Duarte

9780738569116

$24.99

Mexican Army veteran Andres Duarte was granted 6,595 acres along the southern foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in 1841 by the governor of Alta California. Rancho Azusa de Duarte eventually was carved into 40-acre parcels, and arriving families from the East and Midwest built schools, installed water lines, and grew crops. By 1900, two major rail lines served the area's thriving citrus industry. Duarte's beneficial climate led to the establishment in 1913 of a tuberculosis sanitarium, which became City of Hope, the world-class cancer treatment center. Bandleader Glenn Miller settled in Duarte. The city's location along old U.S. Route 66 brought many visitors to and through town. A strongly independent civic spirit led to a momentous 1987 U. S. Supreme Court decision to disallow the expulsion of the Duarte Rotary from Rotary International for admitting three women. As for Andres Duarte, he is commemorated by a 2007 bronze equestrian statue, located across Huntington Drive from the city hall that bears his name.

Eagle Rock

9780738582160

$24.99

Eagle Rock has grown from an open farming community, populated by a few hundred souls, into a busy and diverse neighborhood of Los Angeles. The incorporation of Eagle Rock City in 1911 began the political process necessary to sustain and service this expanding community. The Eagle Rock City that was annexed by Los Angeles in 1923 was much smaller than the area included by the City of Los Angeles in the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council in 2002. The town grew through the century by attracting the loyalty of people living in then-outlying areas. Eagle Rock: 1911-2011 continues the exploration begun in the Images of America volume Eagle Rock, detailing this expansion and the community's everyday life and interaction with the city and the world.

Jack London State Historic Park

9781467132626

$24.99

Famed novelist Jack London became America's highest-paid author in 1905, writing about adventures in the Klondike and the Russo-Japanese War and about sailing his self-designed boat halfway around the world. Yet perhaps one of London's finest legacies is his 1,400-acre ranch on the slopes of Sonoma Mountain in California. Sometimes called "Beauty Ranch" or the "Ranch of Good Intentions," the land, buildings, and house museums exemplify both early-20th-century life and London's passionate pioneering efforts in agriculture and architecture. Descendants of Eliza Shepard (London's stepsister and ranch manager) operated the ranch for decades. In 1959, Irving Shepard deeded 39 acres to California to create Jack London State Historic Park. Eventually, 1,400 acres were acquired. Today, more than 80,000 visitors annually enjoy the park, hiking, picnicking, horseback riding, and attending events and touring London's home, gravesite, and farm buildings.

Lone Pine

9780738547848

$24.99

Lone Pine's history is as dramatic and violent as the magnificent landscape in which the town is located. Long before the first white settlers arrived during the Gold Rush, small groups of Paiute-Shoshone Indians lived in the area. With the discovery of gold and silver, miners and ranchers supplying food for the mines came into violent conflict with the native inhabitants between 1860 and 1865. In the 1870s, the Cerro Gordo mines (the largest silver strike in the state) buoyed the growth
of Los Angeles. At the turn of the century, the City of Los Angeles clandestinely bought up land and water rights and initiated a period of conflict with the Owens Valley. In the 1920s, Hollywood discovered the Sierra Nevada Mountains and high deserts of the area. Over 400 films and countless commercials have been filmed in Lone Pine, featuring such stars as John Wayne, Gene Autry, Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power, Rita Hayworth, Barbara Stanwyck, and Brad Pitt.

Coal Camps of Sweetwater County

9780738593067

$24.99

In the early to mid-1900s, the coal camps of Reliance, Dines, Winton, and Stansbury emerged from the hillsides and desert in southwestern Wyoming due to the increased need for coal. The miners and their families who came to these coal camps were a true melting pot, bringing with them different races, religions, and customs from all over the world. They forged unique communities and worked and lived harmoniously, depending on one another for survival, entertainment, and camaraderie. Although distanced from one another, the camps were integrated by the mines and activities of the Union Pacific Coal Company, and unified by School District No. 7, which provided the educational foundation for their children. The people who lived in these camps contributed significantly to the development of southwestern Wyoming, the economy of the state, and the welfare of the United States during wartime.

