Long Beach In Vintage Postcards

Long Beach successfully incorporated as a city in 1888, and would eventually become California's fifth largest city. Author Marlin Heckman has compiled over 200 vintage postcards to chronicle the history of the "Queen of Beaches." Competition between the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroads brought great numbers of visitors to Southern California at the turn of the century. Resort hotels, apartments, pavilions, and band shells quickly dotted the landscape to accommodate the massive influx of tourists. Seen here are the more famous Long Beach attractions, including Rainbow Pier, the Sun Pavilion, the Hotel del Mar, and the great "Walk of a Thousand Lights," or the Pike, as it was better known.

The postcard has been a popular part of American communication for over a century, documenting both the interest of a place and its history. Captured here in nearly 200 vintage postcards is the unique history of this California town, translated in Chippewa as "Crown of the Valley." The City of Pasadena, just north of Los Angeles, sits against the majesty of the Sierra Madre mountain range. Incorporated in 1885, the city was originally known as a resort city, filled with tourists from all over the world. Showcased here through the use of the author's personal postcard collection are vintage images of Millionaires Row, the Tournament of the Roses Parade, the Mt. Lowe Railway, and the Alpine Tavern.

Rehoboth Beach is heralded as the "nation's summer capital." Located along the Atlantic Coast within 100 miles of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia, Delaware's treasured resort has provided millions of tourists with unforgettable memories along its mile-long boardwalk and white, sandy beach. Vintage postcards and photographs will allow readers to experience the thrill of this renowned beach and see why many have made Rehoboth their choice for vacations, holidays, and getaways time and time again-and why some call it home year-round. This photo album features then-and-now scenes of the beach, documents the rise of other attractions surrounding the area, pays homage to storms that shook the seacoast, and showcases some of the people, festivals, hotels, and motels that make this a special place to visit.

The connections between Myrtle Beach and Conway, South Carolina form an intricate tapestry of contrasting threads-from the neon glitz of the beach resort to the more reserved colonial town that spawned it. Conway citizens enjoyed the coastal town as a playground in the 19th century, and many even helped steer its evolution during the 20th century into a premier vacation destination by relocating to Myrtle Beach to shape and share in its future. Through more than 200 postcards, many dating from the early 1900s, readers witness a wide array of architecture, from the Ocean Forest Hotel and the early Myrtle Beach Pavilion to the local landmarks that were destroyed by Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. These images also tell the stories of other Grand Strand beaches, as well as of Conway, a quintessential Southern city with historic properties and live oak canopies.

Rehoboth Beach is heralded as the “nation's summer capital.” Located along the Atlantic Coast within 100 miles of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia, Delaware's treasured resort has provided millions of tourists with unforgettable memories along its mile-long boardwalk and white, sandy beach. Vintage postcards and photographs will allow readers to experience the thrill of this renowned beach and see why many have made Rehoboth their choice for vacations, holidays, and getaways time and time again-and why some call it home year-round. This photo album features then-and-now scenes of the beach, documents the rise of other attractions surrounding the area, pays homage to storms that shook the seacoast, and showcases some of the people, festivals, hotels, and motels that make this a special place to visit.

Along the California coastline lies the community of San Luis Obispo; a town just as rich in history as it is in beauty. Situated almost directly between Los Angeles and San Francisco, San Luis Obispo was first inhabited by the Chumash and Salinan Indians in 1400 B.C. It took almost 3,000 years before its majestic landscape was encountered by European explorers.

Santa Ana began as the dream of early pioneers in the 1800s when the dry, desolate area was little more than windswept fields of wild mustard grass. Santa Ana celebrates this area's pioneer heritage and the people who created it, and chronicles the development of this city with fascinating vintage postcards. Santa Ana was one of the earliest incorporated cities, and became the county seat in 1889. Wealthy businessmen, successful political leaders, and even an occasional maharajah chose Santa Ana as their home. Today, Orange County is one of the most dynamic counties in California.

Once little more than a steamy, tropical jungle, Palm Beach was transformed in the early twentieth century by industrialist Henry Flagler and a handful of architects into a playground for the famous, wealthy, and powerful. There, in the garden of earthly delights, celebrities and capitalists enjoyed a variety of leisure and recreational activities--from parties and tennis to sunbathing and dining--and stayed in the most opulent accommodations ever conceived and constructed. Many who loved this lifestyle became part-time residents and built palatial homes for the winter months. To this day, Palm Beach remains one of America's toniest and most exclusive resorts.