USA > California > Los Angeles County > History of Los Angeles county, Volume I > Part 51
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The territory included in Long Beach originally belonged to the old time Cerretos (Little Hills) rancho and a portion of the rancho Los Alamitos (Little Cottonwoods). In 1846, Stockton's sailors and marines marched over this ground hauling their cannon on ox-carts to capture the capital city, Los Angeles. In.1864, the Los Alamitos ranch containing 28,000 acres was advertised for sale for the amount of taxes then unpaid-$152-but not a person could be found bold enough in speculation to bid the tract in for the taxes. Later it passed to Michael Reese, a broker of San Francisco. The thousands of cattle on the ranch died during the famine years of 1863-64, after which it was stocked with sheep by Jotham Bixby & Com- pany and in 1880 the firm sold four thousand acres to a colony and the land was divided into five, ten and twenty-acre lots. A town was platted by a school teacher of Fresno named Willmore, who formed a colony of teachers there. He lost all he had invested in the project and died in poverty. He called his place Willmore City, in which the founder succeeded in erecting a dozen cheap houses. In the spring of 1884, the Long Beach Land & Water Company purchased the unsold portions of the colony lands above noted, and changed the name to Long Beach, and nothing more was ever heard of "Willmore City." Under the new management a hotel was built and a horse car line was constructed to the Los Angeles & San Pedro railroad
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track, two miles distant. Later, the Southern Pacific railway built a spur or "Y" into the city and a dummy engine switched the rear car (Long Beach car) into the town by the sea. Of course there, as well as in Los Angeles, the great boom was in 1887, but it was followed by disaster. In the United States census report the population was given as 564. In 1888 the town was incorporated as a city of the sixth class, but so heavy were its burdens that it disbanded, or rather disincorporated. But with the building of the termi- nal railroad from Los Angeles to East San Pedro, Long Beach and Rattle- snake Island, which was completed in 1891, new life was granted to Long
ON THE BEACH AND ALONG THE PIKE AT LONG BEACH
Beach. The Huntington Electric road from Los Angeles to Long Beach was completed in 1902, and this gave the place another substantial growth. Mil- lions of dollars have been expended on the improvement of the harbor, much new territory has from time to time been annexed to the city, the Bixby hotel was erected in 1906 and before being completed, without warning of any kind, it collapsed, killing ten workmen. It was a reinforced concrete building, costing $500,000. It was rebuilt and its total cost was $750,000.
Of the banking interests of Long Beach, the reader is referred to the special chapter on Banks and Banking in this volume. The city had an assessed valuation in 1914 of $30,369,838. The average deposits in the seven banks at that date totaled $7,483,855.00.
The city owns its own wharves, one of which cost $245,000 and has a frontage of 2,241 feet. There is also an 1,800-foot pleasure pier and bath house.
The increase in population in this city is indeed remarkable. In 1900,
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the figures were 2,252; in 1910, it had grown to 17,809; in 1920, it had reached 55,553 according to the United States census returns and the recent city directory, and the school census shows that in June, 1922, its population was not far from the 75,000 mark.
No better public schools exist in any California city. The enrollment, in 1913, was over 8,000, and in 1920 it had reached over 15,000. The school buildings are all modern, expensive and beautiful structures. Three new projected school buildings are to cost $1,500,000. Educationally, this city affords the best of all that is considered good. The schools of the city include the popular Polytechnic High School, the building of which cost $280,000. The Carnegie Public Library, in the park in the center of the older portion of the city, is a fine institution which resident and visitor alike highly prize.
The Chamber of Commerce-one of the best on the Pacific coast-is made up of hundreds of live wire business men who never fail to advance every interest of their city. In the last fourteen months they have located more than thirty industries in Long Beach, with a total investment of $1,600,000 and employing 620 people. Without such effective work as has been executed by this Chamber of Commerce, Long Beach would not be the city it is today.
