Synopses & Reviews
The only complete guide to the historical landmarks of the state of California, this standard work has now been thoroughly revised and updated. This edition has also been enriched by some 200 new photographs, almost all taken by the reviser. Since the last revision in 1966, enormous changes have taken place within the state: many landscapes and buildings are no longer in existence; the condition of others has greatly altered; highways have been renumbered or re-routed; many new roads and highways have been built; and much more of California's twentieth-century past is now of historical interest. Every effort has been made, through personal observation, to record the present condition of the landmarks and to provide clear and accurate descriptions of their locations. The text has been written with the idea that the reader might use the book while travelling around the state, and thus mileage and specific locations have been given where it was thought helpful to do so. To provide historical background, the reviser has written a short historical overview. The main chapters of the book are organized by county, in alphabetical order. As in earlier editions, a rough chronology is followed for each county, beginning with pertinent facts on geography, and continuing with Indian life, the coming of the Spanish and other Europeans, the American conquest, and, in those areas where it had a major impact, the gold rush. The text then continues into the period of intensive argicultural development, railroads, industrialization, the growth of cities, and on into the twentieth century. A special effort has been made to include the address and general scope of all the museums in the state that have historical connections. The updated bibliography has been divided into three parts: general works, regional history, and county history.
Table of Contents
Historical introduction; Places; Bibliography; Index.