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The Tuolumne River begins up in the Sierra Nevada and flows through Mariposa County, Tuolumne County, and, finally, Stanislaus County. From its origins to the endpoint flowing into the San Joaquin River, it provides life and an economic source for this entire region. Once a major shipping route, it now provides irrigation water to one of the most agriculturally industrious regions in the world. The history of the Tuolumne River is the story of Stanislaus County and the surrounding areas.

The American River Canyon below Auburn is seen as a natural and scenic area but still contains signs of an extensive historical past. This includes historic bridges and bridge sites dating back to the 1850s. The 1849 Gold Rush brought 75 years of mining that ended after massive dredges worked the river for its gold in the 1910s. Unique to the canyon is the Mountain Quarries Railroad, which traveled its way across 17 trestles and an elegant, still-standing concrete bridge to reach the main line in Auburn. The long-stalled Auburn Dam is the latest incarnation of earlier dams, like the 1890s Birdsall Dam that diverted water for 50 years through the North Fork Ditch to communities downstream.

For centuries, the Los Angeles River was unpredictable-- prone to flooding, a raging torrent during rare Southern California rains, and just a trickle and marshlands the rest of the year. To tame it, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers walled in the river just before World War II. Decades later, roadside signs that proclaimed "Los Angeles River" prodded the question: How can this cement drain, strewn with trash and abandoned refrigerators, be considered a river? Abused through the 20th century, the L.A. River is amid a comeback thanks to the Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) and local governments. The realization that this arroyo has been as crucial to the development and growth of the city as the climate is again alive in the community. The vintage photographs for this historic and redemptive look at one of the great natural features of Los Angeles County were collected from private and public archives.