Lander

9780738581507

$24.99

Before Lander became a town, the area had already been the summer hunting grounds for numerous Native American tribes, seen a few rendezvous, and had become a freighting hub. Supplying goods for the miners in the South Pass area and goods for the cavalry and natives at Fort Washakie, the freight wagons rolled year-round. When the Lander townsite was plotted in 1880, the main road remained wide enough that a 20-hitch team could turn around. As more people settled in the area, Lander became an agricultural-based town. It was known throughout the state for its abundance of produce, hay, blooded horses, cattle, and sheep. But it was not all work for the settlers; the Wind River Mountains also beckoned. Lander, located at the edge of the southern half of the Shoshone National Forest, became an outfitting stop for alpinists, scientists, and others seeking adventure. Once word of the vast elk and deer herds and the abundance of trout in those high mountain lakes was out, hunters and fisherman came from all over. It also did not take long for Western adventure writers to highlight that Lander was a good place for tourists who wanted to experience the romance of the west through horseback riding, camping, and mountain adventures.

Johnstown

9780738581194

$24.99

The story of Johnstown did not begin with the founding of the town in 1902, nor did it end there. The story begins and ends with enterprising people. These people were determined to make a life for themselves despite all the hardships of living on the prairie of Colorado. These were the same people who were among the first Americans to go west. Trappers came for beaver pelts, and traders set up forts to trade for buffalo hides from the Arapaho. Gold miners whose claims went bust later settled in the Johnstown area. Cattlemen's herds found the prairie grass a natural food source, and they flourished. And, finally, the homesteaders claimed farmland that became rich and fertile with the use of irrigation. Johnstown is the story of people who established a new life in a new world.

Malvern

9780738586267

$24.99

Hot Spring County was established in 1829, and its county seat, Malvern, was laid out as a station on the Cairo and Fulton Railroad in 1873. A remarkable diversity of agricultural, timber, and mineral products spurred the county's growth over the decades, especially the abundant clay deposits that made Malvern the Brick Capital of the World.

Fox Island

9780738558073

$24.99

Fox Island has had as wide a variety of names as inhabitants over its long and diverse history. The island was named for American lieutenant John L. Fox, who was with the 1841 Wilkes Expedition. However, it was first known as Bu Teu by the Native Americans who used the island for burials and potlatches, and it was later named Rosario by the Spanish in the 1770s. It served as a temporary Native American reservation after the Indian War of 1856, and later supported a large dogfish processing business and, from 1884 to 1910, a brick-manufacturing company. The island's 1890s community of Sylvan contained a school, a store, a dock, a vacation lodge, and a waterfront church. In 1954, a bridge replaced the ferry to Fox Island. Today the U.S. Navy has an acoustic laboratory on the island, and two large church buildings have been built. Perhaps the most famous resident of the island was Washington's first female governor, Dixy Lee Ray.

Hamtramck

9780738551418

$24.99

With a population made up overwhelmingly of Polish immigrants and descendents of Poles, Hamtramck was especially hardhit by the impact of World War II. Most of the city's residents had family contacts with the old country. When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, Hamtramckans reacted with shock and anger--and with a determination to see fascism defeated and Poland freed. Thousands of Hamtramckans fought in the war, hundreds died. And those who remained at home dealt with the wartime life as best they could. Hamtramck: The World War II Years presents a portrait of the city at war. It tells and shows how Hamtramckans--of all ages, races, and backgrounds--coped with shortages, the threat of attack, and the everpresent dread that the next telegram may bring news of a soldier's death. It was a challenging time that demanded strength, dedication, and sacrifice. Hamtramckans stood up and delivered all that was required--and more.

Apple Valley

9780738547497

$24.99

From its earliest days, the entrepreneurs who created Apple Valley found treasure lying beneath its surface of sand. Just two years after gold was discovered in neighboring Holcomb Valley, the Homestead Act of 1862 ushered in a new population to Apple Valley. Max F. Ihmsen, publisher of the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper, moved to the area in 1915 and made his fortune in apple farming. News of his great success spread quickly, enticing a steady migration of Southern California residents to relocate to the nearby desert. The rich and famous, as well as the colorful and inspired, flocked to Apple Valley. Clark Gable, Carol Lombard, Gregory Peck, and Joe Louis all visited area guest ranches. Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Desi Arnaz, and Roy Rogers frequented celebrityrich parties at the Apple Valley Inn. In less than 100 years, Apple Valley earned itself a unique reputation in Hollywood history and became suburban America to many famous residents.

