Name: French San Francisco
Brand: Claudine Chalmers Ph.D.
SKU: 9780738555843
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

French San Francisco

9780738555843

$24.99

Nineteenth-century California was not a destination for the faint of heart, and Frenchmen are usually said to prefer their slippers to their traveling boots. Yet many visitors from France--starting in 1786 with legendary explorer Count de Lap©rouse--made their way to the remote and beautiful territory, leaving enduring accounts and images of their experience. As France's troubled revolutionary era began in the 1840s, tens of thousands of Frenchmen journeyed to California's goldfields. Some found wealth, others freedom, and some death. Many remained in San Francisco, helping shape the city and make it French from the inside.

Los Angeles in World War II

9780738581811

$24.99

During World War II, the Los Angeles region underwent rapid industrial growth as Kaiser Steel opened a giant mill in Fontana, and the aircraft giants--North American Aviation, Lockheed, Douglas, and Hughes--expanded with war contracts. The war economy's demographic and ethnic dimensions included women and African Americans entering factory work and troops streaming through Union Station to San Pedro for embarkation. The Zoot Suit Riots defined the tensions between servicemen and the Mexican American community, and the internment of Japanese Americans led to the eventual disappearance of established neighborhoods. The war inspired home front efforts by local civic and academic institutions, by the entertainment industry, and by émigrés from Nazi Germany. It led to the training of civilian corps, rationing, and vigilance for enemy activities. American participation in World War II from 1941 to 1945 energized the region's growing industrial infrastructure and spurred postwar economic and housing development.

The Ghostly Tales of the Queen Mary

9781467198011

$12.99

Ghost stories from the Grey Ghost herself have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

The RMS Queen Mary's famous haunted history comes to life--even when the main players are dead. Meet Little Jackie, the ship's most playful ghost, see Winston Churchill, who hangs out at the restaurant, and explore the spectral vortex in the first-class pool. Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Temecula Valley Wineries

9781467160360

$24.99

In the early 1800s, Spanish missionaries were the first to plant vineyards in the area now known as Temecula Valley. Over the next two centuries, the region became known for raising cattle, farming, and as a stop for stage and rail. In the late 1960s, Temecula began to attract a new breed of pioneers. These intrepid individuals believed that the soil, sun, and cool ocean breezes through the coastal mountains made the valley ideal for grape growing. Temecula wine country has been on an upward trajectory ever since. Today, more than two million visitors enjoy the area’s 50 or so wineries every year. Chosen by Wine Enthusiast as one of the top 10 wine travel destinations in the world, Temecula Valley’s diverse and delicious wines consistently win awards in state and national competitions.

RMS Queen Mary

9780738580975

$7.99

The Queen Mary boasts a rich history.

Cover image for RMS Queen Mary, isbn: 9780738580975

Latinos in Pasadena

9780738569550

$24.99

Histories of Pasadena are rich in details about important citizens, time-honored traditions, and storied enclaves such as Millionaires Row and Lamanda Park. But the legacies of Mexican Americans and other Latino men and women who often worked for Pasadena's rich and famous have been sparsely preserved through the generations--even though these citizens often made remarkable community contributions and lived in close proximity to their employers. A fuller story of the Pasadena area can be provided from these vintage images and the accompanying information culled from anecdotes, master's theses, newspaper articles, formal and informal oral histories, and the Ethnic History Research Project compiled for the City of Pasadena in 1995. Among the stories told is that of Antonio F. Coronel, a one-time Mexican Army officer who served as California state treasurer from 1866 to 1870 and whose image graced the 1904 Tournament of Roses program.

Cardiff-by-the-Sea

9780738569512

$24.99

Cardiff-by-the-Sea is a beautiful Southern California coastal town nestled between the San Elijo Lagoon to the south and rolling hills to the east. Known simply by locals as Cardiff, it was named by Esther M. Cullen, who arrived from Boston in 1910 with her husband, J. Frank Cullen, a man determined to transform the swampy expanse of fertile farmland into a coastal playground and town. During the 1920s, the town evolved quickly into a bustling community with a school district, post office, train station, and water irrigation district. The independent character of today's residents can be gleaned throughout the history of the area, from Cullen's determination to build a town in a region thought to be unsuitable for inhabitation, to the citizens' battle in the 1980s to retain autonomy as the town was incorporated into a larger city. Today Cardiff-by-the-Sea is one of five communities comprising the city of Encinitas and is proud of the small-town atmosphere first cultivated by the pioneering spirit of its early settlers.

