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$24.99
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Since the early 1900s, Silver Lake has been a magnet for iconoclastic writers, architects and political activists. Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed the Hollyhock House for socialist and oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, drew a wave of visionary modernists to the area. Local civil rights advocate Loren Miller spearheaded the fight against housing discrimination. Silver Lake's Black Cat bar and Harry Hay's Mattachine Society were central to the early gay rights movement. Literary artists AnƤis Nin and James Leo Herlihy made the neighborhood their home, as did other notables like first lady of baseball Effa Manley and "Hobo Millionaire" James Eads How. Michael Locke and Vincent Brook chronicle these and other people and places that helped make Silver Lake the bohemian epicenter of Los Angeles.
Visalia
9780738569352
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$24.99
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In the fall of 1852, hardy pioneers camped among the oaks along a meandering creek in an area known as Four Creeks Country. There, in the fertile soil surrounded by abundant water, Visalia took root. Today the county seat of Tulare County is the oldest San Joaquin Valley town between Stockton and Los Angeles, and is the gateway to Sequoia National Park.
San Mateo
9780738529561
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$24.99
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Ever since the DeAnza expedition camped in the area in 1776, residents and visitors have been making their way to San Mateo--situated in the shadow of its famous northern neighbor, San Francisco. This book trains the spotlight on the unique peninsular city of San Mateo, and illustrates its development from sleepy, oak-studded ranchos to today's bustling city with its own college, three high schools, churches, hospitals, and a population approaching 100,000.
The Lost Communities of Lake Oroville
9781467123990
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$24.99
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In 1968, Lake Oroville flooded the West Branch, North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork canyons of the Feather River. Also inundated were the communities of Las Plumas, the Big Bend Power House, Bidwell Bar, and Enterprise. In 1994, Feather Falls Village, located above the lake, also ceased to exist due to a totally different situation. But all of these communities had one thing in common: there were people who had resided in them for decades and who still have an emotional connection to them. This book attempts to preserve some of the history of those areas and also tries to show some of what it was like to live in those now almost forgotten communities.
Sacramento's Oak Park
9780738529325
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$24.99
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The history of American cities is a history of suburbs. It is a history of moving out and settling in, of technological innovation, of rearrangements of space, and the creation and erosion of community. Oak Park was Sacramento's first suburb, and before being officially annexed to the city in 1911, it prided itself on having separate law enforcement, its own newspaper, and perhaps most importantly, its own amusement park--Joyland. Unlike the more elite neighborhoods of Land Park and East Sacramento, Oak Park has always reflected working-class values and a less pretentious approach to architecture. Today, Oak Park is actively rediscovering and reestablishing its roots as a distinct, vital community and urban center.
Graton
9780738569895
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$24.99
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The town of Graton is located in the beautiful and fertile Green Valley, which was first settled in the mid-1800s by pioneer families such as the Sullivans, Gregsons, and Winklers. When the railroad came through the area, realtor James Gray and banker J. H. Brush bought land and created one of the first subdivisions in Sonoma County. They named the streets after themselves and their children, and in 1905, Graton was born. Along with the agricultural industry in California, the town thrived until the 1970s and then declined, only to be reborn in the 1990s. Throughout all Graton's phases, Oak Grove School (1854), the Pacific Christian Academy (1918), and the Graton Community Club (1914) remained vital. Graton is now part of a premiere wine-growing region, and visitors as well as locals are attracted to its vibrant downtown businesses, award-winning restaurants, and artistic community.
Vacaville
9780738528847
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$24.99
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Vacaville, named for its founder, Juan Manual Vaca, grew up next to what has become a major highway to Sacramento and points north. It became famous for its Nut Tree Restaurant, which for decades offered travelers the produce of this fertile fruit-growing region. Now the modern highway bypasses Vacaville's historic downtown, leaving it to be enjoyed by the growing population of greater Vaca Valley. Even though the modern city has grown out to engulf that new highway and an ever more diversified economy continues to thrive, old Vacaville still feels and looks like a small town of another era. Unscathed by earthquake since 1892, enlightened city officials have not only preserved much of the original downtown but have added a "Creekwalk" that gives an air of quiet greenery.
