory. Sand dunes have been replaced by buildings and streets, homes now cover previously desolate areas where cemeteries once stood, and beloved buildings are gone due to various reasons. San Francisco's lost treasures also include the popular Hamm's sign, the former two-toned foghorn, and the first insect to go extinct in the United States due to human behavior. Like most cities, San Francisco is constantly changing. Places appear and disappear, and the city grows and changes, always ready to rebuild and remake history.

San Francisco's 1939-1940 World's Fair

9781467106160

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Author Bill Cotter gives readers a glimpse into the ingenuity, creativity, and artistry behind San Francisco's 1939-1940 World's Fair through stunning photographs of the architecture, artwork, gardens, exhibits, and shows. See why this fair, centered on the unveiling of the Golden Gate and Bay bridges, attracted over 2 million tourists during the 382 days it was open.

The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) was a massive undertaking. The city of San Francisco had long looked for a site for a new airport to service the Pacific market, and the fair provided the impetus to build Treasure Island, a man-made island that would eventually service the massive seaplanes in use at the time. The GGIE also helped cement the Bay Area as a tourism and business center, competing directly with the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair. While New York centered more on the industrial side, the GGIE showcased the many natural wonders of the West, with expansive gardens and complementing architecture. The GGIE was a success on all counts, enticing millions of visitors to travel to the region. When the fair was over, Treasure Island became an important naval base during World War II. Bill Cotter is a longtime world's fair enthusiast and has traveled to many of these international exhibitions. The author of several other books on fairs for Arcadia, he is a frequent contributor to other books, magazines, and documentaries on world's fairs, and he has spoken extensively on the subject. His photograph collection has been featured in museum exhibits, and he operates several popular websites devoted to the study and appreciation of the fairs.

California Dreamin' Along Route 66

9781467103169

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The California Dream made Route 66 the most famous road in the world. Flappers dreamed of stardom under the bright lights of Hollywood. A wave of families fleeing the Dust Bowl transformed the state during the Great Depression. During World War II, another wave followed Route 66 seeking opportunity in the massive wartime industrial plants. Thousands of soldiers trained in the Mojave Desert and then returned amid the postwar prosperity to blossoming housing developments that replaced the vast orange groves. While Nat King Cole sang (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66, the newly prosperous middle class hit the road headed for the dream land constructed by Walt Disney. Inspired by the Beat poets, the hippies, and the adventures of Buz and Tod on the CBS television show Route 66, a new generation took to the open road. Those who savor the journey as much as the destination still seek it out on Route 66 today.

Cover image for California Dreamin' Along Route 66, isbn: 9781467103169

1906 San Francisco Earthquake

9780738596587

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The Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906 is an unparalleled disaster in the history of San Francisco. More than 4.5 square miles of San Francisco burned and crumbled into a windswept desert of desolation. We will see this scene from behind the camera, covering before the earthquake through the fire and into the rebuilding of the city. The waterfront in the east to Golden Gate Park in the west and the marina in the north to Mission District in the south will be viewed. City hall and along Market Street through the center of the city will be covered. Stories from survivors and new information, like doctored photographs, will be included. Thirty years of research will be merged to give you an accurate account.

LGBTQ Denver

9781467161183

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Denver is the Mile High City, the Queen City of the Plains, and the Gateway to the West. Today, the city attracts thousands of new residents each year, including the LGBTQ people from the rural West and digital nomads from around the nations seeking a welcoming community where they can thrive. In LGBTQ Denver, Phil Nash showcases how the city evolved from its pre-1970s history of rebuking gay people to a magnet for LGBTQ residents and the capital of the first state to elect and reelect the nation’s first openly gay governor.

Cover image for LGBTQ Denver, isbn: 9781467161183

San Fernando Valley

9780738571577

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The Mission San Fernando was founded on September 8, 1797, as an outpost of New Spain, in the vast expanse between the San Gabriel and Santa Monica Mountains.

Northwest over the Hollywood Hills from downtown Los Angeles, this land was developed into a vital farming and citrus breadbasket. After 1900, real estate developers began subdividing the Valley, as it is popularly known, and by 1940, communities of Los Angeles proper and new cities formed into models of suburbia: Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Burbank, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Northridge, Roscoe (Sun Valley), Tarzana, Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, San Fernando, Glendale, Canoga Park, Pacoima, Toluca Lake, and Woodland Hills. The film industry built studios, location ranches, and support facilities in the valley. The aviation industries grew too, and the Hollywood, Ventura, and Golden State Freeways redrew the map. Songs, movies, and television shows have helped ingrain the Valley into L.A. lore.

Cover image for San Fernando Valley, isbn: 9780738571577

History of Alcatraz Island since 1853, A

9781467108577

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As one of America’s most notorious prisons, Alcatraz has been a significant part of California’s history since 1853.

The small island known in sea charts by its Spanish name Isla de los Alcatraces or “Island of Pelicans” laid essentially dormant until the 1850s, when the US military converted the island into a fortress to protect the booming San Francisco region. Alcatraz served as a pivotal military position until the early 20th century and in 1934 was converted into a federal penitentiary to house some of America’s most incorrigible prisoners. The penitentiary closed in 1963, and Alcatraz joined the National Park Service system in 1972. Since then, it has remained one of the Bay Area’s most popular attractions as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Gregory L. Wellman, a California-based consultant, reveals in these images the evolution of Alcatraz. The island’s startling transformation comes alive through the photographic collections of the Alcatraz Alumni Association, the Golden Gate National Archives, and other private collections from around the country. This stirring imagery documents the evolution of one of America’s most renowned and memorable landmarks.

Cover image for History of Alcatraz Island since 1853, A, isbn: 9781467108577

Bonneville Salt Flats

9781467105958

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Astronaut John Glenn used Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats as a landmark from space, but on Earth, amateur motorsports devotees have used the blistering hot, flat land as a speed laboratory for more than a century. On August 22, 1949, the hot rodders joined the pageant of power with their handcrafted cars, trucks, and motorcycles for a one-time event but never stopped coming back, trying to go faster every run down the multi-mile course. All came looking for the answer to the same question: "How fast will it go?" Those efforts have made them the fastest people on the planet, reaching speeds in excess of 500 miles per hour. On the salt, people find the limits of their courage, learn what daring greatly is all about, and realize why a Bonneville Salt Flats speed record is an internationally respected pedigree. People who race on the salt flats become a family bound together by speed--a powerful force that erases ethnic, economic, political, and religious barriers. They are land speed racers. And this is their story.

Los Angeles, California

9780738508122

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Los Angeles was founded in 1781 as one of the two original Spanish pueblos in California. At the time of statehood in 1851, Los Angeles began to reconsider its "cow town" condition, and gradually transformed an American city into the magnificent metropolis we know today. Drawn from the collections of the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Public Library, and the Los Angeles City Archives, Jeffrey Samudio and Portia Lee record the history of a community that established itself culturally as it grew exponentially. By 1945, the small town that had begun with 28 square miles in the late 19th century had grown to 450 square miles through almost 100 annexations. Businessmen constructed a downtown streetscape whose architecture elicited envy in other cities, hotels catered to visitors with such enthusiasm that guests eventually returned with ambitious schemes of their own, and the construction of an elaborate freeway system suddenly made Los Angeles a drive-in city.

Aviators in Early Hollywood

9780738559025

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Hollywood's leading aviators were heroic knights of the sky on the screen as well as in real life. These leading aviators performed aerial stunt sequences and acted, plus some wrote and directed motion pictures. Directing giant Cecil B. DeMille was so enthralled with aviation that he owned three airfields. Charlie Chaplin's family airfield also doubled as a motion-picture set. Thomas H. Ince, the famous producer who invented the studio system, owned Ince Airfield, which became the hub of Hollywood aviation. Eternal legends Rudolph Valentino, Oliver Hardy, Harry Houdini, and Mary Pickford performed in aerials. Many aviators gave their lives making motion pictures; three fatalities were incurred for Howard Hughes's great air epic, Hell's Angels. Hughes himself broke records within aircraft and film production. Aviators brought their screen work to life between films through barnstorming. The roaring in 1920s Hollywood was often aviators soaring beyond limits.

Nevada Test Site

9781467117449

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Since Pres. Harry Truman established the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in December 1950, it has played a vital role in the security of the United States. For four decades, the test site's primary purpose was developmental testing of nuclear explosives. Atmospheric tests conducted over Yucca Flat and Frenchman Flat between 1951 and 1962 involved thousands of Army troops and Marines simulating nuclear battlefield conditions. Civil defense planners studied blast and radiation effects and evaluated bomb shelter designs. Testing moved underground in 1963 to eliminate radioactive fallout. Other projects at the NTS included nuclear rocket engine development for space travel, training for NASA's Apollo astronauts, excavation experiments, radioactive waste storage studies, and aircraft testing. Since the last underground nuclear test in 1992, this geographically diverse testing and training complex north of Las Vegas—known since 2010 as the Nevada National Security Site—has been used to support nuclear stockpile stewardship and as a unique outdoor laboratory for government and industry research and development efforts.

