Name: Knott's Berry Farm:
Brand: Jay Jennings
SKU: 9780738569215
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Knott's Berry Farm:

9780738569215

$24.99

Before there was a Disneyland, there was Knott's Berry Farm. What started out in the early 1920s as a small, roadside berry stand in Buena Park, California, grew over the next 60 years into one of the most popular amusement parks in the world. Its founder, Walter Knott, along with his wife and family, knew no boundaries when it came to expanding his small berry market and tearoom into the world-famous Chicken Dinner Restaurant and later adding his ultimate achievement, Ghost Town. This book documents the early history of Knott's Berry Farm, featuring over 200 rarely seen images.

Ghosts and Legends of Alcatraz

9781467143875

$21.99

Alcatraz is one of the most infamous prisons in the world. Evil spirits, unknown beasts, vicious murderers and an untold number of ghosts all are said to reside on this tiny island in San Francisco Bay. Rufus McCain, who died a brutal death at the hands of a fellow inmate, is said to roam the grounds, and the basement cells used for solitary confinement were rumored to be so frightening that inmates who endured one stint never wanted to go back. Multiple escape attempts were thwarted, including two attempts by Sam Shockley, who was later executed with fellow inmate Miran Thomson. Join Bob Davis and Brian Clune as they explore chilling tales of death, murder and savagery from America's Devil's Island.

Shasta County Copper Towns

9781467105965

$24.99

Placer gold first attracted adventurers to the northern mines after its discovery in Shasta County in 1848, but almost immediately, valuable deposits of copper were also noted. Copper production remained idle until the Mountain Copper Company acquired Iron Mountain in 1896. British and eastern financiers such as Guggenheim and Rothschild saw the potential in the unique combination of high-grade copper ore, a functioning railway, and vast quantities of limestone and quartz for flux, and they invested in major smelters to conquer the difficult sulfide ore. The decades that followed were the greatest period of prosperity in Shasta County's history, producing towns such as Coram, Keswick, Kennett, and Copper City and attracting thousands of hardworking miners and townspeople as well as new railroads such as the Sacramento Valley & Eastern, Quartz Hill, and Iron Mountain. While the boom ended in deforestation and erosion, the actions of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Shasta Dam brought prosperity to the area. Today, most of the copper towns rest under Lake Shasta.

Jewish Los Angeles

9781467105491

$24.99

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

Homes of Hollywood Stars

9781467127301

$23.99

Homes of Hollywood Stars highlights the souvenir postcards and folders that were sold to millions of tourists who visited Hollywood between 1920 and 1970--an era known as the "Golden Age of Hollywood." Some of the actors of those years permitted their elegant residences to be photographed for the pleasure of their fans who wanted to know something about the off-screen lives of their favorite players. Usually located in exclusive communities like Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air, Holmby Hills, Pacific Palisades, or Palm Springs, the houses were designed to show that the performer had achieved the sort of wealth and acclaim that only Tinseltown could grant. This book highlights screen favorites such as Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Norma Talmadge, Rudolph Valentino, Clara Bow, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Norma Shearer, Bing Crosby, Ginger Rogers, Gary Cooper, and Marilyn Monroe.

U.S. Navy SEALs in San Diego

9780738569031

$24.99

The U.S. Navy SEAL s of San Diego County trace their origins to the Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) of World War II and the Korean War. Following these wars, the Frogmen, as they became known, were located first at the Amphibious Training Base in Oceanside, California, and then relocated to the Amphibious Training Base in Coronado, California, later renamed as U.S. Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado. In 1962, Pres. John F. Kennedy initiated the formation of Sea Air and Land (SEAL ) Teams, and SEAL Team One was also assigned to NAB Coronado. This history follows the UDT and SEAL team's role through the Vietnam and the Gulf Wars as well as many other exploits, including interaction with the communities in which they live.

Pirates and Rogues of Monterey Bay

9781467143639

$23.99

The age of pirates spanned nearly two hundred years and was considered a plague on the high seas. Even the far reaches of what was then Alta California weren't safe, and a surprising number of unexpected visitors sailed into Monterey Bay. Argentinian Hippolyte Bouchard, spurred by revolutionary fervor, attacked Monterey, the then Spanish capital of Alta California, using pirating tactics that left their mark centuries later, and privateers like Sir Francis Drake prowled the Pacific, leaving possible traces of their journey on the beaches of California. The foggy coastline of Monterey even inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write his famous Treasure Island. Join author Todd Cook as he explores the Monterey Peninsula's eclectic pirating history.

