Name: Dunsmuir
Brand: Deborah Harton
SKU: 9780738580562
Price: 18.74 USD
Availability: InStock

Dunsmuir

9780738580562

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

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

Carmel-by-the-Sea

9781467108980

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Carmel-by-the-Sea is called "a village in the forest by the sea"--a one-square-mile California town with quaint charm and European-inspired architecture. Since this beautiful coastal town was established in 1902, residents have resisted change and battled to keep it unique and distinctive. Today, Carmel is defined by many of its historic buildings from the 1920s and 1930s, which contribute to the area's sense of place.

Cedar City

9780738595009

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Cedar City was first settled on November 11, 1851, with the arrival of a group of 35 men to establish an ironworks. Beginning with the demise of the ironworks in 1858, the town's economy became agrarian in nature, though iron mining continued strongly through World War II and into the 1980s. The coming of the railroad to Cedar City in 1923 exposed Utah's national parks to the world of tourism, and Cedar City was touted as the "Gateway to the Parks." The railroad also provided an outlet for the products of the iron mines. The Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Festival City USA designation, and the Utah Summer Games propelled Cedar City into a new era.

Riverside

9780738570792

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

Shaver, Huntington, and Hume Lakes

9781467131438

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

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

Indio

9780738556185

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

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

9780738595139

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

Historic Restaurants of Billings

9781467117586

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Billings exploded when the railroad arrived, and good food was here to stay. Montana Avenue anchored the first establishments serving oysters, chop suey and steaks. Modern comfort arrived with the Northern Hotel and never left. Locals sipped, savored and swung at the Skyline, Bella Vista, Elmo and Windmill Supper Clubs from the 1930s to the 1960s. Entrepreneurs debuted the Level 3 Tea Room, La Toque, Bruno's and New Moon Cafe. Beef still reigns at the Rex, Jake's and Bistecca at the Granary. Writer Stella Fong testifies why names like Yegen, McCormick, Schaer and Honaker have persisted throughout Billings' culinary history.

Cover image for Historic Restaurants of Billings, isbn: 9781467117586

Bullock's Department Store

9781467132961

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

Alaska's Tanana Valley Railroads

9780738596679

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In a region desperate for transportation to rich, gold-bearing creeks, the narrow-gauge Tanana Mines Railroad was built over permafrost, bogs, and hills to carry miners and supplies in 1905. Reorganized as the Tanana Valley Railroad, this little line promised the survival of both gold mining and Fairbanks until Fairbanks's economic base broadened. The railroad, built with Klondike Gold Rush earnings, prospered for only a few years and was acquired by the Alaska Railroad. The narrow-gauge survived 25 years, serving as the terminus for the Alaska Railroad and ensuring the development of Interior Alaska.

Idaho Aviation

9781467107563

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Since the dawn of aviation, Idahoans have employed aircraft to carry people, groceries, mail, freight, and livestock over inhospitable terrain. Idaho's airstrips are the stuff of dreams, offering pilots, anglers, hikers, and river-rafters access to deep wilderness less than an hour from the city. Aerial firefighting was born--and is based--in Idaho. Flight instructors in Idaho prepared thousands of pilots to fight in World War II. As the birthplace of United Airlines, with its famed "friendly skies," Idaho is one of the country's most aviation-friendly states. Government officials, private landowners, and volunteers have worked together to create and then preserve an infrastructure of big-city, small-town, and backcountry airstrips that are the envy of pilots worldwide.

Lake Mead

9781467132541

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The drastic contrast between its desert landscape and the deep, blue waters of Lake Mead makes it difficult to envision the park's creation as merely incidental. After the completion of the Hoover Dam, the waters of the Colorado River began to flood the river valley and form one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States. The Bureau of Reclamation soon realized the vast recreational opportunities that Lake Mead would provide. Through a memorandum of agreement, the National Park Service was tasked with managing the first national recreation area, formerly known as the Boulder Dam National Recreation Area.

The Chinese in Nevada

9780738574943

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When the Chinese were asked to help dig irrigation ditches in the 1850s in Genoa and Dayton, Nevada, no one imagined that they would constitute almost nine percent of the state's population by 1880. Although many were attracted by mining prospects, the ability to own land, and work in railroad construction projects, they held a wide variety of jobs, including ranching, sheepherding, logging, medicine, merchandising, and gaming. Their restaurants and laundries could be found throughout the state. The children became acculturated because the state did not require them to attend segregated schools. Federal and state anti-Chinese legislation had a devastating effect upon the population after 1890, but the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943 and other immigration laws brought newcomers who added to the growth of Chinese Americans. The postwar period saw new opportunities opening up that allowed their leaders to be recognized for their contributions to their community and the state.

