Air traffic control didn’t pose a great challenge in the earliest days of Los Angeles International Airport. Then known as Mines Field, the facility was chosen to be the site for Los Angeles’ official airport in 1928. In those days, the open field east of Inglewood had a couple of dusty dirt runways that turnedContinue reading “The control tower at Los Angeles International Airport has come a long way since 1930”
Author Archives: Sam Gnerre
Suspect in 1935 murder case led authorities to Berth 146 in Wilmington
19-year-old Thomas Leroy Drake Jr. had lived with his great-uncle and great-aunt, Henry Steinheuer, 60, and his wife, Nellie, 50, in Long Beach since 1930. In 1935, the couple moved to a modest house on West 43rd St. in Los Angeles, in the Leimert Park Area. Drake attended Long Beach City College for two years,Continue reading “Suspect in 1935 murder case led authorities to Berth 146 in Wilmington”
The Forum has seen many changes since Jack Kent Cooke dreamt it up in 1966
Recent news that the Korean automaker Kia has become the latest company to buy naming rights to the Forum in Inglewood gives us a fine opportunity to take a look back at the storied venue’s history. The southeast corner of Manchester Blvd. and Prairie Ave, just across the street from Inglewood Park Cemetery, was coveredContinue reading “The Forum has seen many changes since Jack Kent Cooke dreamt it up in 1966”
Pioneer developer George Peck established San Pedro’s first bank in 1888
George Peck saw the potential for development in the San Pedro harbor area while working as a conductor on the Southern Pacific railroad. In 1886, he decided to move there, building a house overlooking Timms Point. The new settlement had begun taking shape in 1882, when the partitioning of the Sepulveda family land grant tookContinue reading “Pioneer developer George Peck established San Pedro’s first bank in 1888”
For a time, Dodgers baseball great Carl Furillo called Manhattan Beach home
During the last few decades, a number of Los Angeles-area sports stars from the Kings, Lakers and other teams have decided to settle in the South Bay’s beach cities. Carl Furillo, a standout player for the Brooklyn Dodgers, pioneered the idea when he moved his family to Manhattan Beach after the Dodgers came to LosContinue reading “For a time, Dodgers baseball great Carl Furillo called Manhattan Beach home”
Upscale Manhattan Village shopping mall replaces former Chevron tank farm
Frank Bennett was busy raising melons and lima beans on his El Segundo farm in 1911 when representatives from the Standard Oil Co. contacted him about buying his land. The company needed to build a Southern California refinery to ease the load on its Richmond facility in the Bay Area. Bennett’s 840 acres fit theContinue reading “Upscale Manhattan Village shopping mall replaces former Chevron tank farm”
The 1956 deluge that swamped Torrance and forced flood control improvements
In a recent post about the Dominguez Channel, I mentioned how Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn vowed to improve the flood control situation in the South Bay after meeting local residents forced to evacuate to the Leuzinger High School gym during a 1952 rainstorm. That storm dropped more than five inches of rain duringContinue reading “The 1956 deluge that swamped Torrance and forced flood control improvements”
Rancho Palos Verdes has big plans for Ladera Linda Park
Ladera Linda translates into “lovely hillside” in English, so it’s an apt name for the 11-acre park with the amazing ocean views nestled against the coastal Rancho Palos Verdes hills. With the city’s announcement that a long-planned $18.7 million complete renovation of the park and its community center will become a reality, a look backContinue reading “Rancho Palos Verdes has big plans for Ladera Linda Park”
The early days of Avalon, Catalina Island’s only incorporated city
The natural harbor on the eastern end of Catalina makes it a perfectly logical choice as the island’s main port and settlement area. Augustus Timms found it a good place from which to operate his goat farm in the 1860s, and the sparsely settled location became known as Timms Landing. Timms got around. He laterContinue reading “The early days of Avalon, Catalina Island’s only incorporated city”
Borax firm remains a fixture at the Port of Los Angeles after nearly a century
The company that helped make Death Valley famous via its long-running radio and television anthology series “Death Valley Days” also has had an imprint on the Port of Los Angeles since 1924. Formed in an 1890 consolidation, the Pacific Coast Borax Company’s roots stretch back to 1872 and the formation of the Smith and StoreyContinue reading “Borax firm remains a fixture at the Port of Los Angeles after nearly a century”
