Name: Early Costa Mesa
Brand: Costa Mesa Historical Society
SKU: 9780738569765
Price: 17.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Early Costa Mesa

9780738569765

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Three emerging communities from the partitioned Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana formed the improbable start for a city that would eventually proclaim itself the "City of the Arts." These farming communities--Fairview, Paularino, and Harper--attracted families and businesspeople. Community leaders then took pragmatic steps to meet local needs such as schools, churches, and a water supply. Harper's first land developer appealed to folks of modest means by advertising, "You! Five Acres." By 1920, Harper needed a broader identity and a local businessman proposed a naming contest, offering a $25 prize. "Costa Mesa," recognizing the area's heritage and geography, reaped the reward. Eight years later, voters handily defeated the City of Santa Ana's annexation attempt by a margin of five to one. The Great Depression, the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, and the 1938 Santa Ana River flood then besieged the fledgling community. Undaunted, Costa Mesa continued to grow. By 1939, the stage had been set for the postwar miracle that would become the modern city of Costa Mesa.

Graton

9780738569895

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The town of Graton is located in the beautiful and fertile Green Valley, which was first settled in the mid-1800s by pioneer families such as the Sullivans, Gregsons, and Winklers. When the railroad came through the area, realtor James Gray and banker J. H. Brush bought land and created one of the first subdivisions in Sonoma County. They named the streets after themselves and their children, and in 1905, Graton was born. Along with the agricultural industry in California, the town thrived until the 1970s and then declined, only to be reborn in the 1990s. Throughout all Graton's phases, Oak Grove School (1854), the Pacific Christian Academy (1918), and the Graton Community Club (1914) remained vital. Graton is now part of a premiere wine-growing region, and visitors as well as locals are attracted to its vibrant downtown businesses, award-winning restaurants, and artistic community.

Vacaville

9780738528847

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Vacaville, named for its founder, Juan Manual Vaca, grew up next to what has become a major highway to Sacramento and points north. It became famous for its Nut Tree Restaurant, which for decades offered travelers the produce of this fertile fruit-growing region. Now the modern highway bypasses Vacaville's historic downtown, leaving it to be enjoyed by the growing population of greater Vaca Valley. Even though the modern city has grown out to engulf that new highway and an ever more diversified economy continues to thrive, old Vacaville still feels and looks like a small town of another era. Unscathed by earthquake since 1892, enlightened city officials have not only preserved much of the original downtown but have added a "Creekwalk" that gives an air of quiet greenery.

Gardena Poker Clubs

9781467136716

$21.99

Even in the midst of the Great Depression, gamblers flocked to Gardena. Colorful individuals like Ernie Primm fought for the legalization of commercial draw poker and established six iconic card clubs that thrived for generations. Russ Miller worked his way from Edgemont Club bouncer to owner of the Normandie Club. A criminal group called the Ver-Crans Corporation controlled the Horseshoe Club before being run out of town, selling its interest to Bow Herbert. Rival factions in the city waged war in the courts and the street over the coveted seventh card club license. And Larry Flynt bid his way to owning the Eldorado Club, which he rebuilt as the Hustler Casino. Author Max Votolato reveals the high-stakes stories behind Gardena's famous poker rooms.

Early Hayward

9780738529479

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The vibrant East Bay city of Hayward was named for William Hayward, a '49er and American squatter who endeared himself to Mexican landowner Guillermo Castro by making him a good pair of boots. With Castro's permission, William stayed to open Hayward's Hotel on what is now Main and A Streets. That fortuitous location, near the convergence of the eight tributaries forming San Lorenzo Creek, made the region a natural transportation hub between the bay and the fertile Livermore Valley. Stagecoach lines, a narrow-gauge railroad, and later modern transportation links encouraged more immigrants to settle. Today Hayward is a diverse city of almost 150,000 people, and home to a campus of the California State University.

