Vanishing Orange County (Images of America) - Softcover

Epting, Chris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738559741 ISBN 13: 9780738559742

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

Orange County formally separated from Los Angeles County in 1889, and there’s been no looking back. Wilderness gave way to rich farmlands, where oranges, lemons, avocados, and walnuts made agriculture the new county’s most important industry; the region was actually named for the prevalence of its citrus groves. The 20th century brought with it plenty of entrepreneurs, including Walter Knott and later Walt Disney, along with the aerospace industry, oil drilling, beach culture, and more. But the more popular “the O.C.” became, the more the past began to be lost to development and sprawl. This evocative compendium of photographs revisits many of the places locals held near and dear, including the Golden Bear nightclub, Japanese Village Deer Park, Lion Country Safari, plus popular stores, restaurants, and, of course, the ever-shrinking farmlands. Many of these images are courtesy of the Orange County Archives, and others came from the author’s private collection.

About this title

About the Author:

Chris Epting is the author of 12 books, including Images of America: Huntington Beach and Then & Now: Huntington Beach, as well as Roadside Baseball and James Dean Died Here. He also writes the weekly “In the Pipeline” column for the Huntington Beach Independent. He lives in Huntington Beach with his wife and their two children.

Review:

Title: New book shows historical images of O.C.

Author: Annie Burris

Publication: O.C. Register

Date: 11/21/2008
A Huntington Beach author recently published a book and postcards featuring more than 200 vintage images of Orange County.
Chris Epting's 12th book, "Vanishing Orange County," has pictures that date back to the county's separation from Los Angeles in 1889.
Epting said he hopes the book will inspire people to think twice before tearing down historical buildings.
Pictured on the cover is the old Buffalo Ranch, a Newport tourist attraction that opened in 1955. Families could drive around the ranch, watch buffalo graze, visit a Native American village and eat buffalo burgers. By the 1970s, the place had closed, and most of the remaining buffalo had been shipped off to Catalina, where some offspring probably still roam, Epting wrote in his book.
Highlights from the book include pictures of The Golden Bear nightclub in Huntington Beach, Japanese Village Deer Park in Buena Park, and Lion Country Safari in Irvine.
There are also images of farmlands with oranges, lemons, avocados and walnuts.
Epting has written and compiled images for the books: "Images of America: Huntington Beach," "Then & Now: Huntington Beach," "Roadside Baseball" and "James Dean Died Here."
He lives here in Surf City with his wife and two children.
The book is available through Arcadia Publishing at 888-313-2665 or www.arcadiapublishing.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0738559741
• ISBN 13: 9780738559742
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128