Carpinteria

9780738547589

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

Arroyo Grande

9780738569444

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

Around Granby

9781467130455

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The area around Granby was developed in the late 1800s and today remains true to the "Spirit of the West." It once was the Utes' summer hunting ground and was shared by fur trappers and mountain men in the winters. Later, prospectors came to Lulu City and mined for gold while loggers and homesteaders built schools and churches, forming the towns of Monarch, Selak, and Coulter. In 1905, the Moffat Railroad created a new town, putting Granby on the map. Dependable railroad access allowed ranches and businesses to thrive. The Victory Highway offered motorcars a route through the Arapaho National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park, bringing tourism to dude ranches, where guests wanted to be cowboys. After World War II, the completion of the massive Colorado-Big Thompson Water Project changed the landscape when Lake Granby buried ranches and the Lindbergh airstrip. Soon, locals discovered "white gold" when skiing and winter sports expanded the four-season, mountain-resort community.

Rim of the World Drive

9780738547701

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

1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet, The

9780738571904

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

1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet, The

Lynwood

9780738588896

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

Depression-Era Murals of the Bay Area

9781467131445

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

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

California Lighthouse Life in the 1920s and 1930s

9780738508832

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

California Lighthouse Life in the 1920s and 1930s

Breweries of the Gold Country

9780738576213

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

Los Angeles's Central Avenue Jazz

9781467131308

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

Missoula

9780738596440

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Situated in a broad valley with three rivers—the Clark Fork, the Blackfoot, and the Bitterroot—is Missoula, the second largest city in Montana. The city is the hub of commercial, governmental, educational, recreational, cultural, and health resources in the western Montana region. Missoula was originally founded in 1860 as Hellgate Village, four miles west of present-day Missoula on the current Mullan Road. The original founders moved to the present site, what is now downtown Missoula on the Clark Fork River, built a mill (1864–1865), and called the site Missoula Mills. This mill, along with the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883, the establishment of the state university in 1893, and the growth of the timber industry, enabled the town to grow on both sides of the Clark Fork River. Through photographs, Images of America: Missoula follows the growth of Missoula into the city it is today, with a population of over 60,000.

Cover image for Missoula, isbn: 9780738596440

Lake Tahoe

9780738589121

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

Oxnard

9780738529301

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Stretching out along the beautiful Pacific shoreline, Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County. The flat plain area lay fallow for nearly a century after the original population, the Chumash Indians, concentrated around the mission of San Buenaventura. The first crops were planted by German and Irish immigrants in 1867, and by 1898, Henry T. Oxnard and his investors saw the potential to build the largest sugar factory in the world. These days, the annual strawberry festival attracts thousands of visitors who come to celebrate the city's deep agricultural roots.

Cover image for Oxnard, isbn: 9780738529301

California's Haunted Central Coast

9781467140935

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Eerie haunts and stories of apparitions stretch along the California coast from Monterey Bay to the Channel Islands. James Dean's presence lingers at the site of his deadly car crash on Highway 46, and a ghost-in-residence presides over the Robert Louis Stevenson house in Monterey. Learn of the ghoulish murders of the Reed family at the San Miguel Mission, the mysterious spirits that haunt the Hearst Castle and the twisted tales of strange occurrences in what was once the Camarillo State Hospital. Join author Evie Ybarra as she explores the unexplained along this infamous coast.

Cover image for California's Haunted Central Coast, isbn: 9781467140935

Around Laughlin

9781467129848

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Laughlin, Nevada, today's most dynamic town on the Lower Colorado River, is a relatively new community. In 1966, when founder Don Laughlin opened his casino, only a dozen or so people resided there. Ten years later, when an election christened the town "Laughlin," there were 82 registered voters. It was only in the 1980s that the town exploded. However, the larger tristate area of which Laughlin is a part--where Nevada, Arizona, and California meet--is a much older, historically important community. It goes back to Native Americans who claim origin at the beginning of time at Spirit Mountain, on Laughlin's border. And it continues through a montage of characters from the Old West--explorers, Indian warriors, soldiers, riverboat captains, miners, cattlemen, dam constructors, and entrepreneurs--leading to the Laughlin of today, a destination gaming site, recreation mecca, and upscale retirement and snowbird community.