Around Boron

9780738569437

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In the late 1920s, this high desert area with little water and unproductive soil held no attraction for most people, but the small community of Amargo provided a grocery store, gas station, and of course a saloon for the convenience of tenacious gold and borax prospectors. In 1938, after the large deposit of borax was discovered and mining had begun, a town hall meeting was called and Le Roy Osborne, supervisor of Pacific Coast Borax Company, suggested changing the name from Amargo to Boron. Boron is the fifth element on the periodic table and combines with other nonmetallic minerals to form a family of related minerals called borates; after this was explained to those gathered at the town hall meeting, Boron was unanimously chosen as its new name and the community was forever linked to the borax mining industry.

Yountville

9780738569659

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Over the past decade, the town of Yountville has received worldwide recognition as a tourist destination specializing in fine wine, luxurious hotel and spa accommodations, and award-winning restaurants. In fact, these achievements and accolades have earned it the name "Heart of the Napa Valley." Longtime residents, however, realize that Yountville's temperate weather, rich soils, and serene environs have been attracting visitors to the area not for decades but rather for thousands of years. The original indigenous residents called the surrounding area Caymus and constructed their homes out of willow and tule. Later the village of Caymus became known as Sebastopol, a name used by mountain man George C. Yount, the first American settler to receive a Mexican land grant. Yount's Kentucky-style blockhouse provided a welcome mat for many of California's early pioneers. He is also credited with planting some of the first grapevines in the Napa Valley. Upon his death in 1865, local residents wanted to honor the contribution of Yount and changed the name from Sebastopol to Yountville.

Mountain View

9780738531366

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Mountain View earned its name for its scenic vantage point
between the Santa Cruz and Diablo ranges. Founded as a stagecoach stop along the El Camino Real in 1852, Mountain View became a diverse and bountiful agricultural community in the "Valley of Heart's Delight." During the depths of the Depression, Bay Area citizens raised almost half a million dollars to purchase land north of town that was offered to the navy. The gamble paid off with the opening of Moffett Naval Air Station in 1933, inaugurating Mountain View's turn toward commercial and residential development. It was in an old apricot storage barn on San Antonio Road that William Shockley founded the first silicon manufacturing company in 1956, making it the true birthplace of the "Silicon Valley."

Modern San Rafael:

9780738593074

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Modern San Rafael: 1940-2000 begins where the first volume, Early San Rafael, left off. San Rafael changed dramatically in the years following World War II, and in the 1950s, the gentle hills with roaming cattle gave way to housing developments and shopping centers. Expansion of the city into Terra Linda, Marinwood, and Santa Venetia provided housing for all the new residents. The population soared, and to keep pace, new schools, new streets, and new ideas expanded the size and ambience of the town. The new Marin County Civic Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright became an instant architectural icon. Not everything changed, and some of the old town remains today, adding to San Rafael's charm. The vibrant downtown, the attractive streets with Victorian homes, and the beautiful landscape close to San Francisco Bay have been preserved. San Rafael is a place where the healthy outdoor lifestyle meets a busy center of cultural activity, and the result is a great place to live.

Silver Lake Bohemia

9781467135320

$24.99

Since the early 1900s, Silver Lake has been a magnet for iconoclastic writers, architects and political activists. Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed the Hollyhock House for socialist and oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, drew a wave of visionary modernists to the area. Local civil rights advocate Loren Miller spearheaded the fight against housing discrimination. Silver Lake's Black Cat bar and Harry Hay's Mattachine Society were central to the early gay rights movement. Literary artists Anäis Nin and James Leo Herlihy made the neighborhood their home, as did other notables like first lady of baseball Effa Manley and "Hobo Millionaire" James Eads How. Michael Locke and Vincent Brook chronicle these and other people and places that helped make Silver Lake the bohemian epicenter of Los Angeles.

Del Mar Racetrack

9780738531465

$24.99

"Where the Turf Meets the Surf" entered horseracing lore after the 22nd District Agriculture Association (DAA) established a 241-acre fairground at Del Mar that included a stadium and one-mile oval racetrack in the 1930s. The venue gave an enterprising trio the impetus to bring thoroughbred racing to the San Diego County coast. The Del Mar Turf Club was led by Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby, Pat O'Brien, and Bill Quigley. A DAA contract to hold a 55-day annual racing season was secured, and on opening day, July 3, 1937, the velvet-voiced "Der Bingle" greeted the first patrons at the gate. Racing established the Del Mar name beyond California, but it was suspended in 1942 for World War II. The Marines moved in and the Del Mar Turf Club Aircraft Division formed to manufacture wing ribs for B-17s. Racing reopened in 1945 to continued success under the direction of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club president Joe Harper.

