For centuries, California's environment has nurtured remarkable people. Ohlone Lope Inigo found a way to protect his family in troubled times on the shores of San Francisco Bay. Pioneer Juana Briones made a fortune from her rancho yet took the time to care for those in need. Innovator Thomas Foon Chew discovered a climate for success, in spite of the obstacles. Around the region that became Silicon Valley, filmmaker Charlie Chaplin found inspiration, poet Robert Louis Stevenson uncovered adventure and Sarah Winchester built a house that would intrigue people long after she was gone. Author Robin Chapman shares fascinating tales of those who exemplify the enterprising spirit of the Golden State. "The six fascinating tales in the book help readers understand the enterprising spirit of the Bay Area." Marty Cheek, Morgan Hill Life "Chapman ... author of California Apricots: The Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley, tells another compelling story in her latest book." The Los Altos Town Crier "The reader will marvel at "the web she's able to spin," telling true stories in a fashion that makes it hard to put the book down ... May the author continue her marvelous research and remarkable writing, uncovering future stories on the evolution of "The Golden State." Craig MacDonald, See California "The breadth and depth of Ms. Chapman's research, plus her splendid storytelling, differentiate her book ... This explains why people still need books during the Internet era." Crystal Tai, Mountain View Patch. "Read this book and so much more will come to mind when you think of the Bay Area than Silicon Valley, Google and Steve Jobs. These stories are rich with the personalities of a diverse handful of historical entrepreneurs, innovators and visionaries ... you will be fascinated by what you learn." Marianne Richmond, Goodreads As historian Doris Kearns Goodwin said: "Some people just have a determination to go forward." Rather than getting stuck in past paradigms, these figures from California history sought solutions. As such, they are the progenitors of Silicon Valley's creative thinkers of today. Drive up to Skyline Boulevard above San Francisco Bay and you will have view that stretches from San Francisco Bay to San Jose and almost all the way to Monterey. Look down at this rich land and across to the Pacific. This is the land that nurtured these Historic Bay Area Visionaries. "Seeing history come alive during her years as a reporter in Washington D.C. stirred the author's interest in America's stories." Robin Chapman is a longtime journalist who is a native of the Santa Clara Valley. She earned her master's degree in journalism from the University of California-Los Angeles and worked at KRON-TV in San Francisco and several other stations in the West before heading to Washington, D.C. In 2009, she returned to California and authored California Apricots. She now writes a history column for a Silicon Valley weekly and serves on the board of the Los Altos History Museum. This is her fifth book.