Joshua Tree National Park

9781467132817

$24.99

Human use of Joshua Tree National Park may extend as far back in time as 10,000 years. From the early Pinto Culture to modern tribes, native peoples have lived and hunted here for centuries. Indian trails helped guide Spanish, Mexican, and American explorers who gradually revealed the desert's secrets, leading to an influx of cattlemen, miners, and homesteaders between 1860 and 1930. As rugged as the desert itself, the area's pioneer history featured cattle rustlers, claim jumpers, and occasional gunfights. Grit, determination, and a fierce independence marked the lives of these early settlers, and the mines, ranches, and cabins they left behind hold many unforgettable stories. During the 1920s, Minerva Hamilton Hoyt found a unique beauty in the desert's sweeping vistas, and she worked tirelessly for the Joshua Tree area's preservation within the National Park System. Success came in 1936 when Pres. Franklin Roosevelt created Joshua Tree National Monument. With the Desert Protection Act, Joshua Tree was designated a national park in 1994.

Downtown Stockton

9780738529424

$24.99

Between 1850 and 1950, Stockton grew from gold rush depot to booming California metropolis. Capitalizing on its abundance of water and rich soils, Mediterranean-like climate, hard-working population, and efficient transportation system, Stockton quickly became an epicenter of "the breadbasket of the world." The historic downtown skyline reflects the abundance and adversity of California's Central Valley over the years, and Stockton's ever-changing, ever-expanding role as a modern city.

Los Angeles's Historic Ballparks

9780738580326

$24.99

Baseball's long and storied history in Los Angeles has been played at venues including the turn-of-the-century Chutes Park, which was part of an amusement park, as well as Gilmore Field, where the Hollywood Stars played, and Wrigley Field, where many movies and television shows were filmed. The 1923-vintage Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum became the Dodgers' first home in California in 1958, when they moved from Brooklyn. Greater Los Angeles also featured professional baseball at Olive Memorial Stadium in Burbank, Brookside Park in Pasadena, on Catalina Island, plus at numerous diamonds throughout Orange and Riverside Counties, where legends including Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Connie Mack appeared. Most fans know Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium, but many other historic ballparks existed in Southern California. Their images are collected together here for the first time.

San Francisco's Bernal Heights

9780738547411

$24.99

San Francisco's Bernal Heights is a hilltop village tucked away in the southern part of the city. Freeways and urban thoroughfares now bound the neighborhood, once defined by the swamps and creeks of the original Mexican land grant. The legacy of Potrero Viejo, or "old pasture," and the farms of the 19th and 20th centuries have developed into today's passion for the preservation of open space. From the 1860s legend of Widow O'Brien's cow to the 1970s fight that saved the hill's crest from development, Bernal residents have tirelessly guarded their environment. An unofficial coyote mascot reigns over one of San Francisco's few remaining wild areas.

Marinship

9781467129770

$24.99

Marinship was a World War II shipyard built by the W.A. Bechtel Company to fulfill an urgent need for cargo ships to support soldiers all over the world. Sausalito was selected as the site for its unused railroad capacity and access to a deepwater channel and the Golden Gate Bridge. In March 1942, the shipyard was built on the site of the railroad maintenance yard and adjacent vacant mudflats, with the first ship being launched in September. At the time of its peak operation, there were as many as 20,000 workers. Workers were recruited from local resources at first but eventually a more widespread recruitment brought people from the Midwest and the South. These new workers, including minorities and women, enabled Marinship to become a leader in the integrated workforce phenomenon. As the war in Europe was won, fewer ships were needed. The Marinship labor force was reduced by about half until the victory in Japan, when ships were no longer needed. Marinship was soon taken over by the US Army Corps of Engineers, which disposed of what it did not need for its operations and currently maintains several buildings to facilitate its regional operations.