Oxnard

9780738569376

$24.99

The Southern California city of Oxnard has its roots in agriculture. From the original dry-farming crops to labor-intensive sugar beets and most recently strawberries, each crop brought a new group of people to Ventura County's largest city, located 60 miles north of Los Angeles. Many chapters of Oxnard's enduring history have been captured on postcards and distributed to family and friends around the world. Arcadia Publishing's Postcard History series allows these images to come home and tell the story once again.

Community Hospital of San Bernardino

9780738570228

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Dr. William Henry Mills, fellow in the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians in London, arrived in San Bernardino, California in February 1903. Recruited by Dr. George Rowell as a medical partner, Dr. Mills quickly realized that surgical facilities in San Bernardino were woefully inadequate. Determined to improve medical care, in 1906 Mills converted an old wooden residence at the corner of Fourth and F Streets into the Marlborough Hospital. In 1909, with the need for additional space acute, Dr. Mills approached his friend, attorney Ralph Swing, for funding to purchase land at the site of an old adobe saloon located at the corner of Fourth Street and Arrowhead Avenue. In March of 1909, Swing and Mills purchased the land and began construction of a two-story stucco hospital building with beds for 42 patients and a modern operating room. Ramona Hospital, later renamed Community Hospital, opened its doors in February 1910 and has operated continuously, providing state-of-the-art medical care for area residents.

San Mateo

9780738529561

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Ever since the DeAnza expedition camped in the area in 1776, residents and visitors have been making their way to San Mateo--situated in the shadow of its famous northern neighbor, San Francisco. This book trains the spotlight on the unique peninsular city of San Mateo, and illustrates its development from sleepy, oak-studded ranchos to today's bustling city with its own college, three high schools, churches, hospitals, and a population approaching 100,000.

Sacramento's Oak Park

9780738529325

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The history of American cities is a history of suburbs. It is a history of moving out and settling in, of technological innovation, of rearrangements of space, and the creation and erosion of community. Oak Park was Sacramento's first suburb, and before being officially annexed to the city in 1911, it prided itself on having separate law enforcement, its own newspaper, and perhaps most importantly, its own amusement park--Joyland. Unlike the more elite neighborhoods of Land Park and East Sacramento, Oak Park has always reflected working-class values and a less pretentious approach to architecture. Today, Oak Park is actively rediscovering and reestablishing its roots as a distinct, vital community and urban center.

Seaside

9780738569819

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Seaside's local history is unique and in many ways a microcosm of the ethnic mosaic that is California. Situated on the Monterey Bay, this working-class community of approximately 33,000 was incorporated in 1954; it was a typical military town, tied to Fort Ord, until the closure of the base in 1994. Seaside was home to a variety of ethnic groups, but after World War II, the city experienced a surge of immigration by African Americans associated with the military. Today the city is witness to another demographic shift symbolic of the state's changing face, as Mexican immigrants and their children now form the largest minority group in Seaside. Over the years, the city has continued to grow and attract new residents and visitors with its friendly community and striking coastal location.

Ranches and Agriculture in Nevada County

9781467127325

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Nevada County was the richest and largest gold-producing county of California. From the beginning of the 1849 Gold Rush until the last quartz mine closed in the 1956, gold was the number-one industry in Nevada County. Not everyone came to California for the gold--some came for the rich and plentiful land available and the opportunity for a better life. After the Gold Rush was deemed over by historians, it was the fertile land of California that became known as the state's Second Gold Rush. Of the 10 soil types found around the world, California has all 10. Producing farms and ranches, small and large, made agriculture Nevada County's third-largest industry after gold mining and the lumber. But of the three important industries, only agriculture has survived and is thriving today. Many of the pioneer, multigenerational ranches and farms continue to operate today on the land their owners' ancestors worked. These ranches have a rich history of contributing to the economic community as well as conserving the land for future generations.