Early Costa Mesa
9780738569765
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$24.99
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Three emerging communities from the partitioned Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana formed the improbable start for a city that would eventually proclaim itself the "City of the Arts." These farming communities--Fairview, Paularino, and Harper--attracted families and businesspeople. Community leaders then took pragmatic steps to meet local needs such as schools, churches, and a water supply. Harper's first land developer appealed to folks of modest means by advertising, "You! Five Acres." By 1920, Harper needed a broader identity and a local businessman proposed a naming contest, offering a $25 prize. "Costa Mesa," recognizing the area's heritage and geography, reaped the reward. Eight years later, voters handily defeated the City of Santa Ana's annexation attempt by a margin of five to one. The Great Depression, the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, and the 1938 Santa Ana River flood then besieged the fledgling community. Undaunted, Costa Mesa continued to grow. By 1939, the stage had been set for the postwar miracle that would become the modern city of Costa Mesa.
Gardena Poker Clubs
9781467136716
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$21.99
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Even in the midst of the Great Depression, gamblers flocked to Gardena. Colorful individuals like Ernie Primm fought for the legalization of commercial draw poker and established six iconic card clubs that thrived for generations. Russ Miller worked his way from Edgemont Club bouncer to owner of the Normandie Club. A criminal group called the Ver-Crans Corporation controlled the Horseshoe Club before being run out of town, selling its interest to Bow Herbert. Rival factions in the city waged war in the courts and the street over the coveted seventh card club license. And Larry Flynt bid his way to owning the Eldorado Club, which he rebuilt as the Hustler Casino. Author Max Votolato reveals the high-stakes stories behind Gardena's famous poker rooms.
Early Hayward
9780738529479
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The vibrant East Bay city of Hayward was named for William Hayward, a '49er and American squatter who endeared himself to Mexican landowner Guillermo Castro by making him a good pair of boots. With Castro's permission, William stayed to open Hayward's Hotel on what is now Main and A Streets. That fortuitous location, near the convergence of the eight tributaries forming San Lorenzo Creek, made the region a natural transportation hub between the bay and the fertile Livermore Valley. Stagecoach lines, a narrow-gauge railroad, and later modern transportation links encouraged more immigrants to settle. Today Hayward is a diverse city of almost 150,000 people, and home to a campus of the California State University.
Benicia
9780738529332
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$24.99
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A special Bay light falls on beautiful Benicia, on the north shore of the Carquinez Strait. Two U.S. citizens, Robert Semple and Thomas Larkin, bought the land from Mexican Army General Mariano Vallejo for $100 and the promise to name it for Vallejo's wife in 1847. The next year a customer at Von Pfister's Benicia waterfront store let slip the secret of the gold discovery at Sutter's Mill. Benicia's deep water harbor attracted Pacific Mail and Steamship Company, the first major California industry, the famous Matthew Turner shipyards, tanneries, and the Central Pacific Railroad, which made Benicia its transcontinental terminus. State legislators made the town their third state capital in 1853. That oldest surviving capitol building still stands along with many historic buildings, including the stately structures of a U.S. military base that began with the Benicia Barracks in 1849 and continued to serve until 1964.
West Sacramento
9780738529455
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$24.99
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West Sacramento, in Yolo County, is just across the river from the state capital that shares part of its name. But it has a very distinct history. First called Washington, the area became an agricultural and industrial center that attracted Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Russian immigrants and helped to feed and supply the growing metropolis of Sacramento and surrounding counties. In 1911, the ambitious West Sacramento Land Company laid down electric rail links to downtown Sacramento and cleared the land for what they hoped would be large-scale developments and population growth. Eventually West Sacramento did grow, and in 1987 the communities of West Sacramento, Broderick, Bryte, and Southport joined together to become one of the newest incorporated cities in the state.
Around Boron
9780738569437
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$24.99
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In the late 1920s, this high desert area with little water and unproductive soil held no attraction for most people, but the small community of Amargo provided a grocery store, gas station, and of course a saloon for the convenience of tenacious gold and borax prospectors. In 1938, after the large deposit of borax was discovered and mining had begun, a town hall meeting was called and Le Roy Osborne, supervisor of Pacific Coast Borax Company, suggested changing the name from Amargo to Boron. Boron is the fifth element on the periodic table and combines with other nonmetallic minerals to form a family of related minerals called borates; after this was explained to those gathered at the town hall meeting, Boron was unanimously chosen as its new name and the community was forever linked to the borax mining industry.