Cover image for Nevada Test Site, isbn: 9781467117449

Legends of Hollywood Forever Cemetery

9781467125864

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Founded in 1899, scenic Hollywood Forever Cemetery--the only cemetery located within the city of Hollywood--serves as the "permanent home" for many of Hollywood's most famous (and infamous) characters. Hollywood Forever Cemetery boasts a fascinating history surpassed only by the compelling stories of its famous residents. Behind its iron gates are the graves of Cecil B. DeMille, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Tyrone Power, Nelson Eddy, Marion Davies, Fay Wray, Mel Blanc, Johnny Ramone, Don Adams, Bebe Daniels, Bugsy Siegel, and a host of others whose memorials tell the history of Tinseltown in stone.

Bakersfield

9781467109918

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Bakersfield was established in 1863 in the western shadow of the Sierra Nevada at the intersection of two of the country's defining events: the California Gold Rush and the Civil War. Bakersfield's first generation of pioneers--gold-seekers, Southern sympathizers, and European immigrants--tamed the region's confluence of swamps and built a frontier town. Over the next century, the town at the southern tip of California's San Joaquin Valley produced a noteworthy array of heroes, poets, leaders, and scoundrels, including the most influential Supreme Court chief justice in the nation's history, two best-selling country artists, decorated athletes, brilliant innovators, and corrupt lawmen. Founded by Col. Thomas Baker, Bakersfield prospered atop fertile soil unmatched anywhere on the planet and crude oil reserves that had few peers. During the Dust Bowl migration, it became a beacon of hope to the refugees of the nation's most dire ecological disaster and, consequently, a unique region that writer Gerald Haslam came to call the Other California. Today, Bakersfield is California's ninth-largest city and among its fastest-growing. The story of its first century is presented here in words and pictures.

Record Plant, Sausalito Studios

9781467109468

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The Record Plant studio in Sausalito, California, was one of America's top-of-the-line music recording facilities. Opened in 1972, Record Plant was known as the "resort studio," just across the Golden Gate Bridge in Northern California and away from the big city. One of three studios, the first Record Plant was opened in New York City in 1968 by Chris Stone and Gary Kellgren. The second studio in Los Angeles opened in 1969, followed by the third studio in Sausalito. San Francisco Bay Area-based radio station KSAN FM hosted live studio broadcasts from the Sausalito studio. With its nautical-inspired interior wood artistry, the building known as the "Plant" had a groovy aesthetic that drew in some of the most iconic musical artists of all time, including Fleetwood Mac, Bob Marley, the Grateful Dead, Sly and the Family Stone, Prince, Tom Petty, Metallica, Santana, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Dave Matthews Band, and many more. Katiana Giacona, a Marin County native, was resident DJ at the former Sausalito Studio location when it was a spa and yoga event center called Harmonia. For Record Plant, Sausalito Studio she has assembled a collection of discography and photographs from the studio as well as interviews from former receptionists, managers, audio engineers, producers, and staff. Ken Caillat was the producer of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album, one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time.

Hoover Dam

9780738596099

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Hoover Dam was America's shining light during the dark days of the Great Depression. This monumental structure was the largest federal works project of its time, constructed after years of scientific study and political maneuvering by California boosters. This thirsty state looked to the untapped Colorado River to supply reliable water for Imperial Valley farms and the fast-growing Los Angeles metropolitan area. Harnessing the unruly Colorado River would be no easy task. Only the federal government could fulfill the dream. An unprecedented high dam, over 700 feet tall, was designed to store two years of river flow, trap tons of silt, and gain control of the river. The project was financed by the sale of hydroelectric power to southern California, Arizona, and southern Nevada. Today, Imperial Valley is an American garden spot, and Los Angeles is one of the nation's most influential cities. The Las Vegas Valley also witnessed tremendous growth beginning with the dam and followed by legalized gambling, defense industries, and tourism. Meanwhile, the small town of Boulder City, born during the dam's construction, still thrives in the shadow of Hoover Dam.

Hollywoodland

9780738574783

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Established by real estate developers Tracy E. Shoults and S. H. Woodruff in 1923, Hollywoodland was one of the first hillside developments built in Hollywood. Touting its class and sophistication, the neighborhood promoted a European influence, featuring such unique elements as stone retaining walls and stairways, along with elegant Spanish, Mediterranean, French Normandy, and English Tudor styled homes thoughtfully placed onto the hillsides. The community contains one of the world's most recognizable landmarks, the Hollywood sign, originally constructed as a giant billboard for the development and reading "Hollywoodland." The book illustrates the development of the upper section of Beachwood Canyon known as Hollywoodland with historic photographs from Hollywood Heritage's S. H. Woodruff Collection as well as from other archives, institutions, and individuals.

Tonopah Test Range

9781467105798

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Established by Sandia Corporation in 1957, Tonopah Test Range (TTR) in Nevada provided an isolated place for the Atomic Energy Commission and successor agencies to test ballistic characteristics and non-nuclear components of atomic bombs. Also known as Area 52, the vast outdoor laboratory served this purpose throughout the Cold War arms race and continues to play a vital role in the stewardship and maintenance of the United States' nuclear arsenal. The range has been used for training exercises, testing rockets, development of electronic warfare systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, and nuclear safety experiments. During the late 1970s, the Air Force constructed an airfield for a clandestine squadron of captured Russian fighter planes that were used for tactical evaluations and to provide realistic air combat training for thousands of US airmen. The TTR airfield also served as the first operational base for the F-117A stealth fighter, an airplane designed to be virtually invisible to detection by radar. Now operated primarily by Sandia National Laboratories for the Department of Energy and, in part, by the Air Force Materiel Command, TTR remains a valuable national asset with unparalleled capabilities.

Glacier National Park

9780738530116

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Glacier National Park is a majestic million acres of towering mountains, ancient glaciers, and amazing biodiversity. Located astride both the Continental Divide and Hudson Bay Divide, Glacier contains Triple Divide Peak, the only point in North America from which the waters drain into three oceans. The land that George Bird Grinnell called the "Crown of the Continent" and that John Muir described as "the best care-killing scenery on the continent" has been
delighting visitors since well before it was set aside as a park in 1910. Through the years, countless people have come to Glacier to hike its nearly thousand miles of trails, marvel at its unrivalled scenery, and drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road, America's most spectacular alpine highway. Glacier is also home to remote mountain chalets and magnificent grand lodges. While most national parks have a singular signature lodge, Glacier has three.

San Francisco's Panama-Pacific International Exposition

9780738530093

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The 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exhibition celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, the rebirth of San Francisco after the disastrous 1906 earthquake, and the world community in general. It was a festive time and one that transformed the swampy San Francisco waterfront into elaborate grounds for sculptures, playgrounds, fountains, and national pavilions. Some say it was the most successful world's fair ever held, bringing together disparate cultures as no other event before or since. Lasting 10 months and covering 635 acres over what is now the city's Marina District, the fair remains in evidence today at the famed Palace of Fine Arts, the only extant structure and a popular and much-photographed local landmark.

Cover image for San Francisco's Panama-Pacific International Exposition, isbn: 9780738530093

Scotty's Castle

9781467116756

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Scotty's Castle is a study in contrasts, much like its setting in Death Valley. While the castle is known worldwide and has been visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists, many myths persist. It is not a castle, nor was it owned by Walter E. Scott, known as Death Valley Scotty. But the Spanish-style hacienda, also known as Death Valley Ranch, has always been linked to Scott. This book explores the fascinating history of Death Valley Scotty, Albert and Bessie Johnson (the true owners and builders of the castle), and the castle itself from construction to private living quarters to a tourist facility owned and operated by the National Park Service.

Cover image for Scotty's Castle, isbn: 9781467116756

Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort

9781467162784

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Since 1950, Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort has been celebrated as a family-run, family-loved destination. It is the closest snow to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley. Many generations have learned to ski and snowboard on these slopes. There are multiple runs for all levels within the ski area and breathtaking views to enjoy with each turn. Ski legends have been and still are instructors here. An Olympian was raised here. Many people have called Dodge Ridge their happy place and a second home. It is a unique resort that is mighty in the hearts of outdoor enthusiasts. Now it is a year-round destination that includes mountain biking, hiking, and disc golf as the owners continue to expand family fun and fond memories. Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort operates in the Stanislaus National Forest under a special use permit from the US Forest Service.

Tricia O’Brien is also the author of San Francisco’s Bayview Hunter’s Point, San Francisco’s Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights, San Francisco Giants, and Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. Through photographs and stories from locals, O’Brien shows the resort’s evolution from raw forest land to a year-round recreation playground.

