San Francisco's first cable car line opened in 1873. The successful development of the electric streetcar by Frank Sprague in 1888 plus the 1906 San Francisco earthquake resulted in the...
Beautiful San Francisco Bay is among the world’s finest natural harbors and a tourist mecca, but more attention is paid to the cities on its perimeter than to the scenic...
Two young brothers chronicle their 1852 wagon train journey to California, capturing hardships, discoveries, and enduring legacies. In Journal Across the Plains, 1852: The Brothers Verdenal, Missouri to California, pre-teen...
More Moments in Marin History: Familiar Tales and Untold Stories, Volume II is a collection of historical photographs and accompanying articles that first appeared in the Marin Independent Journal newspaper....
Explores forgotten places through 150 photographs, uncovering history and myths. If walls could talk, what stories would they choose to share, and which would they decide to sweep under the...
This is the story of the frontier in California that grew to the city of Livermore. The town was created simultaneously with the Transcontinental Railroad. Initially a ranching railroad town...
Captures the unique community of shuttle fans camping in the Mojave Desert, celebrating the dawn of the New Space Age. Waiting for Spaceships vividly portrays a forgotten community of pilgrims...
The California desert stands as a testament to the ever-changing interplay between human ambition and the forces of nature. In the early pioneer days, towns would quickly spring up like...
A gripping exploration of California's infamous true crime stories, from unsolved murders to daring prison escapes, revealing a dark history of deception, violence, and tragedy. From California’s mountain peaks to...
Los Angeles is home to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood; it's an "industry" town through and through. But the movie business isn't its only industry. The City of Angels...
Abandoned Roadside Attractions: Under a Southwest Moon is a fascinating nocturnal exploration of the best abandoned oddities, kitschy tourist traps, strange sculptures, and surreal art installations throughout California, Arizona, and...
One of the most scenic rail lines in the United States is the former Santa Fe 4th District between Fullerton and San Diego, California. Known as the “Surf Line,” this...
Making sense of Monroe is problematic. Her so-called autobiography cannot be relied upon, not least because she was insecure, introspective and unable to even make sense of herself There has...
Murder and mystery, society, sex and suspense were combined in this case in such a manner as to intrigue and captivate the public fancy to a degree perhaps unparalleled in...
California is known as the "Golden State." However, it has been said that "all that glitters is not gold." Within the pages of this book are true stories including the...
This is the untold story of Lewis Chalmers, a Scottish mining capitalist who spent two decades chasing silver sixty miles south of the original Comstock Lode. In lengthy letters to...
California is one of several states that make up the Wild West in the United States. It was first established as a U.S. a territory in 1848. The state that...
Photographer Joseph Bowman engages readers with a visual tour of the railroads of Western North Carolina. Enjoy scenes of busy mainline action on Norfolk Southern and CSX mainlines including unit...
The history of Marin County is intimately connected with the birth and early growth of the state of California. Marin is home to one of the last Spanish missions and...
In Weird Crescenta Valley, we learn about the odd events, people, and places of the valley, along with natural and supernatural oddities. For instance, a new-age religion was briefly located...
The story of Lake Tahoe is the story of people and the environment and their reciprocal influences. The environment shaped the lives of the early people of Tahoe, and later,...
Somewhere between the allure of the Hollywood sign and Pacific Ocean, there it is. You may have seen it in your favorite movie, walked by it a thousand times, or...
Three miles outside California’s jurisdiction amid the second half of the roaring twenties, a handful of bootleggers, gamblers, Mafiosi, and political fixers sank their earnings into a boisterous new venture....
In Northern California, there are four tourist railroads that have established themselves as go-to destinations for railroad enthusiasts and tourists alike: Niles Canyon Railway, Napa Valley Wine Train, California State...
Abandoned Salton Sea: Dystopian Panoramas presents a journey into this unique Southern California region. An initial glimpse of the Salton Sea and its environs is a surreal experience—the landscape is...
Creating a “fun” history book can be a tall order, but author Bo Grebitus has made a real go of it in his new book, Touching History. In rediscovering Tahoe...
In 1832, the captain of the brigantine Catalina ordered Scotsman James Black, dying of typhus, abandoned at Monterey, California. Nursed by J. B. R. Cooper's wife, Black survived to hunt...
The Crescenta Valley is an upper middle-class suburb of Los Angeles. It enjoys a low crime rate and high property values. But like any community, it has a distasteful side...
It was as if the word GOLD echoed around the world as people came to the Pacific Northwest in droves in search of sudden wealth in the 1850s. Thousands of...
Abandoned Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: California Revealed is an unforgettable nocturnal journey through secret locations hidden in the deserts of California. California has more than its share of abandoned planes,...
Ghost Stories from the San Joaquin Delta provides an introduction to local history through stories that reflect our culture and identity. Tule fog, railroads, waterways and remote homesteads provide a...
Southern California can be called a sunny place for shady people. Its criminal history is as rich and varied as anywhere. Old West outlaws, serial killers, gangsters and thieves have...
San Mateo is situated on the San Francisco Peninsula, just 15 miles south from San Francisco. It was named by the De Anza exploration party when they set up camp...
The Salton Sea, California’s largest inland body of water, was a spectacular oasis in the desert which attracted droves of boating, fishing, and beach enthusiasts for fun in the sun....
Murder is shocking. The savagery of Elizabeth Short’s (also known as the Black Dahlia) slaying was beyond anything Los Angeles, indeed the U.S., had experienced. Short would not be the...
Junkyard Nights is a nocturnal love letter to the ghosts of our automotive past. Follow photographer, Troy Paiva, as he shoots two old school junkyards in California’s agricultural heartland by...
