About the Author

Author John Boston's 100-plus writing awards include the 2006 Will Rogers Humanitarian Achievement Award. A former ranch hand, television news director, talent manager, editor, and columnist, Boston has lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for half a century, today on Scared o' Bears Ranch with Walt, his father, and Indiana, his daughter. The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society provided this book's evocative images.

Reviews

Title: Riding the history train Author: Sarah Vance Publisher: LA Books Examiner Date: 6/22/09
Saturday afternoon I slipped across the street to the Barnes & Noble for a chai tea latte. (As luck would have it, I live across the street from the public library and a bookstore.) I was happily surprised to come across a book signing in progress.
Local historian John Boston was signing copies of his book, Santa Clarita Valley. The paperback is filled with historical photographs of the area. The text below each photograph tells a story and describes the scene in terms that the modern reader can understand and locate. Since becoming a Junior Historian in fifth grade at the Dearborn Historical Museum, I have been fascinated with history. Yes, I have some interest in global historical events, but historical stuff on a smaller scale is what really fascinates me. I find it so intriguing to find out that a railroad used to run through the property where my apartment complex is now built. I love to be able to find familiar rock formations and mountain peaks in the old photographs and learn more about the people who used to live near them 200 years ago. International history is great, but I can really sink my teeth into local history.
On Sunday we were off to Ojai for Father's Day festivities, where I found two more similar books of local history called Ojai and Ventura. The books were both filled with photographs and text that put local stories into context. The photograph above shows the hanging of the bell in the First Presbyterian Church in 1889.
After a small amount of research, I discovered that the books are part of the Images of America series published by Arcadia. The series was established in 1993 to preserve and share the histories of local communities throughout the country. Each title records an area's unique history through images. The books have won awards and you can find out if someone has published a book about your local area here.