Name: Logging and Lumbering in Maine
Brand: Donald A. Wilson
SKU: 9780738505213
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Logging and Lumbering in Maine

9780738505213

$24.99

Go inside the people, places, forests and machines that made Maine the logging and lumber giant it is today.

Known as the Pine Tree State, Maine once led the world in lumber production. It was the first great lumber-producing region, with Bangor at its center. Today, the state has nearly 18 million acres of timberland, and forest products still make up a major industry. The state's lumber industry went through several historical periods, beginning with the vast pine and spruce harvests, the organization of major corporate interests, the change from sawlogs to pulpwood, and then to sustained yields, intensive management, and mechanized harvesting.

At the beginning, much of the region was inaccessible except by water, so harvesting activities were concentrated on the coast and along the principal rivers. Gradually, as the railroads expanded and roads were constructed into the woods, operations expanded with them and the river systems became vitally important for the transportation of timber out of the woods to the markets downstate. Logging and Lumbering in Maine traces these developments in the industry and examines the history from its earliest roots in 1630 to the present, providing a pictorial record of land use and activity in Maine.

Hoover Dam

9780738596099

$24.99

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

Southern Arizona Mining

9781467109758

$23.99

The mines that were founded in the last half of the 19th century brought an international spotlight to Southern Arizona. Silver, placer gold, and the rich mineral wealth first drew adventurous prospectors, but soon came the settlers and major investors who built the mines that fed the world demand for copper. Arizona mines became unique test beds for new technology after the turn of the 20th century, as mining companies sought more economical and productive ways to extract precious metals. Some mining towns in Southern Arizona came and went, leaving no trail other than historic photographs. A few left scattered dilapidated buildings that remain today as ghost towns. Others grew into communities with stable populations and amenities like opera houses and theaters that joined the stores and saloons as they prospered.

New York City Firefighting

9780738509884

$24.99

The story of firefighting in New York City is one of danger, tradition, pride, excitement, and tragedy. It is also the story of man's triumph over destructive forces.

From the gaslight days of horse-drawn steam engines to the World Trade Center tragedy of 2001, the heroic men and women who make up the city's most dynamic public service have risked and often lost their lives in order to protect and serve the people of New York City.New York City Firefighting: 1901-2001 chronicles the proudest fire department in America. The proximity of buildings in the city streets and the construction materials made each fire especially dangerous, but determined firefighters never hesitated to battle the flames and rescue the victims. Later, facing unprecedented heights and unparalleled danger, firefighters in New York City were called upon to battle infernos in the first skyscrapers, often using the most rudimentary equipment and barely protected from the flames. In its most trying moments, the Fire Department of New York responded to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 1993 and 2001, dutifully rushing into the towers to save as many lives as possible and ultimately losing hundreds of their own.

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Steel

9780738503554

$21.99

Steel portrays the growth of the iron and steel industry in smoke-filled Pittsburgh during America's industrial age.

Pittsburgh's story is the fast-paced saga of millionaire barons Andrew Carnegie, Ben Franklin Jones, Henry Clay Frick, Henry Phipps, and Charles Schwab. These strong-willed leaders of industry often plotted and schemed against one another yet united against their underpaid and undervalued pro-union immigrant workforce. Author Dale Richard Perelman recounts this struggle of bloody battles throughout Western Pennsylvania's plants, mines, and railroad yards. Pittsburgh's story is not just about the men whose names we remember, but the countless men who gave their blood and sweat to build the city we know today.

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New York Fire Patrol

9780738538747

$24.99

Operated by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters, the New York Fire Patrol was organized in 1839 to patrol lower Manhattan. Their job was twofold: to discover fires and to prevent losses to insured properties. The New York Fire Patrol evolved, and in 1867, a state charter was granted to legally extinguish fires and conduct salvage operations throughout New York City. The New York Fire Patrol is the oldest paid fire service in the United States, and it also remains the last insurance-funded fire salvage corps in the country. Today, the fire patrol continues to serve the city of New York, responding to over 10,000 alarms each year alongside the Fire Department of New York.

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NASA Kennedy Space Center

9781467115384

$24.99

From Bumper V-2 rocket launches in 1950 to the launch of the Orion spacecraft atop a Delta IV rocket in 2014, NASA's Kennedy Space Center has served as the nation's portal to outer space for over 60 years. Images of Modern America: NASA Kennedy Space Center provides a fascinating look at the evolution of spacecraft technology and vintage images of Florida's scenic Merritt Island, known as the Space Coast. This photographic history of the nation's premier spaceport looks back at the United States' glorious past in space exploration and ahead to its future.

Cover image for NASA Kennedy Space Center, isbn: 9781467115384

USS New Mexico BB-40

9781467127721

$24.99

USS New Mexico (BB-40) was commissioned into the fleet near the end of World War I, and the battleship's name was a great honor bestowed upon a state that was but five years old. Because of her superlative performance, New Mexico came to be known as the "Queen of the Seas." During World War II, she was one of the fiercest fighting ships in the Pacific theater, earning six battle stars. This book describes how battleships evolved over the years, how New Mexico was constructed and later modernized, and how she proudly displayed the American flag across two oceans. At the same time, it offers a rare glimpse into her inner workings, shipboard life, and her role in taking the fight to the enemy after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The sailing list for USS New Mexico (BB-40) reflects the highest credit upon her officers and crew. These men signed their names to naval history and will long be remembered for their incredible service to the Navy and the nation.

Florida's Space Coast

9780738566245

$24.99

Florida's Space Coast and its explosion into the 20th century thrust these beach towns into the modern age and paved the way for America's space exploration.

Florida's Space Coast is an area that got its name from one of the most exciting times in United States history. Settlers were living in Brevard County as far back as the 1800s, and even after World War II, it was still a quiet place to live. Cities and beach towns along 74 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline were thrust into the modern age in the early 1950s, when rockets began lighting up the skies above them. The space race had begun, the nation would set a path to put men on the moon, and Florida would become the backdrop for this thrilling chapter of American history. The area's population surged with over 200,000 new residents, and things would never be the same. It was a time when people risked their lives for space exploration, and a community came together to make it happen.

White Mountain National Forest and Great North Woods

9780738574509

$24.99

The White Mountain National Forest and Great North Woods have been described as nature's mammoth museum. This is a land of many lakes and rivers, mountains and waterfalls, and pristine natural splendor, abundant with historic charm. The White Mountain National Forest was established by presidential proclamation in 1918. It owes its existence to the passage of the Weeks Act of 1911, which enabled the federal government to purchase land and establish a national forest in New Hampshire's White Mountains. It is one of the most visited natural sites in the country, and tourists from all over the world make seasonal visits to this recreational haven. This book takes the reader on a historical journey through the national forest, including the majesty and grandeur of the Presidential Range, Great Gulf Wilderness, Pemigewasset Wilderness, and Sandwich Range Wilderness, as well as Franconia Notch, Pinkham Notch, Crawford Notch, and Great North Woods.

Cover image for White Mountain National Forest and Great North Woods, isbn: 9780738574509

Bridges of the Oregon Coast

9780738548609

$24.99

In the 1920s and 1930s, Oregon's legendary bridge engineer Conde B. McCullough designed a first-rate collection of aesthetic bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway to enhance an already dramatic and beautiful landscape. The six largest of these, at Gold Beach, Newport, Waldport, Florence, Reedsport, and Coos Bay, eliminated the last ferries on the Oregon Coast Highway between the Columbia River and California. McCullough planned to build one bridge each year after completion of the Rogue River Bridge at Gold Beach in 1932, but the tightening grip of the Depression threatened his plans. In 1933, McCullough and his staff worked day and night to finish plans for the remaining five bridges, and in early 1934, the Public Works Administration funded simultaneous construction of them. The combined projects provided approximately 630 jobs, but at least six workers perished during construction. After the bridges were complete, Oregon coast tourism increased by a dramatic 72 percent in the first year.

Logging in Grays Harbor

9781467131896

$24.99

Grays Harbor reigned supreme as the Logging Capital of the World for 150 years. Homesteaders became loggers and hired local Indians, who had logged the area's massive trees since ancient times. Sailors, too, were hired to rig spar trees. They fearlessly plied lumber schooners across destructive waters and carried timber products to the East Coast, South America, and other foreign ports. Over time, power saws replaced crosscut saws, and logging methods evolved. Today, loggers in Grays Harbor have begun a new phase of producing timber products that is built on a heritage of strong families, good citizens, and hard work.

Cover image for Logging in Grays Harbor, isbn: 9781467131896

Death in the Mines

9781596292116

$21.99

Through original journal and newspaper accounts, J. Stuart Richards's Death in the Mines revisits Pennsylvania's most notorious mining accidents and rescue attempts from 1869 to 1943.

