Name: Early Poverty Row Studios
Brand: E.J. Stephens
SKU: 9781467132589
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Early Poverty Row Studios

9781467132589

$24.99

The history of Hollywood is often seen only through the lens of the major studios, forgetting that many of Tinseltown's early creations came from micro-studios stretched along Sunset Boulevard in an area disparagingly known as Poverty Row. Here, the first wave of West Coast moviemakers migrated to the tiny village of Hollywood, where alcohol was illegal, actors were unwelcome, and cattle were herded down the unpaved streets. Most Poverty Row producers survived from film to film, their fortunes tied to the previous week's take from hundreds of nickelodeon tills. They would routinely script movies around an event or disaster, often creating scenarios using sets from more established productions, when the bosses weren't looking, of course. Poverty Row quickly became a generic term for other fly-by-night studios throughout the Los Angeles area. Their struggles to hang on in Hollywood were often more intriguing than the serialized cliffhangers they produced.

Moab and Grand County

9781467130509

$24.99

Grand County's story begins long before the first white settlers entered the valley. The land holds ruins, artifacts, and remnants of many ancient peoples, including Ute, Navajo, Anasazi, and others. Spanish missionaries--who were seeking gold as much as souls--were followed by French fur traders into the mid-1800s, and the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848 brought the land to be known as Grand County into the Union. Soon, the valley was teeming with settlers. In 1880, the name "Moab" appeared in the US Postal Register; it was chosen by William Peirce, a businessman who became the town's first postmaster, and was a reference to the Biblical desert. In 1902, Moab, Utah, was officially incorporated. The coming railroads brought more settlers from around the world. Basque sheepherders, Chinese laborers, and African American cowboys joined followers of Brigham Young to become residents of the growing county. Towns like Thompson, Cisco, and Stateline sprang up along with fruitful orchards, and peaches from Moab were being served at restaurants in Paris.

Nevada City

9780738530628

$24.99

Vibrant and captivating Nevada City began as a gold-mining camp called Deer Creek Dry Diggins. The large gravel deposits alongside this creek reportedly delivered a pound of pay dirt a day by the fall of 1849, when A. B. Caldwell's general store opened to supply this haphazard collection of tents. By March 1850, somewhere between 6,000 and 16,000 boisterous souls called it home, and the new town was christened "Nevada," meaning "snow covered" in Spanish. After 1861, townsfolk took to adding "City" to the name, to avoid confusion with the new state whose Comstock silver strike drained off many Nevada City residents.
Seven fires burned early Nevada City to the ground,
sparking a fashion for brick architecture that is evident
in many of the 93 downtown structures listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.

Healdsburg

9780738530604

$24.99

Healdsburg was founded in 1857, when Harmon Heald, gold seeker and pioneer merchant, laid out a central plaza among the trees to serve as the heart of one of California's early communities. As Healdsburg evolved from rough farm town to wine-country destination, the plaza has drawn residents and visitors together to shop, socialize, and celebrate. The Western Wappo and Southern Pomo people lived on the bounty of this generous land and created the finest woven baskets in the world. The American settlers in the 1860s found these rich valleys could grow virtually any crop. In 1871, the railroad opened up new markets for farm produce and established Healdsburg as the center of a prosperous agricultural district.

Santa Barbara in Vintage Postcards

9780738508764

$24.99

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating history of Santa Barbara, California, showcases more than 200 of the best vintage postcards available.

Laramie Railroads

9781467130837

$24.99

On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act. This act created the Union Pacific Railroad and authorized government loans and land grants to aid in the construction of the nation's first transcontinental railroad, which would connect Omaha, Nebraska, to Sacramento, California. As the Union Pacific raced west across prairies, mountains, and basins in 1867 and 1868, the Territory of Wyoming and many of its southern towns and cities were founded, including Laramie. In 1869, the Union Pacific met the Central Pacific at Promontory Summit, Utah, and the transcontinental railroad was complete. This is the story of the railroads of Laramie, a fabled place along the Union Pacific's Overland Route.