Cover image for Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort, isbn: 9781467162784

Legends of Westwood Village Cemetery

9781467160643

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Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery, located on Los Angeles's trendy west side, has been the leading choice for celebrity burials since Marilyn Monroe was interred here in 1962. The cemetery houses the remains of a plethora of household names, including Patty Andrews, Eve Arden, Lew Ayres, Jim Backus, Richard Basehart, Peter Bogdanovich, Ray Bradbury, Fanny Brice, Les Brown, Truman Capote, John Cassavetes, James Coburn, Jackie Collins, Richard Conte, Tim Conway, Bob Crane, Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Dawson, Kirk Douglas, Peter Falk, Farrah Fawcett, June Foray, Stan Freberg, Eva Gabor, Merv Griffin, Jonathan Harris, Hugh Hefner, Florence Henderson, Brian Keith, Stan Kenton, Jack Klugman, Don Knotts, Burt Lancaster, Peggy Lee, Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, Karl Malden, Dean Martin, Walter Matthau, Rod McKuen, David Nelson, Lloyd Nolan, Carroll O'Connor, Heather O'Rourke, Bettie Page, Wolfgang Petersen, Gregor Piatigorsky, Donna Reed, Buddy Rich, Minnie Riperton, Doris Roberts, Wayne Rogers, George C. Scott, Sidney Sheldon, Robert Stack, Dorothy Stratten, Alvin Toffler, Mel Tormé, Josef von Sternberg, Harry Warren, Cornel Wilde, Billy Wilder, Carl Wilson, Natalie Wood, Darryl F. Zanuck, Frank Zappa, and hundreds more.
n Legends of Westwood Village Cemetery , Hollywood film historians husband-and-wife team E.J. and Kim Stephens and Phil Lantis take readers on a fascinating tour of this unique Los Angeles burial ground.

Cover image for Legends of Westwood Village Cemetery, isbn: 9781467160643

RMS Queen Mary

9780738580678

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Launched in an era when speed and grandeur went hand in hand, the RMS Queen Mary is the last survivor of the golden age of ocean liners. From the time of her maiden voyage in 1936, passengers crossed the North Atlantic cocooned in luxury. Movie stars, tycoons, politicians, and royalty shared a ship with everyday people, for whom this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. During World War II, the Queen Mary ferried countless soldiers safely across the sea and, at war's end, carried their brides and babies home to America. Refurbished and polished to her previous glory, the Queen Mary continued to carry passengers until her final voyage to Long Beach in 1967. The RMS Queen Mary now serves as a floating hotel and tourist attraction, a living testament to her glamorous history, a generous showcase of art, and a magnificent example of a time when oceans could be crossed in both comfort and beauty.

Cerro Gordo

9780738595207

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High in the Inyo Mountains, between Owens Valley and Death Valley National Park, lies the ghost town of Cerro Gordo. Discovered in 1865, this silver town boomed to a population of 3,000 people in the hands of savvy entrepreneurs during the 1870s. As the silver played out and the town faded, a few hung on to the dream. By the early 1900s, Louis D. Gordon wandered up the Yellow Grade Road where freight wagons once traversed with silver and supplies and took a closer look at the zinc ore that had been tossed aside by early miners. The Fat Hill lived again, primarily as a small company town. By the last quarter of the 20th century, Jody Stewart and Mike Patterson found themselves owners of the rough and tumble camp that helped Los Angeles turn into a thriving metropolis because of silver and commercial trade. Cerro Gordo found new life, second to Bodie, as California's best-preserved ghost town.

Bodie

9780738559865

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Nestled amongst the sage-covered, windswept hills of California's Eastern Sierra is the site of one of the most notorious mining towns of the Old West. In 1859, gold was discovered in the treeless hills northeast of Mono Lake. By 1879, Bodie was a metropolis of nearly 10,000 souls and was briefly the third-largest city in California. Excitement was short-lived, however, and word soon spread that the mines had reached peak production. An exodus began, but contrary to popular belief, Bodie was never totally abandoned. People continued living in this curious and beautiful place throughout the 1950s, and in 1962, the California State Parks system purchased the town site. Now stabilized against the elements, Bodie is today known as the largest unrestored ghost town in the West.

Yosemite National Park and Vicinity

9780738531427

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The astonishing scenery of Yosemite National Park is known throughout the world, primarily for the soaring granite outcroppings and graceful waterfalls around Yosemite Valley. But this park is much larger than just the valley. Relatively few visitors get to experience Yosemite's vast expanses, whether south to Wawona and Fish Camp or east to White Wolf and Tuolumne Meadows. Indeed, it was John Muir's efforts to protect the meadows and hills around the valley that ultimately led to the establishment of Yosemite National Park in 1890. The state park, which had been established in 1863 and consisted of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, was added to the federal park in 1913.

The Twenty Mule Team of Death Valley

9780738595092

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The image of 20 mules hauling a train of wagons was once as popular as the golden arches are today. Everyone knew what it meant. It was the trademark of Pacific Coast Borax's most famous product, a laundry additive called Twenty Mule Team Borax. The company's advertising was dependent on one important fact: the connection between the Twenty Mule Team and America's most notorious desert, Death Valley. From 1883 to 1888, teams of mules and wagons hauled borax out of the famed valley on the California-Nevada border. During those years, the teams were not famous; they were just a common means of transportation. After all, it was not the first time 20 mules hauled borax and it was not the longest or the most treacherous path. So what happened? How did this common form of transportation (the big-rig truck of its day) become transformed into an American icon? That is the story of this book.

Grand County

9781467108973

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Established in 1874, before Colorado became a state, Grand County is nestled in the north-central Rocky Mountains. Named for the Grand River (renamed the Colorado River), Grand County encompasses 1,868 square miles, which is larger than Rhode Island. For thousands of years, Indigenous, nomadic tribes enjoyed natural hot springs and summer hunting. Spanish explorers, French fur trappers, and mountain men followed. In 1858, the gold rush brought rugged prospectors, creating towns named Coulter, Gaskill, Lulu City, and Teller. Later, homesteaders, loggers, merchants, and the Moffat Railroad built Arrow, Hideaway Park, Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, Granby, Grand Lake, Hot Sulphur Springs, Parshall, Kremmling, and Radium. Today, tourists flock to Rocky Mountain National Park, Arapaho National Forest, and award-winning dude ranches and resorts to enjoy some of the world's most beautiful lakes, mountain ranges, and abundant wildlife. Written in an easy-to-read pictorial format with over 200 curated photographs, Grand County is for readers interested in true stories of Western grit and courage.

Sequoia National Park

9780738559407

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Sequoia National Park is the nation's second-oldest national park, a spectacular, awe-inspiring place preserving the world's largest trees and the highest peak in the continental United States. The park's human history glows as richly as its natural splendor--among the stories are a utopian collective targeting social change with lumber profits, a newspaperman's tireless editorializing to preserve giant Sequoias, a Spanish-American War veteran ushering in an era of preservationism, and the army's only African American commanding officer whose tenure as park superintendent still inspires. The Civilian Conservation Corps toiled here, turning the hardships of the Great Depression into lasting contributions for the common good. And, most importantly, generations of visitors have discovered here sights and experiences on a scale that challenges human comprehension and stirs the sense of wonder.

Alameda Naval Air Station

9780738580401

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The 56-year history of the Alameda Naval Air Station from 1940 to 1997 was a major military presence in the San Francisco Bay Area. As one of the largest and most important naval air stations in the United States, with a population of 45,000, it occupied 300 buildings to service squadrons and Carrier Air Groups. The large Overhaul and Repair facility operated from 1941 through the jet age, and U.S. Naval Reserve squadrons were added in the postwar years.

Jackson Hole

9781467160971

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The broad valley of Jackson Hole and the ridges and slopes around what would become Jackson, Wyoming, had long been a crossroads to the region's Indigenous peoples when fur trappers arrived in the early decades of the 19th century and made Jackson Hole a lynchpin of their continental commerce. Many came and went, but some stayed, with a settlement taking form near the banks of Flat Creek at the base of East Gros Ventre Butte. Small-scale cattle ranching formed the first economic base of this frontier town, but before long, the valley's incomparable elk herds drew market hunters, game wardens, and hunting guides. Jackson became a ski town with turn-of-the-20th-century cross-country skiing, the 1920s and 1930s development of Mount Snow King, and the 1960s opening of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. These years saw the development of an authentic Western skiing culture and demonstrated Jackson's pivot from sleepy frontier town to major logistical hub for recreational visitors. Two beloved national parks just to the north added to the flow of visitors as postwar prosperity funded new road trips and mountain vacations.

