BOOKS covering Stanislaus County history (in order of date published)

Many of the books shared here are available for purchase at Stanislaus Selections, the gift shop book store located within the McHenry Museum. Other works are available for onsite reading in the Special Collections room of the Modesto branch of the Stanislaus County Library or the Special Collections department of the CSU Stanislaus Library.

Please contact us to inquire at info@mchenrymuseum.org or (209) 618-5387.

1881: The History of Stanislaus County, California Illustrations by Leonidas Clay Branch (1853-1932) includes more than 200 “lithographic views” and was most recently reprinted by the MM&HS in 2012.

1913: Stanislaus County, California by J.J. Rhea is a brief 62-page history of Stanislaus County.

1914: The Story of Stanislaus by John T. Branhall was commissioned by The Modesto Herald (a leading local newspaper at the time) as a condensed history.

1921: History of Stanislaus County California by George H. Tinkham (1849-1945) was more than 1,500 pages when originally published. Tinkham’s tome tells the tale of the county’s formation, and includes biographies of some settlers.

1924: Stories of Stanislaus by Solomon P. Elias is based on oral histories of Stanislaus County residents. Elias, the compiling author, was the mayor of Modesto in the 1920s.

1941: Our County – A Story of Stanislaus by Joseph Burton Vasché was commissioned by Stanislaus County Schools and is aimed for third grade level reading.

1942: The Story of Our County by Joseph Burton Vasché was commissioned by Stanislaus County Schools was issued as a curriculum textbook for high school aged students.

1950: A Brief History of Stanislaus County: A Source Book for Secondary Schools by Margaret L. Annear is an updated version of Vasché’s 1942 book, again geared for high school-aged students. Modesto Junior College history professor Herbert Florcken contributed greatly to this work.

1955: Stanislaus County, 1854-1954: a Century of Growth by Herndon Carroll Ray is a history of Stanislaus County’s first one-hundred years.

1956: Along the Stanislaus: 1806 – 1906 by Florabel Brennan details accounts of Stanislaus County’s preeminent pioneers and their progeny.

1964: Early Exploration and Settlements in the San Joaquin Valley and Stanislaus County is by (an) unknown author(s).

1971: Stanislaus County by Peggy Mensinger, Gertrude Vashé, and Heidi Warner updated the 1941 publication, Our County - A Story of Stanislaus, as a new elementary book aimed at third graders. This effort was a project done in conjunction by Stanislaus County Schools Department of Education and the McHenry Museum.

1979: Scenes of Stanislaus: Postcard Memories by Dena Boer and Jeanette Gould Maino is a pictorial history of Stanislaus county through vintage postcards.

1981: History of Stanislaus County by Harry Bakker, Barbara McCullough, Marsha Zellman, Nanette Olson, and V. Ruth Smith updated the 1941 and 1971 publications written for local third grade elementary students. This was a cooperative project of the Stanislaus County Department of Education and eleven local school districts.

1982: Annals of Stanislaus County: River Towns and Ferries by Irwin Newton ‘Jack’ Brotherton is a detailed account of the early towns along Stanislaus County’s rivers and the flat-bottomed steam boats which served them.

1984: The way we were 50 years ago: East Modesto to Empire and beyond by Franklin Beard is an oral history of the Empire and East Modesto areas. It is the first of a three-part anthology on different parts of Stanislaus County.

1987: Grain Fields to Green Fields by Franklin Beard is an oral history of the Waterford and Montpelier areas. It is the second of a three-part anthology of different parts of Stanislaus County.

1988: Gold Fields to Grazing Fields by Franklin Beard is an oral history of the LaGrange and Knights Ferry areas. It is the third and final of a three-part anthology of different parts of Stanislaus County.

1988: Stanislaus County: An Illustrated History by Kathleen Gooch is a pictorial series on Stanislaus County.

1993: The Stanislaus Indian Wars: the last of the California Northern Yokuts by Thorne Gray is a history of the conflicts between the local Yokuts indigenous tribe-lets and westerners.

1994: Old Times in Stanislaus County: a Journey to the Past by Robert Dara Tatam is a pictorial history of Stanislaus County.

2004: The Modesto Bee: Stanislaus County Celebrates 150 Years is a look at the first 150 years of Stanislaus County by its leading local newspaper.

2004: “Read all about it!": a historical review of Stanislaus County newspapers by Ray Nish is a history of Stanislaus County through newspaper coverage.

2004: Stanislaus County History: from the pages of Stanislaus Stepping Stones, an anthology; 1976-1986 articles compiled by Robert LeRoy Santos & Lisa Burk contains several issues of the McHenry Museum & Historical Society’s Stanislaus Stepping Stones publication.

2010: Stanislaus County and the Westward Movement by Robert LeRoy Santos is a history of Stanislaus County.

2012: Changing times, 1964-65: Stanislaus County by Robert LeRoy Santos is a history Stanislaus County in the mid-1960s.

2023: StaniStory: Change and Continuity in Stanislaus County by Keith Highiet and David Seymour. This work comprehensively updates the previous publications (from 1941, 1971 and 1981) as written for a county-wide third grade audience. It’s suitable for older students and adults as well, and is free to download.