Since 1870, mining disasters have claimed the lives of over 30,000 men and boys who toiled underground in the anthracite mines of Pennsylvania. Sometimes they survived; many times they did not. The constant threat of fire, explosion, collapsed rock and deadly gas brought miners face to face with death on a daily basis. Through original journal and newspaper accounts, J. Stuart Richards's Death in the Mines revisits Pennsylvania's most notorious mining accidents and rescue attempts from 1869 to 1943. From the fire at Avondale Colliery that resulted in the first law for regulation and inspection of mines, to the gas explosion at Lytle Mine in Primrose that killed fourteen men, Richards reveals multiple facets of Pennsylvania's most perilous profession. Richards, whose family has worked in the mines since 1870, offers a startling yet sensitive tribute to an industry and occupation that is often overlooked and underappreciated

Cincinnati Fire History

9780738561127

$24.99

The Cincinnati Fire Department's journey to distinction as the nation's first professional fire department began in the early 1800s, soon after Losantiville (later renamed Cincinnati) was founded. The department grew steadily from bucket brigade to volunteer corps; in 1853, an ordinance passed by Cincinnati City Council established the nation's first organized, paid fire department. Cincinnati provided the pattern for fire departments across the United States for the next 50 years and was the first to use successful horse-drawn steam engines to fight fires. The city of Cincinnati was home to the Ahrens-Fox manufacturing company, one of the most famous names in firefighting apparatus in the 1900s, placing the department on the cutting edge. Today the Cincinnati Fire Department continues its tradition as one of the premier urban firefighting systems. For more than 150 years, members have served their city and beyond.

The Tennessee Copper Company

9781467107648

$23.99

In 1899, the Tennessee Copper Company lifted its first shovelful of red clay dirt from what would become the new Burra Burra Mine shaft overlooking the tiny East Tennessee village of Ducktown. At its peak, the company would employ more than 3,000 workers, drawing from small towns and communities in three states, and would become the largest US mining company east of the Rocky Mountains and south of Lake Superior. It would also become the home of the largest sulfuric acid plant in the world. Generations followed generations not only into the mines but also into the skilled trades and other occupations that made up the greater part of the company's workforce. In 1963, its parent company, Tennessee Corporation, was merged with the far larger Cities Service Company, which retained much of the company's original workforce but discontinued use of the Tennessee Copper Company name on January 1, 1970.

Ornamental Ironwork of Charleston

9781596293670

$14.99

Hidden initials, lotuses and lyres. These motifs--and many more--can be found in the ironwork gates, balconies and fences that grace the city of Charleston.
Charleston writer and photographer William P. Baldwin presents the city's ironwork creations with an artist's attention to detail, pointing out the oldest balcony on Broad
Street, the blossom and peacock scrolls of city hall and many more hidden treasures waiting to be found on a casual
stroll through the streets of the city.

Fire Lookouts of Oregon

9781467134866

$24.99

The first lookouts were rustic camps on mountaintops, where men and women were stationed to keep an eye out for wildfires. As the importance of fire prevention grew, a lookout construction boom resulted in hundreds of cabins and towers being built on Oregon's high points. When aircraft and cameras became more cost-effective and efficient methods of fire detection, many old lookouts were abandoned or removed. Of the many hundreds of lookouts built in Oregon over the past 100 years, less than 175 remain, and only about half of these are still manned. However, some lookouts are being repurposed as rental cabins, and volunteers are constantly working to save endangered lookouts. This book tells the story of Oregon's fire lookouts, from their heyday to their decline, and of the effort to save the ones that are left.

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Mining Disasters of the Wyoming Valley

9781467115261

$24.99

Ten-year-old Willie Hatton was excited to visit his father at the Avondale Mine on the morning of September 6, 1869. Sadly, Willie would die in his father's arms that day, and so would 108 other miners, all victims of a horrific fire that tore through the shaft, trapping the men and boys and blocking the only exit. The communities of the Wyoming Valley know firsthand the human cost of the anthracite industry. From a cave-in at Twin Shaft to an explosion at the Baltimore Tunnel to the Susquehanna River crashing through the roof at Knox, thousands of miners left for work in the morning never to return. Sadly, few of the tragedies could be called accidents. Profits took precedence over safety, leaving workers to pay the price for negligence, corruption, and greed.

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Route 128 and the Birth of the Age of High Tech

9780738510767

$24.99

From the invention of ether and the telephone in the nineteenth century to the birth of radar and the computer in the twentieth century, Greater Boston has been a hotbed for creating and nurturing new ideas. In the early years of the century, the ground was being sown for a new economy to supplant the slowly declining shoe and textile manufacturing industries that had long dominated the region. After World War II, Route 128, dubbed by critics "the road to nowhere," became the locus of this high-tech development. Although originally intended to ease gridlock and provide an avenue to recreational opportunities, by the late 1950s, Route 128 was dotted with industrial parks and new subdivisions. It was soon known as the Golden Crescent, in recognition of the prosperity it brought to the whole region.

Route 128 and the Birth of the Age of High Tech tells the intertwining stories of the construction of the nation's first circumferential beltway and the burgeoning high-tech industries of Massachusetts, which helped spawn the modern age of personal computers, the Internet, and biotechnology.

Connecticut Valley Tobacco

9781467136136

$21.99

Cigar tobacco runs in the blood of Connecticut River Valley farmers. Delve into the surprising history of the region's most iconic crop, all the way back to early Native American uses and the boom of the Civil War. Though fashionable in the 1950s, the popularity of cigars declined a decade later, nearly destroying the region's tobacco industry. A resurgence in the 1990s brought new life to the crop, and the reopening of Cuba in 2015 added a new chapter for cigar tobacco. Brianna Dunlap, director of the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum, provides a guide to important tobacco landmarks from East Haddam to Brattleboro, featuring stunning photography from Leonard Hellerman. It is the story of the people—the farmers and field hands—who made tobacco the soul of the valley.

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An Environmental History of the Willamette Valley

9781467141468

$24.99

Western Oregon's Willamette Basin, once a vast wilderness, became a thriving community almost overnight. When Oregon territory was opened for homesteading in the early 1800s, most of the intrepid pioneers settled in the valley, spurring rapid changes in the landscape. Heralded as fertile with a mild climate and an abundance of natural resources, the valley enticed farmers, miners and loggers, who were quickly followed by the construction of rail lines and roads. Dams were built to harness the once free-flowing Willamette River and provide power to the growing population. As cities rose, people like Portland architect Edward Bennett and conservationist governor Tom McCall worked to contain urban sprawl. Authors Elizabeth and William Orr bring to life the changes that sculpted Oregon's beloved Willamette Valley.

An Environmental History of the Willamette Valley

CAL FIRE

9781467116527

$24.99

Since the establishment of the California State Board of Forestry in 1885, the mission of the California Division of Forestry has been to protect and preserve natural resources via a focus on resource management and protection of valuable watersheds. From the beginning, pioneers within the communities of San Bernardino County were actively involved in protecting their homes from the ravages of wildfire. In August 1930, San Bernardino County entered into a contract with the state to provide fire suppression and prevention on nonfederal lands within the county. The cooperative services agreement evolved to provide municipal fire protection services from both paid and volunteer staff. In addition to responsibilities within San Bernardino County, in the late 1980s the State Responsibility Area land within Inyo and Mono forestry units were consolidated under the San Bernardino, California Department of Forestry, Ranger Unit.

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New Jersey Forest Fire Service

9780738544991

$24.99

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service was established by the state legislature in 1906. During the past century, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has evolved from a system of township firewardens who relied on horses, wagons, shovels, and pine boughs to a team of highly trained and experienced firefighters supported by a modern fleet of vehicles, aircraft, and state-of-the-art technology to assist in the annual battle against wildfires. Each year, New Jersey experiences over 1,600 wildfires that can range in size from less than one acre to more than several thousand acres. Since 1906, forest firewardens and firefighters have battled these wildfires and utilized fire as a public safety tool to protect lives, property, and New Jersey's natural resources.

Vermont Covered Bridges

9780738535982

$24.99

When we think of covered bridges, we think of Vermont. Today, the state still boasts a hundred covered bridges, and records tell of hundreds more such historical structures no longer in existence. Vermont Covered Bridges offers views of the most interesting and beautiful of these bygone covered bridges, as well as old photographs of existing structures. The images are drawn from the archives of the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges (NSPCB), including the incomparable Richard Sanders Allen Collection and the work of noted photographers Henry A. Gibson, Raymond Brainerd, and others. Royalties from the sales of this book will benefit the NSPCB.

Pottsville Firefighting

9780738536163

$24.99

In 1829, the Humane Hose Company and the Schuylkill Hydraulians Engine Company organized in the booming town of Pottsville, a mining center in Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region. Fire protection was urgently needed for this growing community. New fire companies such as the Good Intent, the Rough and Ready, and the Good Will formed, as well as junior fire companies, including the Rangers and the Young America. In a patriotic response to President Lincoln's call to arms, two Pottsville fire companies disbanded, committing themselves to the Union; they became members of the legendary "First Defenders" of the Civil War. The twentieth century brought new challenges of motorization, dieselization, and ever-stricter training standards. Pottsville Firefighting celebrates one hundred seventy-five years of firefighting in Pottsville.