Santa Paula

9780738531243

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Santa Paula was built on the foundations of citrus cultivation
and oil production. Ventura County's first irrigated 100-acre
orange and lemon orchard was planted at Santa Paula in 1874, and the original 1888 harvest was so plentiful and delicious that the Limoneira Ranch Company was incorporated in 1893 and continues to thrive. Oil seeps brought wildcatters, and California's first gusher came in at Santa Paula in 1888. The town's twin notorieties through the 20th century were its designation as the "citrus capital of the world" and as the birthplace of the Union Oil Company of California (UNOCAL). Lemons and avocados remain the primary tree crops, the oil fields still produce, and the small-town character of bygone days has been preserved--Santa Paula has the largest concentration of vintage structures in the county.

The Stagecoach in Northern California

9781626192546

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

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

La Verne

9781467104982

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

Arden-Arcade

9781467160018

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

Glacier National Park

9780738580807

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Pres. William Howard Taft signed the bill creating Glacier National Park in 1910, and a wilderness paradise in northwestern Montana was born. This book illustrates the park's evolution, from the Great Northern Railroad days, Native American presence, lodges, chalets, and camps, to majestic scenery and wildlife--all in vintage postcards. The opening of Glacier National Park coincided with the popularity of postcards across the nation, and hence this visual documentation of Glacier's many wonders is thorough and encompassing. With the celebration of its centennial in 2010, Glacier National Park continues to provide us with one of the last best places to visit.

Black Cowboys and Early Cattle Drives

9781467153645

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Dust and Determination

After the Civil War, emancipated slaves who didn’t want to pick cotton or operate an elevator headed west to find work and a new life. Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving drove two thousand longhorns across southern Texas blazing a trail to Bosque Redondo in New Mexico. In 1866, the new Goodnight-Loving Trail was crowded with cattle headed for a government market. By the 1870s, twenty-five percent of the over thirty-five thousand cowboys in the West were black. They were part of trail crews that drove more than twenty-seven million cattle on the Goodnight-Loving Trail, Western Trail, Chisholm Trail and Shawnee Trail. They were paid equally, and their skill and ability brought them earned respect and prestige. Author Nancy Williams recounts their lasting legacy.

Cover image for Black Cowboys and Early Cattle Drives, isbn: 9781467153645

Rancho Guadalasca

9781467151146

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

California and the Civil War

9781625858245

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

Vista

9780738559391

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The vast California land grants of the mid-1800s have long since been divided, yet Vista remains "The Home of the Ranchos." Two imposing adobe ranch houses that served as the earliest centers of northern San Diego County social and business life now stand fully restored as focal points for educational and cultural events. Until 1926, Vista's rich soil and near-perfect climate lacked one critical element: an adequate, reliable water supply. The formation of Vista Irrigation District resulted in the celebrated arrival of an ample supply of water and marked the commencement of an agricultural empire. Vista was soon the avocado capital of the world, with citrus, field, and flower crops flourishing as well. The home-building surge following World War II led to its incorporation as a city in 1963, which enhanced Vista's ongoing reputation as a thriving, family-oriented community that excels today in commercial, recreational, and cultural endeavors.

History Lover's Guide to Denver, A

9781467142120

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Historic Sites Not to Miss!

Founded in an unlikely spot where dry prairies meet formidable mountains, Denver overcame its doubtful beginning to become the largest and most important city within a thousand miles. This tour of the Queen City of the Plains goes beyond travel guidebooks to explore its fascinating historical sites in detail. Tour the grand Victorian home where the unsinkable Molly Brown lived prior to her Titanic voyage. Visit the Brown Palace Hotel suite that President Dwight and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower used as the “Summer White House.” Pay respects at the mountaintop grave of the greatest showman of the nineteenth century, Colonel William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody.

From the jazzy Rossonian lounge where Ella scatted and Basie swung to gleaming twenty-first-century art museums, author Mark A. Barnhouse traces the Mile High City’s story through its historical legacy.