Classic San Francisco

9781467141604

$24.99

San Francisco has always been a city of transformation. From the nostalgic days of downtown shopping and grand movie palaces to newer buildings on the skyline and stunning neighborhood transformations, change has been a constant factor since the early days of European settlement in the late 1700s. Evidence of early San Francisco is still visible in the revitalized Ferry Building, repurposed as an artisan marketplace; in the celebrated neighborhood street fairs; and even in the enduring edifices of commerce and industry. The city of the future has its roots firmly planted in a much-loved past. City native and local history author Frank Dunnigan showcases the old city as well as the new one gradually emerging.

Farallon Islands

9781467103978

$24.99

The Farallon Islands lie almost 30 miles outside the entrance to San Francisco Bay and are comprised of over 20 islands, islets, sea stacks, and rocks, which span a seven-mile stretch of the Pacific Ocean. Nineteenth-century sailors called them "the Devil's Teeth," in reference to their extreme hazard to navigation, and hundreds of shipwrecks, disasters, drownings, and deaths have occurred here. The sixth lighthouse on the West Coast was lit on Southeast Farallon Island in 1855. Only Southeast Farallon supports historic structures, several of which are maintained for management purposes. Southeast Farallon once served as home to keepers from the Bureau of Lighthouses (1853-1939), the US Coast Guard (1939-1972), and at various times the US Navy. Today, the islands are home to millions of seabirds and five species of pinnipeds. Because of their biological importance, the islands are not open to the public. They are managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in collaboration with Point Blue Conservation Science. Visitors can explore the islands by boat, at speeds of five miles per hour and from a distance the length of a football field for excellent viewing of globally significant wildlife populations.

Cover image for Farallon Islands, isbn: 9781467103978

Surfing in Huntington Beach

9781467102773

$24.99

Officially known as Surf City USA®, Huntington Beach is a surf town like no other. Ever since Hawaiian transplant George Freeth "walked on water" beside the famous Huntington Beach Pier in 1914, the city has had a storied relationship with surf culture that endures to this day. Combining a rough-and-tumble working-class spirit leftover from the city's epic oil boom with its role as a popular beach resort destination, Huntington Beach has produced some of surfing's most memorable personalities and moments. From legendary surfing heroes to long-standing competitions and titans of industry, these vintage photographs trace the evolution of this once small seaside settlement into a West Coast surf mecca, where surfing truly is a way of life.

Cover image for Surfing in Huntington Beach, isbn: 9781467102773

Miracle Mile in Los Angeles:

9781609495930

$21.99

The world-famous Miracle Mile in Los Angeles was shaped into a great commercial and cultural district by the city's tremendous urban expansion in the early twentieth century. Its origins along Wilshire Boulevard are directly related to the twin LA booms in auto travel and real estate ventures. Once the home of such famous stores as the May Company, Silverwood's, Coulter's and Desmond's, as well as Streamline Moderne and Art Deco architecture, Miracle Mile has boasted the La Brea Tar Pits and Farmer's Market, Gilmore Field and CBS Television City, as well as Pan Pacific Park and Museum Row. Join author Ruth Wallach, head of the University of Southern California's Architecture and Fine Arts Library, for this tour through the most emblematic neighborhood of twentieth-century Los Angeles development.

Sacramento Southern Railroad

9780738569864

$24.99

The Sacramento Southern Railroad was born into a famous railroad family and a busy railroad town in July 1903. The mighty Southern Pacific, which controlled the new line from the outset, built south from Sacramento along the eastern bank of the Sacramento River into the delta's rich farmland area. At its zenith, the line was about 31 miles long, serving the communities of Freeport, Hood, Locke, Walnut Grove, and Isleton. Trains on what became known as the Walnut Grove Branch hauled pears, sugar beets, asparagus and other products from the agricultural region's packing sheds and canneries. Competition from trucking and damage from flooding took a severe toll on the railroad, and the Southern Pacific largely abandoned it by 1978, but a portion lives on as a labor of love.

