Pinole is a small city with a very big history. Pinole holds the unique
distinction of having the oldest name in Contra Costa County. The area's
first fast food, pinolli, originated here with the 1772 Spanish
discovery. Since then, the landscape has changed from nineteenth century
cattle round-ups at Rancho El Pinole to twenty-first century round-ups
of laptops, iPads, and smartphones at local eateries. The last grizzly
bear disappeared from here in 1848. But the last dinosaur still exists
from the extinct Pinole Midget Golf course.
Pinole's appealing geography of bay, fertile valleys, and favorable
climate has attracted a multi-cultural stream of newcomers through time.
From gala Fourth of July parades of the early 1900s to the Fiesta del
Pinole pageants of the 1960s, Pinole has always known how to celebrate
its heritage and the contributions of its citizens. This book captures
the images of many of those moments of celebration as Pinole emerged
from a sleepy village into a dynamic city.