It is always fun learning the history of the town where you live and/or came from. It’s even better when you get to see through pictures how much that town has changed and how much of it has been preserved.
That is what Ellen Allmendinger brings to her readers with her newest book, “Past & Present Yakima.” a must-see for lovers of Yakima history and/or history in general.
For those who don’t know Allmendinger, she is a local writer passionate about our local history. Her books and walking tours have helped keep Yakima’s history alive. She is also the author of “Murder & Mayhem in Central Washington,” where she recounts the tales that once made this the roughest region of the Pacific Northwest; and the author of “Hidden History of Yakima,” where she explores forgotten events, buildings, businesses and the people who helped shape Yakima.
This coming Saturday, April 23, Allmendinger will be at Inklings Bookshop to sign her books and talk to readers about her inspiration behind “Past & Present Yakima” and its eye-catching photographs.
Says Allmendinger: “ ‘Past & Present Yakima’ consists of comparative photos of downtown Yakima. Each location contained within the book has a historic and a current-day photo along with a description allowing readers to visualize the changes, or in some cases preservation, of various locations in Yakima since the formation of the city over a century ago. Locations identified within the book include streets, government and historic buildings and businesses. My newest book provides readers with a wonderful way of identifying the location of past and present historical building sites as well as the vibrance of the city so long ago.”
• “Past & Present Yakima” by Ellen Allmendinger will be published by Arcadia Publishing on Tuesday, April 19. It retails for $23.99.
• Anne Zastrow works for Inklings Bookshop. She and other Inklings staffers review books in this space every week.