Morgan County

9781467115650

$24.99

Pioneers came by the thousands, drawn by the promise of wealth in the Rocky Mountains. The dry, arid plains were a pass-through to most, but a few hardy souls saw potential in the region. They faced the harshest conditions; howling winds, little rainfall, intense heat followed by bone-chilling cold, isolation, and hostile Native American tribes were constant threats to survival. The pioneers of Morgan County were men and women of vision, perseverance, and inner strength. They were problem solvers who dug reservoirs and irrigation canals, built roads and railroads, and created an economy out of what others refused to see. Today, Morgan County is a place of an active agricultural lifestyle, supported by the businesses in the area. Its rich cultural diversity encompasses residents whose countries of origin span the world.

Priest River and Priest Lake

9780738589190

$24.99

The first permanent settlers of Kaniksu County filtered into the Priest River and Priest Lake area of northern Idaho's panhandle in the late 1880s. Some came to build homes, farms, and businesses in an area where none had existed before. Others were more interested in trapping and prospecting; they sought to lead solitary and eccentric lives away from civilization. Most settlers learned quickly that harvesting the vast timber wealth of the heavily forested mountains was the best way to earn a livelihood. For almost 50 years, millions of logs and cedar poles were sent down the tumultuous Priest River to its confluence with the larger Pend Oreille. This was believed to be the second-to-last log drive to end in the lower 48 states. Construction of the Great Northern Railroad in 1892 spurred both industry and settlement, opening the way for sawmills downstream to service their markets until modern roads and trucking came into existence.

Grand Lake

9781467133401

$24.99

The village of Grand Lake, Colorado, located at 8,367 feet above sea level, is the western gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park amid the Never Summer Wilderness Area. Nestled along the shores of the largest, deepest, and--many suspect--coldest natural lake in Colorado, the village presents a charming portrait of snow-capped peaks, moose hollows, and glacier-fed waters that surround a town with wooded boardwalks and historic hewn-log hotels. Only a few generations ago, the area was the hunting and fishing grounds of both the Ute and the Arapaho Indian tribes, who each called the clear body of water "Spirit Lake" based on their own legends about this mystical place. The village's hardy mountain residents, many of whom are descendants of the area's original permanent settlers, help to shape, but never conquer, the subalpine terrain, with its annual unforgiving winter environments and perfect summer evenings. Times are still simpler in this mountain village but also accurately reflect an octogenarian resident's words: "life might be easier now, but it was simpler in the days of kerosene lamps and wood burning stove, when each man's sleigh bells had their distinctive ring." We present mostly the "then" and some of the "now" of Grand Lake, which are both unusually similar and equally admired by residents and visitors alike.

St. George Reef Lighthouse

9781467133173

$24.99

Situated at the end of a reef six miles offshore of Crescent City, California, stands St. George Reef Lighthouse. Constructed after the wreck of the coastal steamer Brother Jonathan in 1865, the beacon warned mariners of the dreaded "Dragon Rocks" of St. George Reef for nearly a century. This book chronicles the loss of the Jonathan, decades of efforts to make the light a reality, the 10-year construction period, manning of the station by keepers of the US Lighthouse Service and Coast Guard, and the struggles and accomplishments of dedicated volunteers to restore what many lighthouse historians refer to as "America's greatest lighthouse."

Early Auburn

9781467132763

$24.99

Located at the junction of gold-rich ravines, Auburn was the site of the first gold discovery in Placer County. Though the superficial gold was quickly panned out, by 1850, the town had become an important trading center. Auburn became a center for goods, services, entertainment, and a place for miners to "winter-over." More importantly, it became a transportation hub. As the county seat, Auburn's hotels, saloons, and merchants experienced a steady stream of customers as county residents came to town to deal with legal matters. Though plagued by numerous destructive fires, the citizens of Auburn rebuilt, and the town continued to thrive. This book will introduce the reader to some of the individuals who were instrumental in shaping Auburn as it grew into the town it is today.