Cover image for Jackson Hole, isbn: 9781467160971

Syracuse

9781467160681

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Syracuse, a small, nostalgic farm community located about 25 miles north of Salt Lake City and bordering the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake, was officially settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s. Before that time, it was open land occupied by Native Americans and frequented by mountain men. At the turn of the 20th century, Syracuse became a small farming community with dedicated, hardworking people. Many notable pioneer families settled strong roots that made Syracuse what it is today. After World War II, Syracuse slowly developed into an urban sprawl. While the 21st century has transitioned Syracuse from a farming community to a fast-growing city, the people and land continue to exemplify industrious values.

Geyser Basins of Yellowstone

9781467131025

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Yellowstone National Park contains over half the world's active geysers, with more than 700 within its 3,472 square miles. The most famous geyser is Old Faithful, named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition. In 1871, the US Geological and Geographical Survey, led by Dr. F.V. Hayden, reached the Upper Geyser Basin. In just over a day, the explorers witnessed eruptions of many geysers still seen today, including Giantess, Beehive, Grotto, Castle, and Old Faithful. Yellowstone became the first National Park in 1872. Since then, visitors have come in increasing numbers to witness the unique geysers, numerous wildlife, and spectacular scenery.

Cover image for Geyser Basins of Yellowstone, isbn: 9781467131025

Grand Teton National Park

9781467131483

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The majestic beauty of Grand Teton National Park has moved people throughout time. Native Americans believed in the spiritual power of the towering mountain peaks and journeyed there to gain special powers. Early fur traders, who had just crossed less ominous mountain ranges, viewed with trepidation the massive obstacle that loomed before them on their passage to the Pacific Northwest. In others, the Tetons ignited vision and passion--a vision to preserve for all generations to come and a passion to protect the independent way of life known by the first settlers of this western frontier. The formation of Grand Teton National Park spanned the course of nearly 70 years. Although there were many people who shared the struggle before them, it was not until Stephen Mather and Horace M. Albright took up the fight in 1915 that steps towards success were taken. Albright's tenacity and ability to convey his vision to philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. set in motion a very long journey that culminated with Pres. Harry S. Truman signing today's Grand Teton National Park into existence on September 13, 1950.

Death Valley Gold Rush

9781467108485

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From the mid-19th century to the 1930s, no place in America was more feared or mysterious than the stretch of desert on the California-Nevada border known as Death Valley. While today Death Valley National Park is seen as a place of natural beauty and scenic wonders, there were once rumors of vaporous gases so toxic that birds flying overhead would drop dead instantly. One of the first Americans to encounter this dreaded land was William Lewis Manly, who left his Wisconsin home for California's 1849 Gold Rush and who heroically saved those lost pioneers who would give Death Valley its name. Other pioneers in the early 20th century were Frank "Shorty'? Harris, who made Death Valley's biggest gold strike; the Hoyt brothers, who, in 1908, struck it rich in a place called Skidoo; and in the 1920s, a con man named C.C. Julian, who used the valley's reputation to scam naive investors. There was a time when the entire country seemed to be consumed with news and tales of the Death Valley Gold Rush.

Jewish Los Angeles

9781467105491

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The first known Jewish resident of the Mexican Pueblo de Los Ángeles arrived in 1841. When California entered the Union in 1850, the census listed just eight Jews living in Los Angeles. By 1855, the fledgling city had a Hebrew Benevolent Society and a Jewish cemetery. The first Jewish congregation and kosher market were established in 1862. Meanwhile, Jewish merchants and business owners founded banks, fraternal orders, charities, athletic clubs, and social service organizations. Jewish property owners developed vast areas of Los Angeles and beyond into the neighborhoods and cities we know today. By 1897, the city's Jewish population was large enough to support its own newspaper. The 20th century brought waves of Jewish immigrants and migrants to Los Angeles, where they built the motion picture and television industries, Cedars-Sinai and City of Hope medical centers, the Jewish Home for the Aging, urban and suburban synagogues and Jewish centers, and other institutions. The foundations laid by these enterprising pioneers helped transform Los Angeles into a major metropolis.

Lowry Air Force Base

9780738596648

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From 1937 to 1994, Lowry Air Force Base, located on the eastern edge of the city of Denver, served the nation and the surrounding community in many distinguished ways. The air base, primarily a technical training center, graduated more than 1.1 million enlisted members and officers in skills ranging from armament to photography, tremendously strengthening the country's war efforts in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. In addition, from the 1980s, Lowry Air Force Base remained one of Colorado's largest employers, with approximately 10,000 military and civilian men and women, providing an economic impact approaching $1 billion annually. Thus Lowry significantly contributed to maintaining the world's largest air force and to promoting the accelerated growth of the Denver metro area and Colorado.

Los Angeles Underworld

9781467106382

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From the blackhanders and bootleggers of the early 20th century to political corruption and the rise and eventual toppling of a Mafia family, the history of organized crime in Los Angeles visually chronicled within this work possesses the same level of intrigue, glamour, and murder as the films that made the City of Angels iconic. Los Angeles Underworld showcases an extraordinary collection of rare and previously unpublished images pulled directly from family photo albums and top secret police files.

Goldfield

9781467160025

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There was a time when Goldfield, Nevada, was known around the world as a city growing in the desert, seemingly out of nowhere, with no natural resources except for the extremely rich and plentiful mineral found in the ground--gold! In England, they were afraid the amount of gold mined in Goldfield would flood the market, making gold worthless. In Germany, gold seekers heard of the riches and made their way to the remote desert site. Those that had gone to Alaska for the great Klondike rush were now headed to Nevada. Goldfield was the last great gold rush on the American frontier. Discovered in 1902, its boom lasted about a decade and then came the inevitable and fateful decline. Yet its story is largely unknown. Nevada historians and scholars have documented Goldfield for years; others have amassed vast collections of ephemera, artifacts, and photographs; and some have even collected and restored the town's most impressive buildings. Through personal photo albums and accounts of those who were there, this book reflects life in Goldfield, Nevada, the last great American gold rush.

Newport Beach's Balboa and Balboa Island

9780738555751

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The village of Balboa lies on the eastern half of a 4-mile-long peninsula, a natural barrier that protects the neighboring Balboa Island from Pacific storms. Both the village and the island have constituted a sun-soaked paradise for residents and vacationers from all over the world for more than a century. Famous for luxury homes, miles of beautiful, sandy beaches, and one of the largest pleasure harbors on the West Coast, Balboa has enjoyed a colorful history filled with backroom gambling, midnight deliveries during Prohibition, and frequent visits from Hollywood's biggest stars. Such legends as John Wayne, James Cagney, Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, and Lauren Bacall spent many a day sailing Balboa's harbor and many nights enjoying its justifiably famous nightlife of dance halls, restaurants, and clubs. Balboa and Balboa Island represent all of the extremes, perhaps best exemplified in the quaintness of today's city of Newport Beach, an Orange County enclave where great wealth commingles with the carefree charm of a barefoot community.

Newport Beach's Balboa and Balboa Island

Mining Towns of Southern Colorado

9780738599533

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Lesser known than the gold and silver mines of Western lore, Southern Colorado's extensive coal mines fueled the engines for Western industrialization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of the numerous companies operating the mines, the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was king. With a total of 62 mines, the majority of them in Colorado's Las Animas, Huerfano, and Fremont Counties, CF&I ruled the lives of countless miners in company towns scattered throughout Southern Colorado. Working long hours, often in cramped underground caverns, the workers emerged to families living in lonely mountain landscapes completely provisioned with company homes, stores, schools, and churches. Images of America: Mining Towns of Southern Colorado gives an intimate glimpse into the lives of these pioneer mining families.

Garrett Freightlines

9781467116657

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Garrett Freightlines began in 1913 in Pocatello, Idaho, as the first motorized luggage transfer service for railroad passengers. Starting with the purchase of a single one-cylinder REO truck, the company expanded rapidly throughout the Intermountain West and became the fifth-largest motor freight carrier in the United States, with routes from the West Coast to the Midwest. The company introduced a number of key innovations to the interstate truck transport industry, including the early adoption of diesel engines and refrigerated trailer units, research to improve vehicle safety and efficiency, and the introduction of triple trailers. The history of Garrett Freightlines is also an account of its people. Images of America: Garrett Freightlines showcases vintage photographs that tell a success story of 20th-century transportation in the western United States and highlight Garrett's dedicated employees who helped build a family-like culture and formed the economic backbone of their community.

San Francisco's Chinatown

9781467116824

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San Francisco's Chinatown—the oldest, largest, and most famous Chinese enclave outside of Asia—is more than a tourist attraction. Since its birth in the 1850s, Chinatown has also been a residential neighborhood, business community, and cultural center for generations of Chinese Americans. This collection of vintage photographs, taken from public archives and private collections, looks beyond the facade of Chinatown to show the realities of daily life, including a community's struggle for survival against racial hostility, exclusion laws, two major earthquakes, and urban renewal. The images of ordinary people working, shopping, and socializing in Chinatown, combined with the changing streetscape, historic landmarks, and significant cultural and political events, are organized into three historical periods, providing a panoramic view of community transformation from the gold rush to the present day.

