From the Mission to the Madonna Inn, from Ozzie Smith’s heroics to Weird Al’s weirdness, San Luis Obispo saw its share of landmarks and highlights in the 20th century. It’s home to the world’s first motel and one of the West Coast’s most vibrant classic theaters. It’s a university town that’s the hub of a coastal community and a gateway to the most scenic stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. Former Tribune columnist and Cambrian editor Stephen H. Provost takes you on a journey through the 20th century in San Luis Obispo, once dubbed The Happiest Place in America. San Luis Obispo Century is part of his Century Cities series, which was created to celebrate and preserve the history of midsized and smaller American cities from 1900 to 1999.

San Luis Obispo Century contains a wealth of anecdotes, nearly 100 contemporary and historic images, and details of familiar stories you thought you knew, all in an easy-to-read timeline format.

You’ll find out about the building that housed a garage, William Randolph Hearst’s personal taxi service, a hotel annex, and newspaper offices before it was torn down to make room for Mission Plaza. You’ll learn about the raceway where speed records fell, and about Ah Louis and the history of U.S. 101. You’ll visit one of nation’s the few surviving drive-in theaters, and relive traditions like Riley’s Department Store, Scrubby and Lloyd’s Burgers, and Foster’s Freeze.

And that’s just the beginning. The pioneer years of the 19th century boom and recent developments in the new millennium hold many tales of their own. San Luis Obispo Century tells the story of what happened in between.