Los Angeles County

Sources

• Los Angeles: The 1769 Portola expedition had named the local river Rio de Porciuncula on the day that celebrates "Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de Porciuncula." Various forms of the name were used before the county and city became officially "Los Angeles" in 1850 when the county was among the first twenty-seven established.

• Malibu: Unincorporated area from Leo Carrillo State Beach at the Ventura County line to Pacific Palisades at Santa Monica. Probably named for early Chumash village; also early settlement by Gabrielino Indians; part of Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit. Purchased 1887 as ranch by Frederick and May Rindge. State Highway through Malibu in 1929 followed long and bitter fight for privacy by Rindges. Fire history: Let Malibu Burn: A political history of the Fire Coast by Mike Davis.

• Leo Carrillo State Beach: Early Chumash settlement; archeological site. Beach named for actor Leo Carrillo, born in Los Angeles, descendent of family active in California ranching and politics and who, as member of State Beaches & Parks Commission, instrumental in acquisition of land between Malibu Lagoon and Point Mugu.

• Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beaches: Includes El Pescador (fisherman), La Piedra (rock) and El Matador. Meyer honored for work with State Park system.

• Point Dume: named by 1782 explorer George Vancouver for Father Dumetz of Mission San Buenaventura.

• Paradise Cove: Setting for TV's "The Rockford Files."

• Escondido Beach: "Hidden" in Spanish. Nearby is 1950 motel designed by Richard J. Neutra.

• Malibu Colony: After 1929 Pacific Coast Highway construction, Rindge family leased and later sold property as exclusive homes for celebrities. Subsequently some public accessways to the beach have been obtained; one is named for Doonesbury character Zonker Harris.

• Malibu Lagoon State Beach: Includes lagoon Chumash site; Surfrider Beach popularized in movies. Nearby historic marker at probable site of Cabrillo 1542 landing. 1929 Adamson House belonged to last owners of the land grant, open to public.

• Malibu Pier: Located in "Keller's Shelter" named for 1860 owner; Frederick Rindge built pier in 1903, replaced in 1943 by William Huber who in 1980 sold to state. Protected by 1960 artificial reef of concrete pilings and old streetcars about one mile to southeast.

• Topanga State Beach: Private homes on property owned by Los Angeles Athletic Club were sold to state and removed in 1969 and beach opened to public.

• Will Rogers State Historic Park: Ranch and home of famous "cowboy philosopher" donated to state by his family in 1944. Grounds, house and memorabilia on display.

  Santa Monica Mountain Alternative Hike, via Backbone Trail, extends from Will Rogers State Historic Park north to La Jolla Valley, Thornhill Broome State Beach, in southern Ventura County and includes many historically notable sites.

• Pacific Palisades: Has been in succession a Los Angeles resort, Chautauqua site, and artists colony and contains many homes by notable modern architects.

• Santa Monica: Named by Portola expedition 1769. 1828 grant to Francisco Sepulveda, sold in 1872 to developers who envisioned Santa Monica Bay as the port for Los Angeles. After 1897 designation of San Pedro as port, Santa Monica developers concentrated on the beach and amenities, available to Los Angeles by interurban trolley.

• Santa Monica State Beach: From Will Rogers State Beach to Venice City Beach, including some beachside celebrity cottages from 1920's.

• Santa Monica Municipal Pier: Site of 1870's landing to export tar from La Brea Tar Pits; 1894 railroad wharf; now consists of 1900's and 1916 pier for commercial and public fishing and an amusement center.

• Ocean Park: Developed as seaside resort in 1892; amusement piers have since been demolished.

• Venice: Noted architects Norman March and C.H. Russell were hired by Abbot Kinney to develop a "Venice of America" with a network of large and smaller canals, and offering cultural events. A few canals remain, most have been filled.

• Venice City Beach: 1905 Ocean Front Walk and 1920 first full time professional lifeguards.

• Venice Fishing Pier: 1965 pier replaces 1905 pier and pavilion demolished in 1947.

• Marina del Rey Harbor: Gabrielino Indian villages along marshlands, from 1815-1825 the route of the Los Angeles River. Commercial harbor developed in 1887 was only mildly successful; further dredging in 1960 produced recreational harbor.

• Ballona Lagoon and Wetlands: Gabrielino Indian sites. Named for Bayona, home in Spain of Talamantes family who had early land grant, Ballona de las Cerretas. In early 1900's mostly drained and converted to farmland; later oil and gas wells drilled.

• Airport Dunes: Remnants of extensive historic dunes, most of which became sites of industrial and residential development. Homes in path of Los Angeles International Airport were removed in 1975 but streets and sidewalks remain.

• Dockweiler State Beach: Named for state park commissioner Isadore B. Dockweiler. Look at the sand.

• City of El Segundo: "The second" refers to 1911 second California oil refinery of Standard Oil.

• Manhattan Beach: Seaside resort of late 1890's, stimulated in 1903 by Pacific Electric Railway "big red cars." With more development in 1920's , dunes were leveled and sand shipped to beaches in Hawaii. Historical museum nearby.

• Manhattan State Beach/Pier: Bike path over railbed of Pacific Electric Railroad. 1900's pier destroyed by 1913 storm was replaced by 1920 pier with later octagonal pavilion which remain; a 1928 extension was demolished by storms in 1941.

• Hermosa City Beach/Pier: Pacific Electric Railway also spurred development of 1901 beach community. Today's 1965 pier replaces 1904 and 1913 piers destroyed by storms.