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.

Paramount Studios

9781467134941

$24.99

The fascinating tale of Hollywood powerhouse Paramount Pictures--beginning with its birth in the 1910s through the turbulent decade of the 1930s--was told in Early Paramount Studios by Marc Wanamaker, Michael Christaldi, and E.J. Stephens. Now the same authors are back to tell the next 60 years of the studio saga in Paramount Studios: 1940-2000, with a foreword by former Paramount head of production Robert Evans. This book picks up the story during the time of World War II--a successful era for the studio--which was followed by a decade of decline due to the upstart medium of television. By the 1960s, the studio teetered on the brink of bankruptcy before rebounding, thanks to several 1970s blockbusters, such as Love Story, The Godfather, and Chinatown. The tale continues through the final decades of the 20th century when Paramount showcased some of the greatest hits in its history.

San Francisco 49ers

9780738529660

$24.99

Frankie Albert. Leo Nomellini. Bob St. Clair. Jimmy Johnson. Joe Montana. Jerry Rice. Bill Walsh. Steve Young. Ronnie Lott. Hugh McElhenny. Joe Perry. John Henry Johnson. Roger Craig. The legendary names roll off the tongue of every 49ers fan--never to be forgotten. Since 1946 when they were born into the All-American Football League, the 49ers have been pro football's most exciting and envied franchise. All of the cliffhangers and heartbreakers at grand old Kezar Stadium, and the blustering winds of Candlestick Park . . . where games were decided in the last seconds. The 49ers' unrivaled record includes 5 Super Bowl appearances and 5 victories, 17 NFC Western division titles, and an unbelievable 16 consecutive seasons with at least 10 regular-season wins. Eleven 49ers have been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. San Francisco 49ers is a must for every fan's library. Packed with over 200 rare archival photographs and stories and statistics, this collection is a detailed tribute to the 49ers' most memorable seasons, in all their undying glory.

California's Highway 99

9781467132138

$24.99

The portion of California's Highway 99 between Modesto and Bakersfield presents a fascinating and nostalgic environment. The highway has a unique charm and character that are significant to California natives, visitors, and those who have moved to the California Central Valley over the past century. This roadway has never been upscale or presumptuous but is truly egalitarian. This book is a pictorial and textual history of the highway itself, the cities and towns along the highway, and other locations in Northern California that evoke the same nostalgic feelings. Presented here are images taken in the region before Highway 99 was officially established. It includes images that were captured over the past century of Giant Orange juice stands, vintage signs, historical buildings, and other attractions that are part of the heritage. The author's hope is to entertain, provoke thought, and provide glimpses into obscure slivers of history.

Lava Beds National Monument

9781467134071

$24.99

The region in far northeastern California encompassed by Lava Beds National Monument is often called the "Land of Burnt Out Fires." The name reflects a landscape created by fiery volcanic forces, including cataclysmic events that created more than 700 lava tube caves and an aboveground landscape shaped and fractured by lava flows and other geologic turmoil. Despite its tortured landscape, the region has also been a place of human habitation for thousands of years. Early natives traveled through the lava beds as part of their seasonal travels for food and shelter. The Modoc Indians' knowledge of that landscape, a natural lava fortress now known as Captain Jack's Stronghold, was used during the Modoc War of 1872 and 1873. Modocs, settlers, and others who followed--sheep ranchers, homesteaders, cave discoverers, tourists, spelunkers, and US Forest Service and National Park Service managers--have played prominent roles in creating the region's, and Lava Beds National Monument's, always evolving human history.

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

Roaring Camp Railroads

9781467129961

$24.99

In 1963, Norman Clark officially opened Roaring Camp to the public. Since then, it has become a popular and well-known destination for tourists and rail buffs from around the world who wish to visit and ride on its 100-year-old steam trains. Isaac Graham, who constructed the first powered sawmill and the first whiskey distillery in the American West, settled the area in the 1840s. Graham was notorious for his boisterous antics, and his settlement became known as a "wild and roaring camp." Clark arrived in the area in the mid-1950s with $25 in his pocket and the dream of preserving a piece of early California. Clark's dream included a plan to construct an 1880s railroad town, complete with an authentic narrow-gauge logging railway. Over the last 50 years, Clark's dream has been continued and expanded, now incorporating two railroads, one of which dates to 1875.