The Benicia Arsenal

9781467109635

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The Benicia Arsenal served the US Army in the West for 117 years. Located at a strategic location between the San Francisco Bay and the interior of California, the military reservation began as cavalry barracks. During the Civil War, the arsenal was the logistics headquarters of the California Volunteers, a force that replaced the Army units that went east to fight. In the later 19th century, the arsenal supported missions in Russia, Hawaii, and South America. The 20th century took the arsenal from the horse-and-buggy era to Nike missiles and provided support during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. During World War II, half the workforce was made up of women, and in the postwar period, as the Army integrated, so did the arsenal. The arsenal closed in 1964, and the land was converted into an industrial park that now houses over 300 companies.

Orange County International Raceway

9781467162296

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The Orange County International Raceway (OCIR) was a dream come true for Southern California race fans. From 1967 to 1983, the raceway featured the best of the best from the world of drag racing.

All the stars of the sport flocked to OCIR just to say they raced there. Race fans from all over the United States and beyond came to experience the comforts and innovations built into Southern California’s super raceway. For spectators, the raceway offered reserved seating, electronic scoreboards, and restaurant-style food. It was also a dream come true for racers with running water in the paved pit area; shade trees; and parking for trailers, recreational vehicles, and big rigs. But eventually the land the track was built on became too valuable as the population in the area grew, and the Orange County International Raceway closed its doors for good on October 29, 1983.

Author and photographer Steve Reyes made the 10-hour round-trip drive from his Northern California home to Southern California to attend and be a part of OCIR race coverage from 1967 to 1983. His publications with Arcadia Publishing include Southern California Top Fuel Dragsters, Northern California Drag Racing, and Southern California Funny Cars.

Cover image for Orange County International Raceway, isbn: 9781467162296

San Francisco Landmarks

9780738595801

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San Francisco is one of the most recognized and beloved cities in the United States, brilliantly illustrated through a visual history of 493 designated local, state, and national landmarks. San Francisco's attributes speak to us through stunning topography, the arts, and a unique array of architectural styles. The city inherited the imprint left by the Spanish with Mission Dolores, by the Gold Rush with Jackson Square, and by 20th-century entrepreneurs with the Bank of Italy. The period from the 1920s to 1950s brought a growing cosmopolitan metropolis with such landmarks as the Mark Hopkins Hotel and the Golden Gate Bridge. Residents and visitors want to know why there is a monument in the neighborhood park and why the delightful Victorians next door have a historic plaque by their front steps. Each landmark embodies the characteristics of the surrounding community and the history of the "City by the Bay."

Vandenberg Air Force Base

9781467132091

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A historical cornucopia ranging from native tribal lands and ranch living to infantry training grounds and missile launch site, the location currently known as Vandenberg Air Force Base has held an amazing legacy that continues today. Stretching over 45 miles of pristine California coastline and covering over 99,000 acres, the base has been the vanguard for the United States' space and missile program. Showcasing over 1,900 launches since 1957, Vandenberg put the world's first photoreconnaissance (spy) satellite into orbit and is the only launch location for America's operational intercontinental ballistic missile force. Within Vandenberg's lands are ancient rock drawings from the native Chumash tribe, hundreds of species of plants, insects, and animals, and untouched beaches—protected and thriving under the military's stewardship of the lands. Within these pages are stories and photographs that highlight Vandenberg Air Force Base's legacy as the free world's first missile base.

Cover image for Vandenberg Air Force Base, isbn: 9781467132091

Lost Amusement Parks of Southern California

9781467106917

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After World War II, veterans and their growing families flocked to sunny Southern California for jobs in the aerospace and defense industries. Capitalizing on the baby boom and expanding suburbs, amusement parks sprang up to entertain residents and their visiting relatives. The crown jewel was Disneyland, which focused on themed sections and changed amusement parks forever. Other parks followed, transforming Southern California into one of the world's top vacation destinations. Parks like Lion Country Safari, Corriganville, and Marineland--along with many kiddie lands and animal, water, and theme parks--came and went in the postwar decades. Some were planned but never developed, while existing popular parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios periodically close rides only to substitute them with attractions considered more crowd-pleasing.

Lost Amusement Parks of Southern California

World War II Shipyards by the Bay

9780738547176

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In the dark, frenzied years of World War II, the San Francisco Bay Area was the geographic center of a $6.3 billion West Coast shipbuilding industry. Stretching from the Golden Gate to Vallejo to Sunnyvale, 14 Bay Area yards launched many of the ships that helped save the free world. Basalt Rock of Napa, Bethlehem Steel of San Francisco and Alameda, Hunters Point and Mare Island Naval Shipyards, Joshua Hendy Iron Works of Sunnyvale, Marinship of Sausalito, Permanente Metals in Richmond, and Western Pipe and Steel in South San Francisco are names that still conjure memories for many locals of one of the most impassioned war efforts in human history. Offering new opportunities for African Americans and women, recruiters searched the nation for workers who relocated here by the thousands. These motivated men and women delivered Liberty cargo ships like the SS Robert E. Peary, built in seven and a half days, a shipbuilding record that stands to this day.

Riverboats of Northern California

9780738574967

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California's mighty rivers served as the state's early superhighways. Riverboats transported countless tons of supplies, workers, and settlers from the coast to inland gold rush colonies and everywhere in between. Majestic sidewheelers and sternwheelers burning coal, wood, and oil plied the waterways of the delta, as well as the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Napa Rivers, and the lesser-known routes of the Sonoma and Petaluma. Starting with the Sitka in 1847, boats such as the Captain Weber, Jacinto, Fort Sutter, T.C. Walker, and J.R. McDonald ruled the rivers, visiting such ports as Courtland, Stockton, Sacramento, San Francisco, Marysville, Firebaugh, Yuba City, and Rio Vista.

Bingham Canyon

9781467161275

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The history of Bingham Canyon begins in 1848. Lead Mine served as a precipitation plant where steel was turned into copper. Dry Fork Canyon branched off Bingham Canyon, known for placer gold mining, the Copperton test mill, and the train shop. Frog Town, where Bingham Canyon’s population began to grow, was home to the Yampa smelter and large aerial tram terminals. This book includes images of Bingham’s schools, Markham Gulch, and Markham Bridge, as well as Main Street and the businesses that lined the canyon. At the confluence were Bingham Mercantile and City Hall, where Bingham Canyon branched off to Highland Boy or Copperfield. The valuable story of Bingham Canyon is about the people who lived here. The town has vanished into thin air, eaten away by the expanding open-pit mine, and the rest of Bingham Canyon is now filled with waste rock.

Tim Dumas worked at Bingham Canyon Mine like his father and grandfather before him. His mother was born in Bingham. Many of the images in this book came from people like Larry Sax, Berry Skinner, and Don Strack, who saved photographs as they were being discarded and has posted many of them on his website, UtahRails.net.

Cover image for Bingham Canyon, isbn: 9781467161275

Alameda County Sheriff's Office

9781467160803

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In 1853, Alameda County was formed on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay. On the land route to the California goldfields, the primarily agricultural county had problems with cattle rustling and thievery. It had the reputation of being one of the most lawless areas around. From famous lawmen like Harry Morse to infamous outlaws like Joaquin Murietta, the sheriff and deputies of Alameda County had their hands full. As the county changed, so did the law enforcement challenges. By the 20th century, the sheriff’s office was dealing with antiwar demonstrations, riots, kidnappings, suburban and rural crime, earthquakes, and other disasters that found the men and women of

county law enforcement always ready to respond. Often the challenges became newsworthy. During the 1960s and 1970s, the sheriff’s office riot squad became internationally known as the “Blue Meanies.”

Steven Minniear, a local historian, collected and assembled photographs and information from throughout Alameda County to bring to light the forgotten stories of the sheriff’s office. Many of these previously unseen photographs come from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Archive. In that process, he uncovered the lost stories and forgotten incidents that shaped the office and the communities it serves.

Cover image for Alameda County Sheriff's Office, isbn: 9781467160803

Oakdale

9781467160568

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Oakdale, California, is located on the south bank of the Stanislaus River in the state's great Central Valley. The area was the ancestral home of a band of Yokut Indians. With their leader Cucunuchi (later named Estanislao by missionaries), the Yokuts successfully resisted Spanish occupation until the flood of American and European gold seekers overwhelmed them in 1849. Ferries were quickly constructed on the banks of the river to transport miners, merchants, mules, and horses from the port of Stockton to the goldfields of the southern Mother Lode. Cattle ranchers and grain farmers soon moved into the area, and by the time the railroad built a bridge across the river in 1871, a town was laid out, and there were plenty who jumped at the chance to buy lots in the new town of Oak Dale, as it was known then. This is the story of those colorful, resourceful, and enterprising people who transformed a rough, saloon-filled railroad stop into a strong and thriving community.

