Colton

Take a train to Southern California, and you'll pass through Colton. Once the home of Gabrielino and Serrano Indians, Colton is now known as the "Hub City," the only place in the United States where the Union Pacific and the Burlington, Northern & Santa Fe railroads cross. Westward-bound rail passengers travel through the horseshoe-shaped valley along the same trails that served Spanish explorers journeying from Mexico to Monterey in the 1770s. The valley's early settlers made use of the rich soil and ready transportation, cultivating fruit trees and shipping their harvest north and east. Legendary figures have also roamed Colton's streets, including the famous Tombstone gunslingers Wyatt Earp and his brother Virgil, who was Colton's first marshal, and their father, Nicholas, who served as a justice of the peace and city recorder. Over the 150 years of the community's history, many have passed through Colton, and all have left their mark on this classically Californian town.

Larry Sheffield, a contributor to both The Sun and The Colton City News, has collected more than 200 historic photographs, many from the archives of the Colton Area Museum Association, an organization he currently serves as president. This is his third book on the history of Colton and the only published collection of historic images devoted exclusively to the city.