Are you new to Los Banos or just always want to know about the area?
Here are some titles that might interest you.
“Up and Down California: An 1850 Survey of the State.” Covers the entire Westside of the Central Valley.
“Cattle King” by Edward Treadwell. The story of Henry Miller written by his lawyer a few years after his death deals with family and business.
“One Man Show” by Los Banosan Charles Sawyer. Published by the local Milliken Museum, it covers Sawyer’s story as a museum volunteer as well as anecdotes about him, early settlers and the growth of the area.
“DogTown and Ditches” by Los Banosan Wayne Pimentel. Covers the town of Los Banos from its start as Dogtown through the 1990’s.
“The Road Over” by Charles Sawyer. Published by the Milliken Museum, it covers the history of the Pacheco Pass from footpath to today’s highway.
“Valley Empires” by Ann Seheuring. Covers Henry Miller’s role in building California into the state it has become.
“Flooding the Courts” by C. Miller. Deals with water laws Henry Miller made that still affect the valley today
“Dalton Gang Days” by Frank Latta. Includes chapters on the Dalton Boys teaching themselves how to jump from trains to horse and back while staying around Los Banos with an uncle.
“Our Sport” by Charles Sawyer. A Millikin Museum publication, it covers duck hunting and tales of hunts, market hunters and much more from the early days of hunting on the Westside.
Some of these books are out of print and some are not cheap. Phoenix Books does have copies of most of them.
“The Independent Bookseller” is a regular feature of The Westside Express. Joanne Hoefer, an independent bookseller, is the owner and operator of Phoenix Books in Los Banos. Her email is nco4242@sbcglobal.net.