Oregon's Covered Bridges

9780738558189

$24.99

Rugged individuals armed with hand tools, sweat, and ambition began building covered bridges in Oregon during the mid-1850s. These bridge builders often camped out at remote sites, living off the land or contracting with local farmers for food. Early owners of covered bridges financed construction by charging tolls--3¢ for a sheep, 5¢ for a horse and rider, and 10¢ for a team of horses and wagon. In the early 20th century, the state provided standard bridge and truss designs to each county, and most of the resulting structures incorporated the Howe truss. With the abundance of Douglas fir and the shortage of steel during the world wars, the construction of wooden covered bridges continued well into the 1950s, mainly in the Willamette Valley. During the 1920s, Oregon boasted more than 350 covered bridges.

Cover image for Oregon's Covered Bridges, isbn: 9780738558189

Pittsburgh's Bridges

9781467134248

$24.99

Pittsburgh's Bridges takes a comprehensive look at the design, construction, and, sometimes, demolition of the bridges that shaped Pittsburgh, ranging from the covered bridges of yesterday to those that define the skyline today.

Pittsburgh is the City of Bridges, and what remarkable bridges they are! The area's challenging topography of deep ravines and mighty rivers - the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio - set the stage for engineers, architects, and contractors to conquer the terrain with a variety of distinctive spans. Many were designed to be beautiful as well as functional. While other cities may have one signature bridge, Pittsburgh has such a wide variety that no single bridge can represent it.

The Bay Bridge

9780738529707

$24.99

The Bay Bridge combines suspension, cantilever, tunnel, and truss constructions in an astonishing 8.4-mile-long structure. Envisioned first in 1872 by the legendary Emperor Norton, the project finally coalesced in the 1920s, although initial studies concluded that the bridge could not be built due to the bay's deep muddy waters and the area's strong earthquakes. President Herbert Hoover, who was also an engineer, took up the cause, and the $80.8-million project began in 1933. It would replace an extensive set of ferries and forever alter the landscape and commerce of the Bay Area. Over the next three years and four months, the underwater and above-water construction continued day and night, with 152,000 tons of steel, a million cubic yards of concrete, more than 70,000 miles of cable strands, and 200,000 gallons of paint. Roughly 6,500 workers built this amazing bridge, and 12 lost their lives in the process.

Anthracite Roots

9781596290501

$19.99

The lives of coal miners in the United States, like the black rock they cut from the earth, are wrought by the forces of time and pressure. Risking crippling injury and death, generations of miners have tunneled down from the surface and emerged at the end of each exhausting day with the fuel needed to drive the nation's industry. Their sacrifices are great, their glories unheralded.

With this stirring account, author and former coal miner Joseph W. Leonard III provides a means for understanding and fully appreciating the crucial work these brave men have done throughout the years. The mining tradition in Leonard's family spans five generations in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, home to some of our country's richest deposits of anthracite coal. His family's stories illustrate with touching candor the plight of many thousands of Coal Belt families who stood proud through years of watching their sons, fathers, and husbands descend down the shafts into darkness.

Leonard recalls with stunning detail the unforgiving conditions--cave-ins, explosions, and choking dust--that he and his forebears endured in the mines. Also captured are poignant tales of the kindness and compassion that permeated mining communities in the face of so much hardship. The intense struggles and quiet successes in Anthracite Roots are a testament to the unsung heroes of America's coal mines and the work they have done to power a nation.

Schuylkill County Firefighting

9780738573076

$24.99

From the inception of the Friendship Hose Company No. 1 of Orwigsburg in 1820 to the organization of the West Penn Fire Company No. 1 in 1999, more than 130 volunteer fire companies have served Schuylkill County. This proud tradition of volunteer service for the protection of fellow man continues strong to this day as scores of volunteer firefighters continue to serve their communities. Using the archives of the Schuylkill County Historical Society, Schuylkill Historical Fire Society, and many fire companies and individuals, Schuylkill County Firefighting captures in its images the daunting challenges faced by generations of Schuylkill firefighters. Block-burning conflagrations, deadly explosions, and traumatic rescues reveal the heroic battles faced over the years by these dedicated public servants.

Cover image for Schuylkill County Firefighting, isbn: 9780738573076

San Francisco Fire Department

9780738520841

$24.99

In San Francisco, history is as close as the sound of the fire engines and trucks racing by, sirens wailing. The San Francisco Fire Department took shape, as did the city, from the ashes and embers of the Great Fire of 1906. In the tumultuous seaport full of those seeking California's newly found gold, volunteer fire companies had to adapt to a teeming city full of canvas tents, wood shacks, kerosene lanterns, ocean breezes, and hilly winding streets. From a force that initially pulled hand-operated pumps and competed to be the first at a fire, traveling in horse-drawn equipment, the department has grown from a volunteer contingent of a few hundred to a company 1,800 strong and equipped to protect a city of 49 square miles, surrounded on three sides by salt water. The historic photographs of this volume document the establishment of the volunteer department on Christmas Eve 1849 and the inception of the paid force in 1866, as well as such colorful characters as Lily Hitchcock Coit, a belle who battled many a blaze with the volunteers and a portion of whose estate went to build the 210-foot Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. Striking images, many never before published, illustrate how the fire department was affected not only by the well-known inferno of 1906 but by the six blazes that leveled the waterfront in the 1850s and a number of other fires throughout the city's history.

Cover image for San Francisco Fire Department, isbn: 9780738520841

The Great Chicago Fire

9781467125666

$29.99

After an extremely hot and dry summer, Chicago got a spark that grew into something unimiginable and unforgettable on Oct. 8, 1871.

On Oct. 8, 1871, what became known as "the Great Chicago Fire" was a massive firestorm that moved faster than most men could run, fueled by southwest winds of at least 30 miles per hour. The heat was so intense it melted stone and brick buildings in minutes and turned sand on the lakeshore into glass. A total of 18,000 buildings were destroyed. About 100,000 were left homeless, and over 300 lost their lives. The very same day, and nearly the same hour, both the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and Peshtigo, Wisconsin, suffered similar firestorms. Peshtigo's was even worse, creating an event that came to be known as "the Peshtigo Paradigm." Many people believe the three fires forming a huge triangle of destruction were related as one with cosmic causes, and it remains a mystery to this day. Authors and native Chicagoans John Boda and Ray Johnson take you inside this historic happening.

Montana's Waldron Creek Fire

9781467119269

$21.99

On August 25, 1931, five men died fighting the devastating Waldron Creek Fire west of Choteau, Montana. Lacking training and preparation, Herbert Novotny, Frank Williamson, Hjalmer G. Gunnarson, Ted Bierchen and Charles Allen dashed into the flames and never stood a chance. The Teton County coroner added insult to injury, noting that each had no one to blame but himself. Three men were buried in unmarked graves. Records show that the body of the fifth was returned to his family, but no burial site is known. Only one has a headstone. National Smokejumper Association chief historian Dr. Charles Palmer shines a light on this important story, finally honoring the heroic sacrifice that led to critical changes in wildland firefighting.

Cover image for Montana's Waldron Creek Fire, isbn: 9781467119269

Conowingo Dam

9781467126175

$24.99

The remarkable story of the people who built the Conowingo Dam brick by brick and bill by bill, and the impact that goes on today.

Second in size only to the massive hydroelectric works at Niagara Falls, the Conowingo Dam across the Susquehanna River was celebrated as a miraculous feat of modern engineering when it opened in 1928. The dam was built with astonishing speed and efficiency and completed on budget and ahead of schedule, and its generators came on line at the very crescendo of the Roaring Twenties, when the race toward electrification was changing American life. The hydro dams of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Bonneville and Grand Coulee Dams in the Pacific Northwest, and the great colossus of Hoover Dam were all constructed in the next two decades, but handsome, indomitable Conowingo Dam preceded them all and remains in effective operation to this very day.

Cover image for Conowingo Dam, isbn: 9781467126175

Melbourne's Logging Era

9780738587318

$24.99

Melbourne was a quiet coastal town of 157 people on Florida's Indian River lagoon. Farming, ranching, fishing, and related trades supported the local economy. Melbourne entered the industrial age in 1912, when the Union Cypress Company began manufacturing lumber from the private cypress and pine holdings of George W. Hopkins at Deer Park. This timber had a 1911 market value of over $2 million. Good employment and a local source of lumber brought development, and the company-owned mill town of Hopkins was eventually annexed by Melbourne. The company provided Melbourne's first electricity and out-patient hospital. The Union Cypress Railway provided the first direct route to Florida's interior across the "impenetrable" St. Johns River and marsh, saving over 100 miles and countless hours of back-road travel via Enterprise, which was 80 miles to the north. It opened the vast St. Johns prairie lands for settlement and carried much of the regional commerce.

Alabama Gold

9781467135986

$21.99

Gold rushes in Cleburne and Tallapoosa Counties attracted thousands of miners years before California's famous strike. In 1936, production at the Hog Mountain mine caused Alabama to be recognized as the top producer in the Appalachian states. In Hog Mountain's heyday, a local German settler discovered the precious metal while digging a wine cellar. In Log Pit, unscrupulous speculators shot ore into rock crevices and salted nuggets on land to enhance its sale value. A Cleburne County miner cleaned over eleven pounds of gold and was killed in a free fight all in one day. Join author Peggy Jackson Walls as she traces a century of gold mining in Alabama.

