Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

Washington's Grand Coulee is an ice-age channel that carried the Columbia River when ice dammed its main course. Grand Coulee was long recognized as an ideal place to store Columbia River water to irrigate the arid but fertile Columbia Basin. A dam was proposed as early as 1903, but opposition by Spokane private power interests and the cost of the dam delayed design and construction until the administration of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt, a public power advocate, used the Grand Coulee Dam project to help put the unemployed to work. The result was the world's largest man-made structure, and also the world's largest power plant, costing more than $163 million and the lives of at least 72 workers. The dam powered production of aluminum, atomic weapons, shipbuilding, and much more, contributing mightily to America's victory in World War II. Postwar developments provided irrigation for 700,000 acres of farmland.

New Glarus is the only town in America founded by the Swiss Immigration Society. These early settlers, laborers in the textile industry back in Switzerland, became the famous Wisconsin dairy farmers of later generations. While embracing the American ways of their new home--adopting, for example, the midwestern vernacular and Greek Revival boomtown architecture so popular at the time--the Swiss of New Glarus never lost sight of their rich European heritage. In 1937, the town decided to present the Wilhelm Tell Pageant to the public. Performed every summer to this day, it is the longest-running play in a foreign language in the United States. The annual Wilhelm Tell Festival, along with historic Puempel's Tavern, social clubs such as the New Glarus Yodelers, and the 14-building complex called Swiss Historical Village, each seen in this book through vintage images, is testament to why New Glarus has been dubbed "America's Little Switzerland."

Gilbert is one of the fastest growing communities in the country. There were only 500 residents when the town was incorporated in 1920. Since 1980, the population has doubled every five years. But how did this small desert community come to have such explosive growth in just over 30 years? Early pioneers began arriving in 1890, and in 1902, the Arizona Eastern Railway decided to build a rail line from Phoenix that went through Florence to the mining town of Kelvin. After purchasing land from Bobby Gilbert, a depot was built in 1905, and the town began to grow. Because of the creation of canals and Roosevelt Dam, Gilbert became a thriving agricultural community. In 1971, Gilbert had less than 2,000 residents, and in 1975, the town council approved a land annexation that added over 53 square miles to Gilbert. In 2014, that population number approached 250,000. By 2040, Gilbert is expected to be the fourth largest community in Arizona with approximately 330,000 residents.

Early-20th-century settlers in Los Angeles County's South Bay region found fallow rancho land worthy of cultivation, as well as roads and railways to move produce to markets. First-generation Japanese Issei immigrants became pioneering strawberry, vegetable, and flower growers and cannery fishermen. Their fields blanketed the landscape between oil derricks and along sloughs and the dry-farmed coastline. Families pooled resources and built Japanese language schools for their Americanborn Nisei children that doubled as meeting halls. Small mom-and-pop businesses and services sprang up in Gardena and elsewhere, catering to Japanese neighborhoods. The evacuation, detention, and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II devastated their sense of belonging and livelihoods that had taken 40 years to establish. Today South Bay is home to multigenerational Japanese and Asian Americans who continue that legacy of industry, beautification, and diversity.

First dubbed San Benito and then "Spanishtown," Half Moon Bay is a coastside town with a long and intriguing story. Many know it for its lovely natural surroundings, quaint downtown architecture, and relaxed atmosphere, but not many people know that this town was the first to be established in San Mateo County as a result of 1840s land grants to early Spanish settlers. Isolated on the coast for a time, it became home to Mexican, Chilean, Italian, Portuguese, and other cultures after the 1850s, when roads finally reached over the mountains. During the 20th century, a wide variety of businesses thrived here, as people arrived by road, water, and even railroad. Farms, churches, schools, businesses, and homes sprang up, and the town modernized, though today's Half Moon Bay looks much like it did 100 years ago.

Although Belmont was not incorporated until 1859, the town enjoys a unique and rich history that dates back to the 1600s, with its original farms, early businesses, and prominent citizens. Seceding from lands that were previously part of Waltham, Watertown, and West Cambridge (Arlington), Belmont quickly became known for its market gardens and country estates. The town prospered, developing a reputation for the finest fruits and vegetables carried into the farmers market at Faneuil Hall in Boston. Its serene country setting soon caught the attention of wealthy Bostonians, who made the journey just outside the city to build their fashionable summer homes. The extension of the railroad and trolley car lines significantly contributed to the continued growth of the quiet agricultural town and established its reputation as a desirable bedroom community.

