As the 20th century progressed, the orchards and farms would give way to "Silicon Valley" and the birth of a new industry for the county. In addition to agriculture, the short guide from 1914 has articles on Stanford, San Jose institutions, plus 15 cities and towns including: San Jose, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Mayfield, Mountain View, Gilroy, Saratoga, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Campbell, Los Gatos and Los Altos. The book is 68 pages with over 65 black and white photos from 1914.
By Leigh Irvine
Published in 1914
Reprinted by Steve Haughey
Santa Clara County
Valley of Heart's Delight
Purchase a reprint of this historic travel guide from Amazon for $9.95.

Search Amazon for:  Santa Clara County California "Valley Of Heart's Delight"
     In 1914, Santa Clara County California was proud to be an agricultural paradise, famous the world over. This reprint of a Santa Clara County guide from 1914 highlights the time when the region was known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" and flowering orchards covered the valley floor.
Or see a preview of this travel guide in PDF form.
See a preview of this travel guide in  PDF form.
      This reprint is the travel guide created by the Tourist Association to inform the visitors about trips to the various attractions in central California near San Francisco. The book includes municipal trolley trips in San Francisco, boat excursions on the bay, bus trips to north bay Sonoma and Napa, Bolinas Bay, Mount Tamalpais, east bay cities, Santa Cruz, "Blossom Trips" to Santa Clara Valley, Monterey, and train trips to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. The book is 56 pages and includes 32 illustrations. Originally published in 1915, this reprint brings back the era when the trolley, train and boat were king!
Central California Train, Trolley and Boat Trips
Purchase a reprint of this historic travel guide from Amazon for $9.95.

Search Amazon for:  Central California Pleasure Land For The Tourist

     In 1915, nine years after the great San Francisco earthquake, the city hosted the Pan Pacific International Exposition. The event was a chance for San Francisco and California to show the world they had recovered from the great earthquake disaster. The Tourist Association of Central California published books and maps to promote travel to California and the Exposition of 1915.
Or see a preview of this travel guide in PDF form.
See a preview of this travel guide in  PDF form.
Central California, Pleasure Land for the Tourist; Train, Trolley and Boat Trips
By the Tourist Association of Central California
Published in 1915
Reprinted by Steve Haughey
Hamilton's Illustrated
Auto Road Map
Published in 1914
Map 12
Hamilton's Auto Map pages - 1914
    This auto atlas was an early guide for California motorist.   The book included over 200 strip maps of the early roads of California, Nevada, Utah, and Oregon.

     There were no freeways, highways and few road signs in 1914.   The authors attempted to help travels find their way by providing thumbnails photos of landmarks along the way.  The landmarks illustrated in the book are often houses, trees, windmills, building, and other things that are, for the most part, gone today.  
Old road route map of San Dimas and Covina California
    I have created posters from many of the maps in the book.  They are professionally printed by Zazzle.com using large format printers and archival ink.     ( See gallery at Zazzle.com)

   See my page on the Hamilton guide to learn more and see available poster maps.
San Francisco Scenes
Scenic Limited
Scenic Limited
Train Brochure
The Scenic Limited was one of the many trains of the early 20th century that brought travelers to California.   The train started in Saint Louis and ended in San Francisco.

Right Click here to download a
free PDF of the entire train brochure.  Read, print and enjoy!
  See a poster reprint of the Scenic Limited route map
           available here on Zazzle.com