Pictorials category: 9720 books

Like the mist rising from San Francisco Bay encircles the towering redwoods, the little-known legends of the East Bay Hills enrich a glorious history. Follow the trails of Saclan and Jalquin-Yrgin people over the hills and through the valleys. Ride with the mounted rangers through the Flood of '62....

The early history of the city of Pico Rivera began in 1887 when two land developers, J. Fletcher Isbell and W. T. Bone, bought the Rivera town site from Joseph Hartley Burke, Louis L. Bequette, and A. A. Bermudez. Rivera literally means �along the river,� and today�s city boundaries are the Rio...

According to legend, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto arrived on the shores of Safety Harbor in 1539 believing that he had discovered the fabled Fountain of Youth. For centuries, the area's natural mineral springs had hosted the Tocobaga people and would later attract early pioneers to west-central...

The tale of Centerville, Fremont�part of the sprawling landscape of the southeast San Francisco Bay�begins with near forgotten histories such as the once sprawling grandeur of the Alviso rancho and the California 100, a battalion raised in Centerville for the Civil War. Centerville celebrates a sporting-mad...

In the early 1800s, it was called the Potrero Nuevo, or �new pasture.� Gold-rush squatterssoon put the squeeze on Mission Dolores�s grazing cattle, and when the fog lifted, Potrero Hill became the first industrial zone in San Francisco, with iron-smelting plants, butcheries, and shipbuilding dominating...

A magical place to grow up and an exceptionally lovely place to live, Los Gatos has transformed from its agrarian roots to an upscale community at the southern tip of Silicon Valley. With its sublime Mediterranean climate and stunning natural setting, the town has progressed while still valiantly protecting...

This three-generation endeavor started in 1975 when Albert O. Little, known for his dedication to the community as �Mr. Artesia,� began working on two volumes of history: The Artesians: How It Began One Hundred Years Ago and The Artesians: Twenty Years of Incorporation. He gathered photographs...

The San Ramon Valley stretches for 20 beautiful miles under the shadow of Mount Diablo and includes the bustling communities of San Ramon, Alamo, and Danville. Some 113,000 people make their homes here in a scenic area of open spaces, gracious homes, and tree-lined streets. Also here are major business...

A neighborhood in the southeast corner of San Francisco, Potrero Hill enjoys some of the city�s finest weather and most spectacular views. Once pastureland and home to immigrants working in the shipbuilding industries, Potrero Hill was long ignored by guidebooks. Now �The Hill� is regenerating, and these pages highlight what is gone and what remains on these sunny slopes.

Los Olivos was named for central Santa Barbara County wine country�s other small fruit. The local fascination for vineyards is fairly new, but Los Olivos has thrived as a community since not long after Native American days. Los Olivos grew important enough to local trade and travel to become the inland...

In the early 1900s, the golden age of postcards was just beginning. Millions of cards were mailed across America, and many survive today in archives and private collections. Through these snapshots of history, Tyler's evolution can be traced. While fruit and cotton production was king into the early...

Los Altos would never have existed if not for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Since the 1850s, Los Altos, Spanish for �heights� or �foothills,� was the name generally applied to the two ranchos (San Antonio and La Purisima Concepcion) between Palo Alto and Mountain View southwest of El Camino...

Nestled among the spreading oaks of Santa Cruz County, just north of Monterey Bay, lies the city of Scotts Valley. First used as a hunting and camping spot on a Native American trading route, and later a stop on the stage route over the Santa Cruz Mountains, Scotts Valley has a long tradition of providing...

A small town with a big history, Helotes�20 miles northwest of downtown San Antonio�was named for the Spanish word elotes, or corn on the cob. So extensive were the fields of corn along its namesake creek, a Spanish official in 1723 called the area el Puerto de los Olotes, or Corncob Pass. When settlers...