• City of Redondo Beach: Named after adjacent rancho Sausal Redondo ("round willow grove") although city itself is on the old Rancho San Pedro; an 1881 town promoted to attract those arriving by transcontinental rail; was served by the Pacific Electric Railway and a narrow-gauge railway to Los Angeles. Henry Huntington became a major investor. An offshore submarine canyon made port accessible to shipping, but San Pedro soon became the designated Los Angeles port.

• Redondo Beach Municipal Pier and Monstad Pier: The municipal horseshoe shaped "endless pier" was built in 1915, rebuilt in 1929 after storm damage. The Monstad Pier extends from the southern end of the municipal pier, built in 1927 by W.M. Monstad. A bronze bust of George Freeth recognizes the Hawaiian surfer who in 1907 introduced that sport in California at an exhibition sponsored by Huntington.

• City of Torrance: For his 1911 ideal community Jared W. Torrance brought in landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Irving J. Gill.

• Palos Verdes Peninsula: Subdivided for elegant estates in 1920's.

• Malaga Cove: Gabrielino artifacts indicate Indian site. A swimming pool built in 1926 is open to the public.

• City of Palos Verdes Estates: 1920's community designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and John Olmsted. City of Rancho Palos Verdes was developed in the late 1940's.

• Palos Verdes Estates Shoreline Preserve: Visible remains of the freighter "Dominator" which ran aground in 1961. Nearby is 1946 Wayfarers Chapel designed Lloyd Wright and a national monument to Emmanuel Swedenborg.

• Point Vicente Park and Lighthouse: 1926 lighthouse and interpretive visitors center open to the public. Funny stories about the four Los Angeles Harbor Lighthouses.

• Portuguese Bend: Named for Portuguese whalers of mid-1800's. Large 1956 landslide still active.

• Angels Gate Park: Named for historic Angels Gate Lighthouse at end of San Pedro breakwater. Bell of Friendship, housed in pavilion, is 1976 gift from Korea.

• Point Fermin State Park and Lighthouse: Named by British explorer George Vancouver in 1973 for Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen who established nine of the twenty-one missions. The 1874 lighthouse is built of lumber and bricks shipped around Cape Horn. Automated in 1928 and converted to a radar station in World War II, it is now a private residence.

• San Pedro: Named Bay of Smokes by Cabrillo in 1542, and San Pedro Bay by Vizcaino in 1602. Juan Jose Dominguez' 1784 Rancho San Pedro land grant later became Rancho de los Palos Verdes under the Sepulveda family. At nearby Fort MacArthur was an 1823 hide and tallow warehouse, San Pedro Bay's first commercial structure. Regular stagecoach and wagon service, plus construction of the Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad, led to its development as a major port. The Southern Pacific Railroad reached San Pedro in 1882 and Los Angeles annexed it in 1909.

• Cabrillo Beach: Created in 1929 from dredgings dumped at western end of breakwater.

• Port of Los Angeles: Largest artificial harbor in the world, including the ports of Los Angeles (San Pedro) and Long Beach, is the result of extensive dredging and filling beginning with the main channel in 1871, breakwater in 1873 between Rattlesnake Island (now Terminal Island) and Deadman's Island which no longer exists, federal breakwater between 1899 and 1940's, and main channel deepening in 1983.

• Los Angeles Maritime Museum: Housed in the old Municipal Ferry Building. Ferry service to Terminal Island, 1941 and 1963, ceased when Vincent Thomas Bridge was completed.

• (nearby) Camp Drum Barracks: Remnant of Union Army headquarters for Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico, during Civil War. Museum.

• Los Angeles River: Channelized in 1940 at San Pedro Bay, river in 1815 due to flooding emptied into Ballona Creek and Marsh; again due to flooding, returned in 1825 to San Pedro Bay.

• Queen Mary: A major ocean liner between 1934 and 1964, a tourist attraction of Long Beach since 1967. Airplane Spruce Goose, formerly nearby, has been moved to Seattle.

• City of Long Beach: Part of 1784 Nieto land grant, later Los Cerritos and Los Alamitos ranchos, then 1881 Willmore City ocean resort, incorporated as Long Beach 1897. 1893 municipal pier remodeled in 1904, and amusement park, destination for Pacific Electric Railway tourists in 1906. 1921 oil drilling brought boom but later subsidence and oil seepage problems. 1933 earthquake caused severe damage; World War II brought resurgence of activity.

• Shoreline Village: has pedestrian bike path and Tallship Californian.

• Aquarium of the Pacific

• Long Beach City Beach: 1940's breakwaters shelter beach. Historic 1938 lifeguard headquarters now a lifeguard museum.

• Belmont Pier: 1968 T-shaped pier was adjacent to 1915 Grand Avenue Pier before latter demolished.

• (nearby) Colorado Lagoon: Manmade tidal lagoon built for the 1932 Olympics.

• (nearby) Marine Stadium: Narrow two-mile-long body of sea water was built in mid-1920's and used for 1932 Olympics.

• Alamitos Peninsula: Shelters estuary later dredged to become Alamitos Bay. Pacific Electric Railway formerly ran along peninsula and across bridge to Seal Beach to the south.

• Naples: Residential community in Alamitos Bay and sheltered by Alamitos Peninsula, built by A.M. Parsons between 1903 and 1906. Dredgings were used to construct three islands. Acquired by Henry Huntington in 1907. Adjacent to Marine Stadium waterway.

• San Gabriel River: Flowed into Los Angeles River before flooding of 1867 diverted it into Alamitos Bay; rerouted in 1940's to run adjacent to bay to avoid silting. Aerial Tour of the Los Cerritos Wetlands