University of San Francisco

9781467133074

$24.99

The University of San Francisco began in 1855 as a one-room schoolhouse named St. Ignatius Academy. Its founding is interwoven with the establishment of the Jesuit Order in California, European immigration to the western United States, and the population growth of California and San Francisco as a result of the California Gold Rush. For 159 years, the University of San Francisco has enriched the lives of thousands of people. The institution has graduated students who went on to become leaders in government, education, business, journalism, sports, the sciences, and the legal and medical professions. Among its alumni, the university counts three San Francisco mayors, a US senator, four California Supreme Court justices, a California lieutenant governor, two Pulitzer Prize winners, three Olympic medalists, several professional athletes, and the former president of Peru.

The Navy at Point Mugu

9780738575322

$24.99

Point Mugu has played a major part in naval history since 1943, when a small group of US Navy Seabees and several newly organized amphibious units headed across the Oxnard Plain to establish an advance base training facility. Toward the end of World War II, the small naval air base began testing newly developed guided missiles, pilotless aircraft, and special weapons to combat kamikaze pilots. This early testing transitioned Point Mugu from a temporary base into a pioneer in the world of science and national defense. On October 1, 1946, the Naval Air Missile Test Center Point Mugu and, later, the Pacific Missile Range were established to create, research, and test weapons systems. Point Mugu continues to support many diverse military missions, including testing weapons systems, operating space satellite systems, and providing radar and communication support to the naval aviation community.

San Francisco's Ferry Building

9781467126267

$24.99

For many years, visitors traveling to San Francisco came via ferry, and the Ferry Building, one of San Francisco's most famous landmarks, stood ready to welcome them. In the 1920s, the Ferry Building was the world's second-busiest transit terminal (after Charing Cross, London), with more than 50,000 people a day passing through the elegant structure, designed by architect A. Page Brown and opened in 1898. When the 1906 earthquake struck and the ensuing fire was destroying the city, the venerable waterfront icon stood above the ruins, giving residents hope that the city would recover and rise from the ashes. By 1939, with the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge both open, ferry traffic fell off. By the late 1950s, ferry service ended altogether, and the building's beautiful facade was blocked by the double-decker Embarcadero Freeway. With the freeway's demise after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Ferry Building was restored and reopened in 2003. It is once again a beacon of civic pride, a landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and a public space that anchors the San Francisco waterfront.

Port Hueneme

9780738530642

$24.99

Port Hueneme is a city of 25,000 residents surrounded on three sides by the City of Oxnard, with the Pacific Ocean as its western front. Port Hueneme's identity and character have endured valiantly despite the outside influences of the much larger city, a sometimes violent ocean, and the world's greatest armada. The U.S. Navy arrived in an enormous way at Port Hueneme during World War II to take command of the only deep-water port between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The servicemen stayed during the Korean War, maintaining an abiding relationship with the community. And still, the town itself has the strength of longevity, being three decades older than Oxnard and with a pioneering legacy of farmers, fishermen, merchants, and families. They survived, repeating the requisite spelling and pronunciation ("Y-nee-mee") of their city's name, which is Chumash Indian for "halfway" or "resting place" between Point Mugu and the estuary of the Santa Clara River.

Leimert Park

9780738595870

$24.99

Leimert Park, one of the first comprehensively planned communities in Southern California, was founded and developed in 1927 by Walter H. Leimert Sr. and designed by Olmsted Brothers, a firm headed by sons of Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., the master planner of New York City's Central Park. In its early years, Leimert Park was a pasture situated on portions of the Rancho Cienega O Paso de la Tijera, once owned by land baron E.J. "Lucky" Baldwin. The area is best known for its gracefully curved tree-lined streets, Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean-style homes, and Art Deco buildings designed by some of the nation's foremost architects. Famous residents Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and Los Angeles's first African American mayor, Tom Bradley, have called Leimert Park home. In 1967, artists Alonzo and Dale Davis founded Brockman Gallery, and with this beginning, a new era of Leimert Park as an arts and cultural center dawned. Today, with its art galleries, jazz and blues clubs, coffeehouses, performance spaces, restaurants, and Afrocentric fashion and merchandise shops, the area has evolved into one of Los Angeles's great idyllic communities.

