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Historic Bay Area Visionaries

By Robin Chapman | Book review by Craig MacDonald

California native Robin Chapman was known as a first-rate journalist at KRON-TV in San Francisco, WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., and several other places over her 30-year career in front of a camera. But she may be an even better author.

Like her passion of solving crossword puzzles, the Los Altos native focuses her curiosity, investigative skills and ability to place the right word in the right place at the right time in the two books I’ve reviewed—California Apricots: The Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley and her latest, Historic Bay Area Visionaries.

In her new book, you’ll learn about such fascinating and diverse characters as:

• Juana Briones, who was never taught to read or write but developed a relentless compassion to assist others and ended up owning a 4,439 acre property that became Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto.
• Robert Louis Stevenson, who came from Scotland to California, chasing a woman.
• Sarah Winchester, like Stevenson, took a train across America before becoming an international woman of intrigue for her incredible Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.
• Lope Inigo, an alcalde at Mission Santa Clara, became one of the first Indians to receive a private land grant, some of which evolved into Moffett Field Naval Air Station.
• Charlie Chaplin came to Niles (Alameda County) to work for a motion picture company called Essanay.

Read Historic Bay Area Visionaries book review!