But with all of the bustle of business affairs the people of the city forget not the spiritual side of life. There are nearly three-score religious organi- zations and churches in Long Beach. The denominations include: Eight Methodist societies; one Free Methodist church; one African Methodist church; three Presbyterian churches; one United Presbyterian church ; three Baptist churches; one colored Baptist church; one Congregational church; two Christian churches; three Christian Science churches; one Evangelical Lutheran church; one Zion Lutheran church; one Scandina- vian Lutheran; one Swedish Lutheran and two Friends churches; one Episcopal church; two Roman Catholic churches ; two Brethren churches ; one Unitarian church ; one Seventh Day Advent church; Church of Christ; Church of the Nazarene; Church of God; Pentecostal and Mexican Mis- sions ; Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints have two congregations ; and there are smaller missions not here enumerated.
The Lodges include the various degrees of Masonry, Odd Fellowship and Knights of Pythias, as well as the Order of Elks, all doing splendid as beneficiary orders.
There are also Young Men's Christian Association, Young Women's Christian Association, Salvation Army and Jewish Community Associations in the city. The first named has a $350,000 home of its own ; the Salvation Army has a $55,000 home, and the Young Women's Christian Association is about to occupy its new $78,000 building.
RECENT OIL DISCOVERY
In March, 1921, was discovered the first real signs of this portion of the Pacific coast being within a profitable oil field. Today (in less than two years) may be seen over a hundred and twenty-five oil derricks, where then stood some of the finest houses ever built in Long Beach city. The industry is employing hundreds of men and lands are rapidly changing hands as a
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result of the oil find. In connection with other oil wells in this county, these gushers will be mentioned.
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
Besides being a celebrated ocean beach resort, Long Beach is also rapidly coming to be foremost among California cities in various industrial lines. In 1909 it had fifty-one factories, employing 364 men ; in 1914, ninety-four factories employing 1,000 men ; in 1920, 150 factories employing 5,576 men and women. In 1921, the Chamber of Commerce gave out the total number of factories to be 165 and number persons employed, 4,250. The annual production was in the year named $22,000,000.00. The amount invested in all factories, in 1920, was $16,462,500.00. The various articles of pro- duction include : Automobile bodies, timers, radio meters, oil cups, auto- springs, forgings and wheels, auto-top dressings, pneumatic clutches, woolen blankets, cloth and suitings, men's and women's hats, shoes, sweaters, furs, bathing shoes, rugs, draperies, chocolates and other fine candies, olive oil, ripe olives, soap, ice, syrup, beverages, dairy products and bottled health waters, with cigar and sugar factories near by. Also office and house furni- ture, bank, store and office fixtures, sash and doors, cabinets, ornamental iron and sheet metal work, paints and varnishes, furnaces, electric fixtures, signs, plating, sewer pipe, tents and awnings and camp equipment. Again, among the smaller useful factories are those making swivel casters, lawn edgers, toys, washing machines, umbrellas, lathe attachments, can openers, glass beads, rose beads, baskets, dyes, glass bottles, books, pictures, well- drilling outfits, etc. The very important industry of ship-building has for a number of years been one of immense proportions, and includes the Craig Ship Building plant with its floating dry-dock ; the Star Drilling Machinery Company, the Southern California Edison Company, two Tuna factories, the California Woolen Mills and the American Potash Company, the last named being the only plant in the world making potash from kelp.
MUNICIPAL HISTORY
In a city which, in 1921, had an assessed valuation of $73,992,335.00, the municipal business must needs be very great and require much ability on the part of those at the head of the government. In 1888 Long Beach was first incorporated as a city of the sixth class, but was forced to let the incorporation lapse for a time. In 1897 it was re-incorporated and is now a chartered city. When first incorporated the officers were: John Roberts, president ; Judge Hussey, recorder ; W. H. Nash, clerk ; trutsees, Thomas Stovell, M. H. La Fetrae, I. K. Fetterman and G. H. Bixby. Succeeding presidents, or mayors, were: C. I. Goucher, 1891 ; Mr. Minstzer, 1895 and E. C. Denio, 1896. Then the city was disincorporated by a vote of 252 to 129, and not until the summer of the following year, was there any city government, in a legal sense. The first mayor, under the second incor- poration, was C. F. A. Johnson, who was sworn into office in December, 1897, and followed by: C. J. Walker, in 1900; S. Townsend, 1903; R. A. Eno, 1904 ; F. H. Downs, 1906; C. H. Windham, 1908; I. S. Hatch, 1912;
EAST FIRST STREET, LOOKING WEST FROM LOCUST AVENUE, LONG BEACH
EAST OCEAN BOULEVARD, LOOKING EAST FROM AMERICAN AVENUE SHOWING CITY PARK PROPERTY, LONG BEACH
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Louis N. Whealton, 1914 and William T. Lisenby, 1915, C. A. Buffum has been the mayor since July, 1921.
