Under Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. flags, the Los Angeles harbor area has developed many industries and businesses that survived on Mexican labor, supporting families of Mexican origin for more than a century. Pioneering Mexican Americans have worked the railroads, fields, canneries, plants, refineries, waterfront, and family-owned businesses for generations, forming strong bonds and lifelong friendships. Active in the military and sports, as well as involved in the church and community, Mexican Americans have overcome poverty, hardships, and discrimination, retained cultural values and customs, intermarried and assimilated with other cultures, and become the largest ethnic group in Wilmington. Many of the early families still have relatives that live and work in Wilmington, with sons and daughters achieving successful careers in various realms. Through education, hard work, and determination, Wilmington's Mexican Americans have contributed extensively to the harbor's vibrant American way of life.
William Pabor arrived in Western Colorado before the advent of irrigation, and the land presented a barren and desolate sight. But he saw something entirely different. "In the spring of 1884, lying on the bare floor of a log cabin on the site of what is now the town of Fruita, I watched the moonbeams play on the Roan Cliffs and across Pinon Mesa," Pabor wrote. "The silence of centuries seemed resting upon the plain. . . . But visions of the possibilities of the future swept before me. I saw homes founded, I saw family circles gathered together. I saw vineyards and orchards, and rose-embowered cottages in which love and happiness and contentment abode. . . . I heard the merry voices of children yet to be born. I heard the singing of harvesters bringing in the sheaves of golden grain." Pabor soon turned vision into reality and founded the town of Fruita.
The hamlet of Jamestown dates to the early Gold Rush. Discovered in August 1848, the Woods Creek placers at Jamestown eventually yielded millions of dollars in gold. When the easily mined placer gold gave out, the town remained a trade and supply depot for mining higher in the foothills, with a prime location on the roads from the Central Valley. From the 1890s to 1910s, the hard-rock mining era, known as the second Gold Rush, granted new life to the town, surrounded as it is by the Mother Lode itself. But it was the coming of the Sierra Railway in 1897 that cemented Jamestown's status, transporting the bounty of Tuolumne County's natural resources, including minerals, cattle, produce, and lumber, to the waiting markets in California and across the country. The railroad also facilitated three major dam construction projects from the 1910s to the 1940s and brought many film crews to the area.
Oakland, the other city by the bay, was a magnet for Italian immigrants in the early decades of the 20th century. Some relocated from San Francisco after the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire; many more came to Oakland predominantly from Italy's northern regions of Piedmont, Liguria, and Lombardy in search of opportunity and prosperity. These pioneers worked hard, typically at backbreaking labor, to build new lives. They raised a generation of children who succeeded in their own right and contributed in various ways to their community and nation. As they established new roots and adopted new ways, congregating largely in north Oakland's vibrant and bustling Temescal neighborhood, these Italian Americans also nurtured their Old Country customs and traditions--many of which, along with rare glimpses of bygone days, are portrayed in this charming trip through time.
Located in the northwestern corner of Nevada, bordering Oregon to the north and California to the west, Washoe County was a crossroads for miners seeking riches in the California Gold Rush and later in the neighboring Comstock Lode. Occupied by the Wassau (or Washo) and Paiute Indians, Washoe County was explored by John Bidwell in 1841 and John C. Fremont in 1844. Settlers began to arrive in the area claimed by Utah Territory as part of Tooele County in 1852, and it became part of Carson County in the Nevada Territory in 1854. Washoe County became one of the original nine counties in the Nevada Territory in 1861 and expanded to its current size with the addition of Lake or Roop County land in 1864.
Like California, the valley town of Ripon owes it beginnings to early adventurers. A group of Mormons looking for the "Promised Land" in 1846 were the first Europeans to settle along the Stanislaus River near Ripon. In 1850, another adventurous early pioneer, William H. Crow, settled in the region, and the first school to be established in the county was subsequently named for him 12 years later, in 1862. William H. Hughes purchased 1,300 acres in 1857, and in 1872, he gave the railroad a right-of-way and provided land for the depot known as Stanislaus Station. Amplias B. Crook, postmaster of this station, proposed in 1874 to rename the community in honor of his hometown, Ripon, Wisconsin. Hence California's Ripon was established on December 21, 1874.
