signed by author. front hinge loose and spread. minor cover wear. bookplate and peal mark on end page. highlighting on table of contents. dustjacket faded with smudges and chips. spine top torn off. edge chips and small tears.

The title of The Fastest growing county in the United States has long belonged to Orange County, California - the home of Disneyland. How it got that way is a fascinating story, particularly when related by the old timers who lived through the country's fastest  growing years since the turn of the century. Merle Ramsey is one of these pioneers, one blessed fortunately with a marvelous memory for people, places, events and a way of life. Both he and Mabel, his wife of over sixty years, have an insatiable interest and curiosity about the good old days and have never tired of the pursuit of facts. Their research of fellow old timers, their descendants, photos, old newspapers, court house records and more provided a mountain of material for the book. To set the stage and put later events in perspective, Origins in Orange have been traced back to the days of the land booms stimulated by the Gold Rush and the transcontinental railroad: to the rough and tumble days of the Americans takeover and he decimation of the  great rancheros that followed. The stories too of the days of the Dons and the land grants, the creation of El Camino Real and the chain of Missions built by he Conquistadores of the Cross. Orange County was Mission Country for close to 60 years, chiefly under the influence and control of Mission San Juan Capistrano.