Collingswood

9780738549996

$24.99

Officially established in 1888, Collingswood was built on strong Christian values, as evidenced by its many houses of worship and its longstanding ban on serving or selling alcoholic beverages--a policy still in effect today. The town's proximity to Camden and Philadelphia and a beautiful expansive park in the center of town helped to feed its early growth. In fact, at the beginning of the 20th century, town fathers proclaimed Collingswood "the fastest growing community east of the Mississippi River." Collingswood chronicles the early development and remarkable growth up to the mid1900s of this southern New Jersey town through treasured images of the downtown district, church life, community affairs, government, streetscapes, Knight Park, and more.

Around Cranberry Lake

9781467103114

$24.99

From a small rural retreat to a center of industry and finally into protected wildlands, this is the story of the Adirondacks' Cranberry Lake.

Initially, the remote Cranberry Lake region attracted hunters and fishermen such as Reuben Wood, world-champion fly caster, as well as artists like Frederic Remington, writer Irving Bacheller, and Arts and Crafts movement philosopher Elbert Hubbard. Between 1886 and 1896, when railroads began to approach the lake, both industry and tourism flourished. Extractive industries like mining and lumbering coexisted with a lively trade catering to leisure travelers and recreationists, though the same industries depleted much of the lake's resources. Several generations later, the natural beauty and wilderness characteristic of the Cranberry Lake region has been restored, and outdoor recreation is still an enticing draw to the area, though the stumps of old trees still litter the land like pockmarks of history, never to fully heal.

Tyler County

9780738584980

$24.99

Before six flags flew over Tyler County, Native American settlers created forest trails and left artifacts. Later, Mexican officials welcomed Alabama-Coushatta Indians and invited adventurous pioneers from southeastern states. The banks of the Neches River supported rustic homes nestled among towering pines and graceful dogwood trees. Southerners brought their culture and lifestyle, and cotton reigned as king in the early days. Timber and tourism industries soon flourished. The Wheat, Shivers, and Kirby families, among the first to put down roots in the yet unformed county, provided leadership for the prospering communities. Sawmills dotted the landscape. Longleaf pine trees provided jobs in the lumber industry for all willing workers. The Dogwood Festival and Tyler County Fair added celebrations of seasonal beauty and bounty. Transportation systems improved to sustain industrial growth and rising tourism. In the 21st century, biofuel producers continue the quest for improved uses of Tyler County's forests and enhanced quality of life for its people.

Boerne

9780738579436

$24.99

In 1849, German "Freethinkers" had been dreaming of a communal utopia, free from oppression by church and state. They settled in Texas on the Cibolo Creek, where Native Americans and Spanish explorers had gone before them. The experiment evolved into a frontier outpost, a stage stop, a health spa, a railhead, a small village, a brief chapter in the Civil War, and a farm and ranch community. Boerne is now a tourist destination and a lovely place to live. This collection of pictures and stories explores what has been amazing, unique, and a little odd about this bend in the Cibolo, as well as the history of local conservation efforts. As the little town of Boerne goes through its inevitable growing pains, it is important to remember its special people and places, and what is worth saving.

Hubbard

9780738532899

$24.99

Hubbard traces its heritage to the historic Connecticut Western Reserve and is the living legacy of Nehemiah Hubbard Jr., a member of the Connecticut Land Company who purchased 15,274 acres and hired Samuel Tylee, Hubbard's first settler, as his land agent to measure and sell lots. Hubbard remained a quiet farming community until
the coal-mining boom of the early 1860s changed its future forever. Immigrants from Europe flocked here to work in the mines, and the industrialization of this small town began in earnest. Prosperity continued until the decline of the region's steel industry in the 1970s and, later, the loss of several major businesses. Along with the new millennium,
however, came the formation of the Joint Economic Development District between Hubbard City and Township, which brought much-needed development to the Interstate 80, State Route 7/U.S. 62 corridor.