The present style of incorporation is indeed unique and has officers including the following, with numerous appointed assistants under the. various heads and departments : Councilmen Fillmore Condit, Alexander Beck, C. A. Buffum (mayor), George B. Workman, C. A. Cover, H. L. Pillsbury and Frank H. Downs ; assessor, B. H. Bridge; attorney, George L. Hoodenpyl; auditor, Myrtelle L. Gunsul; city clerk, H. C. Waughop; health officer, Dr. G. F. McDonald ; city librarian, Zaidee Brown ; manager, Charles E. Hewes; police judge, Carl V. Hawkins; treasurer, H. C. Moore; superintendent of waterworks, Clark H. Shaw; chief of police, Benj. W. Mclendon; chief of fire department, G. C. Craw.
A beautiful City Hall is about being completed, for which nearly $500,000 worth of bonds were floated. Everything undertaken in this structure tends to make safe the many invaluable records to be stored therein. The growth of the city has made the various officers very much cramped for room to attend to the business of the municipality.
THE CITY OF POTENTIALITIES*
Long Beach is just entering upon its era of metropolitanism, its history during the past few decades having been primarily that of preparation for the rapid development of its commerce and industry, which may be antici- pated during the next decade. Originally founded as a small pleasure resort and Methodist camp meeting center, the city underwent a compara- tively small development until the beginning of the twentieth century, its population in 1900 being 2,252.
During the first decade of this century, as one of the most rapidly growing cities in the United States, Long Beach developed primarily as a residential community and tourist center. It was during that period that under the organization and leadership of Colonel Chas. R. Drake the Hotel Virginia, the leading hostelry of the community, was built and much of the present day trend toward metropolitanism can be attributed to the fore- sight of the leaders who constructed it. Through providing Long Beach with a first-class hotel, these people furnished the incentive which brought many people of means to visit the city and eventually to become residents, thereby providing important supplies of capital for use in future Long Beach development.
It was during this period that the Los Angeles Dock & Terminal Com- pany was formed and a group of citizens inaugurated the development of the harbor, realizing that Long Beach's position made it a potential indus- trial and commercial center of Southern California. During the second decade of the Twentieth Century rapid strides were made toward the devel- opment of an industrial and commercial district and the movement was materially enhanced by the war-time activities in the harbor district. Unfortunately, due to flood waters, the harbor silted up and has not yet
*The facts for this article were furnished by B. F. Tucker, vice president of the Pacific-Southwest Trust and Savings Bank and managing director of its Long Beach branch. Substantially, also, Mr. Tucker's phraseology has been retained.
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been redredged, although the building of a huge flood channel now insures it against further silting. It is only a question of time, however, until the Long Beach end of the harbor, which is connected with Los Angeles harbor by channel, is fully developed as a leading part of one of the most important assets of the Pacific-Southwest; and with this development must come still further rapid industrial and commercial expansion.
The extent to which this tendency toward industrialization and commer- cialization has already proceeded is well illustrated by the fact that between the census periods of 1909 and 1919 the number of industrial establishments in the community increased from 51 to 120; the number of persons engaged in industry from 413 to 4,246; the capital invested in industrial plants from $1,326,000 to $5,377,000 ; and the value of the products turned out by these plants from $927,000 to $4,617,000.