Haunted Hotels of the California Gold Country

9781626194380

$21.99

Step across the threshold of a haunted hotel in California's renowned Gold Country and encounter phantom figures of yesteryear. Wispy apparitions of gentleman guests in Victorian coats and ladies in fashionable flapper gowns glide through the walls, while unexplained sobs and choking gasps disturb the night. There's Stan, the Cary House's eternal desk clerk, and bachelor ghost Lyle, who tidies the Groveland Hotel. Flo tosses pots and pans in the National's kitchen, while the once-scorned spirit of Isabella ties the Sierra Nevada House's curtains in knots. From suicidal gamblers to murdered miners, the Mother Lode's one-time boomtowns are crowded with characters of centuries past. Book your stay with author Nancy Williams as she explores the history and haunts of the Gold Country's iconic hotels.

Cover image for Haunted Hotels of the California Gold Country, isbn: 9781626194380

Ventura

9780738546735

$24.99

Franciscan monk Fr. Junipero Serra, founder of the Spanish mission system in California, raised a cross on the beach on March 31, 1782, at a spot that became a general wayfarer's midpoint between Los Angeles and Point Conception. This was the dedication of Mission San Buenaventura. Bordered by rivers out of the foothills, this coastal area had originally been home to many Chumash Indian villages, dating back to 1000 A.D. The small mission outpost quickly flourished and eventually grew into a town complete with dirt streets, wooden sidewalks, saloons, churches, and various adventures and calamities. On March 10, 1866, the "City of Good Fortune" incorporated and received one of the first charters from the then 16-year-old, 31st state in the union. Today the city of Ventura bustles with more than 110,000 residents and is known as the "Gateway to the Channel Islands."

Carmel Valley

9780738571621

$24.99

From the Ventana Wilderness, the Carmel River descends 36 miles through steep canyons into the spreading Carmel Valley. Rain-gorged in spring, it rushes to the Pacific Ocean at Carmel Bay. In summer, shallow riverbanks welcome deer, mountain lions, and waterfowl. For millennia, native tribes fished along the river, which was discovered in 1602 by Sebastian de Vizcaino. He called the waterway El Rio del Carmelo, describing it as "lined with black poplars and other trees of Castile." Ranches, dairies, and orchards thrived under Spanish, Mexican, and finally American flags. The Carmel River, like the valley it defines, has accommodated native, farmer, resident, and now the vacationer as it flows along through time. Today vineyards, tasting rooms, boutiques, and resorts decorate the rural landscape, beckoning visitors and locals alike.

Beale Air Force Base During the Cold War

9781467130813

$24.99

KLAXON! The alarm immediately sent the aircrews at Beale Air Force Base, California, scrambling to their alert aircraft in a race to get airborne first. The KC-135 tankers were usually the quickest to taxi out, with the B-52 bombers following closely behind. Soon, the air filled with the rumble of engines as aircraft roared down the runway trailing great clouds of exhaust and disappeared into the skies of Northern California. It was a dramatic scenario practiced many times during the Cold War and one that Universal Pictures filmed at Beale AFB for its movie A Gathering of Eagles, starring Rock Hudson and Rod Taylor.

Beale Air Force Base During the Cold War

Mount Lowe Railway

9780738547534

$24.99

Opened with great fanfare on July 4, 1893, the Mount Lowe Incline Railway was hailed as "Earth's Grandest Mountain Ride." Built by Civil War balloonist Thaddeus S. C. Lowe and railroad engineer David J. Macpherson in the mountains above Altadena and Pasadena in Los Angeles County, this funicular was operated for 43 years and served nearly four million passengers from around the world. Where else could one find four hotels, an observatory, the world's largest searchlight, a dance hall, miniature golf, a zoo, horseback riding, tennis, and snowcapped peaks, all within a day's journey from the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles? The San Gabriel Mountains continue to be a great natural resource and recreational escape for many Angelenos, but the spectacular railway lives on only in these vintage photographs.

