One of my favorite daily treats is the Bancroft Library’s Digital Object of the Day, which can be found on their Facebook page or by following them on Twitter at @bancroftlibrary.

In honor of spring, which arrives Sunday, the Bancroft has sent out a photo of an early version of a spring road trip. This photo was taken in in Calico, a silver mining town on King Mountain not too far from Barstow. Today it is a ghost town and tourist attraction. Imagine the bounce in those cars as they traveled over those dirt roads.

Frances Dinkelspiel, Berkeleyside and CItyside co-founder, is a journalist and author. Her first book, Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California, published in November...