Cover image for History Lover's Guide to Denver, A, isbn: 9781467142120

Wild West History of Frontier Colorado, A

9781609491956

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Jolie Anderson's collection of wild west tales focuses on the early frontier history of Colorado's plains and includes a look at some of the state's early pioneers like the 59ers who promoted the state through travel guides and newspapers, exaggerating tales of gold discovery and even providing inaccurate maps to promote settlement in the plains; the perils of living and traveling the major gold routes the town of Julesburg relocated four times in a decade; feuds; Indian fights; outlaws, and even early rodeo history. These stories and events shaped the Colorado territory and are a rich glimpse into the early history of the state.

Cover image for Wild West History of Frontier Colorado, A, isbn: 9781609491956

Hidden History of Helena, Montana

9781467144018

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Capital City Mystery and History

Distinguished by statesmen and magnates, Helena's history is colored with many other compelling characters and episodes nearly lost to time. Before achieving eminence in Deadwood, Sheriff Seth Bullock oversaw Montana Territory's first two legal hangings. The Seven Mile House was an oasis of vice for the parched, weary travelers entering the valley on the Benton Road, despite a tumultuous succession of ownership. The heritage of the Sieban Ranch and the saga of King Kong Clayton, the Joe Louis of the Mat, faded from public memory.

From unraveling the myths of Chinatown to detailing the lives of red-light businesswomen and the Canyon Ferry flying saucer hoax, revered local historians Ellen Baumler and Jon Axline team up to preserve a compendium of Helena's yesteryear.

Cover image for Hidden History of Helena, Montana, isbn: 9781467144018

Denver's Sixteenth Street

9780738581026

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The beloved thoroughfare at the heart of Denver, Sixteenth Street has always been the Mile-High City's Main Street. Sixteenth Street got its jump start in 1879 when Leadville's Silver King and Colorado's richest man, Horace Austin Warner Tabor, came to town and built the city's first five-story skyscraper at the corner of Sixteenth and Larimer Streets. In coming years, Sixteenth Street became Denver's main retail center as shopkeepers and department store owners constructed ever-more impressive palaces, culminating in the Daniels and Fisher Tower—the city's tallest building for five decades and the symbol of the city. In the second half of the 20th century, Sixteenth Street saw major changes, including the creation of one of the most successful pedestrian malls in the country, an archetype of the power of great urban places and an inspiration to other cities, large and small.

Cover image for Denver's Sixteenth Street, isbn: 9780738581026

Lost Stories of West Coast Latino Boxing

9781467107327

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

Lost Stories of West Coast Latino Boxing

William S. Hart Park

9781467107440

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

San Francisco's Powell Street Cable Cars

9780738530475

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

San Francisco's Powell Street Cable Cars

Location Filming in Los Angeles

9780738581323

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

Bonneville's Women of Land Speed Racing

9781467107136

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At Bonneville, record holders must first earn the right to present themselves on the starting line. This requires passing rigorous safety and technical checks for driver, rider, and speed machine. Gender is inconsequential. Through the years, more than 200 women have made the cut and donned fireproof clothing and helmets. Dozens have set land speed records--35 in excess of 200 miles per hour, six above 300 miles per hour, and one deaf female racer who roared past 500 miles per hour. Equally impressive are the women who helped propel the helmeted gals into glory. Few know how many women are skilled fabricators, mechanics, crew chiefs, and all-round land speed racing experts, all working out on a brutal, merciless, and barren sodium-soaked playa. And for decades dedicated volunteers have not only put down that all-important starting line but erected a speed village that inspired tens of thousands to visit, taunting the timing lights run after run. Since 1949, women have played an integral part. Without question, land speed racing has more women actively participating and setting records than any other segment of motorsports in the world.

North Sacramento

9780738580036

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In 1910, the North Sacramento Land Company purchased 3,339 acres to establish the city of North Sacramento. Three years later, Del Paso and Company set up power and water operations, along with rail transport. A police and fire department and school sealed the deal, and the city incorporated on June 18, 1924. In this idyllic hometown, parents allowed their kids to walk "the Boulevard" unattended, skate at Iceland, and cool off in Woodlake Pool, after they stopped in at Li'l Joe's or Sammy's for a bite or a donut at Hoyt's. The city thrived with characters like Mama Marks, Mayor Olga Roth, and entrepreneur Betty "Boop" Bryan. Pugilist Max Baer sparred in the open-air theater before the screen came down to the sawdust floor for a Tom Mix movie.