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Lexington Firefighting

9781467107273

$23.99

In 1790, when the pioneer settlement of Lexington, Kentucky, was still concerned with hostile attacks by Native Americans, the Lexington Fire Company was formed by volunteers to protect against fires.

The company was the first fire department west of the Allegheny Mountains. The first horseless fire engines were purchased in 1911, while the last horse-drawn hose wagon was retired in 1926. During 1949, under Chief Earl R. McDaniel’s direction, the city began allocating the funds to create a first-class fire department with modern equipment. In 1974, the county fire department was consolidated into the Lexington Fire Department under the merged government. Today, the department operates 24 firehouses, with over 500 sworn firefighters.

William M. Ambrose is a local historian and former chairman of the Lexington History Museum. Foster Ockerman Jr., a Lexington attorney, serves as chief historian at the Lexington History Museum. Authors’ proceeds from this volume will benefit the Firefighter’s Toy Program of the Lexington Fraternal Order of Firefighters.

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Forgotten Fires of Chicago

9781626197473

$21.99

Chicago's war against cinder, flame and smoke did not end with the Great Fire of 1871. That conflagration was only one engagement in a ceaseless and often unrecognized conflict, fought in the most unlikely places. In 1909, fire ripped through the dynamite room of a staging facility one and a half miles off the Lake Michigan shoreline, transforming the pipe-laying operation into a raging inferno. During the World's Columbian Exposition, thousands of fairgoers watched in horror as twelve firefighters were trapped in a blazing ice warehouse. An operagoer left a smoking bomb under his seat at the Auditorium Theater in 1917, and the newly invented smoke ejector arrived too late to save firemen and laborers cut off in a sewer in 1931. Join John Hogan and Alex Burkholder for the history of these forgotten fires and the heroes who fight them.

Cover image for Forgotten Fires of Chicago, isbn: 9781626197473

New Hampshire Covered Bridges

9780738510521

$24.99

New Hampshire once had nearly four hundred covered bridges, most of which unfortunately are no longer in existence. Some of them were railroad bridges and, although often viewed as charming relics of the past, all of these bridges were actually vital links in New Hampshire's transportation system. Covered bridges were used to cross most of New Hampshire's large rivers, including the Connecticut, Merrimack, Mascoma, Contoocook, Pemigewasset, and Ashuelot.

New Hampshire Covered Bridges is a photographic study of the state's enclosed wooden spans that date from as far back as 1827. The book contains rare photographs of historic bridges that no longer exist, as well as pictures of many that still stand today. The images are accompanied by detailed information about the design and construction of covered bridges and the men who built them. Each bridge has its own life story. Some have defied floods and hurricanes and still stand; others have fallen victim to nature or arson or the demands of modern transportation.

Cover image for New Hampshire Covered Bridges, isbn: 9780738510521

Inyo National Forest

9780738593050

$24.99

The great eastern front of California's Sierra Nevada and the parallel, similarly high White and Inyo Mountains; these are the lands of "the Inyo," one of the most spectacular and popular national forests in America. Established at the dawn of the 20th century to secure more water for Los Angeles, the forest now spans 165 miles and two million acres. From the Kern Plateau south of Mount Whitney to the peaks above Yosemite, plus Mono Lake, the mountains, lake basins, and canyons here have become some of America's favorite places for fishing, hiking, climbing, and skiing. The Inyo National Forest is also America's
refuge for Sierra bighorn, golden trout, and bristlecone pines, the world's oldest living trees.

Maple Sugaring in New Hampshire

9780738536866

$24.99

Maple Sugaring in New Hampshire is a photographic history depicting the process, equipment, structures, and social aspects of maple sugaring from the 1700s to the present day. Maple products are made almost exclusively in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, where sugar maples thrive and the climate is conducive to good sap runs. Native Americans used sap, or sweet water, for drinking and cooking, and they used maple sugar for bartering. Early settlers consumed large quantities of the sugar when other food was scarce and traded their surplus as a means of economic survival.

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Central Georgia Textile Mills

9781467124256

$24.99

From Macon to Hawkinsville, the history of Georgia's once thriving textile mills is documented in this visual history.

Cotton was once king throughout Georgia. Reconstruction investors and railroad tycoons saw this potential to open textile mills in the South instead of sending cotton up North. Towns across Central Georgia became a prime spot to locate textile mills because of the access to cotton from local farms, cheap labor, and nearby rivers to power the mills. Textile mills were operated in cities and towns across Central Georgia such as Macon, Columbus, Augusta, Tifton, Forsyth, Porterdale, and Hawkinsville, among others. The textile mills provided employment and sometimes a home in their villages to people across Georgia as the agrarian lifestyle gave way to industrial expansion. In these mills, photographer Lewis Hine captured iconic images of child labor. After the decline of production and closing of the mills, many have been revived into new usages that honor the legacy of the mill workers and their families who lived in the villages of the textile mills across Central Georgia.

Cover image for Central Georgia Textile Mills, isbn: 9781467124256

Road to Rust

9781467138543

$21.99

As the twentieth century dawned on western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, the region's steel industry faced a struggle for unionism. Strong managers like Judge Elbert Gary and Tom Girdler opposed every move forward.

Regardless, unionists like Philip Murray, John L. Lewis, Samuel Gompers and Gus Hall battled for fair wages, hours and working conditions. Tensions from issues of immigration, class, skill and race erupted throughout the industry. The tribulations led to widespread steel strikes directed by the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee. Author Dale Richard Perelman charts the struggle and decline of the nation's most prominent regional steel industry.

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Reading Firefighting

9780738555324

$24.99

From its inception in Colonial times to the modern challenges of today, the Reading Fire Department has battled natural disasters, airplane crashes, and block burners threatening "the Pretzel City." The fire department has faithfully served the city of Reading since 1771, having been established soon after Benjamin Franklin organized the nation's first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia. At one time the Reading Fire Department even boasted the largest all-volunteer fire department in the nation, consisting of more than 10,000 volunteer members operating from 14 fire stations throughout the city. Using the archives of the Reading Fire Department, the Reading Eagle, and the Historical Society of Berks County, Reading Firefighting documents the history and traditions of this dedicated fire department.

Firefighting in Charlotte

9780738552606

$24.99

The story of firefighting in Charlotte is a tale of explosive growth and change that dates back to its humble beginnings in 1887.

The city of Charlotte credits expansion to several events, including the gold rush of the 1830s, the railroad expansion of the 1860s, and the textile boom of the 1880s. During the textile boom, the volunteer firefighters protecting Charlotte and Mecklenburg County could no longer adequately protect the growing city. Thus the Charlotte Fire Department was born. The Roaring Twenties brought in the auto age and along with it motorized fire trucks. Race tensions of the 1960s and the financial boom of the 1990s also figure in the fire department's history. Returning to her roots of growth, Charlotte is now a bustling financial and transportation hub of 650,000 residents protected by more than 1,000 firefighters living in 38 firehouses. Firefighting in Charlotte provides a photographic road map of how fire protection developed from horse-drawn engines of the 1800s to the state-of-the-art apparatus of today. Fire trucks, firehouses, and the firefighters are depicted in images obtained from personal collections, newspapers, archives, and museums.

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Bridgeport Firefighters

9780738504926

$24.99

Tracing its roots to 1796, the Bridgeport Fire Department protects Connecticut's largest city. Bridgeport's first step toward independence occured when the Corporation of Newfield was formed in 1797 for the express purpose of forming a fire company. Through the years, the firefighters have continued to play a significant role in Bridgeport's history. Bridgeport's fire department has grown, changed, and shared in its city's triumphs, and tragedies. The purchase of the steam-powered D.H. Sterling fire engine triggered an oftentimes bitter contest between adherents of the traditional muscle-powered fire engine and new mechanical machines. The contest resulted in the formation of the present career fire department in 1872. Bridgeport Firefighters traces the innovations, incidents, and personalities through the hand-drawn, horse-drawn, and motor-driven eras up to the twentieth century.

Historic Fires of Fall River

9781467119245

$21.99

Fall River's textile boom in the nineteenth century brought with it a series of fiery disasters. The Big Fire of 1843 left more than one thousand people homeless and destroyed two hundred buildings, as well as twenty-some acres of land. After the Steiger Store Fire of 1916, mill owners pushed the city to replace horse-drawn brigades with fire engines. The intense heat from the Kerr Mill Thread Fire of 1987 melted hoses as first responders battled the blaze. Author Stefani Koorey chronicles the historic infernos of the Spindle City and celebrates the community's resilience in the face of adversity.

