The first U.S. town to secede from the Union, only to vote themselves right back in.

The tallest bridge in California was constructed for a project that was eventually cancelled.

This 19th century hydroelectric powerhouse was the first of its kind.

A working miniature city designed to teach kids about safety and presumably city planning.

The last of a gourmet supermarket chain, this store helped spark California's Food Revolution.

A tiny survivor of the Donner Party disaster.

This 15-story mural celebrates the 50th anniversary of the musician's iconic "At Folsom Prison" album.

Where the first "expert riders, willing to risk death daily" for the Pony Express were recruited.

This 19th century train workshop is a treasure trove of railroad history.

The California capital city once stood 10 feet lower than it does today.

A replica of the first public theater built in California.

I Street Bridge is the heaviest swinging center bridge in the United States.

Art Deco stylings conceal the true nature of this bridge.

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.

This abandoned boat was left in place thanks to its rotting beauty.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

Ride on a fully-restored Nike nuclear-tipped missile elevator from the Cold War.

This lighthouse has been guiding shipping into the Golden Gate since before the American Civil War.

One of the last remaining Carpenter Gothic churches is situated on a wildflower conservatory overlooking the bay.

This historic California cemetery holds the bodies of veterans of both the Civil War and the Donner Party.

The haunting ruins of Jack London's dream house.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

Big gun installations, built over a massive cemetery, now abandoned & hidden in trees.

Another of California's unused Cold War missile defense complexes has become a graffiti gallery.