Gold Rush Towns of Nevada County

9780738546926

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Nevada County is webbed with some of the richest veins of goldbearing quartz in the world. First discovered in 1849 as placer gold washed into creek beds, hydraulic miners later used massive jets of water to melt mountains and free the precious metal. Rich lodegold districts such as Grass Valley and Nevada City were the most productive in California, and innovations such as hydraulic mining began here and spread throughout the nation. Whimsical names like You Bet, Red Dog, Rough and Ready, French Corral, and Blue Tent hint at the colorful beginnings of dozens of camps that grew from wild and chaotic tent towns to bustling young communities, complete with schools, churches, and businesses. Boomtowns North San Juan, North Bloomfield, and Columbia propelled Nevada County to the head of the state's economy by 1900 and hundreds of miles of gold-bearing quartz veins continued to be tapped in underground tunnels for another 50 years or more.

Rocky Mountain National Park

9780738556277

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Rocky Mountain National Park is often called "the crown jewel" of the nation's park system. Set in Colorado in the southern part of the Rocky Mountain chain, which forms the backbone of North America, the park contains 72 named peaks above 12,000 feet with the tallest of these, Longs Peak, rising to 14,259 feet. Established in 1915 as a national park, it now hosts more than two million visitors every year. Vacationers enjoy picnicking, hiking, camping, climbing, skiing, and simply admiring the beauties of the park, which include alpine plants, wildflowers, aspen, conifers, lakes, streams, waterfalls, and an abundance of birds and animals.

Beale Air Force Base During the Cold War

9781467130813

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KLAXON! The alarm immediately sent the aircrews at Beale Air Force Base, California, scrambling to their alert aircraft in a race to get airborne first. The KC-135 tankers were usually the quickest to taxi out, with the B-52 bombers following closely behind. Soon, the air filled with the rumble of engines as aircraft roared down the runway trailing great clouds of exhaust and disappeared into the skies of Northern California. It was a dramatic scenario practiced many times during the Cold War and one that Universal Pictures filmed at Beale AFB for its movie A Gathering of Eagles, starring Rock Hudson and Rod Taylor.

Beale Air Force Base During the Cold War

San Francisco's North Beach and Telegraph Hill

9780738581583

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North Beach and Telegraph Hill are among San Francisco's most charming and historic districts. In the early years, Mexican and Spanish settlements dotted the beach and the hill, but the area was heavily developed during California's Gold Rush as gold seekers flooded the city. Later, European immigrants added many layers of unique character. North Beach was home to A. P. Giannini, founder of the Bank of Italy (later the Bank of America), and in the 1950s, the Beat Generation evolved from the creative character of this artistic neighborhood. Charming cottages and architectural gems, such as famed landmark Coit Tower, decorate the slopes down to the bay, delighting residents and tourists alike. Many cafés and restaurants offer delicious foods, while the breathtaking views provide food for the soul.

San Francisco's North Beach and Telegraph Hill

Griffith Park

9780738588834

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Carved from the former Spanish land grant known as Rancho Los Feliz, Griffith Park, a rugged, 4,300-acre wilderness located in the heart of Los Angeles, has been the principal playground for Angelenos for over a century. Since 1896, when the land was donated to the city by controversial philanthropist Col. Griffith J. Griffith, generations of weekenders have picnicked, camped, golfed, ridden horses, hiked, bicycled, and played ball in the park. To this day, visitors still climb aboard its mini-train and merry-go-round and explore its zoo, museums, amphitheater, and world-famous observatory. The park, which lies in the shadow of the Hollywood sign, has been a frequent filming site for legendary movies like Back to the Future, Birth of a Nation, and Rebel Without a Cause.

Marysville

9780738547374

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Known as the "Gateway to the Goldfields," Marysville was once one of California's largest and most prosperous cities during the gold rush era; millions of dollars in gold were shipped from Marysville to the U.S. Mint in San Francisco. The community began in 1842 when Theodor Cordua purchased land for a livestock ranch near the junction of the Yuba River and the Feather River, the major waterway from Sacramento. By 1851, the city of 10,000 was incorporated and named after Mary Murphy, a survivor of the ill-fated Donner Party and wife of Charles Covillaud, one of the city founders. The citizens of Marysville prospered during those days and built magnificent homes in Gothic Victorian, Queen Anne, Greek Revival, Edwardian, Italianate, and Eastlake styles, as well as brick commercial buildings, mills, ironworks, machine shops, and factories. Although many have now been lost to fire, flood, and redevelopment, the city still retains much of its early charm.

Italians in the Pacific Northwest

9781467160469

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From hardscrabble days as homesteaders and farmers in the 1880s to becoming successful entrepreneurs of the postwar boom generation, Italians settled and later thrived in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Italians labored in several industries, including railway tie hacking in Idaho, coal mining in Black Diamond, logging in Aberdeen, canning salmon in Astoria, terra-cotta and brick manufacturing in Taylor, and growing onions in Walla Walla. Those who ventured into business later grew notable local companies such as DeLaurenti Food & Wine, Pacific Food Imports, Oberto Sausage, Napoleon Oil, and La Panzanella Crackers. Further still, Italians in the area contributed to inventions from the collapsible crab pot and trawl nets to the atomic bomb, the vaudeville circuit, the Pellegrini bean, and one-of-a-kind accordions. Italian pioneers in the Pacific Northwest also have a connection to Hemingway, Elvis, President Kennedy, Mother Cabrini, and the Loprinzis, the "strongest family in America." Today, over 300,000 Italian Americans call this region home, and it is the author's hope that this book highlights the contributions of many Italians, known and unknown.

Hollywood 1940-2008

9780738559230

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Since World War II, Hollywood has fought and won that same war many times, won the West even more often--plus got the girl--and laughed like crazy, too. The postwar era in the dream factory was a prosperous time of expansion and wealth through the 1970s, decline in the 1980s, and rebirth in the new century. Vintage photographs from the rare collections of Hollywood Heritage and Bison Archives depict the municipal, business, residential, and entertainment industry growth in Hollywood proper, from 1940 until the beginning of the 21st century. This companion volume to Arcadia Publishing's Early Hollywood completes the pictorial saga of the world's most renowned storytelling capital. These images depict the rise of the television industry, changes along Hollywood Boulevard, and movers and shakers whose visions and influence have made Hollywood the entertainment industry's Mecca.

Consolidated Aircraft Corporation

9780738559384

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Founded by Reuben H. Fleet in 1923, Consolidated Aircraft Corporation (later Convair) became one of the most significant aircraft manufacturers in American history. For roughly 60 years, this prolific company was synonymous with San Diego. In fact, whole sections of the city were designed to provide homes for the Convair workers and their families. These men and women were responsible for building some of the most significant aircraft in aviation history, including the PBY Catalina, B-24 Liberator, F-102 Delta Dagger, as well as the reliable Atlas missile, which was vital in launching America into space. To this day, more than a decade after the company passed from the San Diego scene, tens of thousands of San Diegans still celebrate a seminal connection with Reuben Fleet, his company, and his popular slogan, "Nothing short of right is right."

Frontier Village

9780738596655

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In the late 1950s, businessman Joe Zukin Jr. had a dream of building an amusement park with a Wild West theme in Santa Clara County. His dream was realized with the 1961 opening of Frontier Village on the former grounds of the Hayes Mansion in south San Jose. Among the trees rose a fantasy frontier town complete with a Main Street, where hourly gunfights always ended with the bad guys being carted off to Boot Hill. Visitors could relax in the town square or ride the train around the park. Guests could paddle an Indian war canoe, ride in a stagecoach, or venture into the interior of a haunted mine. Frontier Village was a safe and clean place that welcomed children and their families. Encroaching subdivisions and changing economic conditions forced the park to close in 1980, but to this day, fond memories of the park continue to live on in everyone who ever visited or worked in Frontier Village.

Southern Colorado

9781467131735

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When the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad laid narrow-gauge tracks into La Veta in southern Colorado in July 1876, it preceded Colorado statehood on August 1 by about one month. The southern Colorado frontier from Walsenburg west to Wolf Creek Pass had only a few scattered villages at this time, but silver mines in southwestern Colorado lured the railroad ever westward to haul out the riches. On the scene to photograph these developments was Iowan Ory Thomas (O.T.) Davis, who moved to Colorado in 1885 to work in the copper mines northwest of La Veta. Davis, backed by corporate sponsors from the mines and railroads, opened a commercial photography business in the Walsenburg–La Veta area in 1888 and, later, in Alamosa in 1906. The photographs of O.T. Davis collected in this book vividly capture a bygone era, documenting the frontier history of southern Colorado in the early years of statehood.