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San Bernardino Fire Department

9780738528519

$24.99

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

Huey P. Long Bridge

9781467110129

$24.99

Named after the 40th governor of Louisiana, the Huey P. Long Bridge, just outside of New Orleans in Jefferson Parish, is the longest railroad bridge in the United States. For 15 years after it opened in 1935, it was the longest railroad bridge in the world. Initially conceived in 1892, the Huey P. was the first bridge to span the deep-draft navigation channel of the lower Mississippi River, opening the path for a southern transcontinental railroad. The highway and pedestrian portions of the bridge provided additional transport, which previously had only been available by ferry. New Orleans and its surrounding regions grew in population and economic importance as the publicly owned bridge connected the Port of New Orleans to the rest of the United States through six Class I railroads. The Huey P. continues to function in its original, now undersized, capacity. In April 2006, the state began a widening of the bridge to double its automobile lanes from 18 feet to 43 feet. In September 2012, the American Society of Civil Engineers dedicated the Huey P. Long Bridge as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Cover image for Huey P. Long Bridge, isbn: 9781467110129

Bridges of Spokane

9780738596358

$24.99

Spokane's history begins with the arrival of explorer David Thompson, who established the trading post Spokane House in 1810. From that period forward, the area teemed with Euro-American settlers who often mingled with the Native American population. Spokan Falls, officially incorporated in 1881, and by 1891 known simply as Spokane, became ground zero for the extractive industries of mining and logging and later a vast hub for the railroads. These factors led to the greatest boom in the city's history between the years 1900 and 1915. Spokane's growth came on the heels of an increase in the built environment that included the creation of parks, subdivisions, an expanded downtown business district, and an almost feverish movement to create some of Washington's most beautifully designed bridges. Because of this, Spokane has often been referred to as the City of Bridges.

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History of Nebraska Agriculture, A

9781467136495

$24.99

Once known as the Great American Desert, Nebraska's plains and native grasslands today make it a domestic leader in producing food, feed and fuel. From Omaha to Ogallala, Nebraska's founding farmers, ranchers and agribusiness leaders endured hardships while fostering kinships that have lasted generations. While many continued on the trails leading west, others from around the world stayed, seeking a home and land to cultivate. American Doorstop Project co-founders and authors Jody L. Lamp and Melody Dobson celebrate the state's forgotten and untold agricultural history, highlighting more than a century and a half of agriculture industry, inventions and innovations in the Cornhusker State.

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Logging in the Central Sierra

9780738558165

$24.99

The logging industry in the Central Sierra was essential to the expanding economies of both California and Nevada for well over 150 years. During the Gold Rush, harvested timber in the foothill region of the Sierra was used for mining activities, in the construction of early day communities, and as fuel. Extensive logging of forestland in the higher elevations came with the advent of hard-rock mining, which required incredible quantities of timber. During the 1860s, the Comstock Lode of Nevada put a tremendous demand for lumber on the east slope of the Sierra. By the time the Comstock had concluded, much of the eastern face was denuded, with over one quarter of the prehistoric forest gone. Advances in technology further fueled the logging industry during the first half of 20th century. The Sierra's logging days are waning now, but as this volume shows, it once played a vital role in the mountains' economy, lifestyle, and identity.

Watermen of Reedville and the Chesapeake Bay

9781467116275

$24.99

The story of Reedville, Virginia, is linked to the commercial fishing industry that developed in the late 19th century. In 1874, Elijah Reed transferred his menhaden fishing operation from Brooklin, Maine, to the Chesapeake Bay. He purchased the land on Cockrell's Creek that is now Reedville. The industry flourished, especially in the early part of the 20th century. Today, Reedville is one of the major ports for the landing of commercial fish in the United States, second only to Kodiak, Alaska. This Northern Neck area of Virginia has a deep history dating back to Jamestown, and this book adds another chapter in retelling its past by providing unique photographs that have never been previously published.

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Tennessee's Great Copper Basin

9781467124942

$24.99

In 1843, the discovery of copper in Tennessee's far southeastern corner sparked a transformation in the isolated area known to geologists as the Ducktown Basin. By 1854, the first shafts had been sunk, and 28 mining companies had been incorporated for the purpose of exploring the possible wealth of the Ducktown district. For generations to come, the families of mine captains from Cornwall, executives and engineers from the industrial North, emigrants from Europe and the Middle East, miners drawn by the promise of jobs, and farmers who had bought land for pennies an acre in the 1830s would sit side by side in the same small churches and send their children to the same small schools. In the process, they would create a kind of culture that few small Southern communities had ever seen. This book, illustrated with photographs gathered from the scrapbooks and attics of their descendants, tells their story.

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Carrying Coal to Columbus

9781467135498

$21.99

As early as 1755, explorers found coal deposits in Ohio's Hocking Valley. The industry that followed created towns and canals and established a new way of life. The first shipment of coal rolled into Columbus in 1830 and has continued ever since. In 1890, the United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus. Lorenzo D. Poston became the first of the Hocking Valley coal barons, and by the start of the twentieth century, at least fifty thousand coal miners and their families lived and worked in Athens, Hocking and Perry Counties. Authors David Meyers, Elise Meyers Walker and Nyla Vollmer detail the hard work and struggles as they unfolded in Ohio's capital and the Little Cities of Black Diamonds.

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Monterey Fire Department

9780738576237

$24.99

For more than 129 years, the firefighters of the Monterey Fire Department have provided outstanding service to the people of Monterey. The department has protected the community since 1882, when the first brigade was a handful of citizens armed with buckets and axes. In 2010, a total of 64 firefighters responded to 6,233 calls. This book is dedicated to the memory of Monterey's firefighters, who have all served valiantly.

Johnson City Firefighting

9780738550084

$24.99

With compelling photographs dating from 1889 to the present, Johnson City Firefighting portrays not only the spectacular fires that this south-central New York State city has experienced over the years but also the founding, growth, and personnel of the Johnson City Fire Department. This fire history is notable because of the man for whom the community is named: shoe manufacturer George F. Johnson. To keep his factories safe, Johnson paid for fire stations, equipment, advanced alarm systems, and even early sprinkler systems.

Peabody Firefighting

9780738554747

$24.99

The Peabody Fire Department was established in 1868, when the town changed its name from South Danvers to Peabody after one of its favorite sons: well-known philanthropist George Peabody. However, its long-standing history of being a first-class department
dates farther back to the purchase of the town's first hand engine, the Federal No. 1, in 1800, and even farther back with the formation of bucket brigades and fire clubs. Peabody's long history of being the "leather capital of the world" parallels the fire department's history, because many of the department's members worked in the leather factories or were leather shop owners. These same leather factories were fodder for many general alarm fires. Peabody Firefighting features photographs and narratives that showcase the history and evolution of the Peabody Fire Department, a department that today is as rich in diversity and tradition as ever and continues to answer the call of duty to a multitude of emergencies.

Hudson River Bridges

9780738549866

$24.99

Hudson River Bridges documents how these structures remain beautiful testaments to cooperative efforts during trying times in America's history.

The Hudson River Valley, an invaluable connection between New England and the rest of the colonies during the American Revolution, continues to be a major crossroads today. The Hudson River bridges were architectural marvels of their time. The Bear Mountain Bridge was the longest suspension bridge, while the Newburgh Beacon second span was built with a new type of weathering steel. The bridges were constructed during important times in history. The Bear Mountain Bridge was built as the automobile became an integral part in the country's development, and the Mid-Hudson Bridge was built during the Depression. Labor disputes helped develop labor laws, and world wars led to changes in activity on the bridges.

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Arizona's Historic Bridges

9781467133449

$24.99

Arizona was once just a passage for pioneers headed west for gold, religious freedom, and cheap land. Native Americans had lived in and explored the territory for years, but it was Manifest Destiny and the western expansionist philosophy of the burgeoning US government that created the impetus for better and faster routes across the vast territory with its topographical challenges. In the 1880s, the railroads first booted their way across the landscape, following historic trails before the highways were built. The Grand Canyon and Colorado River were obvious challenges, but there were also seasonal waterways that needed crossings. The history of the state unfolds with this book, profiling the bridges that define these historic transportation routes. Many of them have been proudly restored by their communities or the state, while others are gone or are in a sad state of decline.

The Queensboro Bridge

9780738554884

$24.99

Opened in 1909, the Queensboro Bridge is the longest bridge spanning the East River. The bridge had an immediate and profound effect on the development of Queens from a largely rural area into a bedroom and working community. With its graceful symmetry, the bridge has long been a source of inspiration for artists, songwriters, and authors. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel made it an icon for the 1960s with the song "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," and more recently it was featured in the movie Spiderman. Through historic photographs, The Queensboro Bridge documents the creation of this cultural icon and its contributions to the history of New York.

Kentucky's Covered Bridges

9780738544045

$24.99

Kentucky is well recognized for bourbon, bluegrass, and the Kentucky Derby. When thinking of covered bridges, the commonwealth is not the state that readily comes to mind. Many of Kentucky's covered bridges were built by such men as Wernwag, Bower, Carothers, Day, Stone, and Long, but many of the names were never recorded or have been lost to time. Kentucky once was home to the longest single-span wooden bridge in the world and to a covered bridge through which a Civil War battle was fought. Time, arson, progress, neglect, and misguided maintenance have spelled the demise of the majority of these structures. Readers of this volume might be surprised to learn that Kentucky once claimed more than 700 timbered tunnels and that over 50 of these survived well into the 1950s. Equally surprising, the commonwealth is still home to 13 of these structures.