Towns of Mount Lassen

9780738547206

$24.99

The imposing and dormant peak of Mount Lassen, the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range, has been held in awe and wonder since well before the California Gold Rush. The Yahi Nation called the volcano Waganupa, meaning the center of the world, and the volcano's peak, named after the Dutch immigrant and prospector Peter Lassen, is the centerpiece of the scenic Lassen Volcanic National Park. Within the guarded perimeters of this park--inducted into the park system under Woodrow Wilson in 1916, hardly a year after the devastation of its most recent eruptions--there was once a thriving lumber industry, narrow-gauge railroad system, and flume network that sustained a community of lumber camps and the lost town of Lyonsville, all threatened by volcanic destruction and the changing West.

Mines Around Silverton

9781467132862

$24.99

Silverton is located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, which have been described by H.H. Bancroft as "the wildest and most inaccessible region of Colorado, if not North America." The region has a long and colorful mining history, dating back to the Spanish exploration of the area in the 18th century. For the past 250 years, men have sought gold and silver in these mountains. However, full-scale mining did not begin until the 1870s, and for more than a century, mining was the lifeblood of Silverton and the surrounding area. The San Juan Mountains have been called one of the four great mining areas of Colorado, in a state known for its mining heritage. This is not only the story of the mines but also of the men and women who worked and lived in these rugged mountains.

African Americans of San Francisco

9780738576190

$24.99

Beginning in the 1840s, black men and women heard the call to go west, migrating to California in search of gold, independence, freedom, and land to call their own. By the mid-1850s, a lively African American community had taken root in San Francisco. Churches and businesses were established, schools were built, newspapers were published, and aid societies were formed. For the next century, the history of San Francisco's African American community mirrored the nation's slow progress toward integration with triumphs and setbacks depicted in images of schools, churches, protest movements, business successes, and political struggles.

San Francisco in World War II

9780738530505

$24.99

Everything changed on the morning of December 7, 1941, and life in San Francisco was no exception. Flush with excitement and tourism in the wake of the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, the city was stunned at the severity of the Pearl Harbor attack, and quickly settled into organized chaos with its new role as a major deployment center for the remainder of the war. "Frisco" teemed with servicemen and servicewomen during and after the conflict, forever changing the face of this waterfront city. Warships roamed the bay, and fearsome gun embankments appeared on the cliffs facing the sea, preparing to repel an invasion that never happened.

Martinez

9780738529202

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Martinez, nestled in a gentle valley by the calm waters of the Carquinez Strait, became an important early inland port that welcomed ships from all over the world. Once a commercial center for grain growers from as far away as the Livermore Valley, it was named Contra Costa's county seat in 1850. From the days of the Gold Rush when ferries carried hopeful miners across the strait on their way north, through the linking of its railway track to the transcontinental network in 1879, to the thriving industries of today, Martinez has remained the governmental and transportation center of the region.

Oakland Hills

9780738529264

$24.99

The native Huchiun people once traversed the lush greenery of the Oakland hills, glimpsing breathtaking vistas as they followed the creeks down to the bay. In 1829, their territory became part of the huge land grant awarded to Mexican soldier Luis Maria Peralta, who in turn lost control of the hills as settlers arrived to harvest the virgin redwood. Although at one time a rustic haven for poet Joaquin Miller, who set up camp where a park now bears his name, the hills proved irresistible to developers. After transit lines reached the hills, promoters held picnics at the end of the line to entice people to buy land. Meadows and windswept hills turned to orchards and, soon after, to lovely neighborhoods. With the scars of the disastrous 1991 firestorm fading, the Oakland hills retain a bucolic beauty, a majestic backdrop for the city of Oakland.

San Francisco's Castro

9780738528663

$24.99

Nestled in the Eureka Valley area, the Castro is arguably the most well-known of San Francisco's neighborhoods, having been the epicenter of the gay rights movement since the 1970s. This new collection of photographs shows the area's growth from a smattering of Victorian houses built for working-class families in the 1870s to the flood of young gay men who settled in the neighborhood during the 1970s. This influx transformed the area and led to the rise of Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to a major public office. This book also chronicles the 1978 assassination of Milk and Mayor George Moscone, the subsequent riots, and the effects of AIDS on the community in the 1980s and 1990s. Ultimately, these stirring images bear witness to the resilience of the Castro today.