Lower Brazos River Canals

9781467132244

$24.99

Communities have spent more than 100 years mastering the mighty Brazos River and its waterways. In the 1800s, Stephen F. Austin chose the Brazos River as the site for the first Texas colony because of its vast water and fertile soil. Within 75 years, a pumping station would herald the way for crop management. A sugar mill that was eventually known as Imperial Sugar spurred community development. In 1903, John Miles Frost Jr. tapped the Brazos to expand the Cane and Rice Belt Irrigation System while Houston newspapers predicted the infrastructure marvel would change the region's future--and it did. Within a few decades, the Texas agricultural empire caused Louisiana to dub Texas farmers "the sugar and rice aristocracy." As the dawn of the industrial age began, the Brazos River and its waterways began supplying the Texas Gulf Coast industry.

Morrisville

9780738553337

$24.99

Morrisville is known as a small, sleepy town in central North Carolina. However, this town in the heart of the state's most technological area has a long and colorful past. The Morrisville community traces its origin to its location on the state's colonial east-west road and became a town, naming itself after resident Jeremiah Morris, with the arrival of the North Carolina Railroad in 1852. Its strategic stop along the railroad brought warring armies during the Civil War, and afterward, residents hoped the railroad would make Morrisville a prosperous town of the New South. Progress came slowly, and Morrisville became a farming community frozen in time for the next 100 years. With the rapid growth of the Research Triangle in the 1980s, Morrisville found itself enveloped by a quickly changing community. Located by the state's largest airport and a major interstate, Morrisville became the new center for several technologically advanced research facilities and home to many new families enjoying the town's rural charm.

Florence

9780738541945

$24.99

Florence is the largest city in Boone County and the second-largest city in Northern Kentucky. Formed in 1830, the city was for much of its history a small community surrounded by farms. During World War II, what was to become the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati International Airport was constructed nearby. This, combined with the construction of Interstate 75 in the late 1950s, started the building boom that drastically changed the community and began the huge growth in population that still continues. To commemorate the community's 175th anniversary, this volume presents Florence from its early history to the 1960s. It depicts a Florence that is relatively unknown to the majority of those living here. The images herein are courtesy of longtime residents as well as local church and public archives, with many being published here for the first time. Photographs illustrate the site of a Civil War skirmish and, perhaps most notably, local author John Uri Lloyd, who saluted Florence of old in his book Stringtown on the Pike, which gave Florence its nickname.

Big Piney and Marbleton

9780738575889

$24.99

Big Piney and Marbleton are one mile apart, and attempts to combine the two towns have been unsuccessful. The area had been home to family-operated cattle ranches starting in 1878, and a year later Daniel B. Budd and Hugh McKay brought 1,000 cattle from Nevada and were stopped here due to the weather. Founded by Daniel, Big Piney was incorporated in a boggy area on July 5, 1913, and is the oldest settlement in Sublette County. Daniel's eldest son, Charles, had hoped to build the town up on the bench to alleviate the problem of wet land. He founded Marbleton, the newer town, which was incorporated in 1914. Big Piney has been called the "Icebox of the Nation" because it had the coldest year-round average temperature in the country when it was officially made a weather station in 1930. Cattle remain a vibrant part of the local economy, and the land has been drilled for oil since the 1920s. Both towns have known several booms and busts, typical of the energy industry.

Camp Verde

9780738579122

$24.99

In February 1864, a party of 17 men and two women left the security of the territorial capital at Prescott, Arizona, and headed east into the Verde Valley, homeland of the Yavapai and Apache. Drawn by the promise of ample water, rich bottomland, and lush grassland, the party established a farming and ranching community near the confluence of West Clear Creek and the Verde River. In spite of conflict with the Yavapai and Apache, the settlement survived, due in part to the establishment of a military presence late that summer. Over the next 35 years, the settlement at Lower Verde thrived around the army fort, and became known as Camp Verde. In 1891, Fort Verde was abandoned, and the surrounding land opened to homesteading in 1895. The post sold at auction in 1899. Built among the ruins of the ancient Sinagua culture and situated along the banks of the Verde River, Camp Verde remains an agricultural paradise and a haven for those wanting to escape city life.

Detroit's Deaf Heritage

9781467116015

$24.99

Through vintage photographs of successful organizations, Detroit's Deaf Heritage illustrates the evolution of the deaf community and its prominent leaders.