Between January 1, 1919, and January 1, 1922, the connected electric load of the Southern California Edison Company in the Long Beach dis- trict increased from 19,380 horsepower to 31,449 horsepower, an increase of approximately two-thirds in a period of three years ; and this does not reflect the additional horsepower required for the major portion of the operations in the Long Beach oil fields, which have been developed during 1922.
The most cursory analysis of the building permits of Long Beach and of the changing sky-line of the commercial district will furnish an excellent example of the development which is taking place in the commercial life of the city.
During the first decade of the Twentieth Century the First National Bank and the National Bank of Long Beach buildings were the only business blocks of any size in the community, they being five and six stories in height. During the second decade the Marine Bank and the Markwell buildings of approximately similar height were the only important com- mercial structures to be erected in the community.
As a result of the very rapid growth of its commercial and industrial life, Long Beach entered the third decade of the century with a very decided shortage in store and office space.
This, combined with the facts that there was a certain hesitancy toward development of the business district because of the problem of harbor development and high costs of material, etc., and that this shortage in business space was turning away very important accretions to the com- mercial life of the community, determined the erection of a twelve story building at the corner of Broadway and American, the logical center of the business district of the community ; this structure to be known as the Pacific-Southwest Building, inasmuch as the Pacific-Southwest Bank was to occupy the ground floor. Incidentally, as an index of the development of the community, when plans were laid for the building, in 1921, it was anticipated that the bank would occupy only one-half of the first floor and a portion of the basement and the mezzanine floor. The development of the banking business of the community has been so rapid that within a year it has been realized that it will be necessary for the bank to occupy exclu- sively the entire ground floor, basement and mezzanine floor of the first metropolitan office building of Long Beach.
Not only is this building important as being the first Long Beach sky
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scraper, but also as furnishing the impetus of the rapid expansion in the housing facilities available in the business district of the city, numerous other buildings having been started when the success of the Pacific-South- west Building was assured. Among these may be mentioned the new building to be erected by the Long Beach Press, one of the two first-class daily evening papers in the city, each with a circulation materially in excess of 10,000 ; the new Farmers & Merchants Bank Building ; and the new First National Bank Building, which should materially relieve the shortage in office space now existent in the city.
But, important as this city is today, it can best be described as the city of potentialities. Because of its natural position and the vision and foresight of its citizens, Long Beach is rapidly taking advantage of the opportunities for development resulting from the unification and co- ordination of the economic activities of the Pacific-Southwest and is becom- ing increasingly important as an industrial and commercial center of this great western empire (including as it does California from Fresno south, the Imperial Valley in Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Southern Idaho and parts of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas).
This industrial and commercial development is in no way detracting from the importance of Long Beach as a residential and pleasure city, for the community is naturally divided within itself into component parts, each of which assists the other but none of which overlaps the other. To the west in the harbor district and to the northeast, around the oil fields, lie the important industrial districts of Long Beach; to the north and east are found the home and residential districts, with their fine schools, churches, homes and apartments; to the south is the beach, one of the finest beaches on the Pacific and the home of one of the most important playgrounds of the Pacific-Southwest.
In the center of all of this activity, as its natural hub, lies the rapidly expanding commercial district of the city, which is now building on metro- politan lines. In the center of this district, definitely anchored at Broadway and American, the new twelve story Pacific-Southwest Building, the first sky-scraper and metropolitan office building in Long Beach, is being erected. This building will house the Long Beach Branch of the Pacific- Southwest Trust & Savings Bank, formerly the City National Bank, and the leading professional men of the city.
There are several factors contributing to the industrialization and com- mercialization of the city of Long Beach. In the first place the geo- graphical position of the city is such as to give it preeminence along these lines. The natural routes of travel in the Pacific-Southwest all center into the metropolitan area of Long Beach and Los Angeles and the three great railroad systems which serve this western empire-the Southern Pacific, the Union Pacific and the Santa Fe-all have built their railroad lines to conform with the natural topography of the country, thereby strengthening the natural tendency of trade to flow into this area.