Yosemite National Park in Vintage Postcards

9780738508849

$24.99

A mere utterance of the word "Yosemite" conjures up images of Half Dome, El Capitan, giant sequoias, and the unmatched beauty this northern California park has to offer. However, the area known today as Yosemite has not always been a place of tranquility. Once the home of Ahwahnee tribe, these Native Americans were forced to surrender their home to armed miners rushing for gold and a California government clutching the philosophy of Manifest Destiny.

Yosemite National Park in Vintage Postcards

Twentynine Palms

9780738531496

$24.99

Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the beauty of this desert region of Southern California in 1936 when he created Joshua Tree National Monument, now a national park. But for 9,000 years, Native Americans had lived amid its monolithic rocks and strangely grotesque Joshua trees. Serrano and Chemehuevi Indians found a home at its Oasis of Mara, whose fan palms eventually gave Twentynine Palms its name. Cattleman Bill McHaney arrived in 1879, learned of gold ore deposits from the native people, and inaugurated an influx of prospectors seeking fortunes. In the 1920s, Dr. James B. Luckie of Pasadena discovered that the clean air and dry climate helped veterans with respiratory illnesses, and they homesteaded parcels of 160 acres. Artists, writers, actors, and composers later discovered Twentynine Palms, and a renaissance in the arts now includes studios, galleries, and world-class murals that adorn this gateway to Joshua Tree National Park.

Chimney Rock National Monument

9781467131612

$24.99

The appreciation of the Chimney Rock region goes back more than 1,000 years. Here in southwestern Colorado, the Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the northern San Juan River Basin as an outlier community of Chaco Canyon. Its function and use has created much conjecture. The site was abandoned by the early 1100s for reasons that some speculate were related to drought, resource depletion, warfare, migration, or a combination of these factors. Over the course of its recorded history, archaeologists, astronomers, regional historians, and visitors have celebrated the rocks, ruins, and landscape that make up this important feature in the Four Corners region. It has been called La Piedra Parada by Spanish explorers, Fire Mountain by Tewa-speaking pueblos, and Tupiwiniri by the Utes. Today, we know it as Chimney Rock National Monument due to a proclamation made in 2012 by Pres. Barack Obama.

African Americans in Vallejo

9780738595818

$24.99

African Americans have been part of the Vallejo mosaic since 1850, the year of the North Bay city's birth. John Grider, a Tennessee native and former slave who arrived in Vallejo in 1850, was one of the city's earliest residents and a veteran of the California Bear Flag Revolt of 1846. While many 19th-century black pioneers established homes, businesses, and schools, it was during the Great Migration period of 1910-1970s that the bulk of Vallejo's black community took firm root. During this period, black folks from throughout the South--tiny towns and big cities alike, from places like Itasca, Texas; Heidelberg, Mississippi; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Lake Wales, Florida--made their way west searching for war-industry jobs at Mare Island Naval Shipyard and lives relatively free of unrelenting racial discord. African Americans in Vallejo chronicles this proud and oftentimes complicated journey.

Eagle

9780738595375

$24.99

Eagle may be the only city in the arid American West that was first settled on an island. Four young miners left Idaho's gold fields in 1863 to farm what is today called Eagle Island, between the Boise River's north and south channels. Not easily accessed by Indian raiding parties, the island also allowed ready irrigation of the first croplands. It was an island farming couple, Tom and Mary Aiken, that founded the village of Eagle on the north "mainland" starting in 1895. An interurban trolley in 1907 greatly stimulated the growth of the township, which became a service and food processing center for a large, rural hinterland. Nevertheless, Eagle was still a small farming town when it finally incorporated in 1971. During subsequent decades, though, it was transformed by explosive growth and upscale development into one of the wealthiest communities in the Pacific Northwest. Golf courses, hobby farms, a preoccupation with the arts, and foothill vineyards all attest to Eagle's modern affluence. However, this history largely focuses on Eagle's modest agricultural yesteryear.

