Making of America

Through vintage photos, maps, and vignettes, the Making of America history book series explores the rise and development of the cities, towns, landmarks, and events that shaped our country. Learn how the Erie Canal led to Buffalo’s unprecedented growth, and how Lake Martin evolved from a battlefield to a vacation site in Alabama. Dive into Detroit’s motor history, stroll through Flatbush, the heart of Brooklyn, or join the gold boom at Cripple Creek, Colorado. From Pennsylvania Dutch Country to Las Vegas before the glitz and glam, witness the making of America for yourself. [View all Making of America books]
10 products
Plumas County:
Plumas County:
Sunland and Tujunga:
Sunland and Tujunga:
Davis
Davis
Santa Monica
Santa Monica
Cripple Creek District:
Cripple Creek District:
Hawai'i
Hawai'i
Monterey:
Monterey:
Sacramento:
Sacramento:
Moscow:
Moscow:
Chico:
Chico:

Plumas County:

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The expansive national forests, craggy canyons, sparkling waterways, and downy meadows of Plumas County lie along the union of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountain ranges in northeastern California. Native home to the Maidu tribes and settled by Euro-American gold seekers, Plumas County evolved as an industrial fulcrum of the Feather River watershed and is a treasured reminder of the strength of the pioneering spirit.
Plumas County:

Sunland and Tujunga:

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The beautiful village of Sunland began as a quiet agricultural center, while Tujunga, at first a utopian colony, chiefly embraced commercial, social, and cultural endeavors. The two once exquisite spots have prospered and united, evolving into a hub of small business trade, close community, and diversified living. The Tujunga Native Americans originally settled this piece of secluded wilderness alongside Southern California's Angeles National Forest. However, it was not until Spanish settlement and missionization in 1769, and the Mexican occupation soon after, that the Sunland and Tujunga area was transformed from a primitive village to a Mexican cattle frontier, facilitated by the Rancho Tujunga land grant of 1840. As the region grew and changed, the soul of Sunland and Tujunga became personified in the hardiness, innovation, success, and failure of each generation of pioneers.

Chronicling the region's history from the year 500 to modern times, Sunland and Tujunga: From Village to City tells the singular story of the development of these California towns from quiet native home to inconspicuous village to thriving city. Exploring the growth of industry, agriculture, and recreation in Sunland and Tujunga, this volume also depicts the daily life of early inhabitants who built homes, erected churches, set up schools, opened businesses, and worked hard to establish a strong, healthy community for the generations that would follow. Over 100 compelling photographs highlight the awesome beauty of the area, as well as the unyielding spirit of the men and women who shaped Sunland and Tujunga into the communities they are today.

Sunland and Tujunga:

Davis

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Placed on the map by the California Pacific Railroad in 1868, Davis has been radically different things over its thirteen-some decades: wheat-growing village, almond cultivation center, university farm locale, urbanizing town, exploding suburb, progressive community, and university city. Yet throughout these changes Davis remained the same in many ways, among them its efforts to retain a small town character and a vital downtown.
Davis

Santa Monica

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An icon of Southern California and one of America's most imaginative and vibrant cities--the fitting destination at the end of Route 66--Santa Monica lies on the brink of the West and is known throughout the nation for its beaches and its Hollywood A-list locals With a foundation built by the Gabrielino Indians and molded by Spanish and Mexican land grants, railroad battles, and a constant influx of settlers, Santa Monica became an oceanside haven for actors and airplane companies, road races and ranchers.
Santa Monica

Cripple Creek District:

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The Cripple Creek District, on the back of Pikes Peak in central Colorado, first found fame through Bob Womack, the cowboy who publicized his knowledge of gold in the high country and drew thousands to the area. Gold fever allowed the region to flourish, while strikes, fires, and economic hardships threatened the district's survival. The dwindling population's fortitude, plus innovative ideas to boost the economy, carried the city from a struggling gold-miners' paradise to a favored tourist spot.
Cripple Creek District:

Hawai'i

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Hawai'i is filled with traditions, history, and mythology that are sure to engage and interest any reader.

Although its soils are the youngest in the Hawaiian chain, the Big Island's chronicles are at times epic, tragic, and heroic, but always fascinating. Modern Hawai'i is filled with tradition and mythology, accommodating influences as diverse as its inviting landscape. Kamehameha stood tall to mold this nascent region into a unified kingdom and others fought to sustain it, while outside forces molded and shaped this island in astonishing ways.

Hawai'i

Monterey:

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Monterey, California conjures images of a coastal city rimmed by crystal clear waters and bolstered by tourism; yet these edenic views belie the community's often turbulent history, originating with the Native Americans who lived here for a millennium and Hispanic exploration and colonization. At each stage in the growth of this city, residents have successfully overcome the division of multiple rule, diverse nationalities, and fledgling identities to fashion a homeland in the western landscape of America that is deservingly proud of its character and history.
Monterey:

Sacramento:

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Born of a country's collective desire for riches, Sacramento was resolute in its survival while other Gold Rush towns faded into history. It battled catastrophic fires, floods, and epidemics to become the original western hub and laid claim to the capital of a state that would one day have the world's fifth largest economy. The community's flourishing growth is not just a product of its economic viability, but a direct result of the cultural vibrance and fortitude of a diverse populace that remains the backbone of our country's most dynamic state.
Sacramento:

Moscow:

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Centered in the glorious Palouse, a richly fertile area, the small Idaho town of Moscow was once home to the Nez Perce, who introduced the famous spotted Appaloosa horses. The intimate Moscow feel inspired by current residents has persisted since the original homesteaders settled here, a place they called "Paradise Valley." Resisting the anonymity of many rural agricultural towns, Moscow proudly claims an educational, civic, commercial, and cultural reputation far beyond a town of its size, a monument to the people who elevated the community.
Moscow:

Chico:

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In what has emerged as one of the most desirable places to live at the turn of this new century, the journey of Chico since its inception is one of growth as well as remembrance. A rich cultural heritage is as responsible for development of this diverse community as its fertile soils were in creating an economic stronghold. From the traditions and teachings of the Mechoopda Indians to its present day reputation as an educational bastion, Chico serves as a backbone of the budding Central Valley.
Chico: