Arcadia Public Library

Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Author Laura Hillenbrand brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story, one that proves life is a horse race.

"Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin, with a vision larger than most, was a early empire builder and rancher who carved cities out of range land, made millions in mining stocks, and built everything from hotels to vineyards from Lake Tahoe and San Francisco to Southern California. Author Sandra Snider has been immersed in the saga of Lucky Baldwin since 1971 when she became Historical Curator at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum in Arcadia. In...

The renowned California wine industry, famous for northern vintages, actually was born near El Pueblo de Los Angeles. Spanish missionaries harvested the first vintage in 1782 at Mission San Juan Capistrano and then cultivated enormous vineyards at Mission San Gabriel. Their replanted vine-cuttings took root on Jose Maria Verdugo’s 1784 Spanish land grant in what became Glendale. Jean Louis Vignes brought a Bordeaux winemaking experience to LA in...

"Santa Anita Rancho's famously ambitious and colorful owner, Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin, had established a popular tourist attraction on his productive working ranch by the late 1800s. Baldwin planned to incorporate the section of his ranch known as Arcadia, but opponents feared that he would turn such a city into a "gambling hell and booze pleasure park." However, the vote for city-hood was virtually unanimous, and Baldwin took over as mayor on...