In 1896, the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic began a project to bring trees from Civil War Battlefields to Capitol Park in Sacramento as a memorial to the men who fought to save the Union. On May 1, 1897, a great dedication ceremony was held as 40 battlefield trees were planted amid great fanfare. Today, only a few of the original trees remain. This is the story of this unique Civil War Memorial--as it was and as it is today.

Construction on the California State Capitol began during the Civil War using stone, brick, and iron, showing confidence in the future. The capitol building showed that California had come a long way from the days of its transient, chaotic roots, born of the Gold Rush. Once the capitol was located in Sacramento in 1854, there was still no guarantee that the city would remain its permanent home. When it was completed in 1873, it was the largest structure of its day west of the Mississippi River. Its presence has continued to not only dominate the Sacramento landscape for a century and a half but has also come to shape the very outlook and future of Sacramento and of California itself. The state capitol and its majestic dome have become the iconic symbol of the city.

When Americans migrated westward, they took their politics with them, making San Francisco a microcosm of the nation as the Civil War loomed. Spurred by the promise of gold, hungry adventurers flocked to San Francisco in search of opportunity on the eve of the Civil War. The city flourished and became a magnet for theater. Some of the first buildings constructed in San Francisco were theater houses, and John Wilkes Booth’s famous acting family often graced the city’s stages. In just two years, San Francisco’s population skyrocketed from eight hundred to thirty thousand, making it an “instant city” where tensions between transplanted Northerners and Southerners built as war threatened the nation. Though seemingly isolated, San Franciscans took their part in the conflict. Some extended the Underground Railroad to their city, while others joined the Confederate-aiding Knights of the Golden Circle. Including a directory of local historic sites and streets, author Monika Trobits chronicles the dramatic and volatile antebellum and Civil War history of the City by the Bay. Includes photos

In the long and bitter prelude to war, southern transplants dominated California government, keeping the state aligned with Dixie. However, a murderous duel in 1859 killed "Free Soil" U.S. Senator David C. Broderick, and public opinion began to change. As war broke out back east, a golden-tongued preacher named Reverend Thomas Starr King crisscrossed the state endeavoring to save the Golden State for the Union. Seventeen thousand California volunteers thwarted secessionist schemes and waged brutal campaigns against native tribesmen resisting white encroachment as far away as Idaho and New Mexico. And a determined battalion of California cavalry journeyed to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to battle John Singleton Mosby, the South's deadliest partisan ranger. Author Richard Hurley delves into homefront activities during the nation's bloodiest war and chronicles the adventures of the brave men who fought far from home.

California is called the “Golden State” with good reason, and not simply because it was birthed by the ’49 Gold Rush. From sun-kissed, seaside San Diego and the desert oasis of Palm Springs in the south, to misty redwood forests and snow-capped volcanoes in the north, the state is blessed with shining superlatives. The cities are chockfull of world-class museums, fabulous architectural and historic sites, plus cosmopolitan restaurants and chic rooftop bars. You could spend a lifetime exploring and not discover it all. But what if you only have 24 hours in any one place? California is blessed with so many amazing things to see and do, it’s hard to know what to start. Perfect Day California is your handy guide to honing in on the quintessential experiences. Watch polar bears frolic in the water behind a giant glass screen at San Diego Zoo. Experience the thrill of a VIP behind-the-scenes tour at Paramount Studios. Hear and see firsthand the enthralling inside scoop on space exploration at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Whether your activity of choice is marveling at contemporary art in the Getty Museum or wandering beneath the soaring Coast redwoods, steeping in a hot mud bath spa or panning for gold in the Sierra foothills, California has a perfect day for every taste and desire. Local author Christopher P. Baker knows California like the back of his hand. Here he shares with you his knowledge and insights to make the most of your visits to destinations throughout the state. He provides invaluable and inspirational insider tips that condense 24 hours in each place into the most rewarding experience possible.