Northern Arizona Space Training

9781467126137

$29.99

During the 1960s and early 1970s, northern Arizona played a critical role in fulfilling President Kennedy's bold challenge of sending humans to the moon. From the rocky depths of the Grand Canyon to lofty cosmic views from Flagstaff's dark skies, northern Arizona was ideal for activities ranging from moon buggy testing and geology training to lunar mapping and mission simulation. Every astronaut who walked on the moon, from Neil Armstrong to Gene Cernan, prepared for his journey in northern Arizona, and all used maps created by Flagstaff artists to navigate their way around the lunar surface. This book captures the spirit of these pioneers with stunning images from NASA, the US Geological Survey, and others.

Cover image for Northern Arizona Space Training, isbn: 9781467126137

Covina Valley Citrus Industry

9780738574424

$24.99

Drawn by the California dream of golden sunshine and promise, many settlers came to the Covina Valley, where, after clearing the rocks, sagebrush, and cactus, they found rich alluvial soil. With the addition of water, everything grew in abundance. Citrus gradually became the best cash crop. This is the story of the men and women who made the citrus industry work in and around Covina, how they founded towns and eventually planted 25,000 acres of oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits. They endured droughts, floods, freezes, insect invasions, and unscrupulous buyers who almost ruined them financially. Together they developed water resources and the first stockholder-owned citrus cooperative, and brought railroads, transforming the Covina Valley into a major citrus producing and processing center.

Logging in Mason County

9781467132923

$24.99

In 1946, the US Forest Service and Simpson Logging Company agreed to a sustained yield unit, cooperatively managing lands for 100 years for community stability. Championed by USFS chief William Greeley and dubbed the Sustained Steal by detractors, the Shelton Cooperative Sustained Yield Unit nonetheless provided jobs for returning World War II veterans. Simpson Logging built the largest logging camp in the continental United States, Camp Grisdale, which had a two-room school and a two-lane bowling alley. Shelton and McCleary were saved from becoming ghosts towns, and downtown Shelton was modernized with a shopping center, parks, and schools. Mason County's Forest Festival was a weekend celebration for 30,000 visitors that included a parade and logging shows. As the only cooperative unit established in the United States, it attracted national attention, including TV personality Arthur Godfrey. In 1961, the movie Ring of Fire was filmed above Camp Grisdale. As World War II memories faded, logging practices were challenged by notions of wilderness and recreation. Improved equipment reduced the jobs, and when Simpson withdrew from the sustained yield agreement, employees were disenfranchised.

Detroit's Historic Water Works Park

9780738591940

$7.99

Detroit's Historic Water Works Park takes the reader on a nostalgic trip back to when it was possible to see beyond the horizon from the top of the tallest freestanding structure in the Americas. At one time, Water Works Park's colorful, stunningly beautiful, and varied floral displays were reason enough for thousands of people to travel hundreds of miles or more to Detroit. In addition to its primary function as a source of high-quality drinking water for Detroit and neighboring communities since 1879, Water Works Park was a popular place of rest, reflection, and recreation. At one time, its popularity among Detroiters and visitors to the city was exceeded only by Belle Isle, the city's big island playground in the Detroit River.

Cover image for Detroit's Historic Water Works Park, isbn: 9780738591940

Raleigh and Wake County Firefighting

9780738515120

$24.99

The story of firefighting in Raleigh and Wake County is almost as old as the county itself. The terrifying threat to wooden structures with minimal water supplies was well known to the planners who laid out Wake County's first town in 1792. Wide streets were created to prevent fires from spreading between buildings. As early as 1802, citizens contributed to the purchase price of Raleigh's first fire engine. More than 200 years later, the dedicated members of 23 fire departments answer the still-familiar cry of fire!

Raleigh and Wake County Firefighting chronicles over a century of fire protection in North Carolina's capital city and surrounding county. Fire engines, fire stations, and the firefighters themselves are depicted in over 220 images culled from local newspapers, area archives, and personal collections. From Raleigh to Cary and Apex to Zebulon, both municipal and rural fire departments are remembered from their early beginnings. Stories of fires at Raleigh's Yarborough Hotel in 1928, downtown Knightdale in 1940, and Pullen Hall at North Carolina State University in 1965 come alive, as do dramatic photographs from the old Mangel's building fire, the North Raleigh tornado, and the flooding after Hurricane Fran.

Cover image for Raleigh and Wake County Firefighting, isbn: 9780738515120

New Haven Firefighters

9780738536699

$24.99

The history of the New Haven Fire Department dates back to December 29, 1789, when Mayor Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, formed the volunteer system. The advent of steam fire engines in 1862 marked the end of the volunteer system and the beginning of the full-time paid department, giving New Haven the distinction of having the first professional fire department in Connecticut. New Haven has a long and proud history of tradition in its fire service. Since 1862 there have been only fifteen different chiefs heading the department. New Haven Firefighters tells the story from the days of steamers to the era of the tower ladder.

Greater Hartford Firefighting

9780738545387

$24.99

The Hartford area has a rich history of firefighting, beginning with the bucket brigades of early colonial history. As devastating blazes razed many key buildings and entire neighborhoods, these small teams developed into large volunteer groups. The city finally realized that paid fire departments were needed, and the modern firefighting world bloomed with technological advances in equipment and procedures. The evolution of these brave firefighting groups is richly chronicled in Greater Hartford Firefighting.

Cover image for Greater Hartford Firefighting, isbn: 9780738545387

Alameda County Fire Department

9781467134286

$24.99

Alameda County spans from the shores of the San Francisco Bay to the golden inland hills. Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) is comprised of multiple consolidated agencies that began joining forces and sharing resources in 1993. Protecting unincorporated county land as well as Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, San Leandro, Dublin, Union City, Newark, Emeryville, and the National Laboratories at Livermore and Berkeley, ACFD serves over 500 square miles and 330,000 citizens. This legacy stretches back 140 years, recalling the shared experiences of bucket brigades, teams of horses pulling steam-engine pumpers down muddy roads, the advent of motorized apparatus, and the days when school boys would be pulled from class to ride tailboard to fight blazes in the hills. These agencies have sent soldiers to two world wars, survived massive earthquakes, fought catastrophic wildfires, and touched the lives of Bay Area citizens for over a century. The ACFD is the sum of its many unique parts, which together form a premier, all-risk fire department.

Cover image for Alameda County Fire Department, isbn: 9781467134286

The Great Fire of Petersburg, Virginia

9781467118668

$21.99

On July 16, 1815, a fire began in a small stable in Petersburg. After only a few hours, almost two-thirds of the city lay in ruins. Citizens stood on the banks of the Appomattox River and watched as wind blew flames from one building to the next. The tragedy claimed a dozen lives and destroyed more than five hundred homes. The fire raged until it was quelled by a downpour of rain. Stories of heroism from firefighters and landowners were left in the aftermath. Author Tamara Eastman describes the city before the fire, the horrific event and the collective efforts to rebuild a stronger city.

Cover image for The Great Fire of Petersburg, Virginia, isbn: 9781467118668

Portsmouth Firefighting

9780738562100

$24.99

In September 1756, with only fire buckets, two hand tubs, and citizen volunteers safeguarding the Colonial seaport, Portsmouth decided to organize and regulate its fire protection. By 1852, the Portsmouth Fire Department boasted six suction engines and in 1864 entered the age of steam power when the first steam fire engine was delivered. Disastrous fires and a growing city required the department to modernize as it moved into the 20th century. The department's first motorized engine was purchased in 1912, and by 1921, there was a new central fire station along with a new gasoline-powered ladder truck. Through an exceptional collection of photographs, Portsmouth Firefighting richly illustrates the story and tradition of a fire department forever connected to its brave firefighters, their magnificent fire engines, and the spectacular blazes they fought.

Mount Tamalpais and the Marin Municipal Water District

9780738593173

$24.99

Mount Tamalpais rose from the land that has become Marin County. As the crown jewel of the Marin Municipal Water District, the mountain and adjoining watersheds total 22,000 acres. These properties sit adjacent to county open space as well as holdings of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Mount Tamalpais State Park. Together, the land provides an unparalleled world-class recreation and wilderness area only 30 minutes from the city of San Francisco. Amidst the upheaval of the Progressive Era, the Water District was chartered in 1912 by citizens of Marin County to create a public water system and to fulfill the promise of a park. Rich with possibility, the land had remained surprisingly undeveloped throughout the 19th century. Surviving the Gold Rush, a notorious period of wanton greed for natural resources, the mountain needed protection. Armed with the power of eminent domain, the Water District started the conversion of the vast watershed areas from private to community ownership, a process that ultimately saved the mountain and left in its formidable shadow the beloved and beautifully preserved natural land of the Mount Tamalpais Watershed.

Mount Tamalpais and the Marin Municipal Water District

Firefighting in Forsyth County

9781467107129

$23.99

Soon after the first buildings were completed, a fire department was established in Forsyth County in 1772. The Town of Salem purchased the first fire pump in the state in 1785 after a tavern burned down the year before. Old Salem's Market and Fire House is the oldest enginehouse in North Carolina, built in 1803. Growth in both population and industry led to the joining of Salem and Winston. When the two cities joined in 1913, they formed a united volunteer department. Even with the newly formed Winston-Salem department, there was still a necessity for rural fire protection as some farms, churches, and schools were beyond the reach of the city department. It was not until 1949 that the first rural volunteer department was founded in Sedge Garden. Innovation in fire apparatus and equipment, such as the development of the fog nozzle still in use today, contributed to the success of rural firefighting. The fire service in Forsyth County has consistently been on the forefront of technology, diversity, and revolution.