Nestled in the wooded hills east of the San Francisco Bay, Dublin's sprawling valley has welcomed people from a variety of backgrounds throughout its rich history. At the heart of the tri-valley region, this former agricultural area has grown exponentially over the years, forming a modern city with a solid community-oriented heritage. From California's first native inhabitants, through the Spanish and Mexican periods, to the arrival of the first American settlers, Dublin has long been at the crossroads of culture and settlement.

Dubbed "America's Game" by Walt Whitman, baseball has been enjoyed in our nation's capital by everyone from young boys playing street stickball to Presidents throwing out the inaugural first pitch of the season. Just 13 years after Alexander Cartwright codified baseball's rules, the Washington Nationals Baseball Club formed and in 1867 toured the country spreading the "baseball gospel." By 1901 the team became one of the first eight major league teams in the newly formed American League. Players such as Walter Johnson, probably the greatest pitcher of all time, and other Senators under the stewardship of owner Clark Griffith successfully led the club in 1924 to what many consider to be the most exciting World Series in baseball history. Later, the Homestead Grays played at Griffith Stadium and fielded a team featuring legendary Negro League greats such as Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. The powerhouse Grays, during a ten-year span, won nine Negro League World Championships, a record that may never be equaled in any team sport again. When the Grays disbanded, the original Senators left for Minnesota in 1960, and the expansion Senators of the 1960s relocated, the city was left without a professional baseball team. While many feared that baseball in D.C. was over, a spirit remained on the diamond and is still felt today as children and adults team up in one way or another to play the national pastime in the nation's capital. Hopes for a new professional team linger, and those remembering baseball's heyday will enjoy this extensive and unusual collection ofhistoric photos that celebrate a time when the crowds roared and Washingtonians believed that the summer game would never end.

Canton and Collinsville lie fourteen miles west of the state capital, Hartford, along the Farmington River in the scenic Farmington Valley. Incorporated in 1806, the town has grown from a farming community to a factory town built around the Collins Company, worldrenowned manufacturer of axes and edge tools from 1826 to 1966. The closing of the Collins Company brought a new era of change and growth to a suburban community of unique character and charm. Collinsville is internationally recognized as one of the best preserved nineteenth-century mill villages and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Canton and Collinsville is a hundred-year panorama of Victorian life and its aftermath, with glimpses into local lives and events from 1866 through 1966. Special sections are devoted to never-before-published photographs of the Collins Company and the devastating flood of 1955. Also portrayed are the 1906 Canton centennial celebration, the building of the Nepaug Reservoir Dam, Canton 's railroads, and historic homes and landmarks, including churches, schools, and local businesses of the Collinsville Historic District and Canton. Outstanding citizens, such as Congressional Medal of Honor winner William Edgar Simonds, are featured in Canton and Collinsville."

Rugged individuals armed with hand tools, sweat, and ambition began building covered bridges in Oregon during the mid-1850s. These bridge builders often camped out at remote sites, living off the land or contracting with local farmers for food. Early owners of covered bridges financed construction by charging tolls--3cents for a sheep, 5cents for a horse and rider, and 10cents for a team of horses and wagon. In the early 20th century, the state provided standard bridge and truss designs to each county, and most of the resulting structures incorporated the Howe truss. With the abundance of Douglas fir and the shortage of steel during the world wars, the construction of wooden covered bridges continued well into the 1950s, mainly in the Willamette Valley. During the 1920s, Oregon boasted more than 350 covered

In 1912, Farrell took its name from James A. Farrell, president of US Steel at the time. Founded 11 years earlier as South Sharon, this lively 20th-century boomtown emerged from swamp and woodlands and was later hailed as "The Magic City." Ripley's Believe It or Not listed Farrell as having one of the highest numbers of churches and bars per capita. Nationalist churches, ethnic homes, and independent businesses rendered a cosmopolitan flavor. Southern and Eastern European emigrants, as well as Southern migrants, found a safe haven in Farrell, and across the country, Jewish people regarded the city as "The Pearl." By the 1950s, Farrell was a well-known sports title town, a producer of NFL standouts, and home of Sharon Steel, a major US steelmaker that was captured by artist Norman Rockwell. By the 1990s, spunky Farrell had its own library and hospital, had overcome mill closure, and was home of the Instant Urban League.

