Since the 1800s, Mill Valley has attracted spirited freethinkers, entrepreneurs, nature lovers, rabble-rousers, and more than a few rock stars. Early Mill Valley booster Sidney Cushing encouraged tourism with a train up Mount Tamalpais called the Crookedest Railroad in the World. Laura White, more concerned with protecting Mill Valleys natural beauty than attracting more people, brought the town its Outdoor Art Club and a tradition of conservationism. Vera Schultz broke the glass ceiling of local politics in 1946, and in 1973, 10-year-old Jenny Fulles letter to President Nixon changed the future of Americas female athletes. When an elementary school teacher named Rita Abrams wrote a song about why she loved Mill Valley, it became a national hit; so did a song about the heart of rock and roll, written by local boy Huey Lewis, who had attended that same school. The stories of Mill Valleys legendary localswhether from 1890 or 1980are sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inspiring, often humorous, and always fascinating.

Since the 1800s, Mill Valley has attracted spirited freethinkers, entrepreneurs, nature lovers, rabble-rousers, and more than a few rock stars. Early Mill Valley booster Sidney Cushing encouraged tourism with a train up Mount Tamalpais called "the Crookedest Railroad in the World." Laura White, more concerned with protecting Mill Valley's natural beauty than attracting more people, brought the town its "Outdoor Art Club" and a tradition of conservationism. Vera Schultz broke the glass ceiling of local politics in 1946, and in 1973, 10-year-old Jenny Fulle's letter to President Nixon changed the future of America's female athletes. When an elementary school teacher named Rita Abrams wrote a song about why she loved Mill Valley, it became a national hit; so did a song about the heart of rock and roll, written by local boy Huey Lewis, who had attended that same school. The stories of Mill Valley's legendary locals--whether from 1890 or 1980--are sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inspiring, often humorous, and always fascinating.

In Legendary locals of Marana, Oro Valley, and Catalina, readers will discover the historical riches, courage, and determination of the western spirit that shaped the state and the country.

Mountains. Trees. A lake. What makes a city, town, or village come to life are the people--those who have gone before and those who are there today. They are what shape and build the community of Ukiah. With their personalities, foibles, compassion, and humor, some of these influential men and women stand out by design and some quietly exist on the sidelines. Utah Haley, a disabled veteran, drives other veterans to doctors' appointments. Rick Paige is always the first on-scene to help in a disaster. Spencer Brewer started the "Sundays in the Park" free concerts more than two decades ago. Ukiah is a town that supports its businesses, and those same local businesses give back to the community in many ways. Shannon Riley of Shoefly and Sox holds an annual shoe drive. Jan Hoyman and Doug Browe of Hoyman Browe Studios donate countless pieces of their work to charitable auctions. Ann Kilkenny of Mendocino Book Company gives time and assistance to local organizations. Marty Lombardi, who spent 40 years with Savings Bank of Mendocino, was always lending a helping hand to local nonprofits.

The city of Santa Clara lies in the very heart of the Santa Clara Valley, directly south of San Francisco Bay. It is the home base of the internationally famous Santa Clara Swim Club, the equally famous synchronized swim team the Santa Clara Aquamaids, the International Swim Center, and the San Francisco 49ers professional football team. It boasts world-class parks, theaters, museums, acting groups, a featured chorale, a nationally ranked drum and bugle corps, a major theme park, a convention center, and a first-class hotel system for those who wish to visit. Legendary Locals of Santa Clara celebrates the people who guided all of this to its realization.

Who would have thought a city would one day stand where there was nothing but swamp, with long grass--where there was scarcely an opening in the woods, and in which the wolves made plenty of howling. This observation was made by Leon Trombley, one of the first to try to settle in this part of the Michigan "frontier" in the early 1800s. His nephews, Mader and Joseph, would soon follow and ultimately become noted among the area's first permanent residents. The residents of Bay City have always aspired to be legendary, whether by design, accident, or sheer determination. Annie Edson Taylor, the area schoolteacher turned daredevil who would ride her Bay City-built barrel over Niagara Falls (and survive!), is only one among a large group of local legends that includes Olympic champions, community leaders, artists, musicians, scholars, philosophers, and historians.

A century and a half of close-knitted community spirit, independent-mindedness, and a strong sense of stewardship have uniquely melded into present-day Ashland. Behind that patchwork of local ingenuity, artistry, and infamy are the faces of thousands--too many of whom are not mentioned within the pages of this book. There were hundreds of generations of Shasta Native American families that lived off the hills and creeks where Ashland now sprawls, but their abodes were abandoned and replaced by the lumber and flour mills, cleared streets, and painted homes of Ashland Mills. The sense of spirit and enthusiasm instilled by Ashland's early settlers bred the town's participation in the Chautauqua cultural movement, the remnants of which harbor Ashland's world-renown Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which paved the way for a former mill town's future prosperity. That spirit of ingenuity and artistry continues to shape Ashland and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the quaint town nestled below the mighty crest of Siskiyou Pass along the Oregon-California border.