History of early Spanish colonization of California. Historian Eldredge writes of the land march of Portola in 1769, culminating in the discovery of San Francisco Bay. E.J. Molera writes of Portola after he left California, and of the first ship to enter San francisco Bay (the packet boat San Carlos) under the command of Don Juan Manuel de Ayala. Included are Molera's translations of Ayala's report to the Viceroy of New Spain, Ayala's description of San Francisco Bay and Pilot de Canizares' report to Ayala of the reconnaissance of the Bay. Illustrations include the first survey and map of San Francisco Bay from a photograph of the Pilot's original drawing attached to the log of the San Carlos in Seville.

Since the Gold Rush, San Francisco's Chinatown has been a destination for sojourners, immigrants, locals, and tourists. Despite laws restricting Chinese immigration, Chinatown has thrived as a residential and commercial center. Designed for tourists and bearing little resemblance to real Chinese cityscapes, the streets and buildings have nonetheless been extensively documented in picture postcards, as have the residents, particularly from the 1890s to 1930s, the "Golden Age of Postcards." The cards, relatively few of which survive, were kept as visual souvenirs and mementos, or were mailed to family and friends. Book jacket.

The Portola has a long and unique history dating back to the late 1800s. Too often misidentified with neighboring districts, it has its own story to reveal. Originally settled by Jewish immigrants, the area evolved into a community populated by nurserymen and their families who grew much of the citys flowers. The Road, as San Bruno Avenue was affectionately referred to by the locals, hosted businesses that included bakeries, grocery stores, pharmacies, and a theatre. In recent years, the Portola has undergone changes as community leaders have enacted programs to beautify the neighborhood and attract new businesses and families to this locale.

This national bestseller chronicles one man’s 650–mile trek on foot from San Diego to San Francisco—sure to appeal to readers of naturalist works like Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire, Paul Thoreau’s On the Plain of Snakes, and Mark Kenyon’s That Wild Country. In 1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá sketched a route that would become, in part, the famous El Camino Real. It laid the foundation for the Golden State we know today, a place that remains as mythical and captivating as any in the world. Despite having grown up in California, Nick Neely realized how little he knew about its history. So he set off to learn it bodily, with just a backpack and a tent, trekking through stretches of California both lonely and urban. For twelve weeks, following the journal of expedition missionary Father Juan Crespí, Neely kept pace with the ghosts of the Portolá expedition—nearly 250 years later. Weaving natural and human history, Alta California relives Neely’s adventure, while telling a story of Native cultures and the Spanish missions that soon devastated them, and exploring the evolution of California and its landscape. The result is a collage of historical and contemporary California, of lyricism and pedestrian serendipity, and of the biggest issues facing California today—water, agriculture, oil and gas, immigration, and development—all of it one step at a time. “Rich in little–known history . . . Up the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county coasts, then inland into the Salinas Valley to Monterey Bay. Somewhere along here, the owl moons and woodpeckers do something you might not have thought possible in 2019: they make you fall, or refall, in love with California, ungrudgingly, wildfires and insane housing prices and all . . . What a journey, you think. What a state." —San Francisco Chronicle

Articles on the water supply system for San Francisco. Included are biographies of company employees, articles on local history, and poems by California authors.

The third book in a new series of city guides, Peaceful Places: San Francisco features over 100 unexpected sanctuaries, gardens, vistas, beaches, neighborhood strolls, and quiet cafés that can be found throughout The City by the Bay. It gently guides travelers who are searching for an escape from the bustle of city life. Within the book are helpful tips and an insider's perspective on the best time to find peace and quiet at a wide array of locales, from resplendent gardens to scenic perches. Residents and visitors alike can use this guide to navigate their way through the diverse neighborhoods of San Francisco and its surrounding areas. Those searching for some tranquility amidst the vibrant -- and sometimes overwhelming -- streetscape of one of America's most sensory-infused cities will be pleased with the discoveries they make inside Peaceful Places: San Francisco.

In July 1769 the first Spanish land expedition to explore California set out from San Diego to march to Monterey Bay, but didn't recognize it when they stood on its shore. They kept headed north, and in early November discovered San Francisco Bay. -- Appearance and customs of the Indians. -- Locations of the expedition's campsites. -- Following the route on modern roads. -- Place names, old and new.