Slavic Village began as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, a parcel of land surveyed and populated with East Coast residents seeking adventure and fortune in the 19th century. As industry came to the Cuyahoga River valley, immigrant workers-first Irish, then Poles and Czechs-settled in the area to be near jobs in the rolling mills, chemical plants, and garment factories. They left their mark on the neighborhood's architecture, food, and culture, and many of their descendants still call the area home. Slavic Village has produced a number of interesting personalities, including Olympic sprinter Stella Walsh and former Cleveland mayor and current United States congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Nestled against the Massachusetts and Vermont borders are six New Hampshire communities largely unconnected with the rest of their home state. The picturesque bedroom and summer vacation communities of Swanzey, Ashuelot, Winchester, Richmond, Fitzwilliam, and Hinsdale all developed from industrial or agricultural economies, although this fact is less than apparent today. The factories have nearly all vanished, and so has the extreme wealth and glamorous lifestyle of former residents like playwright Denman Thompson. Routes 10 and 12 are still the main roads that connect these towns, however, and the Ashuelot River is slowly recovering from years of pollution in a return to its pure and natural state. In fact, the area's Old Homestead persona seems to have experienced a revival in recent years in the absence of major industry, and it becomes more and more important for residents and tourists alike to be reminded of the area's nineteenth-century economic development.

Nathaniel Sackett Sr. was head of the secret service at Fishkill, New York, during the Revolutionary War. Monroe was platted by his son Nathaniel Sackett and John Piatt in 1817. The men chose to name this small farming community after the recently elected U.S. president, James Monroe. The Red Onion Hotel, located in the center of town, was a popular stagecoach stop during the 1850s. Monroe was a town where everyone met at the stadium for football games, a town where people never locked their doors. A tornado ripped through the village in 1969, and its citizens pulled together in the aftermath. Monroe has retained a very close-knit, small-town atmosphere. This is attributed to the men and women who love this city and donate their time to service organizations that make the town vital. The leaders are very accessible to the citizens and always take the time to smile and say hello.

From its Native American and mission graveyards to its modern megacemeteries, San Diego County's historical landscape has an incredibly diverse array of final resting places. Cemeteries of San Diego County takes the reader in-depth to reveal the region's dynamic cultural history through dramatic modern photographs and never-before-seen vintage images of the county's most sacred spaces--its lost and forgotten historical burial grounds. A number of these graveyards have disappeared entirely, erasing the last vestiges of too many of the region's formative pioneers. This book uncovers the location of dozens of local cemeteries and reestablishes them as consecrated grounds.

The city of Monroe, Louisiana originated in the late 1700s with The official beginning of the Ouachita Post. French settlers, including Don Juan Filhiol with his land grant of 1,680 acres from the King of Spain, came to this region and laid the foundations for a community once known as Fort Miro but incorporated as Monroe in 1820. West Monroe (formerly Trenton) would follow in 1889 and today the two towns are separated by a river but connected in preserving their shared history. "Silver sparkling water" and "Silver River" defined Ouachita to the early Native American tribes in Northwestern Louisiana. The Ouachita tribe members were indeed the earliest known inhabitants, living on the land before the establishment of Fort Miro and the bustling villages of the 1790s. Such growth and progress led to the appearance of railroads and plantation systems in the 19th century along with showboats and the adoption of Monroe's Charter. The 20th century brought the Ouachita Parish Library in 1916; the arrival of Delta Airlines in 1927; the first radio station, KMLB, in 1930; the opening of Louisiana Junior College, now University of Louisiana at Monroe, in 1931; the organization of the Little Theatre in 1932; and a wide variety of civic, cultural, and social opportunities for the residents of Monroe and West Monroe. Memories of such grand events are coupled alongside the fond recollections of everyday life in this unprecedented volume of vintage photographs.

Since English settlers first touched the shore of the new country in 1607, the Chesapeake Bay has been a multifaceted engine of American history and commerce. The body of inland tidal water between the largest bay cities, Norfolk and Baltimore, was large enough to be the setting of adventure and close enough to allow smaller towns and cities to grow up on its shores. The common community came to life with the technologies of steamboats that could cover the long distances between North and South relatively quickly. Steamers filled in the nooks and crannies of the bay's geography, and by the mid-19th century, the skies over the bay were lined with dark, waterborne contrails in all directions. Strong machines built to master rough seas while moving gently enough for small harbors, many steamers had life spans that crossed whole eras in American history. Some were drafted into distinguished service in domestic and foreign wars. The steamers plied the bay and its rivers with a feminine grace well into the mid-20th century, when they were overtaken by the rush of modern times. The last steamer sailed into oblivion exactly 150 years after the first of them appeared in Baltimore harbor.

Wharton traces the vivid history of New Jersey's hub of industry during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Known as Port Oram until 1901, the town was the site of the richest mineral deposits in the state and of the famed Picatinny Arsenal, still active today. The Morris Canal and northern New Jersey railways were built specifically to accommodate the area's mining and iron-manufacturing industries. Wharton attracted immigrant workers who settled and stayed in the community alongside the original families, many of whose descendants still reside here.