Cover image for Southern Colorado, isbn: 9781467131735

Wyoming's Outlaw Trail

9780738596068

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A historic and folkloric path that meandered from Canada to Mexico, the Outlaw Trail was used by outlaws such as Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and the James brothers. Following existing Western routes such as the Oregon Trail, the highway connected towns and natural hideouts essential for bandits escaping the law. Some in Western communities were sympathetic toward the outlaws. Many, like Cassidy, were seen as Robin Hoods, fighting for common people who were under siege by economic forces, corporate encroachment, and other changes occurring in the Old West. Images of America: Wyoming's Outlaw Trail details the history, folklore, and geography behind some of Wyoming's outlaw towns and hideouts—chief among them the Hole in the Wall and Red Desert. Also highlighted are the deeds of the robbers, lawmen, and ordinary folk who rode those dusty trails during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Cover image for Wyoming's Outlaw Trail, isbn: 9780738596068

Southern California Surf Music, 1960-1966

9781467133203

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Dick Dale & the Del-Tones began holding weekend dances at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, California, in the summer of 1960. Over the next year and a half, Dale developed the sound and style that came to be known as "surf music." The result was the development of more powerful guitar amplifiers, a dramatic increase in the sales of Fender guitars and amplifiers, and a shift from New York to West Coast recording studios. More and more people were drawn to the sport of surfing, which became an important part of teen beach culture at the time. Even landlocked teenagers were captured by the moment, carrying surfboards atop their woodies in Phoenix or bleaching their hair blonde in St. Paul. For hundreds of thousands of kids, though, the attraction was not the connection to surfing; it was the connection to the music pioneered by Dick Dale.

Southern California Surf Music, 1960-1966

Death Valley

9780738558240

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Death Valley, its harsh and rugged landscape established a national monument in 1933 and named a national park in 1994, has long held a fascination for visitors, even before it became tourist friendly. Shortly after the first visit of nonnative inhabitants, a party of forty-niners looking for a shortcut to the goldfields of California crossed this land with tragic results, inadvertently giving the valley its moniker. Despite the immense suffering in their midst, prospectors began exploring the area looking for mineral wealth. Boomtowns formed, prospered, and died all within a few years, most disappearing completely into the desert. Adding to Death Valley's mystique was the shameless self-promotion of Death Valley Scotty, which lasted for a period spanning more than 50 years.

Mount Wilson Observatory

9781467109895

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Visionary astronomer George Ellery Hale founded the Mount Wilson Observatory in 1904, high above Pasadena in Southern California's San Gabriel Mountains. At an elevation of 5,700 feet, with exceptionally stable air and nearly 300 days of clear skies annually, this prime location was deemed the perfect site to investigate the secrets of the universe. With funding from the Carnegie Institute of Washington, by 1917 Hale had constructed the world's first two tower telescopes for study of the sun and the world's two largest reflecting telescopes for study of the stars, ushering in the "New Astronomy" astrophysics. Magnetism outside of Earth, stellar evolution, dark matter, our place in the Milky Way, and Hubble's landmark discovery of our expanding universe are just a few of the spectacular discoveries made by the Mount Wilson Observatory astronomers for more than a century. Today, the observatory is run by the Mount Wilson Institute and is open to the public for tours and nighttime viewing through these same historic telescopes. The authors selected the majority of images from the personal collection of Maggie Sharma, which will be donated to the Mount Lowe Preservation Society, and from the vast archives of that society, of which Michael A. Patris is founder and president.

Abalone Diving on the California Coast

9781467160285

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Abalones are marine snails from the family Haliotidae. This family of shellfish is comprised of 56 recognized species worldwide and eight known species in California. The Native Peoples of California fished and dove for abalone for thousands of years. Chinese immigrants first arrived in California around 1850 to work in the goldfields and on the railroads. Some found their way to Monterey and discovered an abundance of large red abalone that nobody was using. By the mid-1890s, Japanese fishermen had also discovered this rich abundance of abalone. Soon, the Japanese introduced helmet diving technology to the fishery. In 1908, a German restaurateur in Monterey began slicing abalone into steaks. Soon, men from the Azores and elsewhere started fishing abalone along the Central Coast of California. By the 1950s, there were hundreds of people and families fishing this delicacy commercially and thousands more fishing for recreation and subsistence. Steven L. Rebuck grew up in the abalone fishery and served as the abalone technical consultant to the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Team from 1993 to 2004. Christopher Rebuck, a software development manager, is a native Californian and Steven’s oldest son. He began surfing and hunting abalone at the age of five. Tim Thomas is the former historian and curator of the Monterey Maritime Museum. He authored The Abalone King of Monterey: “Pop” Ernest Doelter, Pioneering Japanese Fishermen & the Culinary Classic that Saved an Industry with The History Press in 2013.

Theatres of San Francisco

9780738530208

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You read the sad stories in the papers: another ornate, 1920s, single-screen theatre closes, to be demolished and replaced by a strip mall. That's progress, and in this 20-screen multiplex world, it's happening more and more. Only a handful of the 100 or so neighborhood theatres that once graced these streets are left in San Francisco, but they live on in the photographs featured in this book. The heyday of such venues as the Clay, Noe, Metro, New Mission, Alexandria, Coronet, Fox, Uptown, Coliseum, Surf, El Rey, and Royal was a time when San Franciscans thronged to the movies and vaudeville shows, dressed to the hilt, to see and be seen in majestic art deco palaces. Unfortunately, this era has passed into history despite the dedicated efforts of many neighborhood preservation groups.

Kauai

9780738556444

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Explore the beautiful island of Kauai through this magnificent collection of photographs.

Capt. James Cook stood on his ship gazing at the coastline of Kauai and the Hawaiian village of Waimea in 1778. Kauai was its own kingdom then, and King Kaumualii - the king of Kauai who challenged Kamehameha and managed to keep Kauai from being conquered by him - would not be born for two more years. The oldest and northernmost of the main Hawaiian Islands, Kauai did not see well-meaning missionaries until 1820. From the moment Cook put Kauai on the map, it has gathered admirers from all over the world who come to experience its exquisite beauty and wonder. Fortunately, many photographers have had their own love affairs with Kauai, leaving a vast amount of documentation.

Waikiki

9780738548807

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Waikiki, literally spouting water, is the name of what was once a lush wetland area where three mountain streams met the Pacific Ocean.

With changes brought by American colonialism and the expansion of the United States to the Pacific Ocean, Waikiki was transformed into one of the most popular beachfront tourist destinations in the world. With a topography featuring Diamond Head, picturesque beach spots, and the expansive Kapi‘olani Park, recreation has reigned in Waikiki for much of its contemporary history. However, it was once a place of small neighborhoods, family-owned shops, restaurants, and lei stands. As locals met foreigners, Waikiki's landscape changed from rural to urban, and today an estimated 65,000 tourists visit Waikiki each day. A big city or small town, Waikiki has become part of America’s story.

Cover image for Waikiki, isbn: 9780738548807

Huntington Beach, California

9780738518787

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Incorporated in 1909, Huntington Beach remained a sleepy seaside town until the city's legendary oil boom in the 1920s. Wells sprang up overnight, and in less than a month, the city's population more than doubled. As the area developed culturally through the decades, the once tiny farming community increased its size with 25 miles of annexations to become one of Southern California's major tourist destinations. Pictured here in nearly 200 vintage photographs is the evolution of this small seaside village into a classic, Southern California beach city, known as Surf City to nearly a million tourists a year. Showcased here are images acquired from city records, including shots of the famous Huntington Beach Pier as it evolved over the century, rare amateur photos of one of the largest gushers in city history, vintage beach scenes, rarely seen historic aerial views, images of the turn of the century "Tent City," the infamous flood of 1938, and nostalgic shots of the Saltwater Plunge.

Los Angeles Police Department

9780738530253

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No police force in history has gained as much fame and notoriety as the Los Angeles Police Department. The acronym LAPD is practically synonymous with the idea of professional law enforcement. The men in blue who patrol Hollywood and the sprawling metropolis of L.A. have been investigated by screenwriters more times than vice versa. With more than 9,300 sworn officers today, the LAPD endures seemingly endless controversies and media circuses. But then there's the other side of L.A.'s protective shield--the story of the force's evolution alongside the spectacular growth of its unique melting-pot city. This book's rare and often never-before-published photographs focus on that side: the excitement, danger, tragedy, and comedy of everyday beat cops and workaday detectives--with concessions to their limelight representations, including Jack Webb's Dragnet and Adam-12.

San Bernardino, California

9780738520834

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Strategically located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, San Bernardino was colonized in 1851 as an expansion outpost for the Mormon Church. Today, it is the county seat for the largest county in the United States. Captured here in over 200 vintage photographs is the history of this Southern California city and its role in the state's development for more than two centuries. Many famous, as well as infamous, faces have passed through the area, contributing to the rich history of the region, including Kit Carson, Wyatt Earp, President Lyndon Johnson, and early explorer Jedediah Smith. Featuring images from the San Bernardino Historical Society, this book brings readers back in time to the city's earliest development, from early Native American settlements, through the Mission period, the Mexican Rancho era, the arrival of Mormon families, the impact of the railroads, and up to the challenges of the 20th century.