Seaside
9780738569819
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$24.99
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Seaside's local history is unique and in many ways a microcosm of the ethnic mosaic that is California. Situated on the Monterey Bay, this working-class community of approximately 33,000 was incorporated in 1954; it was a typical military town, tied to Fort Ord, until the closure of the base in 1994. Seaside was home to a variety of ethnic groups, but after World War II, the city experienced a surge of immigration by African Americans associated with the military. Today the city is witness to another demographic shift symbolic of the state's changing face, as Mexican immigrants and their children now form the largest minority group in Seaside. Over the years, the city has continued to grow and attract new residents and visitors with its friendly community and striking coastal location.
Yountville
9780738569659
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$24.99
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Over the past decade, the town of Yountville has received worldwide recognition as a tourist destination specializing in fine wine, luxurious hotel and spa accommodations, and award-winning restaurants. In fact, these achievements and accolades have earned it the name "Heart of the Napa Valley." Longtime residents, however, realize that Yountville's temperate weather, rich soils, and serene environs have been attracting visitors to the area not for decades but rather for thousands of years. The original indigenous residents called the surrounding area Caymus and constructed their homes out of willow and tule. Later the village of Caymus became known as Sebastopol, a name used by mountain man George C. Yount, the first American settler to receive a Mexican land grant. Yount's Kentucky-style blockhouse provided a welcome mat for many of California's early pioneers. He is also credited with planting some of the first grapevines in the Napa Valley. Upon his death in 1865, local residents wanted to honor the contribution of Yount and changed the name from Sebastopol to Yountville.
Modern San Rafael:
9780738593074
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Modern San Rafael: 1940-2000 begins where the first volume, Early San Rafael, left off. San Rafael changed dramatically in the years following World War II, and in the 1950s, the gentle hills with roaming cattle gave way to housing developments and shopping centers. Expansion of the city into Terra Linda, Marinwood, and Santa Venetia provided housing for all the new residents. The population soared, and to keep pace, new schools, new streets, and new ideas expanded the size and ambience of the town. The new Marin County Civic Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright became an instant architectural icon. Not everything changed, and some of the old town remains today, adding to San Rafael's charm. The vibrant downtown, the attractive streets with Victorian homes, and the beautiful landscape close to San Francisco Bay have been preserved. San Rafael is a place where the healthy outdoor lifestyle meets a busy center of cultural activity, and the result is a great place to live.
Oak Park
9780738595382
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$24.99
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Ventura County's largest unincorporated community was born in the mid-1960s on pastoral ranchland previously owned by the radio comedy team of Fibber McGee and Molly in the 1950s and by William Randolph Hearst from the mid-1920s through the 1930s. Originally a Native American site, Oak Park was designed by its builder as a "community in the country" capturing "the scenic grandeur of early California, west of the San Fernando Valley." Today, it is still widely known for its award-winning schools, beautiful parks, creekside bike paths and nature trails, and a diverse, well-educated population. Many of its nearly 15,000 residents commute to and from Los Angeles. These historic images demonstrate why Oak Park has become one of the most desirable places to live in Southern California.
Oxnard
9780738569376
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$24.99
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The Southern California city of Oxnard has its roots in agriculture. From the original dry-farming crops to labor-intensive sugar beets and most recently strawberries, each crop brought a new group of people to Ventura County's largest city, located 60 miles north of Los Angeles. Many chapters of Oxnard's enduring history have been captured on postcards and distributed to family and friends around the world. Arcadia Publishing's Postcard History series allows these images to come home and tell the story once again.
Tracy
9780738528724
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$24.99
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Situated in the San Joaquin Valley near some of California's largest transit corridors, the city of Tracy is poised to become an important and influential community. Today, Tracy is a modern and bustling town that some 70,000 people-along with a growing assortment of businesses-call home. But the journey from a railroad coal-loading station to farming community to commercial center is as full of twists and turns as the early roads across the Altamont Pass. The old buildings lining Sixth Street have surprising stories to tell, just like the roads, fields, and homesteads that have defined Tracy over time.
Community Hospital of San Bernardino
9780738570228
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$24.99
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Dr. William Henry Mills, fellow in the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians in London, arrived in San Bernardino, California in February 1903. Recruited by Dr. George Rowell as a medical partner, Dr. Mills quickly realized that surgical facilities in San Bernardino were woefully inadequate. Determined to improve medical care, in 1906 Mills converted an old wooden residence at the corner of Fourth and F Streets into the Marlborough Hospital. In 1909, with the need for additional space acute, Dr. Mills approached his friend, attorney Ralph Swing, for funding to purchase land at the site of an old adobe saloon located at the corner of Fourth Street and Arrowhead Avenue. In March of 1909, Swing and Mills purchased the land and began construction of a two-story stucco hospital building with beds for 42 patients and a modern operating room. Ramona Hospital, later renamed Community Hospital, opened its doors in February 1910 and has operated continuously, providing state-of-the-art medical care for area residents.
