Executive Summary Photos - Front/Back Row 5

The Chaw'se (Miwok word for grinding rock) at Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park in Amador County is an outcropping of marbleized limestone with some 1,185 mortar holes, the largest collection of bedrock mortars in North America. In addition to the mortar holes, the rock features a number of decorative carvings, some of which are thought to be as much as 3,000 years old. The site was listed on the National Register in 1971.

For more information, see Chaw'se.

The Richmond Civic Center complex, completed in 1949, was conceived and designed by the internationally known architectural practice of Schindler & Neutra during the 1930s. The facilities were then built under the supervision of Timothy L. Phleuger, a prominent San Francisco architect, and finished by his brother Milton after Timothy’s death. The 71,000-square-foot City Hall was rehabilitated as part of a larger project between 2006 and 2009.

For more information, see the City of Richmond’s website about the Civic Center project.

The charcoal kilns complex in Wildroad Canyon at Death Valley National Park is amongst the more remarkable historical features of this park. They were completed in 1877 by the Modock Consolidated Mining Company to provide a source of fuel for two smelters adjacent to the company’s lead-silver mines in the Argus Range. It is believed that the kilns were only in operation for a few years and this short lifespan may explain the remarkably good condition of the kilns, even more than 100 years after their construction.

(Photo from the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.)

For more information, visit the National Park Service’s page about the kilns.

The USS Hornet’s history is one that witnessed events including the The Doolittle Raid, the only mission during WWII that launched bombers from an aircraft carrier. The USS Hornet recovered the crew of the Apollo 11 mission after returning from space. The USS Hornet, a national historic landmark, is now located at Alameda point in the San Francisco Bay serving as a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the USS Hornet.

For more information, visit USS Hornet.

The Eames House (also known as Case Study House No.8) is a landmark of mid-20th century modern architecture located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was designed in 1949 by husband-and-wife design pioneers Charles and Ray Eames, to serve as their home and studio.

(Photo from the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.)

For more information, see Eames House.