San Francisco Relocated

9781467133715

$24.99

San Francisco's colorful history has been explored so extensively that it is surprising to note that its moved buildings remain one of the city's best-kept secrets. Reports are widely scattered in newspapers and architectural references; yet, despite the fact that the city's relocations are second only to Chicago's, there are no books in print concerning this curious history--until now. And it is a long, lively tale indeed. Beginning in 1850 and continuing today, it involves hundreds of moved structures, from houses and apartment buildings to churches and schools. Buildings were relocated for many reasons, from street modifications in the early 1900s to the advent of freeways and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in the 1950s and 1960s. Buildings were cut in half and moved in pieces, disassembled and moved brick by brick, or (more commonly) moved intact--some as heavy as 9,000 tons or as long as 110 feet. Buildings moved to San Francisco via ship around Cape Horn, traveled across town using horses and wagons or (later) trucks, and were barged over the Bay.

Pocatello

9780738596457

$24.99

Pocatello, named in honor of a Shoshoni tribal chief, began as a stage station between Salt Lake City and the gold mines in Montana. By 1878, tracks of the Utah & Northern Railway were laid through the valley, and a narrow strip of shops and living quarters built alongside them became known as Pocatello Junction. From its beginnings, Pocatello demonstrated its distinction as an economic hub after the Oregon Short Line Railroad moved its main operations there from Eagle Rock (now Idaho Falls). This further facilitated the growth of Pocatello, which incorporated as a city in 1893. The establishment of the Academy of Idaho (now Idaho State University) signaled the growing importance of Pocatello as a center of learning. The town's influence as a cultural headquarters is evidenced by the top-level talent that was attracted to local theaters. The continued growth of Pocatello, fueled by its significance as a rail junction, led to the city becoming the major metropolitan area in southeastern Idaho.

Towns of the Sacramento River Delta

9780738596266

$24.99

What can be considered the first major exploration of the Sacramento River, from its mouth northward, began on May 13, 1817, when Padres Duran and Abella and 20 other men under the command of Lt. Louis Antonio Argullo sailed in two launches up the river. They continued north until May 20, 1817, when they turned back. The group recorded their point of farthest exploration by carving a cross into an oak tree; some believe this point is near the present-day town of Freeport. Three decades later, Clarksburg was established, followed by Walnut Grove, Paintersville, Rio Vista, Onsibo, Freeport, Courtland, Emmaton, Isleton, Vorden, Ryde, Hood, and Locke. Each one of the settlements has its own exciting tale about its founders and the origins of the name that it was given.

San Francisco's Noe Valley

9780738529059

$24.99

Named for Jose de Jesus Noe, San Francisco's last Mexican mayor, Noe Valley is undoubtedly one of San Francisco's favorite neighborhoods and certainly one of the most picturesque. Yet the area has a rich and varied history reaching far beyond the lovely buildings and lively street scenes familiar to so many citydwellers. Originally part of the Rancho de San Miguel land grant, the area was incorporated into the city and became an early example of a San Francisco enclave situated away from the noise and bustle of the downtown and waterfront areas. Noe Valley gradually became an important residential and business center known for its beautifully restored Victorian homes, as well as for the vibrant commercial corridor on Twenty-fourth Street.