Detroit, the Motor City, welcomed many newcomers to work and interact in the deaf community in the early 20th century. The booming job market attracted Benjamin and Ralph Beaver, deaf brothers from Iuka, Illinois, who helped form the Detroit Association of the Deaf (DAD) Club--celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016. Others included the Wahowiak family, who ran a shoe repair business in Upper Michigan for two deaf generations; Arlyn Meyerson, a deaf restaurateur for 55 years; Glenn Stewart, the first black deaf man graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology; and Dudley Cutshaw, a longtime deaf local leader. In addition, Grand Rapids, Flint, and Upper Michigan each contributed to this great deaf heritage by affiliating with Detroit's deaf community.

Hammonton

9780738510446

$24.99

Early in the nineteenth century, when rugged northerners came to the middle of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, they were met with sandy soil and little chance for survival. They then discovered that peaches, cranberries, and blueberries grew well in that sandy soil, and they made their fortunes. In time, Italians came to work the farms and wound up owning them. The unique combination of Yankee and old-world values-which had more in common than anyone imagined-created Hammonton, a community unlike any other. Hammonton is a town with a proud and diverse history. From its early days, carved out of the wilderness by hardy pioneers from New England, to successive generations of farm and factory labor forces made up of immigrants from Italy, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, Hammonton's story is unique. Scores of historical photographs, many of them never before published, fill the pages of Hammonton. Included are views of the town's agricultural heritage, the vintage architecture of its schools and charming downtown area, the improbable and thrilling Little League World Series victory of the 1949 Hammonton All-Stars, the 1984 visit from Pres. Ronald Reagan that drew more than thirty thousand people to town, and the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, an annual local tradition with a one-hundred-twenty-five-year history.

La Salle County

9780738579382

$24.99

The Nueces River runs west to east across La Salle County, and at one time it served as the boundary between Texas and Mexico. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, ceded the Nueces Strip to Texas. La Salle County was formed out of some of this land in 1858. Early settlers struggled to survive in the wild terrain amid fears of attacks from outlaws and natives. From the Indian Raid of 1878 and the assassination of a sheriff, to droughts and dust storms, the hardy people of La Salle County persevered. After an election in 1883, Cotulla was selected as the permanent county seat, a courthouse was erected, and churches and schools were built. The lawlessness of the past is gone, but the county's residents share the perseverance of those early pioneers.

West Deptford

9780738576022

$24.99

West Deptford Township was officially incorporated on March 1, 1871, when it was separated from the much larger Deptford Township. Pioneers, drawn by fertile land and proximity to waterways and major cities, discovered that this small acreage of land was perfect for farming. These family farms grew into small family-owned businesses, attracting others wishing to begin homesteads and other companies. As time went on, clusters of family farms were transformed into small communities. Neighborhoods such as Verga, Colonial Manor, Thorofare, and Greenfields emerged. Today, West Deptford, a prideful community, is a blend of the old and new. Old family farmhouses stand proudly next to new developments. West Deptford features images and stories from many township residents.

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.

Around Bellows Falls

9780738510330

$24.99

With more than two hundred vintage photographs, Around Bellows Falls: Rockingham, Westminster, and Saxtons River explores the fascinating history of these southern Vermont communities. Located along the Connecticut River, Rockingham-the township that includes both Bellows Falls and Saxtons River-was chartered in 1752. Westminster, one of Vermont's oldest towns, was granted in 1736 as Township No. 1.

Around Bellows Falls: Rockingham, Westminster, and Saxtons River chronicles the history of these communities up to the mid-twentieth century with photographs of historic homes, businesses, people, and well-known landmarks. In addition to views of the fantastic beauty of the area, this volume includes photographs of Vermont's oldest public building, the Rockingham Meetinghouse (built in 1787), and the Bellows Falls home of Hetty Green, the infamous "witch of Wall Street." Westminster's Cumberland County Court was the location of not only the Westminster Massacre but also the meeting that declared Vermont as a free and independent republic in 1777. Also included are vintage photographs of the scenic village of Saxtons River (named on the National Register of Historic Places), which once had a strong mill industry that took advantage of three falls along the river.

