The White Caps movement started in Indiana in the late 1830s. The vigilante group used a variety of methods in order to maintain what they felt were proper community standards, especially in frontier areas with little formal law enforcement. Its members usually were members of the community seeking to punish men who abused their wives,Continue reading “White Caps vigilante group sought justice via tar and feathers in 1889 San Pedro case”
Author Archives: Sam Gnerre
Hermosa Beach’s Golden State Silk Mills becomes the West Coast’s first silk processing plant
During the 1920s, the small city of Hermosa Beach became the unlikely center of the West Coast silk industry with the arrival of the Golden State Silk Mills plant. Up until then, the silk industry had been concentrated in the Northeast states, with mills there having to wait for shipments of raw silk from JapanContinue reading “Hermosa Beach’s Golden State Silk Mills becomes the West Coast’s first silk processing plant”
Pioneering Wilmington businessman Phineas Banning also helped mete out frontier justice
Shipping and mercantile magnate Phineas Banning became a larger-than-life figure after coming to California in 1851. He founded Wilmington, naming the community after his Delaware home town. He brought the first railroad line to the Harbor Area and played a key role in the early development of Los Angeles Harbor as a seaport. He builtContinue reading “Pioneering Wilmington businessman Phineas Banning also helped mete out frontier justice”
A look at karate champion turned movie star Chuck Norris’ South Bay roots
Chuck Norris may not have been born in the South Bay, but he spent a good part of his formative years there. Ray Dee, a World War II veteran who worked as a truck driver, turned out to be an alcoholic, and the family saw little of him once they moved to California. It wasContinue reading “A look at karate champion turned movie star Chuck Norris’ South Bay roots”
Developer Don Wilson overcame zoning controversy to build Marble Estates in Torrance
It’s hard to overestimate how much the city of Torrance relied on the oil industry in its early days. Southern California as a whole experienced a frenzy of oil exploration and production during the 1920s, and the South Bay was no exception. Union Tool Co., the city’s first major manufacturing firm, built its large plantContinue reading “Developer Don Wilson overcame zoning controversy to build Marble Estates in Torrance”
Christopher Wilder’s savage crime rampage included a stopoff in the South Bay
On April 4, 1984, Tina Marie Risico went to the Hickory Farms store in the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance to fill out an application for employment. From there, the 16-year-old Shery High School student’s life suddenly took a terrifying cross-country detour. While she was applying for the job, a man approached her, handedContinue reading “Christopher Wilder’s savage crime rampage included a stopoff in the South Bay”
Rancho San Pedro land grant heiress Maria Dolores Dominguez de Watson left a lasting legacy
The Dominguez family’s role in the history of the South Bay and Harbor Area began with the King of Spain granting the area known as the Rancho San Pedro to soldier Juan Jose Dominguez in 1776. Dominguez, who never married, settled on the land in 1784. Upon his death in 1809, the land passed toContinue reading “Rancho San Pedro land grant heiress Maria Dolores Dominguez de Watson left a lasting legacy”
Manhattan Beach’s Neptunian Club has given the city’s women a voice since 1909
“Labor Omnia Vinci.” Work conquers all. When ten women led by Jessie Bell Smith in the then-unincorporated and sparsely populated Manhattan Beach area decided to get together and form a club on May 26, 1909, they chose that noble Latin phrase as an aspirational motto. Because of their nascent community’s proximity to the ocean, theyContinue reading “Manhattan Beach’s Neptunian Club has given the city’s women a voice since 1909”
Architect Irving J. Gill’s plans for the new city of Torrance had varying levels of success
After Irving J. Gill accepted the job as chief designer for the development of Torrance from the new community’s developers in 1912, the renowned architect came up with ambitious plans both for its business and its residential areas. Some of them remain historic fixtures in Torrance to this day. With its simple, graceful arches, theContinue reading “Architect Irving J. Gill’s plans for the new city of Torrance had varying levels of success”
Several South Bay cities have discriminatory “Sundown Town” legacies in their past
During the first half of the 20th Century, real estate developers couched racial discrimination under the legalese of “restrictive covenants.” City fathers seized beach property set aside for minorities under the pretext of wanting the land for a city park. And a developer’s refusal to sell housing to African-Americans in 1963 made national headlines. TheseContinue reading “Several South Bay cities have discriminatory “Sundown Town” legacies in their past”