Los Angeles's Original Farmers Market

9780738570051

$24.99

The original Farmers Market at Third Street and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles has been at the center of its city's history for 75 years. Farmers Market led Los Angeles out of the Great Depression, drew tourists from around the world, and became the most popular attraction in Southern California. It is Los Angeles's beloved grocery store, its town square, its favorite dining room and den, Hollywood's best friend, and one of the city's most delightfully eccentric citizens. From its uniquely quirky beginnings to its contemporary stature as the coolest place in town, Farmers Market has a history rich in stories and is alive with character, integrity, and tradition.

Napa State Hospital

9781467131995

$24.99

Napa, because of its natural beauty and optimal conditions for "moral treatment," was chosen as the second site for a state hospital to ease overcrowding in Stockton Asylum. When the fully self-sustaining Napa Asylum opened in 1875, it quickly filled to capacity and became home to many people suffering from mental illness, alcoholism, grief, and depression. In 1924, Napa Asylum was renamed Napa State Hospital to reflect changes in the medical model and treatments for psychiatric patients. Covering the first 100 years of the hospital's history, this unique book tells the story of the institution and the people for whom it served as employer. Known locally as Imola, this beautiful site became an integral part of the community.

Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch

9781467103909

$24.99

At the southernmost end of California's Central Valley lie Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch. Although each is distinct, their histories are intertwined. The Yokuts were in the area for thousands of years, followed by Spanish, Mexican, and US settlers. The first seeds of Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch were planted in the late 1800s. Over the years, agriculture became a central part of the economy and attracted people from all walks of life. The Dust Bowl and Mexican migrations left an impact on the area that is visible to this day. The Dust Bowl Festival immerses attendees in nostalgic memories of a life that was, and businesses and social, religious, and educational centers celebrate the vibrant Latino cultures that thrive in these communities.

March Air Force Base

9780738571591

$24.99

During World War I, March Air Force Base quickly established its reputation as a major flight-training institution. The base came to define the "Golden Age" of aviation as its roster of training expanded to include aerial pursuit, fighter, and bomber units. Later March would play host to a number of historic firsts, including Bob Hope's first USO show and aerial feats that helped make the U.S. Air Force the undisputed leader in combat aviation today. From kite-like biplanes and cold war sports car races on the tarmac, to the war birds of World War II and some of the modern air force's most sophisticated aircraft, March AFB has sealed a legacy of strength and central importance to its Riverside home--and to the countless servicemen and women around the world associated with the historic base.

Carlsbad

9780738569925

$24.99

Once a small coastal community known for avocados and flower fields, Carlsbad has grown into a sprawling suburban city, with a small beach-town feel that still maintains ties to its roots. The discovery of its mineral wells in 1885, and the subsequent naming of the city after the famed European spa in Karlsbad, Bohemia, put Carlsbad on the map as a world-class resort destination. Miles of beautiful beaches, and three lagoons located within its boundaries, have shaped Carlsbad into a recreational destination as well. The Flower Fields, with vibrant rows of colorful ranunculus, now serves as a reminder of the past and a link to the future, as shopping and businesses have grown up around them, helping Carlsbad evolve into the diverse, progressive city it is today.

Los Angeles's The Palms Neighborhood

9780738569932

$24.99

The Westside neighborhood of Palms is the oldest suburb of Los Angeles. Founded in 1886 halfway between L.A. and the beach on a steam railroad line, Palms attracted wealthy Angelinos escaping the summer's downtown heat as well as Easterners seeking a new life in "the natural home of the fig, olive, lemon, lime, apricot, and that class of fruit that brings the largest profit in the local market." Rancho Park and Mar Vista had yet to make it onto maps--it was all "The Palms." The school district stretched from the Santa Monica Mountains on the north toward Redondo Beach on the south. A lively social and business life sprang up, but gradually the metropolis enfolded Palms, which was annexed into Los Angeles in 1915. After World War II, subdivisions brought young families, the flatlands became a huge swath of apartments, and the barren hill area became the tree-shrouded Westside Village.

Santa Ana Mountains History, Habitat and Hikes:

9781609496173

$21.99

The majestic Santa Ana Mountains cover one thousand square miles and much of the Cleveland National Forest in Orange, Riverside and San Diego Counties. Unlike other designated wild lands close to huge population centers, the rugged Santa Anas remain largely primordial. Dominated by Old Saddleback and its twin peaks of Modjeska and Santiago, this beautiful range, visible from much of the Los Angeles Basin, remains the last intact coastal ecosystem in Southern California. Home to Native Americans, Spanish missionaries, vaqueros, sheep barons, bandits and suburban developers, the Santa Anas were traversed by mountain man Jedediah Smith, explorer John C. Fremont, lawman Wyatt Earp and other historic figures. Join author Patrick Mitchell for this first comprehensive volume on the natural and cultural histories of the great Santa Anas.