In Chicago, it has long been common knowledge that the neighborhoods have been overshadowed by the Loop's luster. Portage Park is one of these hidden gems, offering up a wealth of history, culture, and art. As the site of a lesser-known Chicago Portage, the largest retail district outside the Loop at Six Corners, the visual backdrop of movies such as My Life and The Color of Money, and the spot where both Abraham Lincoln and John Dillinger legendarily stayed and the sister of the czar of Bulgaria prayed, this corner of Chicago has seen its share of glitz and glory. Discover Portage Park's architectural treasures, whether it is in its place as a part of Chicago's "Bungalow Belt," its wealth of notable buildings spanning different genres and time periods, or its beautiful churches and grand movie palaces. An area diverse in culture, many peoples, beginning with Native Americans and going onto the Yankees, Irish, Scandinavians, eastern Europeans, and even a Tibetan lama, have made Portage Park their home, each adding their own unique contribution to the vibrant cultural landscape. The site of the largest concentration of Chicago's legendary Polish population, it is also the place where immigrants left the inner city's ethnic enclaves to take part in the American dream.

Ventura County's largest unincorporated community was born in the mid-1960s on pastoral ranchland previously owned by the radio comedy team of Fibber McGee and Molly in the 1950s and by William Randolph Hearst from the mid-1920s through the 1930s. Originally a Native American site, Oak Park was designed by its builder as a "community in the country" capturing "the scenic grandeur of early California, west of the San Fernando Valley." Today, it is still widely known for its award-winning schools, beautiful parks, creekside bike paths and nature trails, and a diverse, well-educated population. Many of its nearly 15,000 residents commute to and from Los Angeles. These historic images demonstrate why Oak Park has become one of the most desirable places to live in Southern California.

In 1682, John Sharpless settled in Nether Providence Township on a 1,000-acre tract of land along Ridley Creek that had been granted to him by William Penn. Other settlers soon followed, establishing Nether Providence as a small, successful, farming community. Over the next two centuries, Nether Providence grew into a thriving manufacturing center with 14 operating mills along the township's two creeks. At the turn of the 19th century, Nether Providence became a summer resort area rivaling the Main Line of Philadelphia, with such famous residents as Dr. Horace Howard Furness, a well-regarded Shakespearean scholar and the brother of architect Frank Furness, and Alexander Kelly McClure, the owner of the Philadelphia Times and an assistant adjunct general appointed by Pres. Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. In 2007, Wallingford, the largest community in Nether Providence, was named by Money Magazine as the ninth best place to live in the United States.

In the 1770s, George Washington surveyed the land comprising Mason County as part of a grant from the king of England to veterans of the French and Indian War. As a former officer in that war, Washington laid claim to part of Mason County and began a settlement there in 1775. The decades that followed brought other important historical figures to the county. Daniel Boone started a trading post near the banks of the Kanawha River. Samuel B. Clemens, the grandfather of Mark Twain, lived in Mason County. Entering the 20th century, Mason County thrived on industries utilizing its natural resources. River towns dotted the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers; coal mines flourished along the northern River Bend area; salt works and power plants added to the unique characteristics of the townships. Mason County is a land hewn by history, culture, nature, and time, all of which etches a unique portrait of a vibrant community.

Located in southeastern Harford County, Edgewood was established in the mid-1800s as a small village around a train station. It remained small until 1917, when the government took over thousands of acres to create the Edgewood Arsenal military complex. Thousands came to build the arsenal on land previously known for having fertile farms, gentlemen's waterfowl hunting clubs, and one of the earliest meeting places for Methodists in America. World War II brought an even greater increase in military personnel and civilians. Later, numerous housing developments replaced obsolete off-post government buildings. The creation of Route 40 through Edgewood in 1939 and 1940 and the Edgewood exit on Interstate I-95 in 1963 brought travelers and spurred new business.

Sand Lake Revisited provides a fresh perspective on the history of an eastern New York State township, located just south of Troy and east of Albany. It features an outpouring of vintage images and stories that have come to light since the first photographic history of Sand Lake was published. Pictured are the beach that was known as Upstate Coney Island, lovely tourist lodgings adjacent to the town's seven lakes, long johns manufactured at Faith Mills, and a hometown Vietnam War hero who saved the lives of 14 men.

Since 1897, Patriots Day in Massachusetts has been celebrated with the running of the world's most-honored road race, the Boston Marathon(r). The hilly course challenges runners with well-known landmarks such as "Heartbreak Hill" and the deceptively inviting downhill treks at both the start and finish of the 26.2-mile journey. The Boston Marathon captures the colorful spirit of America's greatest race through more than 200 photographs.

