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The Crescenta Valley is a typical suburb of the metropolis of Los Angeles, containing residential neighborhoods nestled in chaparral-covered hills. But hidden in these typical neighborhoods are remnants of an atypical past, a past made up of Hollywood legends, Prohibition-era bootleggers, and pioneers in women's rights. Crescenta Valley History: Hidden in Plain Sight tells the stories behind six places in the community that residents pass by every day, with no idea of the amazing events that took place there--six innocuous locations with impressive histories. A little shack behind an apartment that was once the home of John Steinbeck; the overgrown ruins of a former speakeasy; an abandoned sanitarium that once housed aging Hollywood stars, and now houses their ghosts; a mystical religious sanctuary run entirely by women; a former resort and Olympic training site buried deep under a suburban shopping mall; and a park created by professional baseball players and movie stars. All these sites are right here in your neighborhood! You'll never look at the Crescenta Valley the same way again.--Publisher.
About the author
MIKE LAWLER first became fascinated with local history when, as a child, he dug holes in the dirt of his backyard looking for remnants of the past. That fascination for local history has led him to authoring several works on the history of his community, along with a popular newspaper column on the same subject. He was the president of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley for over a decade. In his community, he is considered the authority on local history. And he still can't pass by a hole in the ground without at least taking a glance.