Santa Ana Mountains History, Habitat and Hikes:

Japanese Americans of Florin

9781467105910

$24.99

First-generation Japanese Issei immigrants arrived in Florin in the 1890s, after attempts at profitable strawberry cultivation by Florin landowners had failed. By 1905, however, Issei farmers had developed effective techniques for growing strawberries that delivered a resurgence of the crop. The Issei farmers discovered that Florin's shallow hardpan grew strawberries and grapes well; these fruits would blossom into Florin's major cash crops and lead to the crowning of Florin as the "strawberry capital of the world." But Japanese successes were hard-earned in the face of racist organizations such as the Asiatic Exclusion League and laws like Executive Order 9066, signed by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942. Florin was a community with a majority of Japanese Americans, but their forced removal--mandated by Roosevelt's order--dealt a crushing blow to the bustling agricultural town, as many Florin families never returned. The Japanese American Archival Collection (JAAC) was established in 1994 as an educational partnership between California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), and the Florin Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). The content collection was led by Florinite Mary Tsukamoto, an educator, author, and activist who was sent with her family to Japanese American concentration camps between 1942 and 1945.

San Geronimo Valley

9781467103534

$24.99

Nestled in the rolling hills of West Marin lies the beautiful San Geronimo Valley, with its historic state park and four quaint villages of Woodacre, San Geronimo, Forest Knolls, and Lagunitas. After its early history as ranching country, it became a popular vacation destination for residents of San Francisco and the East Bay. Forced out of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake, some vacationers converted their summer cabins to year-round residences, the early stages of further development that lasted into the 1970s. While the area has changed little in the past four decades, it was at the center of contentious battles over urban development, public education, and a counterculture takeover during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It has been the home of legendary music icons like Kate Wolf, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jerry Garcia and played host to American heroes such as Alexander Graham Bell and Julia Ward Howe. A refuge for artists, craftspeople, and commuters, the area today retains all the elements of its past and remains one of the most unique and intriguing regions of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Cover image for San Geronimo Valley, isbn: 9781467103534

Napa Valley Lawmen and Outlaws

9781467142366

$21.99

Law enforcement in Napa County traces its roots back to the days of Spanish rule and was formalized when California became a state in 1850. Since then, those who wear the badge have pursued the lawless in search of justice. Chuck Hansen, who started as a patrol officer, pioneered the use of forensic science at the Napa Police Department, collecting DNA evidence in 1974 that would become key in solving a murder decades later. And the killer known as "Willy the Woodcutter" was caught thanks to the expertise of Hal Snook of the Napa County Sheriff's Department. Napa police sergeant Todd Shulman brings to life the stories of those who played a part in solving some of wine country's most infamous crimes.

Pasadena's Bungalow Heaven

9780738593012

$24.99

Bungalow Heaven, Pasadena's first and largest landmark district, contains the nation's finest collection of middle-class homes of the American Arts and Crafts period. Saved from the wrecking ball in the late 1980s by a grassroots movement that would regenerate the city, it was listed in 2008 on the California Register and in the National Register of Historic Places. The next year, the American Planning Association deemed this heavenly place, with its human-scaled houses, welcoming front porches, and walkable tree-lined streets, as a "Great Neighborhood" in its Great Places in America program. Bungalow Heaven became a model for civic engagement and a lovingly restored reminder of a simpler, healthier way of life.

Newhall’s Walk of Western Stars

9781467106214

$24.99

Since 1981, the Walk of Western Stars in Newhall, California, has commemorated beloved performers from Western film, television, radio, and music. Over the years, nearly 100 honorees have been memorialized in the sidewalks of Old Town Newhall with bronze saddles and terrazzo tiles. Each April, new inductees are added to the walk during the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival. Santa Clarita, which includes Newhall, has a century-long history of Western film and television production that continues to this day. Newhall is the site of William S. Hart Park, where silent cowboy superstar William S. "Two Gun Bill" Hart, the first Walk of Western Stars inductee, had his retirement home. It is also the home of such Western gems as Melody Ranch, a film ranch once owned by Gene Autry that is still in operation. Melody is where Matt Dillon first stared down the bad guys in Gunsmoke, where Al Swearengen ruled over Deadwood, and where the hosts first became sentient in television's Westworld.

