The Bay Bridge combines suspension, cantilever, tunnel, and truss constructions in an astonishing 8.4-mile-long structure. Envisioned first in 1872 by the legendary Emperor Norton, the project finally coalesced in the 1920s, although initial studies concluded that the bridge could not be built due to the bay's deep muddy waters and the area's strong earthquakes. President Herbert Hoover, who was also an engineer, took up the cause, and the $80.8-million project began in 1933. It would replace an extensive set of ferries and forever alter the landscape and commerce of the Bay Area. Over the...

California's mighty rivers served as the state's early superhighways. Riverboats transported countless tons of supplies, workers, and settlers from the coast to inland gold rush colonies and everywhere in between. Majestic sidewheelers and sternwheelers burning coal, wood, and oil plied the waterways of the delta, as well as the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Napa Rivers, and the lesser-known routes of the Sonoma and Petaluma. Starting with the Sitka in 1847, boats such as the Captain Weber, Jacinto, Fort Sutter, T.C. Walker, and J.R. McDonald ruled the rivers, visiting such ports as Courtland,...