The Redondo Beach Police Department dates to May 9, 1892, when Marshall S. Rogers was appointed as the city's first marshal. One of the first city ordinances prohibited the discharge of firearms within city limits and provided the option for hiring of a deputy "if needed." He was needed, of course, as the city would grow into a major West Coast resort by the 1920s. The department adapted through the changes brought on by the Depression, World War II, and the postwar boom, serving and protecting citizens and fighting crime both unique to beach-city life as well as changing times while enforcing all laws for residents and tourists alike across the dawns of two centuries. In the 21st century, more than 250 sworn officers, support personnel, and volunteers serve one of Southern California's most respected and innovative departments.
Originally founded as Nuevo, the community of Ramona is now known affectionately as the Valley of the Sun and was for decades labeled the "Turkey Capital of the World." Long before Spanish missionaries trekked across the verdant valley, 'Ipaay and Kumeyaay Indians called the area home. The temperate climate, fertile valleys, and easy access to both the ocean and to the mountains have made Ramona an ideal place to live for thousands of years. From the Mexican era of land grants to today, Ramona has always been associated with ranching, rodeos, and rural life. Today, nestled in the hills above San Diego, Ramona is a unique blend of rural and urban life.
The Quincy Valley is a unique place with a distinct environment. In the beginning, not even the local Columbia River tribes could find a use for the sagebrush desert, home to jackrabbits, coyotes, and rattlesnakes, but by 1910, immigrants from more than 20 nations called it home. Today the technology of the 21st century knocks on its door. From the early days of dry-land farming, to the abundant orchards and crops nourished by the Grand Coulee Dam, to the data-server farms of major Internet companies, the Quincy Valley provides food and information to the entire world. It is a community of people whose faith, families, and farms have provided physical sustenance and prosperity to its descendants. Their influence extends far and wide as they have spread across the world, serving in both military and civilian careers.
Famous for its lush beauty and inviting beaches, Hawai'i also boasts a rich theatrical history dating back to the mid-19th century and spanning its years as a kingdom, U.S. territory, and a state. Its warm, tropical climate and social, cultural, and ethnic diversity contributed to the variety of theatres unique to the islands--from simple, rural plantation theatres on the neighbor islands, to neighborhood movie houses in exotic styles, to an incomparable tropical moderne jewel near the beach at Waikiki. Most of these theatres are now just a memory, except for those few saved by dedicated individuals and restored for another life. This book celebrates the rich history of these theatrical venues through rare archival photographs and little-known details.
Opened in 1960 as the home of the San Francisco Giants, Candlestick Park is among America's most iconic sports facilities. It is a striking example of modernism and was the first reinforced-concrete stadium. The Giants' home for 40 years, it played host to two World Series, including in 1989, when it was infamously delayed by the Loma Prieta Earthquake. Renovated to a dual-purpose stadium in 1970, it became home to the San Francisco 49ers. In 1982, "The Catch," one of the most famous plays in NFL history, heralded the beginning of five Super Bowl Championships. Candlestick Park was also home to the early Oakland Raiders, was visited by Pope John Paul II, and saw the last Beatles concert.
European settlement of Coos County began with a shipwreck. The Captain Lincoln wrecked on the north spit of the Coos Bay in January 1852. The crewmen built a temporary camp out of the ship's sails and named it "Camp Cast-Away." This was the first white settlement in the area. The men eventually traveled overland to Port Orford, where they told other settlers about the Coos Bay and its many natural resources. By December 1853, Coos County was established by the territorial legislature, and several towns were founded; the history of the area had been completely altered by a single shipwreck.