Gold Country's Last Chinatown

9781467143233

$23.99

Marysville's Chinatown is the last remaining of thirty such communities built in California's Gold Country during the gold rush. Home to one of the oldest operating Taoist temples in California, this region's rich history includes a visit from Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the first president of the Republic of China. For more than 150 years, the Chinese in Marysville have celebrated the Bok Kai Festival, and it's now the only place in America where people can experience the firing of the bombs and the mad dash to catch one of the good luck rings. Join authors Lawrence Tom and Brian Tom as they share the stories of the resolute Marysville Chinese and their pioneer forebears.

San Jose Gambling

9781467104685

$24.99

From the time San Jose was founded by the Spanish in 1777 as California's first civilian settlement, the city has had its share of risk-taking in one way or another. San Jose began as a small settlement of farmers who produced food for the presidios in San Francisco and Monterey. In their free time, the farmers enjoyed a few games of cards despite the strict rules of the Spanish military. Present-day San Jose has become filled with high-tech engineers risking everything to develop the next successful start-up company. San Jose had a lot of gambling between these times-from the illegal speakeasy-type clubs that featured games such as dice, fan-tan, roulette, Chinese lotteries, and, of course, slot machines to the small legal card clubs consisting of one to ten tables filled with people playing games such as pan, lowball, and poker, that would eventually become two of Northern California's largest cardrooms, which generate millions of dollars every year.

Cover image for San Jose Gambling, isbn: 9781467104685

Sacramento's Gold Rush Saloons:

9781626191709

$21.99

As early as 1839, Sacramento, California, was home to one of the most enduring symbols of the American West: the saloon. From the portability of the Stinking Tent to the Gold Rush favorite El Dorado Gambling Saloon to the venerable Sutter's Fort, Sacramento saloons offered not simply a nip of whiskey and a round of monte but also operated as polling place, museum, political hothouse, vigilante court and site of some of the nineteenth century's worst violence. From librarian James Scott and the Special Collections of the Sacramento Public Library comes a fascinating history of Sacramento saloons featuring the advent of all types of gaming, the rise of local alcohol production and the color and guile of some of the region's most compelling personalities..

San Ramon Valley:

9780738530819

$24.99

The San Ramon Valley stretches for 20 beautiful miles under the shadow of Mount Diablo and includes the bustling communities of San Ramon, Alamo, and Danville. Some 113,000 people make their homes here in a scenic area of open spaces, gracious homes, and tree-lined streets. Also here are major business hubs and the winding Interstate 680 freeway. Of course, this valley wasn't always so populous. In the 1850s, while nearby San Francisco boomed and Oakland grew up, this valley remained rural. Mount Diablo became an important early survey marker during California's gold rush, but only in recent decades have the early ranchos and small villages given way to the modern cities we know today.

Onizuka Air Force Base

9781467104067

$23.99

For nearly five decades, some of the United States military's most secretive operations were conducted out of a collection of nondescript buildings at the intersection of State Route 237 and Mathilda Avenue in Sunnyvale, California. The installation was known by a variety of names in its early years: Satellite Test Center, Air Force Satellite Control Facility, the "Blue Cube," and Sunnyvale Air Force Station. In July 1986, the facility was renamed Onizuka Air Force Base after Col. Ellison S. Onizuka, the first Asian American astronaut, who was killed during the space shuttle Challenger accident. The location was selected due to its proximity to Lockheed Missiles and Space Company's Sunnyvale facilities and supported early satellite reconnaissance programs such as Corona, Gambit, and Hexagon. As the nation's nucleus for satellite command and control, workers at Onizuka Air Force Base directed efforts for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), US military, and NASA's space shuttle program until the closure of the base in 2010.

Cover image for Onizuka Air Force Base, isbn: 9781467104067

Solvang

9780738559353

$24.99

"Denmark in America" describes the charming village of Solvang, California. What began as a Danish colony has become something entirely different than what the founders intended. Following World War II, Danish-style architecture was emphasized in this Santa Barbara County coastal community, and generations of visitors have come to Solvang for the annual Danish Days celebration. However, understanding Solvang as merely a tourist destination would overlook the historical foundation upon which the Danish colony was established in the Santa Ynez Valley--to establish a cultural community for religious and educational purposes in the desirable California climate. This book celebrates the old Solvang as well as the one millions of tourists know today.