Early Santa Ana
9780738531007
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$24.99
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Located at the heart of Orange County, Santa Ana has been the civic and community center as "the OC" grew and prospered. Thirty-three miles from Los Angeles and 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the city was founded by William Spurgeon, who, in 1867, purchased just over 74 acres of what was once the Yorba family's Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana to start a new community. This book revisits those formative years that left a rich history in architecture and culture, laying the foundation for today's 350,000 city residents. Santa Ana boasts two historic districts and 20 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Growing with the ranching and citrus industries as well as the transportation routes they spawned, the city also contains 400 locations of historic significance on its own citywide historic register.
La CaƱada
9780738531106
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$24.99
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The city of La CaƱada Flintridge is made up of the nearly century-long communities of La CaƱada--once a mosaic of ranchlands honeycombed with vineyards and olive and citrus groves--and Flintridge, an affluent enclave and health resort in the early 1900s. La CaƱada's various neighborhoods were renamed La CaƱada Flintridge during the city's incorporation in 1976. Known for its excellent schools and as a gateway to the Angeles National Forest, La CaƱada is also home to Descanso Gardens, an internationally known 165-acre botanical garden sold to Los Angeles County by former Los Angeles Daily News tycoon Manchester Boddy, and to NASA's esteemed Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), located on the city's northwest border.
Belmont
9781467131353
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$24.99
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$24.99
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Nevada County was the richest and largest gold-producing county of California. From the beginning of the 1849 Gold Rush until the last quartz mine closed in the 1956, gold was the number-one industry in Nevada County. Not everyone came to California for the gold--some came for the rich and plentiful land available and the opportunity for a better life. After the Gold Rush was deemed over by historians, it was the fertile land of California that became known as the state's Second Gold Rush. Of the 10 soil types found around the world, California has all 10. Producing farms and ranches, small and large, made agriculture Nevada County's third-largest industry after gold mining and the lumber. But of the three important industries, only agriculture has survived and is thriving today. Many of the pioneer, multigenerational ranches and farms continue to operate today on the land their owners' ancestors worked. These ranches have a rich history of contributing to the economic community as well as conserving the land for future generations.
Presidio of Monterey
9780738528700
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$24.99
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The Presidio of Monterey is best known as the home of the post-World War II Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, the Department of Defense's acknowledged leader in foreign language training. It has, however, a much longer and rich history. After the United States seized Monterey in 1846, the U.S. Army began constructing Fort Mervine, which served a number of purposes until it was abandoned in 1866. In 1902-1903, a modern cantonment was built in the area. In 1904, the new post was officially renamed the Presidio of Monterey after a nearby Spanish fort established in 1770 that had fallen into disuse. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the post was home to infantry and cavalry regiments, as well as an inductee reception center. The Military Intelligence Service Language School was moved to the Presidio of Monterey in 1946 and renamed the Army Language School in 1947; this evolved into the present-day Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
Growing Up in Burbank
9781625859860
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$21.99
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Life in Burbank during the '60s and '70s was an unparalleled experience. From biking Lucky Busters trail to enjoying movies at the Cornell Theater and shopping at The Akron, Burbankers' choices of entertainment seemed endless. Relive fond memories of dining out at Genio's, the Dip or Santoro's. Recall visits to the Golden Mall before heading home to watch Dark Shadows on television. While some of the local icons may have changed, the spirit has remained the same--and it's waiting to be rediscovered. Authors Wes Clark and Mike McDaniel guide you through their hometown and remember the fads, the hijinks and the places that made Burbank the place it is today.
San Francisco's Marina District
9780738528748
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$24.99
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When driving into San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, the sweeping vistas and greenery gradually give way to the city's charming and inviting Marina District. This area is undoubtedly one of San Francisco's most picturesque and best-known neighborhoods and is famous for its aesthetic and historic appeal. Adjacent to the Presidio, the Golden Gate, and Chrissy Field, the Marina hosts a large number of Art Deco structures and the famed Palace of Fine Arts, a resplendent collection of buildings originally designed for the Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915. The exposition was held to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal, but also to show the world that San Francisco had recovered and rebuilt from the 1906 earthquake. The Marina rose from the site of the Pan Pacific to become one of the city's most desirable and recognizable districts, known for its architecture, culture, and dramatic waterfront setting.