Prescott Fire Department

9781467131780

$24.99

Founded in 1885, the Prescott Fire Department began with four 25-man volunteer companies, the Dudes, the Toughs, the Mechanics Hook & Ladders, and the O.K.s. These 100 men reflected both the common man and the leaders of the region. Over the years, their numbers would include governors-to-be F.A. Tritle and Thomas Campbell, business leaders H.D. Aitken and A.A. "Tony" Johns, and numerous members of the Goldwater family. The department and its community survived the great fire of July 14, 1900, as well as the loss of 19 of its own Granite Mountain Hotshots on June 30, 2013. The Prescott Fire Department would go from a volunteer department to a fully paid department of 80 firefighters, operating out of five stations and covering an area of 40 square miles.

St. Louis Fire Department

9780738531922

$24.99

The St. Louis Fire Department was established in 1857 and is the second oldest paid fire department in the United States. This pictorial history portrays the department's rich history and exemplifies why its motto is "Justifiably Proud." The St. Louis Fire Department history is one of leadership and innovation. It was one of the first departments to purchase a 100' aerial ladder truck. It was also one of the first to establish an academy for the study of fire and the training of fire fighting recruits. In 1987, the department was the first in the nation to use a "Total Quint Concept," which combined the traditional fire truck and hook and ladder truck into one piece of equipment.

Keyport Firefighting

9780738563619

$24.99

The Keyport Fire Department was created by necessity in the aftermath of the great fire of 1877, which destroyed half of the town's business center and brought the bustling early port settlement to a grinding halt. As the town was being rebuilt, citizens acted to ensure that fire would never again spread uncontrollably. By 1907, seven fire companies formed to provide hose, engine, ladder, and fire police services, with equipment drawn by hand or horses. The department's equipment and firefighting techniques evolved with time and technology. Keyport Firefighting chronicles more than 130 years of the firefighting men and women who lived, worked, and volunteered their services for their hometown in an effort to preserve life and property.

Milwaukee Fire Department

9780738534343

$24.99

The Milwaukee Fire Department, like the city it serves, boasts a long and proud past, rich with diverse details. The department first formed as a volunteer organization in 1837, evolving into a full-time service by 1874. Steeped in pride and tradition, its penchant for innovation is legendary.

These traits have characterized legions of brave and skillful professionals whose devotion to duty established the department's reputation as a leader in protecting lives and property. Throughout the department's history, its members have left their mark in countless ways, reflecting the background, work ethic, and talent of Milwaukee's citizens.

Connecticut and Rhode Island Covered Bridges

9780738575407

$24.99

During their heyday in the mid-to-late 1800s, more than 150 covered bridges dotted the landscape of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Since that time, floods, fires, and progress have claimed all but three of the historic structures. Covered bridges were heavily concentrated in the hills of northwestern Connecticut, spanning the Farmington, Housatonic, and Naugatuck Rivers. In Rhode Island, most were built by the railroads in Woonsocket, Providence, and other communities in the northern part of the state, though few pictures are known to exist. Connecticut was the birthplace of two of the nation's best known covered bridge designers: Ithiel Town and Theodore Burr. Half of the covered bridges currently standing in the United States are supported by trusses patented by either Town or Burr.

Cover image for Connecticut and Rhode Island Covered Bridges, isbn: 9780738575407

The Verde River

9780738578897

$24.99

Archaeologists discovered that the Hohokam were an advanced native tribe who built elaborate irrigation systems along the Verde River, and then disappeared. Early Arizona settlers recognized the tenacity and intelligence of the Hohokam and began to reconstruct their canal system. In 1903, the Salt River Project commenced, and the first lake on the lower Verde River was formed with the completion of the Bartlett Dam in 1939. Seven years later and 12 miles upstream from Bartlett, the Horseshoe Reservoir was created in order to expand copper mining during World War II. The astonishing result of these reservoirs is today's sprawling desert megalopolis of Phoenix, Arizona. Nicknamed "The River of Time," the Verde River is a timeline of Arizona history, and it is essential to human life and livelihood in the area.

Boston's Bridges

9780738535715

$24.99

Flanked by rivers and ocean inlets, Boston has always been a city of bridges. At one time, Bostonians built more bridges per acre of city land than any other American city. From the days of the old Charles River crossing to the striking new Zakim span, these bridges stand as public monuments as much as they serve Boston's transportation needs. In no other American city can such a dense collection of diverse bridge types, styles, and ages be found today.

Boston's Bridges surveys the city's spans, telling the story of their construction and tracking the evolution in design, materials, and construction techniques from the 1700s to the present. Drawing on previously unpublished images from the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, the city of Boston archives, and numerous other sources, Boston's Bridges is a vivid document of the city's bridges past and present. Written by an engineer-historian, Boston's Bridges will appeal not only to those fascinated by Boston's history but also to those with an interest in construction, civil engineering, and urban architecture.

Bridges of Portland

9780738548760

$24.99

Portland is an inland port city that rose to importance in the mid-19th century as a major shipping point for the Pacific Northwest's wheat, lumber, and other commodities. The Columbia and Willamette Rivers enabled seagoing vessels to reach the port, but they also presented obstacles to local travel and commerce. Willamette River ferry service was available by 1853, but Portlanders had to wait until 1887 for a bridge. The first was the Morrison Bridge, followed by the Steel Bridge in 1888, the Madison Bridge was in 1891, and the Burnside Bridge in 1894. These bridges helped Portland grow from 17,600 residents in 1880 to 90,000 in 1900. Many more bridges were added as Portland grew during the 20th century, and well-known bridge engineers Ralph Modjeski, J.A.L. Waddell, Gustav Lindenthal, David Steinman, and Joseph Strauss each contributed to Portland's world-class collection of bridges.

Cover image for Bridges of Portland, isbn: 9780738548760

California's Deadliest Earthquakes

9781467136020

$23.99

Home to hundreds of faults, California leads the nation in frequency of earthquakes every year. Despite enduring their share of the natural disasters, residents still speculate over the inevitable big one. More than three thousand people lost their lives during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Long Beach's 1933 earthquake caused a loss of nearly $50 million in damages. And the Northridge earthquake injured thousands and left a $550 million economic hit. Historian Abraham Hoffman explores the personal accounts and aftermath of California's most destructive tremors.

Cover image for California's Deadliest Earthquakes, isbn: 9781467136020

Delaware Farming

9780738544496

$24.99

Delaware's agricultural traditions have helped define the state for generations. Farmers and millers were part of the Breadbasket of the Revolution, providing critically important wheat and flour for George Washington's armies. In the 19th century, Delaware became known as the Peach State, shipping fresh peaches by rail to urban markets throughout the eastern United States. In 1855, the first cannery on the Delmarva Peninsula started operations in Dover, inaugurating a still viable and active agricultural industry. Sussex County, Delaware, is the birthplace of the modern broiler chicken industry, beginning with an accidental experiment on Cecile Steele's Ocean View farm in 1923. This agricultural heritage continues; 42 percent of Delaware's land mass remains in farms, despite significant land development since World War II.

Logging in Plumas County

9780738559292

$24.99

Located within the northern Sierra Nevada mountain range, the forests of Plumas County were once seen as a source of endless timber. Lumber was needed during the Gold Rush for water flumes, mine timbers, and an array of buildings. While timber was abundant, the abilities of the early settlers to harvest, transport, and mill the logs were often very limited. Markets remained relatively local throughout the second half of the 19th century until the completion of the Western Pacific Railroad in 1909. This sparked a new rush of industry into the region. Vast tracts of untapped Plumas County timber were bought up by speculators, and many sawmills were erected. Logging in the western United States moved from animal power to steam engines to internal combustion in the space of about 50 years. While Plumas County's lumber industry was reflective of these developments, it also found its own identity as a timber-producing region that was nearly unequaled.

Chester County Mushroom Farming

9780738556581

$24.99

Chester County is well known for its sprawling scenic views, rich farmland, the Main Line, and mushrooms. Chester County, and specifically the village of Kennett Square, is known as the mushroom capital of the world because of the quantity and quality of mushrooms grown there. Mushrooms have been around for centuries, with the French beginning cultivation in the 1600s, and mushroom farming began in Chester County more than 120 years ago. The earliest farmers were Quakers, but over the years members of the Irish, Italian, and Hispanic communities have joined the ranks of Chester County mushroom farmers. The local mushroom farmers were responsible for the forming of the American Mushroom Institute more than a half century ago.

Cover image for Chester County Mushroom Farming, isbn: 9780738556581

Massachusetts Covered Bridges

9780738573236

$24.99

From hidden valleys in the Berkshire Hills to the North Shore, 275 documented highway and railroad covered bridges have been constructed in Massachusetts from the early 19th century onward, a figure that often comes as a surprise to those who traditionally associate these unique structures with northern New England. All but a small handful of these are long gone, lost to modern replacements, fires, wear, and the region's notorious weather, especially the devastating storms of the late 1930s. The bridges came in all shapes and sizes, from diminutive 50-foot spans to multitiered structures of nearly 900 feet that crossed the Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers and were stout enough to support railroads across their roofs.