Milwaukee Movie Theaters

9780738584454

$24.99

Prior to World War II, there were 90 single-screen movie theaters in Milwaukee. By 1960, that number had been reduced by half. With the arrival of television for the home market, the golden age of the movie theater in Milwaukee was dead. Yet their ghosts continue to haunt the old neighborhoods. Churches, warehouses, stores, nightspots, and other businesses now occupy the former Tivoli, Paris, Roosevelt, and Savoy Buildings. Others are simply vacant hulks, decaying from the inside out. The Elite, Regent, Lincoln, and Warner are but a few of the many silent sentinels from the days when Milwaukee was in love with the movies.

Marshall County

9780738542843

$24.99

In the early 19th century, settlers established ferries across the Tennessee River in Kentucky and grew crops, including corn and tobacco. Small communities formed around schools and crossroads. Cheap land prices and lust for westward expansion fueled population growth. In 1842, Marshall County was created and named for Chief Justice John Marshall. Over the next 100 years, some roadside communities grew into small, prosperous towns. James Love founded Birmingham, a port on the Tennessee River, which became the county's largest community. Downriver Gilbertsville profited from river traffic and rail transportation, while Hardin and Calvert City developed strictly around rail stops. Benton slowly matured as the county seat. Still the county was mostly rural farming communities until the devastating flood of 1937 brought the Tennessee Valley Authority to Gilbertsville to build Kentucky Dam.

The Key Peninsula

9780738548937

$24.99

The Key Peninsula is a scenic finger of land that stretches south between Case and Carr Inlets in Washington State. Few people lived there before 1850, although Native Americans fished and hunted from temporary villages. Several communities, each with a unique history, took root near the various bays and inlets of the peninsula, and by the 1890s, many areas bustled with schools, post offices, mills, churches, and stores. Logging, orchards, and chicken farms supported these early pioneers. Cut off from the mainland, the waters of Puget Sound provided transportation. The famous Mosquito Fleet carried products such as fruit, seafood, chickens, eggs, and butter to Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle until the advent of the ferries and, later, the bridges. Many of today's "oldtimers" are just two or three generations distant from the original hardy settlers, but the area's residents are proud of the heritage of this unique place they call home.

Arlington

9780738590431

$24.99

Arlington, the first photographic history of this
Massachusetts town ever produced, presents a unique
look at its rich heritage and remarkable transformations.
From sleepy nineteenth-century village to renowned center
of mills and market gardens, from elegant summer resort to
flourishing commuter suburb of Boston, the many facets of
Arlington's growth come alive through the fascinating images
in this volume.

Hoopers Island's Changing Face

9781467116251

$24.99

Travel back to Hoopers Island's beginnings in the 1600s and discover how much different it is today.

One of the oldest settlements in Maryland is a small tidewater community on the Eastern Shore named Hoopers Island. Land was patented there in 1659, and families who owned the original plantations have continued to reside there for generations. Economic changes in the 18th century contributed to both isolation and a unique style of life. By the late 19th century, farmers had turned to the sea to make their living and the community became known for its seafood. Island watermen continue to harvest the products of the Chesapeake, and local factories deliver seafood daily throughout the region.

Hoopers Island today, however, has a different look than it did even 50 years ago. The high school has been transformed into a fine restaurant, and an old marine railway has become a modern boatyard and marina. While the native population has declined, others have retired to the area, and the island is becoming a vacation destination.

Clinton

9780738588087

$24.99

Established in 1802 as the county seat of Anderson County and originally named Burrville in honor of Aaron Burr, the first-term vice president under Thomas Jefferson, Clinton was renamed by the Tennessee legislature in 1809. The arrival of the railroad after the Civil War made large-scale mining of coal the area's main industry for nearly a century, and the resulting growth in population was one of the deciding factors in the federal government's building of the "Secret City" of Oak Ridge, as part of its World War II Manhattan Project, just 16 miles to the southwest. From the late 1880s until the completion of the Tennessee Valley Authority's Norris Dam in 1936, Clinton was also a major center of the Clinch River freshwater pearl trade. Construction of the dam altered the river's temperature, which killed off the pearl industry, but the creation of Norris Lake became the basis on which the area's tourism industry was founded.