San Diego Drag Racing and the Bean Bandits

9781467127103

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

San Diego Drag Racing and the Bean Bandits

Castro Valley

9780738530673

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An officer in the Mexican army bequeathed his name to the crescent-shaped basin once known as Castro's Valley. Driven to ruin by squatters, drought, and gambling debts, he sold a portion of his cattle ranch to Methodist minister Zachariah Hughes, who built a church and school in what is now Crow Canyon. The one-room, redwood school Hughes christened Eden Vale educated about 50 children until a group from the burgeoning town to the south, "Hayward's," stole it by wagon in the dead of night. Undaunted, Castro Valley, delineated from its now friendly neighbors by hills, Lake Chabot, and an independent spirit, built and fully supported its own Redwood School. It has now developed into one of the most populous unincorporated areas in the United States.

Sonoma Valley

9780738529431

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

Cover image for Sonoma Valley, isbn: 9780738529431

Port Costa

9780738546544

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Port Costa may be a quiet place now, but it wasn't always thus. The town was born in 1879, when the Central Pacific Railroad built its southern ferry-transfer slip at the mouth of the Bull Valley. For 50 years, trains, passengers, and cargo were transported across the Carquinez Strait from Benicia. A thriving waterfront community with a wild side reminiscent of San Francisco's Barbary Coast sprang up around the ferry terminal and grew during the California wheat boom of the 1880s and 1890s. During this time, Port Costa became one of the busiest ports on the West Coast. The wheat ships and ferryboats are gone now, but Port Costa remains a popular local tourist destination for people who wish to catch a glimpse of Contra Costa County's historic past.

San Francisco's West Portal Neighborhoods

9780738529974

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

San Francisco's West Portal Neighborhoods

Glendive

9781467115193

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Glendive was founded in the early 1880s, and its growth was promoted and sustained by the Northern Pacific Railroad. Legend holds that Sir George Gore, on a hunting expedition with famed mountain man Jim Bridger, named a creek in the area Glendale Creek after a similar one in his native County Donegal, Ireland. Over the years, the word Glendale somehow transformed into Glendive. Prior to the arrival of European Americans, indigenous peoples, including the Crow and the Lakota Sioux, called the area home. The arrival of the Northern Pacific in 1881, along with the passage of the Enlarged Homestead Act in 1909, lured people from America and abroad to this isolated region to pursue their version of the American dream.

Cover image for Glendive, isbn: 9781467115193

Hidden History of Denver

9781609493509

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When prospectors set up camp on Cherry Creek in 1858, Denver emerged as a lightning rod for the extraordinary. Time has washed away so many unusual stories--from the dark days of nineteenth century Law and Order League lynchings and the KKK's later rise and fall to the heroism of suffragettes and the touching plight of the gypsies. Elizabeth Wallace knocks the dust off these details and introduces readers to characters like world heavyweight boxing champion Charles L. "Sonny" Liston, hit-man turned rodeo promoter Leland Varain, aka "Diamond Jack," and the city's daring wall dogs, whose hand-painted building advertisements are fading reminders of a bygone Denver.

Stone Architecture in Santa Barbara

9780738569680

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

Tales of the Russian River

9781609496265

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

Lost Carson City

9781467138819

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Carson City has the distinction of being one of the least populated state capitals in the nation, but its contributions to Nevada's history are anything but diminutive. Set against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, it's a quintessential Wild West town. The gold and silver riches of the nearby Comstock Lode left a legacy that includes the Carson City Mint, one of only nine mints ever to exist in the United States, and the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, which still snakes through the hills. Residents once flocked to the Carson Opera House to take in a show and to the local racetrack to bet on the horses. Author Peter B. Mires explores the city's legacies, brick by locally quarried sandstone brick.