San Francisco's North Beach and Telegraph Hill

9780738581583

$24.99

North Beach and Telegraph Hill are among San Francisco's most charming and historic districts. In the early years, Mexican and Spanish settlements dotted the beach and the hill, but the area was heavily developed during California's Gold Rush as gold seekers flooded the city. Later, European immigrants added many layers of unique character. North Beach was home to A. P. Giannini, founder of the Bank of Italy (later the Bank of America), and in the 1950s, the Beat Generation evolved from the creative character of this artistic neighborhood. Charming cottages and architectural gems, such as famed landmark Coit Tower, decorate the slopes down to the bay, delighting residents and tourists alike. Many cafés and restaurants offer delicious foods, while the breathtaking views provide food for the soul.

San Francisco's North Beach and Telegraph Hill

Railroads of Death Valley

9780738574790

$21.99

Railroads have played an important part in the history of Death Valley. The Pacific Coast Borax Company first used the Death Valley Railroad to transport its ore to market and then to transport Death Valley tourists to its Furnace Creek Resort. "Death Valley Scotty's" leap to national fame came as a direct result of his chartering a private train to break the Los Angeles to Chicago speed record. The Carson & Colorado Railroad on the west and the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad on the east provided support to Death Valley's mining activity, its associated boomtowns, and early tourism.

Theatres of the San Francisco Peninsula

9780738575780

$24.99

The San Francisco Peninsula serves as a geographic and transportation link between the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and all points north and south. As commerce increased along its highways and railroad lines from the late 19th century onward, cities and towns flourished along that corridor. Wherever commerce went, entertainment followed. Beginning with early playhouses and storefront nickelodeons, continuing through the movie palace period, the golden age of the drive-in theatre, and into the days of the multiplex, this volume of vintage photographs captures the various eras as they applied to the peninsula.

Sacramento

9781467103466

$24.99

Going back to its Native American origins, Sacramento has withstood flood, fire, and plague to honestly earn the moniker Urbs Indomita or "Indomitable City." Such grit--enhanced by an unmatched embrace of diversity and the strength that comes with it--has powered the Sacramento area's role as gold rush epicenter, railroading Goliath, purveyor of hydroelectric power, world war and Cold War arsenal, agricultural hub, and policy center for one of the nation's most innovative states. Truly, the impact of the Capital City extends so much farther than the Central Valley. It is through exploring the pages within that the reader will truly understand why, as stated by Sacramento historian and developer Gregg Lukenbill, "America may have been born in Philadelphia, but the American West was born in Sacramento."

Early-20th-Century Los Angeles Bungalow Architecture

9781467109031

$23.99

Los Angeles, California, shaped the nation's culture in the 20th century with the city's bungalow style of mass middle-class housing. The style made the novelty and easy climate of Los Angeles into a force for living according to new standards of health and well-being, freedom and openness, and simple artistry. The bungalow combined the cozy appeal of Arts and Crafts design with what became the basic principles of 20th-century house architecture: earth-hugging lines, visible structure, and open floor plans emphasizing warmth, intimacy, and fluidity. While the streets and neighborhoods of the "bungalowtown'? presented a lively panorama in which each house stood out as an individual, the bungalow was also a dream that the real estate industry sold to exploit the hunger for upward mobility that brought hundreds of thousands of new residents to the city during the three decades of the popularity of the style. Some of the neighborhoods that the developers established failed, and many homes were eventually demolished or in advanced decay. Yet today, these old houses are beautiful and comfortable homes when restored.