Big Horn City was the first town established in 1881 in what later became Sheridan County, Wyoming. Nestled in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, it is no wonder the Crow and Sioux Indian tribes coveted the Little Goose Valley for its abundance of wild game. Sheridan County's first white resident and founder of the town of Big Horn City was Oliver Perry Hanna. Numerous immigrants soon found their way to Big Horn City along the Bozeman Trail to begin a new life. The Bozeman Trail Museum, which serves as a place for local families to share their collectibles, was a blacksmith shop on the Bozeman Trail.
The Tachi-Yokut Indians made a subsistence living around the great inland sea known as Tulare Lake, near present-day Lemoore, long before Dr. Laverne Lee Moore came to town in 1871. Still before Moore came other Anglo settlers. The Rhoads family settled and built an adobe house, which remains today, where Daniel and Sarah Rhoads raised a family, ranched, and did business in 1856. Rhoads was part of the group that rescued the ill-fated Donner party. The U.S. Post Office saw fit to name the town after its founder. During World War II, Lemoore was the site of a U.S. Army Air Force training camp. Since 1963, it has been home to one of the largest inland U.S. air bases: Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The city of Sterling in northeast Colorado is at a crossroads of several trails historically and modern roads and highways today. The area was once inhabited by the Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Crow, Blackfoot, Sioux, Kiowa, and Pawnee tribes. The earliest Europeans were fur trappers on their way to the Colorado Mountains. The Sterling area is also noted for one of the final battles of the Indian wars, the battle of Summit Springs, between Tall Bull's Cheyenne Dog Soldiers and Col. Eugene A. Carr and the U.S. Army, southeast of Sterling on July 11, 1869. Today the city of Sterling is the county seat for Logan County. It is located at the junction of the South Platte River, Interstate 76, and Highways 6, 14, 61, and 138. Its history as an agricultural community is still a vital part of the economy and culture. Many of the celebrations seen in this book are annual events today, including the county fair and Sugar Beet Days.
Newport and its surrounding areas are beautiful and bountiful, offering resources for fishing, logging, shipping, and tourism. Today's community, similar to populations that settled the land in earlier days, is independent, hearty, and versatile. The Yacona, the Native Americans who called Newport home before the arrival of other cultures, lived almost entirely off the land and waterways. Later settlers, while still reliant on natural resources, integrated technology into the growth of their society. As the area matured, the desire to find balance and preserve natural resources grew. Today Newport's heritage remains strong, and this book serves as a tribute to its history.
Before Lander became a town, the area had already been the summer hunting grounds for numerous Native American tribes, seen a few rendezvous, and had become a freighting hub. Supplying goods for the miners in the South Pass area and goods for the cavalry and natives at Fort Washakie, the freight wagons rolled year-round. When the Lander townsite was plotted in 1880, the main road remained wide enough that a 20-hitch team could turn around. As more people settled in the area, Lander became an agricultural-based town. It was known throughout the state for its abundance of produce, hay, blooded horses, cattle, and sheep. But it was not all work for the settlers; the Wind River Mountains also beckoned. Lander, located at the edge of the southern half of the Shoshone National Forest, became an outfitting stop for alpinists, scientists, and others seeking adventure. Once word of the vast elk and deer herds and the abundance of trout in those high mountain lakes was out, hunters and fisherman came from all over. It also did not take long for Western adventure writers to highlight that Lander was a good place for tourists who wanted to experience the romance of the west through horseback riding, camping, and mountain adventures.
Nederland survived three boom-and-bust cycles involving three different minerals. During the silver boom, U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant visited Central City in 1873 and walked on silver bricks that had been mined in Caribou and milled in Nederland. The second boom followed the discovery of gold in Eldora in 1897 and lasted only a few years. The third boom was sparked by the discovery of tungsten by Sam Conger, the same man who made the original discovery of silver in Caribou. The Conger mine eventually became the greatest tungsten mine in the world. During World War I, Nederland's population swelled to 3,000--twice the size it is today--and another 2,000 were estimated to live nearby. In each boom, men came to mine, open stores, and transport goods and ore. They brought families with them, and many towns sprang up, including Caribou, Eldora, Lakewood, Tungsten, and Rollinsville. Some of these communities have survived, while others remain only in memories and photographs.