Ranches and Agriculture in Nevada County

The Los Angeles Sugar Ring: Inside the World of Old Money, Bootleggers & Gambling Barons

9781625859976

$21.99

Early movers and shakers of Los Angeles didn't always operate within the confines of the law, including opportunist and family man Big George Niotta, who supplied sugar to make illegal liquor. Niotta rose to prominence thanks to his magnetic charm and collaborations with infamous bootlegger Frank Borgia and influential gambling baron Jack Dragna. But the fall is hard for those soaring high. Bled dry by the IRS, Niotta fought to restore his wealth through ringer horses, a multimillion-dollar lottery and a notorious gambling parlor. Through the moves of a pawn dead set on wearing a crown, author J. Michael Niotta explores three decades of L.A. crime, including a rare insider's look at the history of the Eagle Brewing Company and other survivors of Prohibition.

The Los Angeles Sugar Ring: Inside the World of Old Money, Bootleggers & Gambling Barons

Wildomar

9780738570822

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Wildomar is a semirural community located in an inland valley of Riverside County, about 60 miles northwest of San Diego. In 1886, the three founders of the town site cleverly coined its unique name from a combination of their own first names--WILliam Collier, DOnald Graham, and MARgaret Collier Graham. The community began to grow when settlers traveled by road and railroad into the area to farm the land and raise their families. Today Wildomar is a community of nearly 28,000 people. An independence movement ultimately led to an application for cityhood, and on July 1, 2008, amidst fireworks and music, the city of Wildomar was officially born.

Belmont

9781467131353

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Midway between San Francisco and San José, Belmont is where an Italian count reconstructed his villa transported from Italy, where a silver king created "the White House of the West," and where the Warlocks, a fledgling 1960s rock band, honed the sound they would make famous under another name, the Grateful Dead. Spanish explorers called Belmont's vales "la Cañada del Diablo," or "the Devil's Canyon," either after the locally famous winds or because the native Ohlone believed the canyon to be inhabited by spirits. Belmont's historic advantage of being on the bay side of the shortest route to the Pacific coast meant easier access to another type of spirits during Prohibition, fueling a minor red-light district across the tracks on Old County Road. A century or more ago, Belmont's wooded hills attracted sanitariums and prep schools. Today, its woods and trails draw residents from more developed neighboring towns.

Oakland Aviation

9780738556000

$24.99

From hot-air balloons to jets, no other place has had a more diverse and significant aviation history than the city of Oakland. Starting in the mid-1850s with balloons, the city has seen the development of many aircraft innovations, including gliders, the first powered dirigible in North America, some of the first powered airplanes, and even early flying boats. Oakland witnessed the advent of stunt flying, the first transpacific flights, and the Dole Race, as well as many early commercial aviation operations, and a host of other groundbreaking advancements.

Presidio of Monterey

9780738528700

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The Presidio of Monterey is best known as the home of the post-World War II Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, the Department of Defense's acknowledged leader in foreign language training. It has, however, a much longer and rich history. After the United States seized Monterey in 1846, the U.S. Army began constructing Fort Mervine, which served a number of purposes until it was abandoned in 1866. In 1902-1903, a modern cantonment was built in the area. In 1904, the new post was officially renamed the Presidio of Monterey after a nearby Spanish fort established in 1770 that had fallen into disuse. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the post was home to infantry and cavalry regiments, as well as an inductee reception center. The Military Intelligence Service Language School was moved to the Presidio of Monterey in 1946 and renamed the Army Language School in 1947; this evolved into the present-day Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.

Growing Up in Burbank

9781625859860

$21.99

Life in Burbank during the '60s and '70s was an unparalleled experience. From biking Lucky Busters trail to enjoying movies at the Cornell Theater and shopping at The Akron, Burbankers' choices of entertainment seemed endless. Relive fond memories of dining out at Genio's, the Dip or Santoro's. Recall visits to the Golden Mall before heading home to watch Dark Shadows on television. While some of the local icons may have changed, the spirit has remained the same--and it's waiting to be rediscovered. Authors Wes Clark and Mike McDaniel guide you through their hometown and remember the fads, the hijinks and the places that made Burbank the place it is today.

