Eureka: Then & Now
Eureka: Then & Now
The book begins with a succinct introduction of the town's history from the site of Wiyot villages through the gold rush, the lumber boom and cultural prosperity. It then launches into nearly 100 pages of photographic comparisons. Historic photos of locations from various archives (including the Historical Society's) presented along side modern photos taken by the author of the exact same site. The captions accompanying the duel pictures offer a lot of information about that site as well as its community.
Eureka was fortunate in that its mid twentieth century economic growth was relatively slow, and it escape much of the "urban renewal and modernization" that hit many historic towns. Ironically, this left enough of the grand old architecture to then generate the economic boom that tourism has become. Still, some of the images of the grand Victorian mansions and the dull utilitarian structures that replaced them is enough too bring tears to the eye.
But nostalgic pangs aside, this book is an enjoyable, informative read, and it may even spark one's detective instincts and inspire readers to set off with camera and books to discover more images of Then and Now.