Santa Clara
9780738528816
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$24.99
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Santa Clara, named for the prosperous Spanish mission founded there in 1777, lies in a place once called the "Valley of Heart's Delight." Its black fertile loam produced thousands of acres of bright flowers and vegetables for the largest seed farm in the world, and much of the rest was blanketed in springtime with fruit blossoms. The wealth of its pre-eminent tanning, wood manufacturing, and fruit packing industries gave way to another type of opportunity in the 1950s with the emergence of the semi-conductor. The tiny chip that transformed the world of communication spawned new companies here like Intel, National Semi-Conductor, and Applied Materials, which earned the now urban economic powerhouse a new name, Silicon Valley.
Redlands
9780738528830
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$24.99
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The home of sunshine, snow-capped mountains, and oranges, Redlands is the model city of the Southern California dream. Founded by two Easterners seeking "health, pleasure, and residence," this jewel of the Inland Empire grew to become the center of a worldwide citrus empire. Both navel oranges and visitors flourished in the warm, dry climate, each nourishing the wealth and philanthropy that would become the hallmark of Redlands. At the industry's zenith, more than two dozen packing houses shipped the golden fruit around the world. Money also grew in orange groves that carpeted the area. Citizens proudly watched as monuments, parks, homes, and buildings blossomed, beautifying the town and giving physical form to the generous local character. Through the years, a unique sense of philanthropy and community improvement, begun by the Smiley Brothers, proved infectious to the town spirit, and remains a guiding source of inspiration today.
Rails of California's Central Coast
9780738555911
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$24.99
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Diversity is the prime characteristic of the California Central Coast's many rail operations. Readers will be attracted by the varying scope of Central Coast--Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties--rail systems. They range from local horsecar services and the narrow-gauge electrified plant railroad that served the Santa Cruz Cement Company at Davenport to the Southern Pacific Railroad's Coast Line and its engineering marvel Cuesta Grade, highlighted by the world-famous horseshoe curve. Local streetcar systems and long-ceased regional railroads are part of the area's rail legacy. Rare historic images blended with contemporary photography chronicle the region's railways from times past to the present.
Sacramento's Chinatown
9780738580661
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$24.99
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Sacramento's Chinatown has played a central role in the history of the Chinese in America since the Gold Rush. It was named Yee Fow (Second City) by the early Chinese pioneers because it was the second stop by steamboat on the way to the gold country. In the 1960s, Sacramento's Chinatown, one of the oldest Chinatowns in America, was largely torn down by redevelopment, but today Chinese Americans in the capital city are planning a Yee Fow Center for History, Culture, and Trade as they seek to remember the past and look to the future.
Salinas
9781467130028
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$24.99
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Salinas is named for the broad saltwater slough that once seeped in from Monterey Bay, saturating the plain between the Sierra de Salinas and the Gavilan Mountains. Originally used for cattle, a town developed from a stage stop after the Gold Rush, and the land was drained and used for grains, potatoes, sugar beets, and other crops. After World War I, irrigation permitted the growing of lettuce, broccoli, and other row crops. Salinas became known as the "Salad Bowl of the World" and one of the wealthiest cities in the United States.
Oakland Aviation
9780738556000
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$24.99
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From hot-air balloons to jets, no other place has had a more diverse and significant aviation history than the city of Oakland. Starting in the mid-1850s with balloons, the city has seen the development of many aircraft innovations, including gliders, the first powered dirigible in North America, some of the first powered airplanes, and even early flying boats. Oakland witnessed the advent of stunt flying, the first transpacific flights, and the Dole Race, as well as many early commercial aviation operations, and a host of other groundbreaking advancements.
The Los Angeles Sugar Ring: Inside the World of Old Money, Bootleggers & Gambling Barons
9781625859976
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$21.99
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Early movers and shakers of Los Angeles didn't always operate within the confines of the law, including opportunist and family man Big George Niotta, who supplied sugar to make illegal liquor. Niotta rose to prominence thanks to his magnetic charm and collaborations with infamous bootlegger Frank Borgia and influential gambling baron Jack Dragna. But the fall is hard for those soaring high. Bled dry by the IRS, Niotta fought to restore his wealth through ringer horses, a multimillion-dollar lottery and a notorious gambling parlor. Through the moves of a pawn dead set on wearing a crown, author J. Michael Niotta explores three decades of L.A. crime, including a rare insider's look at the history of the Eagle Brewing Company and other survivors of Prohibition.