San Francisco's Marina District

9780738528748

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When driving into San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, the sweeping vistas and greenery gradually give way to the city's charming and inviting Marina District. This area is undoubtedly one of San Francisco's most picturesque and best-known neighborhoods and is famous for its aesthetic and historic appeal. Adjacent to the Presidio, the Golden Gate, and Chrissy Field, the Marina hosts a large number of Art Deco structures and the famed Palace of Fine Arts, a resplendent collection of buildings originally designed for the Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915. The exposition was held to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal, but also to show the world that San Francisco had recovered and rebuilt from the 1906 earthquake. The Marina rose from the site of the Pan Pacific to become one of the city's most desirable and recognizable districts, known for its architecture, culture, and dramatic waterfront setting.

Mount Lowe

9780738581231

$24.99

Tucked away in Southern California's San Gabriel Mountains, the Mount Lowe Railway was an internationally renowned tourist destination, serving nearly four million passengers between 1893 and 1936. Few riders of "The Railway to the Clouds" are around to relate their experiences now, but postcards and photographs remarkably reflect the history of this amazing attraction. Virtually nothing of the once-famous landmark remains on the mountain today, except a few timeworn foundations and part of the original right-of-way, which has become a hiking trail into the Angeles National Forest.

Redlands

9780738528830

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The home of sunshine, snow-capped mountains, and oranges, Redlands is the model city of the Southern California dream. Founded by two Easterners seeking "health, pleasure, and residence," this jewel of the Inland Empire grew to become the center of a worldwide citrus empire. Both navel oranges and visitors flourished in the warm, dry climate, each nourishing the wealth and philanthropy that would become the hallmark of Redlands. At the industry's zenith, more than two dozen packing houses shipped the golden fruit around the world. Money also grew in orange groves that carpeted the area. Citizens proudly watched as monuments, parks, homes, and buildings blossomed, beautifying the town and giving physical form to the generous local character. Through the years, a unique sense of philanthropy and community improvement, begun by the Smiley Brothers, proved infectious to the town spirit, and remains a guiding source of inspiration today.

The Thacher School

9781467130691

$24.99

Sherman Day Thacher, a Yale-trained lawyer, moved west in 1887, intending to join his brother as an orange rancher in California's Ojai Valley. However, after accepting a request from a Yale colleague to tutor his nephew, Thacher's focus changed from cultivating oranges to cultivating young minds. His small educational enterprise eventually became The Thacher School. Combining unmatched academics with a unique horse and camping program, Thacher has prepared more than 5,000 young men and women to become contributing members of society at the local, state, and national levels since its founding in 1889. With an educational philosophy based around Sherman Thacher's precepts of "honor, fairness, kindness, and truth," The Thacher School continues to be recognized as one of the premier secondary schools in the country.

Los Angeles's Little Italy

9780738571881

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Los Angeles's Little Italy presents a history of the city's vibrant Italian enclave during the 100-year period following the arrival of the city's first Italian pioneer in 1827. While Los Angeles possesses the nation's fifth-largest Italian population today, little is known about its Italian history, which has been examined by only a handful of historians over the past 50 years. Much of historic Little Italy has been erased from the map or is masked by subsequent ethnic settlements. However, the community's memory lives on. From pioneer agriculturalists and winemakers to philanthropists and eccentric personalities, Italian Americans left a lasting impression on the city's social, economic, and cultural fabric and contributed to Los Angeles's development as one of the world's greatest metropolises.

Bonita

9780738570006

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The small rural community of Bonita is nestled in the fertile valley of the Sweetwater River. For over a century, families from nearby San Diego and Chula Vista have built secluded homes on large lots carved from the pioneer ranches that emerged in the 1870s on Rancho de la Nacion. Ulysses S. Grant Jr. and the Marstons and Allens built homes designed by architects such as Irving Gill and William S. Hebbard. They relished the rural equestrian lifestyle of their valley, and resisted the modernization that began after World War II with highways, shopping centers, and subdivisions.