Frontier Village

9780738596655

$24.99

In the late 1950s, businessman Joe Zukin Jr. had a dream of building an amusement park with a Wild West theme in Santa Clara County. His dream was realized with the 1961 opening of Frontier Village on the former grounds of the Hayes Mansion in south San Jose. Among the trees rose a fantasy frontier town complete with a Main Street, where hourly gunfights always ended with the bad guys being carted off to Boot Hill. Visitors could relax in the town square or ride the train around the park. Guests could paddle an Indian war canoe, ride in a stagecoach, or venture into the interior of a haunted mine. Frontier Village was a safe and clean place that welcomed children and their families. Encroaching subdivisions and changing economic conditions forced the park to close in 1980, but to this day, fond memories of the park continue to live on in everyone who ever visited or worked in Frontier Village.

Sebastopol

9780738528526

$24.99

Since the 1850s, the soothing countryside hamlets of Sonoma County have beckoned settlers of every stripe-farmers, homesteaders, businesspeople, and commuters. Sebastopol has always been among the county's loveliest towns, retaining its small-town feel even as its population has steadily grown. This book of vintage photography presents Sebastopol's journey through time, the early Mexican land grants and initial settlements, Luther Burbank's far-ranging botanical experiments, and the rich farming industry that made this town one of California's premier agricultural zones, producing grapes, hops, cherries, and dairy products. In these pages readers will experience Sebastopol's turn-of-the-century days at the Apple Fair, with its astonishing fruit sculptures. The first days of railroads are illustrated with images of the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railway, an electric train system that took passengers to and from Sebastopol Depot. The architecture of the region and the stories of local businesses and institutions are all shown here, along with Sebastopol's early religious institutions, schools, sawmills, factories, and even its small airport in the 1920s. Together with views of the town's sporting teams, natural history, outlying communities, and important citizens, these photographs tell a unique story of a unique place that transcends the generations.

Emerald Bay and Desolation Wilderness

9781467128186

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Emerald Bay sparkles as a diamond within the jeweled landscape known as Lake Tahoe. Designated a California State Park in 1953 and a National Natural Landmark in 1968, Emerald Bay is one of the most photographed landscapes in the Sierra, featuring California's first underwater park, dramatic Eagle Falls, and Lake Tahoe's only boat-in camp. Vikingsholm, nestled within the southwestern edge of the bay, is a 38-room mansion that is a dramatic example of historic Scandinavian architecture. A small stone teahouse steeped in fanciful lore is perched atop Emerald Bay's Fannette Island. The Desolation Wilderness, established in 1969, is one of the most popular wilderness-designated areas in the United States. The geographic area of the wilderness is just less than 100 square miles, includes 130 lakes scattered throughout the alpine topography, and contains countless waterfalls and streams intersecting the hiking trails and granite landscapes.

The Bay Bridge

9780738529707

$24.99

The Bay Bridge combines suspension, cantilever, tunnel, and truss constructions in an astonishing 8.4-mile-long structure. Envisioned first in 1872 by the legendary Emperor Norton, the project finally coalesced in the 1920s, although initial studies concluded that the bridge could not be built due to the bay's deep muddy waters and the area's strong earthquakes. President Herbert Hoover, who was also an engineer, took up the cause, and the $80.8-million project began in 1933. It would replace an extensive set of ferries and forever alter the landscape and commerce of the Bay Area. Over the next three years and four months, the underwater and above-water construction continued day and night, with 152,000 tons of steel, a million cubic yards of concrete, more than 70,000 miles of cable strands, and 200,000 gallons of paint. Roughly 6,500 workers built this amazing bridge, and 12 lost their lives in the process.