"With the cooperation of the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association."
With sheltered harbors, open prairies, and secluded woodlands, San Juan Island has been a magnet for human habitation for thousands of years. Salmon runs and rich soil promised not only an abundant food source but also a good living for those willing to work hard. But it was not until the islands became the focus of an international boundary dispute between Great Britain and the United States in the late 1850s that San Juan Island drew the attention of Europeans and Americans. These newcomers watched how Coast Salish and Northwest Coast peoples harvested natural resources and adapted their techniques. Settlers and Indians sometimes intermarried, and many of their descendants remain to this day. San Juan Islanders of all generations have worked hard to preserve their home, thus maintaining a sense of place that is as evident today as it was when the first canoes came ashore.
Spokan Falls, known as the "Capital of the Inland Empire," was named after the Spokan Indians and the picturesque falls. In 1891, the name was changed to Spokane. The town thrived as a result of the abundant waters of the Spokane River, which powered saw and grain mills, and lured major transcontinental railways to Spokane in 1881. In 1889, a fire destroyed the downtown area, but like a forest after a fire, the town enjoyed growth and resurgence soon after. Spokane would attract people as diverse as Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, Calamity Jane, Billy Sunday, and Charles Lindbergh. Easterners found that its four seasons and profusion of scenic city parks gave them a place to ensure their destiny.
Situated on the westernmost cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the city of Palos Verdes Estates continues to fulfill former landowner and developer Frank Vanderlip's vision of the area as the nation's "most fashionable and exclusive residential colony," and it remains one of Los Angeles County's most affluent cities. Development of open land began in 1922 under the direction of landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. One of the first master-planned communities in the United States, Palos Verdes Estates (PVE) became the first of the four peninsula cities to be incorporated, in 1939. Early community life revolved around the Palos Verdes Golf Club, La Venta Inn, Malaga Cove School, and the charming Malaga Cove and Lunada Bay commercial areas, both of which have been graced by their own distinctive fountains. The Malaga Cove Library, a fine example of Early Californian design executed by architect Myron Hunt in 1930, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The city of Santa Monica in the post-World War II era has enjoyed a colorful history as both a resort community and as a bustling, vibrant city. Its coastal Mediterranean climate has provided an ideal atmosphere for the famous California lifestyle. Known for the 100-year-old Santa Monica Pier, as well as the Third Street Promenade, for its beautiful beaches and quaint neighborhoods, Santa Monica has been home to many famous Hollywood movie stars, including Shirley Temple, Cary Grant, Betty Grable, Clark Gable, Bette Davis, and Robert Redford. Arnold Schwarzenegger has also maintained offices here. Santa Monica has played host to many of the nation's most famous names, such as Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and U.S. president John F. Kennedy. The companion piece to the same author's Images of America: Early Santa Monica, this volume's more than 200 photographs cover the dynamic people, businesses, events, attractions, and celebrities that have shaped Santa Monica into the world-renowned city of today.
Chino Valley was once part of the immense Rancho Santa Ana del Chino grant conferred in 1841 to Don Antonio Lugo, the former alcalde of Los Angeles. Forty years later, a portion of the rancho was sold to Richard Gird, an American entrepreneur and prospector from Tombstone, Arizona. With characteristic Yankee ingenuity, Gird increased his holdings to nearly 50,000 acres in a short period of time, planned and developed the present-day city of Chino, and transformed the valley into an agricultural empire based on sugar beet production. Chino later emerged as the center for the California dairy industry, evolved into a suburban weekend refuge for pleasure-seeking Los Angelenos, and continues today as a desirable community for growing businesses and comfortable living.
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