Cover image for Massachusetts Covered Bridges, isbn: 9780738573236

Historic Bridges of Milam County

9781467125765

$7.99

Milam County boasts a rich history. In this collection of vintage-photograph postcards, David Galbreath, Carolyn Temple, Lucile Estell, and Joy Graham explore the county's historic bridges.

Cover image for Historic Bridges of Milam County, isbn: 9781467125765

The Dory Fleet of Pacific City

9780738558134

$24.99

With its smooth, sandy beach, the quiet coastal town of Pacific City, on the coast of Oregon's Tillamook County, is the perfect home for a unique group of boats. The Pacific City dory fleet has a proud history spanning more than 100 years. Nestled in the natural shelter provided by Cape Kiwanda, the fleet lives on today as one of the most interesting fishing fleets in the world. The small flat-bottomed boats dare the ocean as they crash through the surf headed for the plentiful waters of the Pacific. At day's end, they ride the waves back to shore and slide onto the beach. The original design of the dory allows it to launch from and land on the shore. Through the inherent dangers of ocean fishing, governmental restriction, international fishing competition, and, most recently, the influx of surfers and civilization, the dedicated fishermen have held on to tradition.

Firefighting in Hagerstown

9780738516585

$24.99

The story of firefighting in Hagerstown is almost as old as the town itself. From the bucket brigades in 1791 to the modern fire apparatus used today, the fire department of Hagerstown has played a significant role in protecting local citizens and structures from the ravages of fire. By highlighting the major components of the fire department, including firefighters, fire stations, and the blazes that have spread throughout the city, Images of America: Firefighting in Hagerstown chronicles over two centuries of protection in Hagerstown. This work touches on the dedication, sacrifice, and willingness to serve by the members of each fire company. With over 200 archival images, this volume highlights many rarely seen photographs, including horse-drawn equipment, firehouses, and many of Hagerstown's most challenging fires.

Oakland Fire Department

9780738529684

$24.99

For over 150 years, brave firefighters have battled to preserve the lives and property of the citizens of Oakland. Beginning in 1853, volunteer engine and hook and ladder companies organized and the Oakland Fire Department formed in 1869. Until 1922, teams of magnificent horses pulled steamers belching black smoke and embers, with firemen holding on for dear life. These gallant fire horses were as much firefighters as the rugged men of Oakland who extinguished blazes with leather hoses and brass nozzles. After waging an internal battle of racial integration--a 35-year struggle that began in
1920--the Oakland Fire Department became one of the first in the nation to hire women firefighters beginning in 1980.

Portland Fire & Rescue

9780738548838

$24.99

Firefighting in Portland boasts many proud traditions and a long and storied history. In 1851, Col. Thomas Dryer, editor of the Oregonian newspaper, decided that it was in the best interest of the city to establish a firefighting force, and with that, he founded the Pioneer Fire Engine Company No. 1. Little better than a bucket brigade, this volunteer force of 37 men wearing red shirts started operations with just a single hand pump. From these humble beginnings, the organization grew to keep pace with a burgeoning city. From the great fire of 1873 and the colorful era of horse-drawn apparatus to technological innovations and community involvement, Portland Fire & Rescue--as the department is now known--has valiantly protected lives and property in Portland for more than a century and a half.

Firefighting in Buncombe County

9781467121804

$24.99

When Buncombe County was formed in 1792, firefighting efforts were left up to individual landowners and helpful neighbors using buckets and a nearby well or body of water. Not until 1882 was an organized, community-sponsored fire department established; this was the Asheville Fire Department. Other fire departments followed, and no two were the same. Stations appeared in the towns of Weaverville and Black Mountain, while others sprang up in the residential communities of Kenilworth, Biltmore Forest, and George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Village. In September 1953, county commissioners formally passed a resolution for county aid and supervision for rural volunteer fire departments. Through photographs that illustrate firefighting in many of its forms--rescue squads, wildland firefighting units, ladies auxiliaries, and ambulance services--Firefighting in Buncombe County showcases and honors the firefighters of this mountainous area who have always worked to keep their communities safe.

Newport Beach Fire Department

9780738555935

$24.99

For nearly a century, the men and women of the Newport Beach Fire Department have served their Orange County community with dedication, professionalism, and grace. Starting with a primitive hose reel and a dozen volunteers in 1911, determined Newport Beach firefighters protected the always tourism-friendly community with more dedication than equipment. In 1927, the volunteers were disbanded and a paid fire department was organized. This volume celebrates 100 years of the Newport Beach Fire Department's exemplary service by combining historical photographs with a narrative that traces the evolution of firefighting in Newport Beach from its turn-of-the-century roots to the state-of-the-art operation it is today, entrusted with protecting one of coastal California's most affluent and picturesque showcase communities.

Firefighting in Hopkinsville

9780738553238

$24.99

Organized in 1832, the Hopkinsville Union Fire Company represented the first attempt to provide fire protection for the town of Hopkinsville, which had 1,260 residents at that time. Succeeding volunteer groups (called runners) were created through the remainder of the 19th century. By 1900, a paid, professional fire department had been established with the firemen and equipment housed in the old town market house at the intersection of Fifth and Main Streets. Five years later, the City of Hopkinsville completed the new Central Fire Station located on East Ninth Street between Liberty and Clay Streets. In October 1924, the destruction of this building by fire generated widespread comment. A new station was built within the original walls of the burned building. This facility served as the Hopkinsville Fire Station until the department moved to the new Main Station on West First Street in May 1964.

Orlando Firefighting

9780738553078

$24.99

Mystery surrounds the origins of Orlando's name, but the most probable explanation for its moniker dates back to the exploits of Orlando Reeves. While guarding Central Florida forts against Native American attacks, Reeves was alarmed in the middle of the night. A log rolled toward Reeves in the darkness, and he knew it disguised movement by an opponent. After firing his gun to awaken his fellow soldiers, he was bombarded by arrows, which resulted in his death. Orlando's name was bestowed upon a local post office in 1857 and then on the city incorporated in 1875. Just like the brave solider for whom the city was named, firefighters of Orlando boldly risk their lives for the welfare of others. This volume commemorates those men and women and traces a rich history from 1883, when a devastating fire inspired William C. Sherman to start a volunteer fire company, to today.

Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Apparatus Heritage

9780738552637

$24.99

The formation of the volunteer fire and rescue departments were a central part of Loudoun County's rich history. In the beginning, residents rallied to provide fire protection and emergency medical care to their neighbors. As more communities were
established, fire and rescue departments worked together to provide assistance to each other during an emergency. As Loudoun County experiences incredible growth, volunteers from the community
work side-by-side with career personnel to ensure that citizens are well protected. The images in this volume capture the history of Loudoun's fire and rescue apparatus, from the earliest trucks to today's modern fire and rescue vehicles. The photographs depict a time when departments struggled to raise funds and provide protection to their communities. This Images of America book shows how far fire and rescue departments have come to ensure the protection of life and property in Loudoun County.

Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Apparatus Heritage

Bristol Firefighting

9780738510774

$24.99

In 1845, a series of disastrous fires nearly crippled the economy of Bristol. Earlier in the century, the community had become one of the leading clock producers in the world, and this astounding success spawned many other local businesses. As the factories multiplied, so did the need for fire protection; unfortunately, when the whirlwind of fires struck, Bristol was unprepared and suffered heavy losses. Yet, it was not until eight years later that three prominent businessmen took the first steps toward organizing a fire company: in September 1853, a firehouse was built on School Street and it was equipped with a used hand pump and five hundred feet of leather hose. It became Bristol Engine and Hose Company No.1.

With some two hundred stunning images, Bristol Firefighting relives the fire department's proud history over the past one hundred fifty years, as the old hand pump gave way to an 1881 Amoskeag steamer drawn by horses, which in turn moved aside in the early 1900s for a Pope-Hartford, a motorized auto chemical truck, which changed firefighting forever. Years later, Bristol was recognized throughout the country for owning the first American La France foam pumper, appropriately known as the Bristol Model. Bristol Firefighting recalls firsthand accounts of many infamous fires, told through the eyes of the local people who witnessed them. Most dramatically, it relates the stories of heroism, sacrifice, and bravery displayed by firefighters in their unending desire to serve and protect their community.

Springfield Firefighting

9780738550114

$24.99

The history of the Springfield Fire Department dates back to 1792 when the first hand pumper, Lion, was purchased. On January 24, 1794, a fire club with 50 members, all prominent citizens of the city, was organized. Fire districts were established in 1830 by an act passed by the Massachusetts legislature. By 1833, Springfield officially organized a fire department, and like the fire club, the new volunteer department consisted of prominent members of the community. The fire department changed from volunteer to paid in 1872. The volunteers then formed the Springfield Veteran Fireman's Association. After 1872, the department made great strides, especially in the area of apparatus. In 1906, Springfield entered the motorized age with the introduction of a Knox squad truck, and by 1916, Springfield became the first fullymotorized fire department in the United States.