Monterey County's North Coast and Coastal Valleys

9780738546773

$24.99

Fog billows gently across Monterey County's north coast, a white blanket tucked up against the hills of Aromas. Beneath its protective shroud, fishing boats gently rock, artichokes thrive, and shorebirds build nests along Elkhorn Slough. In this muffled landscape of fertile loam crisscrossed by sloughs, settlers built four distinct communities. Juan B. Castro subdivided his family's rancho to found Castroville, now known as the artichoke capital of the world. Captain Moss and Cato Vierra opened a port, a sea gate to a premier agricultural area. Moss Landing later hosted whalers, a salt works, canneries, and a power generation plant. John Porter's ranch was a safe haven for Chinese immigrants. Their apple-drying businesses spearheaded Pajaro's development as a central rail-shipping point with several produce-packing companies. Aromas pioneers judged their valley well suited for growing apricots. Drifts of white blossoms buried Aromas in spring, while summer's vistas were golden with trays of drying apricots.

Monterey County's North Coast and Coastal Valleys

Lake City

9781467102742

$24.99

Located 8,671 feet in the clouds, Lake City sits on the edge of the beautiful San Juan Mountains on Colorado's Western Slope. Between Lake City and Silverton, 28 miles away, are towering 14,000-foot mountains with three nearly 13,000-foot-high passes and scenery that takes one's breath away. Lake City began as a booming gold and silver camp, complete with a narrow-gauge railroad, 4,000 residents, a smelter, and rich investors looking for their "El Dorado." Today, the beautiful little town, tucked away in the Rocky Mountains, is a haven for the many tourists who come to hike, ski, fish, climb, and relax in the quaint "Shangri-La of Colorado."

Camp Roberts

9780738530550

$24.99

Camp Roberts, in the Salinas Valley, is one of California's largest military training camps. Named for a heroic World War I tank driver, it took the threat of global war in 1940 to kick-start its construction. Soon Camp Roberts had a capacity to house and train 23,000 men. During the war, almost half a million men trained here. Row upon row of wooden buildings, replete with churches, stores, a hospital, and an amphitheater where A-list stars performed, made it a mobilized city of 45,000 at its peak. In 1946, it became a ghost town overnight. Revived during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, it passed into National Guard control in 1971. However, all branches of the military continue to train here, and the camp has renewed relevance for troops bound for the Middle East.

Early Amusement Parks of Orange County

9780738559476

$24.99

The Orange County coast had its Joy Zone and its Fun Zone in the early decades of the 20th century. Knott's Berry Farm sprouted from a simple berry stand in Buena Park. The spot that would become Walt Disney's theme-park empire began as a citrus grove in Anaheim. Before long, Orange County was recognized as the nurturing ground for the growing amusement park industry. This book concerns the early history of such parks in the county east and south of Los Angeles, before high-tech digitization, when custom cars, enormous alligators, stunt planes, dolphin leaps, and movie stars' wax likenesses thrilled patrons. Some amusement parks have come and gone over a century of development, and some are still here, changing with the times to create new adventure and excitement for park goers.

Monterey's Waterfront

9780738530031

$24.99

On Monterey's waterfront the words sardine, salmon, mackerel, pompano, albacore, abalone, flounder, and squid were music to the ears of fishermen. With its deep underwater canyon, Monterey Bay hosted a sealife jamboree long before the native Rumsien set out in small tule boats to harvest its bounty. It has sounded a siren call to fishermen and biologists ever since. Chinese fishermen pioneered modern commercial fishing in the 1850s, clustering in villages along Monterey's rugged coast. The cry "Baleia!" sounded through town, summoning Portuguese whalers to their longboats. Japanese divers in primitive hard-hat gear brought a sea snail called abalone to national attention, while Sicilians earned Monterey the title "sardine capital of the world." The railroad opened the way for visitors to discover this natural coastal paradise, now a tourist mecca.

Glasgow and Valley County

9780738580630

$24.99

Once known only as "Siding 45," Glasgow, Montana, was named by a railroad clerk's random finger poke on a spinning globe in 1887. Resourceful land speculators lured its first homesteaders with the promise, "Pin your faith in Glasgow and you shall wear diamonds." Successful farmers and cowboys initially made the community an agricultural center and the seat of Valley County. The 1930s drought and depression eras brought hard times, however, before the construction of the New Deal Fort Peck Dam helped reinvigorate Valley County communities. Faithful to their pioneer legacy, the people of the "Hi-Line" have more recently successfully refocused on long-established agriculture and developing tourism to continue the historic saga of northeast Montana.