Early-20th-Century Los Angeles Bungalow Architecture

Hetch Hetchy

9780738593227

$24.99

When water from the Sierra Nevada reached the San Francisco Bay area in 1934, it was greeted by a national celebration after two decades of grueling construction. The Hetch Hetchy Project evolved from a long search for a reliable source of water for San Francisco that began after the 1906 Great Earthquake. Prior to the earthquake, San Francisco had burned to the ground repeatedly due to the lack of water to fight fires. Studies of 14 different sources led to the design of an engineering marvel that conveys water using gravity across California via a complex system of tunnels, reservoirs, pipelines, powerhouses, treatment plants, and dams. But before the Hetch Hetchy Project broke ground, controversy roiled over the project. Finally, the Raker Act was passed by Congress in 1913 and signed by Pres. Woodrow Wilson to permit the use of the rights-of-way for the project. Today, this system serves some of the highest-quality water in the nation to 2.4 million people.

The San Francisco Doodler Murders

9781467149877

$23.99

In 1974, one of San Francisco's most horrific unsolved serial murder cases began.

In less than two years, the man police called "The Doodler'? took at least five lives, terrorized the LGBTQ community, and left three survivors forever changed. Initial reports claimed the murderer didn't approach his victims with the knife he used to kill them, but that the suspect shared skilled drawings--sketches of faces and animals--before leaving several gay men to bleed out in the sands of Ocean Beach. Police investigations and activist efforts to uncover the killer led to several suspects, but no definitive identification of the artist of death.

Author Kate Zaliznock shines a light on this riveting cold case.

California's Citrus Heritage

9781467107679

$23.99

Since the first appearance of oranges at the Franciscan missions in the early 19th century, citrus agriculture has been an inextricable part of California's heritage. From the 1870s to the 1960s, oranges and lemons were dominant features of the Southern California landscape. The Washington navel orange, introduced by homesteader Eliza Tibbets at Riverside in the 1870s, precipitated the rise of a citrus belt stretching from Pasadena (in the San Gabriel Valley) to Redlands (in San Bernardino County). Valencia oranges dominated Orange County south of Los Angeles, while lemons thrived in coastal settlements such as Santa Paula. With the arrival of transcontinental railroads in the citrus heartland by the 1880s, Californians had access to markets across the United States. This was followed by the subsequent establishment of an impressive central organization in the form of the California Fruit Growers Exchange, and oranges became the state's most lucrative crop. Observers did not exaggerate when they dubbed the southern portion of the Golden State an orange empire.

Roseville

9780738570297

$21.99

Long before white settlers arrived around 1849, the Maidu of Nisenan Indians, as they were sometimes called, were living in the vicinity of today's Roseville. Known for its gently rolling hills and beautiful old oak trees, the area had many new arrivals during the Gold Rush. Many came to try their luck, but some came looking for land, not gold, and so stayed here. By 1864, the first several miles of the Central Pacific Railroad reached Roseville (then known as Grider's), cementing its long-standing rail heritage. In 1909, the citizens voted to incorporate, and the sleepy little town became Placer County's largest city, with today's population surpassing 105,000. It is uncertain, but many agree Roseville is so called because of an abundance of wild roses in the region.

Los Angeles's Boyle Heights

9780738530154

$24.99

Boyle Heights was one of the earliest residential areas outside of Los Angeles's original pueblo. From the 1920s through the 1950s, it was the city's most ethnically heterogeneous neighborhood with residents coming from such far-flung places as Mexico, Japan, England, Germany, Russia, and Armenia, as well as from the eastern, southern, and southwestern United States. Over the years, Boyle Heights has continued to be a focal point for new immigration. Transformed through the everyday interactions of its diverse residents as well as by political events occurring at the regional, national, and international levels, the neighborhood's historical and contemporary communities reflect the challenges and potential of living in a pluralistic society.

The Mojave Desert

9780738502199

$24.99

A vast land of mineral wealth, eerie beauty, and countless contrasts, the Mojave Desert joined the Union of the United States on September 5, 1850, and became part of the new San Bernadino County three years later. A massive, parched region, its varied terrain rolls eastward from the Antelope Valley to the Colorado River. The nation's highest temperature on record occurred in this region; on the other extreme, the freezing winters here shroud the land in ice and snow. This thirsty expanse climbs to over 4,000 feet, with a great number of different wildlife forms making their homes among the hills. Featuring over 200 evocative and illustrative images, The Mojave Desert is an entertaining and educational source of information about the area and its unique history.