Wells Fargo

9780738531434

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

Suisun City and Valley

9780738595177

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

Filipinos in Hollywood

9780738555980

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

Victorian Los Angeles

9781626196087

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

A Brief History of Orange, California

9781609492878

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

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

Silver Lake Chronicles

9781609499587

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Situated between Los Feliz and Echo Park a few miles from downtown Los Angeles, Silver Lake thrives as a perennially avant-garde and enchanting enclave. From mansion builders and movie stars to bohemians, visionaries and just plain folk, discover Silver Lake's illustrious past and a fantastic cast of characters sure to enrich contemporary experience and inform the past. Colorful anecdotes about early movie magnates William Selig and Mack Sennett and silent-screen idols Mabel Normand, Antonio Moreno and Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle flesh out these famous figures' lives in new and surprising ways. Other lesser-known but richly deserving stories about the area's pioneer families are shared perhaps for the first time. Authors Michael Locke and Vincent Brook present a rich tapestry of this unique urban oasis whose appeal seems only to grow.

Cover image for Silver Lake Chronicles, isbn: 9781609499587

Russian San Francisco

9780738571676

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

The Missoula Mercantile

9781609494094

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From its log cabin beginnings at a dusty crossroads in Montana Territory, the Missoula Mercantile grew to become the largest department store between Minneapolis and Seattle. Under the guidance of A.B. Hammond and C.H. McLeod and their policy of community involvement and customer satisfaction, the Merc became a household word in Montana, synonymous with square dealing. Join historian Minie Smith as she traces the story of a western institution, remembering everything from the Missoula Mercantile's hardware department, with its creaky wooden floors and drawers of nuts and bolts, to its ladies' apparel department, which offered a taste of the big city with silks, satins and velveteens. From horseshoes to hosieries, the Merc had what customers needed and knew what they wanted.

Lifeguards of San Diego County

9780738555867

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

Sunol

9780738555546

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

Ripon

9780738581668

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

The Coast Guard in San Diego

9780738580142

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

Filipinos in Vallejo

9780738529691

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

On This Day in Wyoming History

9781626192232

$14.99 $11.24 Save 25%

Wyoming might be known as the least populous state, but this land of mountains and prairies is home to enough history to provide an entertaining footnote for each day of the year. On September 6, 1870, Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote, and on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the world's first National Park. JCPenney opened its doors in Kemmerer on April 14, 1902, while May 1, 1883, marks Buffalo Bill Cody's very first Wild West Show. Join Pat Holscher on a day-by-day look at some of the Equality State's most fascinating factoids.

Cover image for On This Day in Wyoming History, isbn: 9781626192232

Murder in Pleasanton

9781467117654

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In April 1984, Foothill High freshman Tina Faelz took a shortcut on her walk home. About an hour later, she was found in a ditch, brutally stabbed to death. The murder shook the quiet East Bay suburb of Pleasanton and left investigators baffled. With no witnesses or leads, the case went cold and remained so for nearly thirty years. In 2011, the investigation finally got a break. Improved forensics recovered DNA from a drop of blood found at the scene matching Tina's classmate, Steven Carlson. Through dusty police files, personal interviews, letters and firsthand accounts, journalist Joshua Suchon revisits his childhood home to uncover the story of a disturbing crime and the controversial sentencing that brought long-awaited answers to a city tormented by questions.

Cover image for Murder in Pleasanton, isbn: 9781467117654

Sacramento's Newton Booth and Poverty Ridge

9781467105293

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

Sacramento's Newton Booth and Poverty Ridge

Garden of the Gods Trading Post

9781467102988

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The story of Garden of the Gods Trading Post is not only a profile of founder Charles Strausenback but also a chronicle of Garden of the Gods, where he spent his life. Strausenback is a thread that runs through much of the park's history. Beginning in 1900, when he was just 10 years old, he carved and sold gypsum figures from a tripod stand near Gateway Rocks. As an adult, he operated various curio stores in and around the park, partnering with Carl Balcomb at Hidden Inn, then with Curt Goerke at Balanced Rock and The Indian trading post. In 1929, Strausenback realized his dream of owning a curio store with the construction of the Trading Post, where he employed Navajo and Pueblo Indians as silversmiths and entertainers. His legacy and the rich history of the trading post remain intact at the southwest edge of the park, now the oldest continuously operated trading post in Colorado.

Cover image for Garden of the Gods Trading Post, isbn: 9781467102988

El Presidio de San Diego

9781467159616

$24.99

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

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

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

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

Historic Marysville City Cemetery

9781467162241

$24.99

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

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

Cover image for Historic Marysville City Cemetery, isbn: 9781467162241

Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort and Ranch

9781467162616

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For several decades, hardworking families took their respective places as stewards of the ranch in Las Vegas, including its most historical asset, the last surviving remnant of the 1855 Mormon fort. The building is now the oldest non-native building in Nevada.