Conejo Valley

9780738580395

$24.99

The amorphous Conejo Valley today encompasses the southeastern portion of Ventura County in and around Thousand Oaks, including Newbury Park and Lake Sherwood, near where the I-101 exits Los Angeles County at Westlake Village on its way west and north. Human history in the Conejo Valley dates back to the hunting and gathering days of the Chumash Native Americans. The short Spanish and Mexican periods added a few adobe buildings, erected for respites taken by vaqueros and later cattle rustlers on these rolling grasslands north of the coastal Santa Monica Mountains. In the 19th century, a grand hotel was constructed, and a stage route was established. Grain farmers tried to tame the thirsty hills of the Conejo Valley before the arrival of scenic neighborhoods and malls after World War II.

Visalia

9781467115957

$24.99

When the first settlers arrived in what is now Visalia in the fall of 1852, they found a lush river delta in the midst of an oak forest at the base of the Sierra Nevada. The soil was fertile, just right for farming, enabling Visalia to take root as the oldest town in the southern San Joaquin Valley. For the next 163 years, the town provided important products and services, like David Walker's Saddle Shop that became home to the famous Visalia Stock Saddle and Ben Maddox's Mount Whitney Power Company that harnessed water from the Kaweah River for electricity. Now with a population of almost 130,000, the county seat of Tulare County continues to be surrounded by some of the most productive farmland in the world and is a vibrant business center.

Surfing in Hawai'i

9780738574882

$24.99

When the early European explorers traversed the globe, their journals held numerous accounts of Hawaiians enjoying surfing. Since Europeans of that era were not accustomed to swimming in their own cold waters, it must have seemed like a dream to watch naked native Hawaiians riding the waves of a turbulent sea. Nowhere in the ancient world was surfing as ingrained into the culture as on the islands of Hawai'i. He'e nalu (wave sliding) was the national sport and enjoyed by all. When a swell was up, whole villages were deserted as everyone fled to the beach to test their surfing skills. Legends of famous surf riders were retold in mele (song/chant), and fortunes could be decided on the outcome of a surfing contest. From these shores, modern surfing was born, along with the iconic romantic images of bronzed surfers, grass shacks, and hula.

Whittier

9781467134293

$24.99

When Quaker colonists arrived in Southern California in 1887 to establish their "ideal city of dreams" between the San Gabriel River and the base of the Puente Hills, this land already had a storied past. It was once a place where native Tongvans gathered, the site of Spanish land grant holder Manuel Nieto's rancho, and home to the mansion of the last governor of Alta California, Pío Pico. Named by the early settlers after the abolitionist poet, "Ye Olde Friendly Towne of Whittier" grew from a small colony of Quaker pioneers to a bustling center for the production of citrus, walnuts, and avocados. After incorporation in 1898, Whittier also became a flourishing suburb connected to Los Angeles via the Pacific Electric trolley; the home of Whittier College, celebrated for its academics and the mascot Johnny Poet; and home to several notable Americans, including the 37th president of the United States.

La Jolla

9780738558035

$24.99

La Jolla, California, famously known as "The Jewel," is noted for its natural beauty and appealing Mediterranean-like climate. Magnificent sea cliffs and caves, bathing coves, and sandy beaches have attracted visitors, developers, and residents since the 1880s. By the early 1900s, a small community developed with artists congregating to the internationally known Green Dragon Colony. Newspaper heiress Ellen Browning Scripps and her half-sister Eliza Virginia established residences and became the community's renowned philanthropists. Many beautiful homes and institutions, along with a growing commercial district next to the sea, owe their designs to architect Irving Gill. Today La Jolla still attracts visitors from around the world and is home to the rich, the famous, the avant-garde, and intelligentsia.

