Inside Berry News Co. in 1940.
Books for Sale
The Leonard "Duke" Davis Collection
High School teacher turned historian, Leonard “Duke” Davis has been instrumental in documenting Roseville history. A founding member of the Roseville Historical Society, Duke was active until just recently when his health prevented his further involvement. We at the museum are eternally grateful for his work and continue to sell his books to the public for their enjoyment and knowledge about local history. The society is proud to have partnered with him on many of his works and have been the beneficiary of his detailed research as a result. Duke’s books are detailed here on our website and you can peruse them in person at the museum.
"The Big Move"
"The Big Move"
By Leonard M. Davis
Before Roseville became the significant railroad center on the West Coast that it is today, the railroad glory was shining on another town nearby. Just a few miles east on the tracks from Roseville, is the their neighbor town of Rocklin. That's where the railroad repair facilities were located until 1906. Then came the "Big Move" when Southern Pacific transferred their facilities from Rocklin to Roseville and what followed almost immediately was growth that led to Roseville becoming Placer County's largest and most important city.
As the economic stimulation from the railroad drained away from Rocklin, they relied more on their other key industry: mining granite. Rocklin continued to thrive by supplying quality granite to some great construction projects, such as the State Capital in Sacramento.
The two-year period between 1906 and 1908 is when the switch was made by Southern Pacific and this book tells the story of that significant time in the shared history of both cities.