In the middle of June 1855, a small group of Mormon missionaries arrived to a blistering hot, desolate valley. The call to Las Vegas was twofold; the men were to assist their fellow brethren traversing the Mormon Corridor and to establish peaceful relations with the region’s Southern Paiutes. The men organized a waystation inside an impressive adobe fort erected with thousands of bricks made by their own hands. When their two-year assignment ended, possession of the fort was assumed by others who transformed it into a supply station and ranch. Historical societies have long united to properly recognize the fort remnant and bring about meaningful preservation. They saw their work realized with the opening of the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park.

Lisa Leavitt Messenger was introduced to the history of the Old Mormon Fort and Ranch while researching her personal genealogy, both her grandfather and great grandfather spent time on the Old Ranch. Her personal connection nurtured a deep interest in the historical property that has only intensified. She volunteers with affiliated historical societies, namely the Friends of the Fort and the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, which aim to promote the history with the community of Las Vegas.

Cover image for Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort and Ranch, isbn: 9781467162616

Anchorage

9781467162319

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Anchorage depicts the 20th-century development of Alaska’s largest city from its origins as a place for the Dena’ina people to hunt and fish to its status as a railroad camp and then a modern community.

Much of Anchorage’s 20th-century history was shaped by the construction of the Alaska Railroad and then the presence of the nation’s military. The rapidly growing town experienced North America’s largest recorded earthquake in 1964, but residents rebuilt, and the city experienced an oil and construction boom over the following two decades. By the end of the 20th century, Anchorage had trembled and shook, boomed and busted, and had come out on the other side as one of the most diverse and dynamic American cities.

Ian C. Hartman is a board member of the Cook Inlet Historical Society and professor in the Department of History at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Most of the images of this book have been collected from the Anchorage Museum.

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Lost Great Falls

9781467157803

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Gone but not Forgotten in the Electric City

The unrelenting passage of time inevitably brings dramatic physical change. Thus, many of Great Falls’ iconic figures and landmarks persist only in memory. Internationally famous “cowboy artist” Charles M. Russell favored socializing at the Mint and Silver Dollar Saloons. The Ozark Club broke down racial barriers, where African American businessman Leo LaMar presented the hottest jazz acts touring the West. Mark Twain and other luminaries graced the Grand Opera. City-sanctioned brothels littered the infamous 10th Alley South. The Big Stack, once the world’s tallest structure, stood as a testament of industry and progress. Award-winning historian Ken Robison turns back the clock for a nostalgic tour of the city’s lost architectural, social and cultural heritage.

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LGBT Salt Lake

9781467125857

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Salt Lake City, located along Utah's majestic Wasatch Mountains, has historically been a cradle of peculiar people. Before Western culture developed terms for lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) identities, diverse communities who recognized their differences from mainstream America made Salt Lake their home. By the early 1970s, a discernible "gay community" had emerged in Salt Lake City, laying the groundwork for future activism and institutions. In the 1970s, publications like Gayzette, the Salt Lick, and the Open Door documented the nascent movement. In the 1980s, amidst devastation from the HIV/AIDS epidemic, marginalized communities valiantly worked to fight the disease and support each other. By the 1990s, LGBT Utahns had gained traction legally and politically with the formation of the first gay straight alliance at East High School and the election of the first openly gay person to the Utah legislature in 1998. The transgender community became more visible in the new century, and by 2008, Utah began to play a prominent role in the battle over marriage equality.

Heart Mountain Incarceration Site

9781467162166

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

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

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

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Wicked Cripple Creek District

9781467157933

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Malice in a Mining Mecca

Pernicious activity tends to follow prosperity, and the heyday of the Cripple Creek mining district was no exception. Cripple Creek’s first murder spilled out from a saloon in 1892. The 1894 heist at the Victor Hotel took place mere months after opening. Railroad superintendent Richard Newell was gunned down over a construction right of way dispute—a contentious, nationwide issue to this day. By 1893, the area was home to dancehall girls and prostitutes, including the harlot who burned down Cripple Creek in 1896 and the vixen who torched Victor in 1899. From body snatcher “Pretty Jack” McEachern to conman-turned-Roosevelt confidante Ben Daniels, the district played host to a cast of capricious characters. Join author Jan MacKell Collins as she recounts the colorful camps and raucous ruffians that defined the oft-described Wild West.

