With its great diversity of landforms, California has an unparalleled range of climate, soils, and natural vegetation. All these influence where people live, what they do with the land, and what kind of communication and transportation they have. For this book a historian and a cartographer have collaborated to record these and other aspects of the Golden State's geography and the events of its history. The narrative is illustrated with 101 excellent maps presenting information previously available only to the scholar or, in some cases, not available at all. The maps cover all the physical characteristics of the state and also have substantial detail on the state's flora and fauna. All phases of history, from the Indian era down to the present, are included. Maps trace major faults and earthquakes, early Spanish explorations, Mexican land grants, mountain passes, and routes to the gold fields. The gold rush period, 1849-69, is mapped and explained, as well as the main stage coach roads and Wells Fargo offices. The reader can trace the route of the Pony Express, locate the great sheep and cattle ranches, and find the Butterfield overland mail route. In addition, CCC camps, World War II installations, and the St. Francis Dam disaster are depicted and discussed. The authors have mapped the Santa Barbara oil spill, the major irrigation systems, the wildland fires, and even the political districts of the state. All these and many other topics from the present and the past offer fascinating reading. "Historians, researchers, students and all others interested in the basic history of California now have a basic atlas of information to use as a guide. . . . I]t is a 'must' for anyone interested in this beautiful state." Santa Barbara News Press "An excellent supplemental text for a variety of courses as well as a good source of general reference for anyone interested in California history or geography." California Historical Quarterly Warren A. Beck was Professor of History at California State University, Fullerton. Ynez D. Haase is a professional geographer and cartographer in Santa Barbara, California.

New Mexico's long and dramatic history was in many ways predestined by its location, vast size, and abundant mineral resources. Treasure-hunting Spanish explorers tramped across its plains and scaled its mountains in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola in the sixteenth century. In clashing with descendants of the prehistoric Indian population, the Spanish began three centuries of struggles that lasted through the nineteenth century when the steamroller of United States expansion arrived. The history of New Mexico is the story of the blending of the three cultures--Hispanic, Indian, and Anglo.

In this volume, a historian and a cartographer collaborate to depict specific aspects of the state's geography and events of its history, with the narrative illustrated through maps. Topics include geographical data (from topography to weather), sites of prehistoric civilizations, Spanish and United States expeditions, first towns, historic trails, the Civil War, stagecoach lines, railroads, county boundaries, principal cities and roads, state and national parks and monuments, and state judicial districts.

The enduring image evoked by the American West is one of grand physical and historical romance, spectacle, and drama. Many generations of historians, both popular and academic, have sought to communication the unique characteristics of this region, whose history and physical setting have for so long captured the public imagination. In the "Historical Atlas of the American West," a historian and a geographer meet this challenge by telling the story of the region from a comprehensive geographical perspective. Defining the American West as the seventeen contiguous states from the one-hundredth meridian westward (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, California, Oregon, and Washington), Warren A. Beck and Ynez D. Haase provide seventy-eight maps, each with explanatory text and a selective bibliography of further readings.

This atlas presents the history of the West from prehistoric times to the present. The physical characteristics of the region--its natural resources and geographic features, climatic zones, agricultural regions, mineral resources, and native flora fauna--are presented, along with special maps stressing the impact of natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and the eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Several maps provide unique views of Western Indians from ancient times to the latter part of the nineteenth century, including maps devoted to the tragedy at Wounded Knee, the Ghost Dance Religion, and Indian judicial districts. All the major explorations and overland movements in the region, as well as the evolution of transportation routes--from cattle trails to modern railroads--are depicted. The Spanish-Mexican land grants are presented in detail, with special emphasis on the early ranchos of Texas. Locations of important military events and installations, ranging from the Indian Wars of West to World War II POW camps, are recorded.

Beck and Haase have thus succeeded in synthesizing and capsulizing a vast amount of information on the American West to create seventy-eight vignettes of uniquely western events and life ways from 1536 to 1980. Offering insights into the region's geography and the various groups that have populated the West over the centuries, this atlas will provide a valuable reference for scholars and fascinating entertainment for Western history buffs.