San Geronimo Valley

9781467103534

$24.99

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

Cover image for San Geronimo Valley, isbn: 9781467103534

Meeker

9781467132022

$24.99

The free-roaming Ute Indians were the first modern-day people to live in the White River valley. After mounting tensions erupted into violence and the Indian agency near present-day Meeker was attacked, the Ute were soon evicted from northwestern Colorado in 1881. By that time, adventurous people were pressing in at all sides to settle the area. Settlers drawn by land speculation and ranching populated this rural area. Ranching, hunting, guiding, and coal, oil shale, oil, and gas extraction were the ways people made their livings, or hoped to, in this region. Meeker had it all with a touch of Wild West and a promise of the American dream--and all in a setting that would lure Teddy Roosevelt himself. Inside this book are glimpses of the people, traditions, celebrations, and ways of life of those who lived here before us.

Vallejo

9780738529097

$24.99

Founded as California's state capital in 1850 and named for one of the state's pre-eminent native sons, General Mariano Vallejo, the city of Vallejo has a favored location on the eastern interior of San Francisco Bay. Protected from wind, fog, and possible invasion by sea, Mare Island, just off Vallejo's shoreline, was the United States Navy's first base in the Pacific in 1854. Mare Island Navy Yard grew to meet the challenge of every major conflict in the country, reaching its apex during World War II and ending its military life producing nuclear submarines. The sunny sloping streets of Vallejo lengthened and became more populous in tandem with the Yard, expanding in bursts and nearly tripling its population in the 1940s. In recent years the city and its institutions have survived a wrenching urban and economic redevelopment process, now building on the creative strengths of its historic downtown and colorfully diverse population to forge a Vallejo for the new millennium.

Price

9781467105064

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Founded by Mormons and settled by immigrants, Price, Utah, is a city of contradictions. Settled in the late 1870s, it was not until the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad discovered coal in the surrounding mountains that the town bloomed. Nearly overnight, trainloads of coal and other merchandise made Price into the commercial center of eastern Utah. As one of the safe havens for Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, it was their outlaw gold that funded the city's continued growth. With one of the most outspoken mayors the city ever had, Price fought the State of Utah for the right to maintain its saloons, gambling halls, and bawdy houses.

Fort Logan

9780738575827

$24.99

For most Colorado citizens, Fort Logan usually brings to mind the large national cemetery of the same name. Often unrealized is that nearby, there are fine, substantial brick buildings that mark the remains of a once-bustling military post. Fort Logan began in 1887 and became a part of the US Army's new network of urban-type forts with strategic rail links. Located in the beginning about eight miles southwest of Denver, it variously housed important infantry, cavalry, and engineer units and later served as a key recruit and discharge center. It also once attracted Denverites to elaborate parade ceremonies, stirring band concerts, and competitive athletic events. After World War II, it became property of the State of Colorado and today is the site of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan.

Lake County

9780738530307

$24.99

The slopes of a cooled volcano, Mount Konocti, reflect in the waters of Clear Lake, the oldest lake in North America. Home to Pomo Indians for millennia, the region's first immigrants settled near Kelseyville. Mendocino and Napa Counties vied for ownership of Clear Lake, but disputes ended when a new county formed in 1861. The serene, natural landscape, plentiful mineral hot springs, and remote location attracted thousands of visitors to large resorts like Bartlett, Harbin, and Seigler Springs. Prizefighters came from all over the nation, including Gentleman Jim Corbett and John L. Sullivan, who trained at separate local resorts for their 1892 title bout. Tourists and residents traveled in style on the steamer, City of Lakeport. Lake County towns like Lakeport, Lower Lake, Kelseyville, Upper Lake, and Middletown based their economy on agriculture and orchard crops as well as tourism and recreation, but this ancient lake remained and remains at the heart of all.

Red Bluff

9780738531489

$24.99

The riverfront town of Red Bluff, now a magnet for most of the population of Tehama County, was once the lonely campsite of rancher Peter Lassen, who ventured here from his Mexican land grant while chasing horse thieves in 1843. A few years later, masses of humanity and tons of material floated past those red banks that rise high above the Sacramento River, the state's earliest highway, supplying the Sierra gold fields. Red Bluff, first known as Duncan Heights, had a busy port and nearby logging operations generating enough wealth to fund rows of substantial brick, two-story commercial buildings and neighborhoods of ornate Italianate and Queen Anne homes, many of which still stand.