Books published by Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

North Berwick''s earliest settlers heavily relied on the Great Works River and the Negutaquet River to transport animal skins and other goods to the seaport in Kittery. Shortly after John Morrill built North Berwick''s first cabin in 1690, great homes belonging to families such as Hobbs, Weymouth, Buffum, Nowell, and Estes began to line North Berwick''s quiet streets and dot its sweeping countryside. Businesses started to flourish, and the town expanded into a community of hardworking families who were proud to build their homes and raise their children there. North Berwick shares photographs of the factories, mills, farms, churches, schools, and small businesses that thrived because of their proximity to rivers and later the railroad. Within these pages, readers will see how members of this rural community used natural resources and their ingenuity to establish a small New England town of wealth and industry.

The family of James Alvis Lynch headed west from Denison, Texas, to find a dry climate that would alleviate Lynch's symptoms of malaria and his wife Amanda's rheumatism. They traveled as far as the Brazos River, where U.S. 180 crosses today, when one of their oxen drowned, and the other was struck by lightning. To make matters worse, the Lynches learned of hair-raising tales of the struggles between Comanches and settlers. So on Christmas Eve in 1877, the Lynch family decided to settle 4 miles east of the Brazos in the beautiful valley between what are the East and West Mountains in present-day Mineral Wells. There, the Lynch family discovered the mineral-rich water that mended their maladies and brought tourists from far and wide to take the healing cure. The geology of the area also brought oil, gas, and brick plants, while the attacks on local settlers brought a military presence to the region. The history of Mineral Wells is alive today, as many descendants of early pioneers still live and work in the community, full of pride for their families' contributions to the area.

Hillsboro, Kingston, and Lake Valley developed in 1877 with the discovery of gold and silver. The towns were interconnected, and the history of one cannot be discussed without the others. Hillsboro became the center of commerce and law, and from 1884 to 1939 it was the Sierra County seat. Mining created the towns, but cattle, sheep, and goat ranching provided a more stable economic base. The towns remain surrounded by large ranches, some still owned by the original families'' descendants. When the mines played out, Lake Valley became a ghost town; Hillsboro and Kingston are now quiet villages with a mix of old families, writers, artists, and retirees. The area had its share of Indian wars, range conflicts, prostitutes, rustlers, floods, and politicos who rose to fame and fell in shame, but it also had hardworking businessmen, miners, and cowboys who lived peaceful daily lives. The authors of Around Hillsboro acknowledge the sensational and newsworthy events of the area''s history while heralding the people who provided a productive but less visible part of it.

Since its official discovery in 1861 by Ed Berthoud and mountain man Jim Bridger, Berthoud Pass has been an important transportation route over the Continental Divide. At more than 11,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains, and coupled with its large number of switchbacks, it has become one of the most beautiful and widely used mountain passes in the West. Henry Ford''s inexpensive Model T opened up America to the masses and in the 1920s, following early struggles in road development, a successful construction project gave way to the Golden Age of Automobile Touring. A solid road, US Highway 40, was paved in 1938 that opened the West to a wave of tourists during the 1940s and 1950s. Berthoud Pass''s steep terrain and abundant snow provides access to some of Colorado''s best skiing and snowboarding activities.

Pioneers traveling in the former Shoshonean lands that became the city of Downey in eastern Los Angeles County were drawn to the water sources of the San Gabriel River and Rio Hondo. In 1837, historian Hugo Reid described a village called Carpenters Farm along the banks of the Rio Hondo. Don Carpenter's Rancho Santa Gertrudes occupied a portion of the original 300,000-acre Nieto land grant of prime ranch and farmlands, a fertile "garden spot." In 1859, a year before becoming California's youngest governor at age 32, John Gately Downey and druggist James McFarland effectively closed the era of missions and ranchos by buying 17,600 acres of Rancho Santa Gertrudes at a sheriff's auction for $60,000. Downey offered land at $10 an acre with a low interest rate, claiming it "the best land for homesteads and vineyards in this section of the state." The community of Downey began shaping up in 1873 as the Southern Pacific Railroad connected the early settlements of Gallatin and College.

For decades, Caldwell County has been known as the Furniture Center of the South. However, the history of Caldwell goes beyond the miles of furniture retailers and successful manufacturers, back to a time when Caldwell, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, was on the frontier of America. The story of Caldwell County includes pioneer forts perched on the edge of a vast wilderness; Confederate soldiers struggling in America''s most famous battle, Gettysburg; logging companies and growing railroads; the remarkable furniture industry that has employed generations of residents; and the world-renowned Lenoir High School Band. The images within this book-of explorers and settlers, homes and schools, church functions and family gatherings, the famous and ordinary, and the beautiful and industrious-help tell the story of Caldwell County, her people, and her place within the history and culture of North Carolina and the United States.

Historic Menomonie lies alongside the beautiful Red Cedar River in western Wisconsin. A town with a rich, diverse history, it grew to become home to a massive lumbering era spearheaded by four innovative pioneer men whose heritage continues to identify the city. Lumbering gave way to the establishment of respected sleigh, brick, piano, and cigar factories in the early 1900s. Throughout these eras, up until the present, inventors, artists, educators, philanthropists, and farmers all put their stamp on the town. Home to the popular Red Cedar Trail, it also is the site of the Mabel Tainter Theatre, an ornate historic building constructed to memorialize a young daughter. Dairy farms still pepper the hillsides, small businesses line Main Street, farmers still market products in the park, and Stout University leads the way in education; and always the arts abound in the nooks and valleys that comprise Menomonie."

Since 1953, the American Indian Center of Chicago has hosted an annual powwow. The powwow is the centerpiece of contemporary Indian culture. It is how Native Americans celebrate traditional values and share their culture with a wider audience. The powwow is a place to make and rekindle friendships. It offers an opportunity to reaffirm traditional values and a chance to reconnect with family, friends, and the greater community. It is a celebration of artistic and cultural traditions, and a way of transmitting those traditions to a younger generation. Through an extensive collection of representative images, Chicago''s 50 Years of Powwows chronicles the exciting history and traditions of the powwow.