History of Donner Summit Told Through Photographs

June 30, 2011 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America and Postcards of America series is Donner Summit from local author Arthur Sommers. The book boasts more than 200 vintage photographs, while the postcard set holds 15 historic images and memories of days gone by.

The pass over Donner Peak in Northern California is known as Donner Summit and has been a critical route across the Sierra Nevada Mountains for centuries. First it was used by Native Americans, then early settlers, and then emigrant wagon trains such as those used by the ill-fated Donner Party, in whose honor the region is named.

The first transcontinental railroad in the United States and the first transcontinental highway in America both made use of the Donner Summit route to gain access to California; even early aviators used a beacon at the Summit for guidance across the Sierras. Most of the communities and points of interest along the railroad and highway route up and over Donner Summit are covered in this book.

Arthur Sommers has previously authored Auburn, a visual history of Placer County's seat, and Placer County, both for Arcadia's Images of America series. In this volume, Sommers used many images from his personal photograph collection to bring Donner Summit's past to life. Additionally, he used images from the Donner Summit Historical Society, Nevada County Historical Society, Placer County Museums Division, and the California State Library in Sacramento.

Highlights of Donner Summit:
•   Trains over Donner Summit
•   Automobiles over Donner Summit
•   Summit photographer T.C. Wohlbruck
•   Skiing the Donner Summit Environs

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or
www.arcadiapublishing.com.

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With more than 6,000 local history titles published to date, Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Widely recognized sepia books feature hundreds of vintage historical images.