Sacramento's Chinatown

9780738580661

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Sacramento's Chinatown has played a central role in the history of the Chinese in America since the Gold Rush. It was named Yee Fow (Second City) by the early Chinese pioneers because it was the second stop by steamboat on the way to the gold country. In the 1960s, Sacramento's Chinatown, one of the oldest Chinatowns in America, was largely torn down by redevelopment, but today Chinese Americans in the capital city are planning a Yee Fow Center for History, Culture, and Trade as they seek to remember the past and look to the future.

Ukiah

9780738570402

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Nestled in the Yokayo Valley, surrounded by coastal ranges, Ukiah officially became a town in 1859 when it broke away from being governed by Sonoma County. Spanish settlers put down roots through land grants and brought their rich culture to the area. Pomo Indians who lived in Ukiah wove baskets, which are collectors' items today throughout the world. Vichy Springs Resort, built in the mid-1800s on the outskirts of Ukiah, had many notable visitors, including Presidents Grant and Harrison, Mark Twain, Robert Lewis Stevenson, and Jack London. Today Ukiah is a city where people still ride their bicycles, and the high school has a homecoming parade before the big game. Farmers, ranchers, and vineyard owners work side by side. Summer months bring the annual Sunday in the Park free concerts, and the area is home to an active performing-arts community as well as several art galleries.

Oceanside Fire Department

9780738581057

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For more than 120 years, the firefighters of the Oceanside Fire Department have had the privilege of serving one of Southern California's most active and popular coastal communities. Its firefighters are well known regionally as being highly skilled, capable, and aggressive when it comes to firefighting. This legacy has been handed down from Oceanside's first firefighters as they lived in the Wild West of the late 1800s, fighting blazes similar to those of today but with dungarees, cowboy boots, and nothing to guide them but instinct and bravery. Today a force of more than 100 modern, paramedic-trained firefighters protect over 180,000 Oceanside residents and visitors 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway

9780738559421

$24.99

A hundred years ago, high on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, stood a grand lodge with a breathtaking view. For 33 years, elegantly dressed men and women came to visit on the gritty steam trains of a famous twisting railroad known affectionately as the Crookedest Railroad in the World. They could dine, dance, and spend the night, and in the morning coast down the mountain in a gravity car. The Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway had 281 curves in 8 1/5 miles. It had a branch into Muir Woods. It was built by business-minded conservationists in seven months in 1896 and climbed from a depot on the dirt streets of Mill Valley through a redwood forest and on to the rocky summit one-half mile above San Francisco Bay.

La Palma

9780738559575

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La Palma, the smallest city in Orange County in terms of land size at 1.7 square miles, evolved out of the Los Coyotes land grant, which later was carved into ranchos, then family farms. Pioneer farmers in the early 20th century diversified, working in creameries and the sugar beet and oil industries. Post-World War II suburbia expanded eastward, influencing the dairymen to incorporate in 1955 as the city of Dairyland to save their rural lifestyle--a trendsetting notion that received national attention. The school districts vigorously acquired land by eminent domain so that tiny La Palma contains five districts within its boundaries. Unable to halt tract building, the dairy farmers continued their bold, forward-thinking initiatives for the renamed "La Palma" in 1965 by creating a master plan that included the first underground utilities in the county.

Al Zampa and the Bay Area Bridges

9780738529967

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Most of the commuters who daily cross the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge do not know much about its namesake. Yet Alfred Zampa (1905-2000) lived a remarkable life that touched not only the bridge named in his honor, but many of the other bridges around the Bay Area. An active ironworker from 1925 on, he typified a worker who was hardy and tough, but with the skill to perform extremely precise work under hazardous conditions. He often worked hundreds of feet above the San Francisco Bay with only the spindliest of support, and he fell from the Golden Gate Bridge in 1936. Caught by the safety net, he became a charter member of the ultra-exclusive "Halfway to Hell" club. Zampa died at the age of 95, six weeks after attending the groundbreaking of his namesake Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, the only bridge named in honor of a building tradesman.
The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.