Port Costa may be a quiet place now, but it wasn’t always thus. The town was born in 1879, when the Central Pacific Railroad built its southern ferry-transfer slip at the mouth of the Bull Valley. For 50 years, trains, passengers, and cargo were transported across the Carquinez Strait from Benicia. A thriving waterfront community with a wild side reminiscent of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast sprang up around the ferry terminal and grew during the California wheat boom of the 1880s and 1890s. During this time, Port Costa became one of the busiest ports on the West Coast. The wheat ships and ferryboats are gone now, but Port Costa remains a popular local tourist destination for people who wish to catch a glimpse of Contra Costa County’s historic past.

Port Costa (CA) (Images of America)

Arts & Photography

John V. Robinson

Veronica Crane

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

Spanning the Strait combines an oral history of Al Zampa with a photgraphic record of the construction of the bridge named in his honor. The Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge is the first major structure named in honor of an iron worker, a union man, or a working person. With a project life span of 150 years the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge will be a glorious labor landmark for many years to come.

Spanning the Strait

Carquinez Press

The summer of 2007 marks the opening of the new Benicia-Martinez Bridge between Solano and Contra Costa Counties in California. Building the Benicia-Martinez Bridgetraces the transportation history of the area from the old railroad ferry service, through the construction of the existing bridges, and documents the construction of the new bridge.

Building the Benicia-Martinez Bridge

Review
Building the Benicia-Martinez Bridge is the latest in a series of visually stimulating bridge photo documentaries by Robinson. The book brings more to the table than a photograph collection, delving into the folklore...and the history behind the bridge. --Martinez News-Gazette, November 2007

Robinson combines passion for bridges and photos. Robinson [has] documented the five-year construction with stellar color shots; he [has] also included historical photos of the original bridge built in 1929. --Vallejo Times Herald, October 2007 

Product Description
The summer of 2007 marks the opening of the new Benicia-Martinez Bridge between Solano and Contra Costa Counties in California. Building the Benicia-Martinez Bridgetraces the transportation history of the area from the old railroad ferry service, through the construction of the existing bridges, and documents the construction of the new bridge.

Building The Benicia-Martinez Bridge

Bridging the Tacoma Narrows

The completion of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge marks the third time the Tacoma Narrows has been spanned by a suspension bridge. The fate of the first bridge, "Galloping Gertie," is the stuff of legend. A replacement bridge stands on Gertie's foundation and the new bridge rises to its south. In Bridging the Tacoma Narrows John V. Robinson contributes another chapter to the rich history of the Tacoma Narrows Bridges. This book allows readers to visually explore the years of effort put in by the hundreds of men and women who designed and built this great bridge.

The completion of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge marks the third time the Tacoma Narrows has been spanned by a suspension bridge. The fate of the first bridge, "Galloping Gertie," is the stuff of legend. A replacement bridge stands on Gertie's foundation and the new bridge rises to its south. In Bridging the Tacoma Narrows John V. Robinson contributes another chapter to the rich history of the Tacoma Narrows Bridges. This book allows readers to visually explore the years of effort put in by the hundreds of men and women who designed and built this great bridge.

Alfred Zampa didn't know what he was getting into when he took a construction job in 1925 on the Carquinez Bridge, one of the first to cross San Francisco Bay. Despite the risk, Zampa relished the challenge and embarked on an illustrious career that made him a local legend. His impressive feats of iron craft are evident in numerous spans, including the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate, as well as others across the country. He was one of the first to survive a fall from the Golden Gate Bridge, making him a founding member of the Halfway to Hell Club in 1936. The Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, named to honor the man after his death, replaced the first bridge he had worked on nearly eighty years earlier. This remarkable story of skill, grit and enduring spirit is told through oral histories collected by John Robinson and Isabelle Maynard.

Bay Area Iron Master Al Zampa:: A Life Building Bridges

Isabelle Maynard

The History Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by John V. Robinson. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by John V. Robinson

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by John V. Robinson. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Port Costa (CA) (Images of America)

Spanning the Strait

Building the Benicia-Martinez Bridge

Building The Benicia-Martinez Bridge

Bridging the Tacoma Narrows

Bridging the Tacoma Narrows

Bay Area Iron Master Al Zampa:: A Life Building Bridges