Alameda by Rail

9780738547060

$24.99

Across the great bay from San Francisco, the city of Alameda evolved into an island hometown of fine Victorian and Craftsman architecture and a port containing a naval air station, shipbuilding center, and the winter home of the long-gone Alaska Packers fleet of "tall ships." But Alameda also was a busy railroad town. In 1864, a passenger railroad with a ferry connection created a commute to San Francisco. In 1869, the city became the first Bay Area terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad. Alameda became an island because a railroad allowed construction crews to dig a tidal canal, separating it from Oakland in 1902. Later generations rode steam, then electric, trains to a grand ferry pier where ornate watercraft guided them the 20 minutes to San Francisco. An auto tube, and later the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, hastened the demise of ferry, then rail, operations before World War II.

San Francisco's Excelsior District

9780738528892

$24.99

The Excelsior District traditionally has not been among San Francisco's "spotlight" neighborhoods, yet this area is an important residential and commercial zone that is home to some 30,000 residents. These rolling hills south of San Francisco's better-known districts are now covered with row upon row of houses, streets, and apartments. But places like the Excelsior were once sparsely populated, agrarian, and even rural. This volume of vintage photographs chronicles the Excelsior's intriguing journey from rugged swamp and farmland to the busy cosmopolitan neighborhood we know today. It is a tale of determined immigrant families putting down roots in a challenging locale and overcoming adversity to stake out a permanent enclave in this famed city. It is also a story of large-scale construction and reclamation to tame the rugged outskirts of San Francisco.

Falk

9781467129756

$24.99

Between the years 1884 and 1937, the company mill and lumber town of Falk thrived in what is now the Headwaters Forest Reserve. In the late 1800s, Noah Falk and two other stakeholders became partners in the Elk River Mill and Lumber Company. During this transitional time in logging history, Falk was able to capitalize on the relatively inexpensive price of land, cheap labor, and inexpensive logging technologies, such as the band saw and the Dolbeer steam donkey. Isolated from Eureka and within the backdrop of the industrial revolution, many changes and spikes in local and immigrant populations created an intricate company town of 400 people. Between the 1940s and 1970s, Falk became a ghost town until the vacant buildings eventually became part of the soil that now supports the Headwaters Forest Reserve, managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Woodland

9780738589008

$24.99

The images in this book document the intertwining of country and city in the character of Woodland, California, since the town's birth in 1853. The flat, rich land of the Great Central Valley, along with its Mediterranean climate and access to water for irrigation, enabled Yolo County to become a top producer of diverse agricultural products, ranging from almonds and tomatoes to grapes and rice. The wealth of the county flowed into Woodland, the county's seat of government, the largest market town, and the major agricultural processing center. As a result, Woodland produced distinguished architecture, abundant cultural and leisure activities, and prosperous businesses. The city's history reflects its ties to local agriculture but also to nearby metropolitan Sacramento and to larger events affecting American society, including technological and organizational innovations, war and social movements, and changing patterns of immigration.

West Hollywood

9780738528502

$24.99

West Hollywood, which began as Sherman, a rail yard town, played an integral role in creating the "Hollywood" film industry while it grew up alongside the fashionable Beverly Hills to house the service industries needed by these wealthy neighbors. During Prohibition, the still unincorporated area was the site of the entertainment industry's watering holes and gambling parlors, and nicknames such as the "Sinful Drag," "The Adult Playground," and "Hollywood's Soul" were bestowed upon West Hollywood's world-famous Sunset Strip, where today's visitors can still dance in the footsteps of legends like Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. As time marched on, the predominantly renter, Jewish, gay, and senior citizen residents of the progressive-minded area determined to step out of the shadows of nearby communities and create a city of their own, an effort that caused some controversy but resulted in the incorporation of West Hollywood in 1984. Since incorporation West Hollywood has been a beacon of hope, drawing refugees from Russia and around the world to its tolerant streets.

Shasta County

9780738528540

$24.99

Picturesque Shasta County, located at the northern end of California's Sacramento Valley, is known for its colorful history, abundant natural beauty, and unlimited recreational opportunities. First home to native tribes such as the Wintu and Yana, Shasta County was officially established in 1850, and fur trappers, cattle ranchers, and miners, lumber mills, copper smelters, and railroads soon made their indelible mark on the landscape. The region's story continued to unfold throughout the 20th century as its many lakes, parks, rivers, and the snow-capped peak of Mt. Shasta glistening in the distance welcomed visitors and enticed many to make Shasta County home.

