New Book Celebrates the History of Atascadero

Jan. 2, 2012 - PRLog -- New from Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Atascadero by local author S.W. Martin. This pictorial history boasts more than 200 vintage images and provides readers with a unique opportunity to reconnect with the history that shaped their community.

Atascadero, California—located nearly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on US Highway 101—is the brainchild of E.G. Lewis. Thought by some to have been a visionary, others considered Lewis a con artist. In spite of his reputation, he founded Atascadero and left in his wake a collection of unique architecture that was the first planned community in the state of California. He established roads, water mains, power grids, agricultural cooperatives, and a 20-mile road to the Pacific Ocean.

Atascadero is also home to the nation’s first enclosed shopping mall and magnificent art from the 1904 St. Louis World Exposition. Atascadero’s creator also founded University City, Missouri, and Palos Verdes, California.

Highlights of Atascadero include:
•   Interesting commentary on the city’s controversial founder, E.G. Lewis.
•   Images of the construction of the historic double-domed Administration Building, currently under a $40-million reconstruction to repair earthquake damage suffered in 2003.
•   Outlines the recurring influence of the automobile in the founding, design and development of the city.
•   Describes and shows historic structures that no longer exist, most notably the elegant Atascadero Inn.
•   Explains the role of the historic Tent City in the marketing of E.G. Lewis’ planned utopia.
•   Illustrates the development of the 17-mile road to the Pacific Coast that exists today as Highway 41 – E.G. Lewis Highway.
•   Photographs of The Cloisters, a resort in Morro Bay that was developed as a part of the Atascadero Colony and no longer exists.

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

# # #

With more than 7,500 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.