Phippsburg

9780738500959

$24.99

Discover the history of Phippsburg, Maine, where the English initially attempted to settle and the first European ship in the New World was constructed. It is no surprise that Phippsburg became a major shipbuilding center. Both Phippsburg's history and development were greatly influenced by the area's geographical features. Its uneven, rocky landscape made farming difficult; many turned to the sea for their livelihoods, while others developed lumber mills and ice-harvesting operations. Phippsburg's location on a major river encouraged the development of commerce and shipbuilding, and local ice and lumber were exported worldwide in Phippsburg-built ships. Its breathtaking, rugged scenery made Phippsburg a resort destination for many.

Johnson

9780738576251

$24.99

Johnson lies in the central part of Lamoille County, situated between Sterling and Butternut Mountains.

Johnson is a rural community with an agricultural and retail presence, plus an abundance of educational opportunity with both Johnson State College and the Vermont Studio Center. The town is snuggled between two ski areas, Mount Mansfield at Stowe and Smuggler's Notch at Jeffersonville. While many mills from the early days no longer exist, the Johnson Woolen Mill and Parker and Stearns Lumber Company continue to operate. Johnson captures the physical, social, and cultural essence of the town's early days. Each picture records for posterity the faces of those who helped to make Johnson the community that it is today.

Fitchburg

9780738537573

$24.99

Incorporated in 1764, Fitchburg began as a farming community nestled among the hills along the Nashua River in north-central Massachusetts.

In 1845, the railroad sparked rapid growth in the city, and by the beginning of the 20th century, nearly 100 trains traveled through Fitchburg daily, the railway linking Albany and Boston. Immigrants from many countries provided a vital workforce, and the city was catapulted into a golden age of industry. Mill owners became prosperous, and their philanthropy became evident throughout the city. Splendid churches, Main Street edifices, and grand residences were built to create a rich architectural heritage, particularly the Victorian style, built at the height of mill town prosperity.

The Great Fires of Lynn

9780738545530

$24.99

No city can be spared the devastating effects of fire, but Lynn has seemingly experienced more than its share. More than most communities, Lynn measures its epochs in terms of these catastrophes. From the Christmas night blaze of 1868 to the conflagration of 1981, generations of Lynn residents have witnessed major fires that have changed the face of the city. Many of the significant fires have occurred in the very heart of the city, the downtown area. While some of these great fires have been more tragic and debilitating than others, each has in its own way contributed to the evolution of the city, making Lynn what it is today.

Cover image for The Great Fires of Lynn, isbn: 9780738545530

Hoover

9781467112185

$24.99

Take a view of Hoover and the nearby towns of Bluff Park, Shades Mountain, Rocky Ridge, Green Valley, and Patton (Patton's) Chapel.

The community of Hoover began as a seed planted in the young mind of William Henry Hoover Sr. (1890-1979). Hoover's father dreamed of a city for working families, and the younger Hoover used this vision as a road map to build a strong municipality that grew with business, community, and family living. Through hard work and determination, Hoover opened Employers Mutual of Alabama's first office in Birmingham in 1922. He later founded the early town of Hoover in 1954 and in 1958 moved his company to the area that would be incorporated in 1967 as the city of Hoover. Several nearby communities are older than the city itself. Images of America: Hoover looks at Bluff Park, Shades Mountain, Rocky Ridge, Green Valley, and Patton (Patton's) Chapel as some of the early areas where Hoover's great story began.

Early Salinas

9780738529936

$24.99

The city of Salinas is named for the broad saltwater slough that once seeped in from Monterey Bay, saturating this plain between the Santa Lucia and Gavilian Mountains. Originally used as range land for cattle, a town developed from a stage stop after the Gold Rush, and the drained land produced grain and other crops. After World War I, immensely profitable large-scale lettuce, broccoli, and artichoke production, known as "green gold," made Salinas one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. Isolated from its neighbors by mountains on both sides, early Salinas seemed a world unto itself, and its residents, both humble and wealthy, and the seemingly infinite green rows that surrounded it, provided similarly endless inspiration to novelist John Steinbeck, who recorded life here in the first half of the 20th century and imbued it with meaning.

McNeil Island

9781467116282

$24.99

McNeil Island might look like just another wooded island along Washington State's Puget Sound. That first impression would be wrong. McNeil was home to territorial, federal, and state prison systems, and its inmate roster included mobsters, politicians, infamous killers, and bank robbers. But, alongside the inmates and the wire that contained them was a thriving community. The original pioneer residents and, later, the families of essential prison staff lived their daily lives as normally as possible while anchored by prison activities.