Once an almost impenetrable landscape of dunes, marshes, and woodlands hugging the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the land comprising what would become East Chicago was a developer's dream for the emerging steel industry. Considered one of the country's ultimate melting pots, four out of five of its citizens hailed from other countries, each bringing their valued cultures and traditions to this thriving metropolis. The industrial jobs, requiring...

Nestled in the rolling hills of the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, Caroline is a true community and always has been. In 1795, the first two families came with horses and settled in permanently. The founding mother, Widow Earsley, and her children returned to the cabin that she and her oldest son had built the previous autumn, and Captain Rich and his family began work on their own abode. From these first families to those who followed, pulling...

Ranked by multiple magazines, including Money and D Magazine, as one of the "Best Places to Live" in the United States, it is easy to forget where Colleyville came from. A rural farming outpost that started out as six different "parent communities," residents eventually banded together and incorporated to become Colleyville in 1956. While Colleyville is named for Dr. Lilburn Howard Colley, entire generations of Colleyville citizens have displayed...

The story of whales and the whalers who followed them is inextricably tied with Long Island's rich maritime history. Before the Long Island Expressway, strip malls, golf clubs, and suburban sprawl, calls of "Thar she blows!" rang out from Long Island harbors and ships. This book chronicles the rise and fall of whaling on the island and describes local whaleship fleets that traveled to the far corners of the world, the personalities behind local enterprises,...

Davis has undergone a major transformation from the mid-20th century to today, growing from a small college town of about 3,000 residents and 1,500 students to a world-class university city of 80,000 area residents and 35,000 students. Major features of this revolution include the creation of a vibrant downtown, environmentally sensitive politics, diverse and innovative neighborhoods, and a citywide system of bike lanes. A thriving University of California...

The beautiful Rogue River has been beckoning people to its banks for thousands of years. The Takelma Indians called this area home long before the first pioneers arrived. Take a step back in time while enjoying these historic images of early Josephine County. Today, many of the mining towns are just a name on an old map, but there was a time when they were bustling towns filled with miners and loggers. The pioneers endured great hardships to reach...

Named for Versailles Palace in honor of the French allies during the American Revolution, Versailles Township was one of the original seven townships of Allegheny County. Wedged among the Monongahela, Youghiogheny, and Turtle Creek Valleys, the region was a prime spot for the growth of industrial, commercial, and residential plans. David L. Clark (creator of the Clark Candy Bar), Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, Rainbow Gardens, and Olympia...

In the golden age of the steamer, the rich bounty of the Eastern Shore was transported down the Chester River and across the Chesapeake Bay to the port of Baltimore. For over one hundred years, vessels like the Maryland, the Chester and the B.S. Ford traversed these winding waters laden with fruit, grains, crabs and oysters. For a dollar, passengers could enjoy the novelty of a ride and the slow panorama of the shoreline. Through freeze and fog, skilled...

When the phrase "Do you remember?" is uttered in Bay City, it is usually followed by the name of a hotel, restaurant, business, or building. Slowly, many parts of local history have been lost to the sands of time. Fire took many, followed by condemnations and the inevitable advance of progress. An empty lot may be all that remains of a once-prominent structure, but sometimes a new landmark emerges. In the case of one famous address at Center and Water...

Santa Margarita de Cortona was founded in 1775 as part of the original Spanish mission system. Its asistencia, in fact, has been considered a lost mission. Santa Margarita Ranch was later founded from a Mexican land grant. In 1889, the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad, with its terminus in Santa Margarita, created a boomtown with dance halls, blacksmiths, hotels, pool halls, saloons, and a jail. And with the popularity of auto travel half...