From left to right: Keith Johnson, Darcy Davis, and Ed Booth converge
at the corner of the train depot in Chico, on West Fifth and Orange
streets. Built in 1892, the building now serves as a terminal for
Amtrak and Greyhound,
and houses the Chico Art Center. (Not pictured: John Nopel)
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Images of Chico
Alum Ed Booth (BA, English, ’92) is the primary author of
Chico, part of the Images of America series published by Arcadia
Press in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Released last fall, the
book is co-authored by Keith Johnson, anthropology professor emeritus
and archivist for the Butte County Historical Society; local historian
John Nopel, also an alum (’35); and alum Darcy Davis (’82),
a local photojournalist.
Booth, a fifth-generation Chicoan, says he has always been fascinated
by historical photos of Chico. He worked for more than 15 years
as a sports writer and copyeditor for the Chico Enterprise-Record and
is currently a freelance writer. His father, Eddie Booth, spent
41 years at the newspaper, retiring as managing editor. Nopel made
his large collection of historical photographs of Chico available
to Booth for the book. “Being able to sit with
Mr. Nopel as he brought out stacks and stacks of fabulous old photos
was like sitting in a classroom and listening to the master cover
all the history,” says Booth.
Nopel’s photos were augmented by images from the Butte County
Historical Society archives, overseen by Johnson, and modern-day
photos by Davis. The photographs, which span 145 years, document
the changes in the Chico landscape. For example, the Esplanade,
Chico’s grand, tree-lined boulevard, once served as a stage
line, along with Main Street and Park Avenue. Rare photos show
how these thoroughfares evolved from dirt paths to rail lines to
the busy commercial streets of today.
“Many people come to Chico as university students and don’t
want to leave,” says Booth. “Others visit or come to
work here and stay the rest of their lives. That kind of lure is
what makes Chico history such a fascination.”
The Images of America series documents the history of a town or
region from the earliest days of photography to the end of the
20th century. Chico joins titles about other American communities,
including metropolitan areas such as Chicago, Boston, and Washington,
D.C., and smaller cities such as Salem (Ohio), Portsmouth (New
Hampshire), and Folsom (California).
Lisa Kirk, Public Affairs and Publications
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