Sparks

9781467126489

$24.99

In the late 1800s, the area now known as Sparks consisted of ranches and farms. It was not until the early 1900s that Sparks would become the sixth-largest city in Nevada, almost overnight. E.H. Harriman moved the Salt Lake Division of the Southern Pacific Railroad from Wadsworth to swampland four miles east of Reno, and that area would become Sparks. The railroad was the largest and most reliable employer for 54 years, before leaving in 1957. Some railroad employees were transferred and reassigned to jobs outside of Sparks, but many chose to stay. Employment was found in Nevada's thriving hospitality industry, including John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino. Sparks became a major distribution center for national companies like S.S. Kresge and Pacific Freeport, and many manufacturing companies opened after Nevada passed the right-to-work law in 1951. Sparks is now the fifth-largest city in Nevada.

Riverside's Mission Inn

9780738546711

$24.99

The story of the internationally famous Mission Inn Hotel, and its predecessor, has been intertwined with the city of Riverside's history since both began. As the slogan once said, Riverside is a "City with a Mission Inn its Heart." For more than a century, the Mission Inn and its eclectic collections have intrigued visitors, artisans, architects, and dignitaries who have come to Riverside for a myriad of reasons. The Mission Inn, founded by colorful entrepreneur Frank Miller, was integral to the city's turn-of-the-20th-century tourism as wealthy Easterners flocked to Riverside and its famous hotel, lured by a Mediterranean climate, investment opportunities, and vast navel orange groves. Unlike other grand hotels of the time, the Mission Inn, with its Mission style architecture, was a luxury hotel that was uniquely Californian.

Modesto

9780738571508

$24.99

Settled in 1870 by the Central Pacific Railroad, Modesto is located in California's agriculturally rich Central Valley. The new town was to be named after the prominent California banker W. C. Ralston, but, as city lore and legend tell it, his "modest" refusal led to the name Modesto. Originally a wheat-producing region, the city blossomed with the arrival of irrigation, and fruit orchards and vineyards soon grew in abundance. The county seat of Stanislaus County, Modesto became an agricultural hub, with the motto "Water Wealth Contentment Health" emblazoned on an iconic arch at the town's entrance. California's original junior college is located here along with E. & J. Gallo Winery, the world's largest privately held winery, family run since 1933. Twice named an All American City, Modesto inspired native son George Lucas when he made his classic American Graffiti in 1973.

La Quinta

9781467105903

$24.99

La Quinta lies nestled in the beautiful Santa Rosa mountain range of Southern California. Unique landforms and Cahuilla cultural heritage, combined with early agricultural and commercial endeavors and the iconic La Quinta Hotel, would shape and develop this extraordinary area from ancient times through the 1980s. Building on these historic and strategic foundations, local residents and leaders worked tirelessly toward incorporating La Quinta, with their sustained efforts leading to fruition on May 1, 1982. La Quinta, known as the "Gem of the Desert," continues to grow rapidly and flourish, welcoming all to its friendly locale as in days past.

Culver City

9780738528939

$24.99

Part Mayberry and part Peyton Place, Culver City has provided the backdrop for Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, Men In Black, Jerry Maguire, "The Andy Griffith Show," "Batman," "Lassie," and the films of Laurel & Hardy. Gwen Verdon grew up here, and so did The Little Rascals. Gene Kelly sang in the rain. Harrison Ford commanded Air Force One. But before glitz and glamour set up shop, the open fields of Culver City were peacefully inhabited by the Gabrielino Indians. Spanish grazing grants of 1819 set the stage for development, and in 1913, Harry Culver announced his ambition to found a city. Two years later, Thomas Ince broke ground on Culver City's first major studio. A star was born. Images of America: Culver City guides you on a VIP back lot tour of a movie town's pioneering moments.