In 1907, Norfolk hosted the Jamestown Exposition, a celebration of America's first permanent settlement on April 26, 1607, and an event that marked America's ascension as a world power, in both military might and cultural influence. This exposition came at a time in American history when naval reviews, grandiose celebrations, world's fairs, and international expositions were at their zenith of public popularity. These were the days when American imperialism reigned and expositions were an expression of patriotic fervor as never before seen in this country. In Jamestown Exposition: American Imperialism on Parade Volume I, readers will experience this historic event from its early planning and construction, meeting the men responsible for its coordination and success, to the pomp and circumstance of the different exhibits of participating companies, states, and foreign powers. The true-life story of Pocahontas, or Matoaka; the Battle of the Merrimack and Monitor, the exposition's most popular exhibit; and the colorful review of the different world navies, such as the Japanese and British fleets, are just a few examples of the fascinating stories touched upon in this first volume.

The revival of the St. Patrick's Day parade in New Haven is a fantastic story. The parade was organized in 1842 as the captivating centerpiece of the city's St. Patrick's Day observance, yet it passed from the urban scene in the early 20th century. For 50 years, it faded from memory; however, New Haven's Irish community retained a strong determination to honor its patron saint and celebrate its heritage. In 1956, they breathed new life into the venerable tradition. Within New Haven's St. Patrick's Day Parade, readers will discover the inception of this joyful event and how, over the last half century, it has grown and thrived.

Sand Lake Township lies just south of Troy and east of Albany. This community was a center of water-powered industry in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Dams on Crystal, Glass, and Burden Lakes provided waterpower for mills along the Wynantskill and finally for the largest waterwheel in North America at Burden Iron Works in Troy. When the railway arrived, the township with its seven lakes and numerous hotels blossomed into a tourist destination. In Sand Lake you will find Dr. Smith Boughton as "Big Thunder" in the Anti-Rent Wars of the mid-1800s, coded messages issued from church pulpits for transporting slaves via the Underground Railroad, Uline's Infallible Remedy cure-all, the Park Pharmacy soda fountain manned by teenager (later comedian) Jerry Lewis, and Gov. Theodore Roosevelt at Brown's Crooked Lake House.

Sullivan County, the Borscht Belt, the Catskills-all are synonyms for the greatest American Jewish resort area, the playground of about one million visitors a year during its peak from 1920 to 1970. The Sullivan County of Borscht Belt legend really consists of the eastern part of Sullivan County and a bit of southern Ulster County. Here are the large towns of Liberty, Monticello, and Ellenville and the small towns of Woodbourne, Hasbrouck, South Fallsburg, Livingston Manor, Fallsburg, Loch Sheldrake, Greenfield Park, Mountaindale, Accord, Ulster Heights, Kiamesha Lake, Kerhonkson, Swan Lake, Glen Wild, Hurleyville, Ferndale, White Sulphur Springs, Rock Hill, Parksville, Woodridge, and White Lake. In Sullivan County: Borscht Belt, you will find the lost world of the kuchaleins and bungalow colonies and the hotels, great and small. This was a world to be enjoyed, whether swimming in the Neversink River, watching unmatched entertainment, or eating the legendary Borscht Belt meals. Join us on the lawn, on the handball court, or at the Ping-Pong table. Dive into the pool. Welcome to day camp. All of this and more are here in Sullivan County: Borscht Belt.

At one time, according to the Catskill Institute, there were more than a thousand hotels spread across the mountains of Greene, Ulster, Delaware, and Sullivan Counties. The Catskills were an exciting world full of pleasures to be enjoyed, with summer and winter activities characterized by entertainment, food, sports, card playing, and food again. Catskill Hotels, with a collection of some two hundred images, tells the story of this world, which began with America's first resort hotel, the Catskill Mountain House, continued with places such as the world-famous Grossinger's, and can still be found today at Kutsher's Country Club, the Mountain House at Lake Mohonk, and a few other hardy resorts.

The Landis family of Landis Valley was ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. Its members were typical Pennsylvania Germans of their era, focused on farming and family, yet they also traveled, edited magazines, and became the founders of the Landis Valley Museum. The Landis family settled in Lancaster County in the 18th century, where Henry Harrison Landis and his wife, Emma Caroline Landis, raised their children, Henry Kinzer, George Diller, and Nettie Mae, in a cross-cultural environment. Descended from Mennonite and Reformed Church families, the Landis family formed an appreciation for both cultures, and recognizing the valuable contributions of Pennsylvania Germans to American culture, they collected images and objects to chronicle their unique way of life. Using historic photographs, many never before published, The Landis Family: A Pennsylvania German Family Album provides insights into the family life, customs, and agricultural traditions of this unique region.