This image is the cover for the book The Valley of Heart's Delight, American Chronicles

The Valley of Heart's Delight, American Chronicles

The Santa Clara Valley, with its rich soil and sunny weather, has been home to great diversity and great innovation long before it became known as Silicon Valley.


California's first immigrants from Mexico were astonished by its beauty. "The land is moist and the hills have an abundance of rosemary and herbs, sunflowers in bloom, vines as plentiful as a vineyard," wrote one. From the movie stars of Hollywood's golden era who once came to play to billionaires who grew apricots for pleasure, the valley has hosted orchards, electric railroads, Army camps and even a love-struck poet.


Join author and historian Robin Chapman as she uncovers the true tales of this ever-changing place.

Robin Chapman

Robin Chapman is a longtime journalist and a native of the Santa Clara Valley. During her career as a reporter and anchor, she worked in Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C. She covered Congress, the Supreme Court and the White House, and seeing history in the making stirred her interest in America's tales. She has a column in her hometown newspaper and has written several books, including California Apricots: The Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley and Historic Bay Area Visionaries.

The History Press