‘Merced County Memories’ whets an appetite for local history

History can be relived in several ways.

We can visit the past through historical exhibits in museums, television documentaries, magazine articles and advertisements, and theatrical productions. Sometimes we can look back in time through books.

For those interested in this area’s historical progression and development, the recently published “Merced County Memories” book could whet their appetite.

Copies of the 128-page book chronicling Merced County’s history are still available for purchase. The hardbound book is a collaboration between the Merced Sun-Star, Los Banos Enterprise, Merced County Courthouse Museum and Milliken Museum in Los Banos.

The black-and-white format book is available for purchase for $39.95 at the Sun-Star office at 3033 N. G St. and could be an ideal Christmas gift for someone interested in local history.

“Merced County Memories” shows vintage street scenes, schools and education, commerce, community, agriculture and industry, public service, transportation, recreation and celebrations and business profiles.

The book has pictures of vintage homes, businesses and downtown scenes, schools, streets and roads, trains and tractors dating back to the late 1800s.

Among the scenes in “Merced County Memories” is when West 16th Street was Highway 99, before the highway bypassed the city more than 50 years ago. Many early homes captured in photos depict elaborate Victorian designs.

Pictures also illustrate how recurring floods, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fires erased some landmarks.

Vintage pictures show students and their classrooms from a century ago, along with cheerleaders and football players. Merced County’s main library, which began as a high school, still faces M Street between 21st and 22nd streets.

History buffs will get a glimpse of the marked transformation of commerce from blacksmith shops and livery stables to modern shopping complexes.

The history book also details community organizations, some which still stage community celebrations.

Pictures in “Merced County Memories” show the community’s diversity, with Chinese, Italians, Portuguese, Basque and Greeks enjoying their lives in unique cultural celebrations.

Farming and ranching are still the bedrock of the county’s livelihood. How these practices are carried out has changed dramatically, as evidenced by historical photos.

History aficionados will enjoy vintage pictures of fire, police and military service personnel. Considerable space is devoted to Castle Air Force Base, which was a major player in the area for half a century before its closing nearly 20 years ago.

This story was originally published December 23, 2014 at 5:25 PM with the headline "‘Merced County Memories’ whets an appetite for local history."