Cover image for San Bernardino, California, isbn: 9780738520834

Early Las Vegas

9780738596570

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After the departure of the early Mormon settlers in 1857, early Las Vegas continued to be a watering stop for overland travelers on the Mormon Road/Old Spanish Trail. The area was mainly ranches and mines until railroad rivals eyed the Las Vegas Valley. Sen. William Clark of Montana bought the land and water rights to the former Mormon settlement from ranching pioneer Helen J. Stewart. The foundation for modern Las Vegas was laid in 1905, as auctioneers gaveled out the plans for the future of Las Vegas at Clark's town site. Today, those sights and sounds are recalled as the community comes
together to recreate the past in Mormon settlement days and for the Helldorado Parade, marking the city's birth.

Whittier

9781467134293

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When Quaker colonists arrived in Southern California in 1887 to establish their ideal city of dreams between the San Gabriel River and the base of the Puente Hills, this land already had a storied past. It was once a place where native Tongvans gathered, the site of Spanish land grant holder Manuel Nieto's rancho, and home to the mansion of the last governor of Alta California, Pío Pico. Named by the early settlers after the abolitionist poet, Ye Friendly Towne grew from a small colony of Quaker pioneers to a bustling center for the production of citrus, walnuts, and avocados. After incorporation in 1898, Whittier also became a flourishing suburb connected to Los Angeles via the Pacific Electric trolley; the home of Whittier College, celebrated for its academics and the mascot Johnny Poet; and home to several notable Americans, including the 37th president of the United States.

Cover image for Whittier, isbn: 9781467134293

Wyoming's Historic Ranches

9781467131490

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Wyoming is so closely identified with ranching that it is often known as "the Cowboy State." The prosperity associated with the cattle industry drew wealthy investors to Wyoming Territory in the 1870s and early 1880s. They stocked the range with thousands of cows and made considerable fortunes until the harsh winter of 1886-1887, when the cattle market collapsed. Many of those early ranchers left Wyoming, which opened the door for the establishment of what would become a huge sheep business. During the 1890s and the early decades of the 20th century, the various Homestead Acts drew others to Wyoming in search of a brighter future. As most of Wyoming's land was suited for grazing, not farming, smaller ranches began to play a more important role in the state's growth. Wyoming's Historic Ranches provides a rare glimpse of the cattle baron ranches as well as the more modest operations that are tucked away along remote valleys and streams, not visible to the average visitor or resident of the state.

Location Filming in the Alabama Hills

9781467131315

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Forged from glaciers and sacred to Native Americans, the mountains, boulders, and rocks of the Alabama Hills mirror landscapes found all over the world. A scenic three-hour drive from the Hollywood sign, this location would prove to serve as the place to make movies. Early Hollywood studios sent location scouts to the area after hearing stories shared by travelers, and the rest is movie history. Over 500 films have completed shooting here, including silents, A movies, B Westerns, serials, sci-fi, film noir, television shows, and commercials. Tom Mix, Errol Flynn, John Wayne, William Boyd, Clayton Moore, Lucille Ball, Roy Rogers, Natalie Wood, Humphrey Bogart, Steve McQueen, Russell Crowe, Jamie Foxx, and many more have all scrambled amongst the terrain in the Alabama Hills.

Early Warner Bros. Studios

9780738580913

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Since 1928, Warner Bros. has produced thousands of beloved films and television shows at the studio's magical 110-acre film factory in Burbank. This collection of evocative images concentrates on the Warner Bros. legacy from the 1920s to the 1950s, when timeless classics such as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, and East of Eden came to life. It also looks at WB's earlier homes along Hollywood's "Poverty Row," the birthplace of Looney Tunes, and the site of WB's pioneering marriage between film and sound in the 1920s. Early Warner Bros. Studios also tells the tale of four brothers--Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner--scions of a Polish Jewish immigrant family who rose from the humblest of origins to become Hollywood moguls of enormous and lasting influence.

Los Angeles's Boyle Heights

9780738530154

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Boyle Heights was one of the earliest residential areas outside of Los Angeles's original pueblo. From the 1920s through the 1950s, it was the city's most ethnically heterogeneous neighborhood with residents coming from such far-flung places as Mexico, Japan, England, Germany, Russia, and Armenia, as well as from the eastern, southern, and southwestern United States. Over the years, Boyle Heights has continued to be a focal point for new immigration. Transformed through the everyday interactions of its diverse residents as well as by political events occurring at the regional, national, and international levels, the neighborhood's historical and contemporary communities reflect the challenges and potential of living in a pluralistic society.

Ghost Towns of Death Valley

9781467132275

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Although the Death Valley area is sparsely populated, it once was home to a good many towns, some of which not only have disappeared from the desert but also from history. Even though the name "Death Valley" itself evokes dark and foreboding images devoid of life, there was a surprising number of towns that did exist in or near the 3.4 million acres that comprise Death Valley National Park. Many had the amenities of larger cities, and some thrived before being deserted and melting back into the desert. The visual record of many of these towns and their occupants is featured in this book.

Lake Arrowhead

9780738529189

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Legend has it that the remarkable scar on the southern face of the mountain was formed when the Great Spirit fired an arrow at healing hot springs along the baseline, to mark the spot for the Pauite and Serrano Indians. From the floor of the San Bernardino Valley, the "arrowhead" can be seen from up to 50 miles away. The once-named "Little Bear Valley" was populated mostly by loggers for a time, but in the 1920s, the area was reimagined as a getaway spot. Tourists and Hollywood stars flocked to the lakefront hotels and homes, and the lake became a year-round destination for skiing, hiking, shopping, and dining.

Chico

9780738530574

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Over time, the land of the Mechoopda Indians, where elk herds grazed on blue-stemmed grass, became Rancho Arroyo Chico, the land chosen by California pioneer John Bidwell for his stately creekside mansion. Bidwell later founded the town of Chico with its wooden plank sidewalks
and iron-front and brick commercial buildings. Today Chico is a dynamic modern city with its own California State University, a wide, tree-lined Esplanade, and--thanks to the legacy of Annie Bidwell--the eighth-largest municipal park in the nation.

Alameda

9780738559537

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Through its many incarnations, Alameda has never lost its charm and ability to draw people from all walks of life. Originally a peninsula inhabited by Native Americans, it was purchased by Don Luis Peralta in 1818 and developed into a bedroom community of San Francisco. Alameda became an island in 1902, and a short time later, it was a new home to many refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The Neptune Beach amusement park attracted tourists who enjoyed the bathing, beaches, and rides, making Alameda the Coney Island of the West. Modern transportation carried people and cargo in and out on ferries, trains, ships, and planes, which landed at the busy Airdrome. The creation of the Naval Air Station in 1938 and World War II made Alameda a military town. The 1990s brought Alameda back to its first purpose, as a small town amongst big cities, its streets lined with graceful Victorians and with a diverse and lively population.

Cover image for Alameda, isbn: 9780738559537

Grand Junction

9780738580685

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The Ute Indians were hardly out of western Colorado when their land was opened to Anglo settlers. It was on September 26, 1881, when George A. Crawford, William McGinley, R. D. Mobley, M. R. Warner, and others went to the junction of the Gunnison and Grand (later renamed the Colorado) Rivers to claim 640 acres. In the semiarid confluence of the two rivers, a city developed, fruit orchards were planted, and a college grew out of the seeds of a single-room school with a dirt floor. Several newspapers opened, providing news and information to a business community that included coal mining, railroads, dry goods, and even a toffee factory whose products have graced the tables of royalty. How Grand Junction was able to develop into a progressive community of entrepreneurs, educators, and community-minded citizens is a story best told in a small sampling of pictures. None of the founders are still here, but their legacy, stories, and pictures have survived to speak for them.

St. Francis Dam Disaster

9780738520797

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Minutes before midnight on the evening of March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam collapsed. The dam's 200-foot concrete wall crumpled, sending billions of gallons of raging flood waters down San Francisquito Canyon, sweeping 54 miles down the Santa Clara River to the sea, and claiming over 450 lives in the disaster. Captured here in over 200 images is a photographic record of the devastation caused by the flood, and the heroic efforts of residents and rescue workers.

Built by the City of Los Angeles' Bureau of Water Works and Supply, the failure of the St. Francis Dam on its first filling was the greatest American civil engineering failure of the 20th century. Beginning at dawn on the morning after the disaster, stunned local residents picked up their cameras to record the path of destruction, and professional photographers moved in to take images of the washed-out bridges, destroyed homes and buildings, Red Cross workers giving aid, and the massive clean-up that followed. The event was one of the worst disasters in California's history, second only to the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.