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Pueblo

9781467161312

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A City of Excellence

Located at the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek, Pueblo, Colorado, began as a trading post but formally incorporated as a city in 1870. An important location in the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859, by the time that Pueblo became an actual town, steel was the most important metal. Early visionaries quickly developed business, heavy industry, and other enterprises that, in turn, attracted diverse communities making the city what it is today.

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Rosie the Riveter in Long Beach

9780738525327

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

Sacramento

9780738580074

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Sacramento boasts a rich history.

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San Francisco Zoo

9780738569161

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The San Francisco Zoo boasts a rich history.

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Bolsa Chica Gun Club, The

9781467150439

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

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Calaveras County

9781467161138

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

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Olives in California's Gold Country

9781467131667

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

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Paradise

9780738546759

$21.99 $18.74 Save 15%

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

Salt Lake City's Historic Architecture

9780738595160

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Settling in an isolated desert valley, Salt Lake City's Mormon pioneers laid out a city grid and constructed permanent structures to create their version of Zion. They brought with them their architects, builders, tools, and experience gained in the Midwest. Within a decade, the fast-growing community had created religious, business, and residential centers with Greek- and Gothic Revival-style structures built of stone and adobe. With the arrival of the railroad, urban architects, and a sizable "gentile" (non-Mormon) population in the 1860s, the city's architecture suddenly diversified in scale, style, and material. By the 1890s, virtually every American style was represented and impressive landmarks were found citywide. This trend continued throughout the early 20th century as talented architects designed in a rich variety of architectural expressions. Although several important buildings are lost, many remain and are now restored. In this book, Salt Lake City's legacy of historic governmental, religious, commercial, industrial, educational, social, and residential architecture--from 1850 through 1930--is pictured and described.

Alviso, San Jose

9780738531403

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

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Vacaville

9780738528847

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

West Sacramento

9780738529455

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West Sacramento, in Yolo County, is just across the river from the state capital that shares part of its name. But it has a very distinct history. First called Washington, the area became an agricultural and industrial center that attracted Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Russian immigrants and helped to feed and supply the growing metropolis of Sacramento and surrounding counties. In 1911, the ambitious West Sacramento Land Company laid down electric rail links to downtown Sacramento and cleared the land for what they hoped would be large-scale developments and population growth. Eventually West Sacramento did grow, and in 1987 the communities of West Sacramento, Broderick, Bryte, and Southport joined together to become one of the newest incorporated cities in the state.

Northwest Denver

9780738589022

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For most of its history, thanks to its geography, Northwest Denver has felt like a world apart from the rest of the city. West of the South Platte River, and with much of its land elevated above the rest of Denver, the northwest side attracted people who wanted to leave behind the dirt and sins of early Denver to improve their physical and moral health. As time went on, successive waves of immigrants endowed the area with their own cultural traditions, many of which continue to thrive. Northwest Denver has also been a pleasure ground, home to the Elitch Gardens, Lakeside, and Manhattan Beach amusement parks, beautiful lakes, and other amenities. Today, Northwest Denver, encompassing such varied neighborhoods as Highlands, West Highlands, Berkeley, Sunnyside, Sloan's Lake, and Jefferson Park, is experiencing renewed popularity as newcomers and longtime Denverites discover its charms.

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Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

9780738569253

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

Presidio of Monterey

9780738528700

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

Santa Clara

9780738528816

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

Idaho Falls

9780738548708

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Taylor's Crossing began as a wooden toll bridge over a narrow spot on the Snake River for travelers along the Old Montana Trail. By 1883, it was known as Eagle Rock, a dusty outpost for railroad workers, bullwhackers, and miners. "We can not claim an orderly town," the newspaper reported. "The reckless firing of firearms at all hours of the day and night is a nuisance that should be stopped." When the railroad pulled out its shops, the town almost died. Following statehood and another name change, Idaho Falls transformed itself into an agricultural center and outfitting point for visitors to Yellowstone Park. In 1949, the Atomic Energy Commission arrived, and the nearby desert became a training ground for the nuclear navy, the test site for a new "inherently safe" boiling-water reactor design and the location of the world's first fatal nuclear accident.

Mexican American Baseball in the Inland Empire

9780738593166

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