In addition, the twin harbors of Long Beach and Los Angeles are located directly on the border of the city of Long Beach. Temporarily, the Long Beach end of the harbor is not being developed, but this is but a temporary situation. Obviously, the point where rail and water meet is the point for the natural industrial center of this great western empire,
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particularly now that all the railroads have or will shortly have access to the harbor; and that the business world is realizing that the harbor is the front door of the Pacific-Southwest.
It has already been proven that the harbor makes it possible for the industrial plant located in the metropolitan area of Long Beach and Los Angeles to compete in Atlantic seaboard cities with manufacturers located two hundred miles inland from the Atlantic Coast, such as Buffalo and
CITY NATIONAL BANK
HORACE DITINY ARCHITECTE
PACIFIC-SOUTHWEST BANK BUILDING, LONG BEACH
Pittsburgh. It is also a proven fact that Long Beach and Los Angeles harbors are closer to the Orient, for vessels using the great circle route from the Panama Canal, than any other harbor of the Pacific Coast of the United States. In addition, because of the shorter turn-around in the twin harbor it is naturally preferred by ships, so that this is the logical point for the industries desiring to enter the Oriental markets.
The existence of plentiful supplies of cheap hydro-electric power, together with the oil and fuel available from the Long Beach oil fields pro- vide the fuel and power needed by industries. Also, it is a proven fact that, irrespective of money wages in this district, there is more efficiency
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than in most other portions of the United States and the per-unit wage cost is less, due to the amount of work that can be done out of doors and the less rigorous though vigorous climate.
Further, because of climatic conditions, the original capital outlay in the organization of industrial plants is remarkably small. For reasons such as these it is obvious that the increasing industry of Long Beach is on many ways the result of natural factors and that its industrial life will continue to grow rapidly in the future as a result of the constructive work that is being done in the co-ordination of the economic activities of the Pacific-Southwest, so that those districts which are naturally suited to the raising of raw materials can do this work most efficiently, while those, such as Long Beach, that are natural industrial and commercial centers, will perform the major functions in connection with the fabrication of the raw materials produced in the Pacific-Southwest.
As an example of this tendency, the recent consolidation of twenty banks operating in twenty-four cities in that portion of California from Fresno south with the Pacific-Southwest Trust & Savings Bank and their affiliation with The First National Bank of Los Angeles and the First Securities Company is evidence of the fact that the financial machinery of this territory is being so organized that it will be easy for trade and industry to follow its natural channels, which means that it is being organized in such a manner as to permit still further development of Long Beach.
This city has developed on a solid foundation, largely as the result of the progressive spirit of its citizens, its natural position, and of the important supplies of capital which are available for legitimate develop- ments. The fact that it has become a city of 100,000 people today as com- pared with only a little more than 2,000 people in 1900 is evidence of the extent of that growth in the past. The fact that its building permits are now regularly exceeding a million dollars a month and that its bank clear- ings place it as the second commercial city of Southern California, being exceeded only by Los Angeles, are evidences of its present important position.
Eventually Long Beach harbor will be developed as a part of the twin harbors of Long Beach and Los Angeles and, with this development, Long Beach will definitely assume its place as a leading part of the industrial and commercial center of the Pacific-Southwest centering in the metro- politan area of Long Beach and Los Angeles and around the harbors of these two cities.
These are a few of the facts which indicate that the phenomenal devel- opment of Long Beach during the first two decades of the Twentieth Century have been but the preparation for the industrialization and com- mercialization of Long Beach as an integral part of the commercial and industrial center of the Pacific-Southwest. They are probably sufficient to show why Long Beach is today considered the Pacific-Southwest "city of potentialities."
CHAPTER XXXVI THE PACIFIC PALISADES
This beauty spot is destined ere many years have rolled by to be a real rival of the much sought Mediterranean coast. The geographical location is hard by the charming crescent coast line of the already famed Santa Monica Bay District. Startling as it sounds, yet it is true that nearly a $75,000,000 project has been launched just to the north of the sprightly city of Santa Monica, known as the Pacific Palisades, consisting of a tract of land containing eleven hundred acres, lying to the west and north of the city, as well as west of the Santa Monica Canyon. The enterprise was established in 1921, and on December 1st of that year the Chamber of Commerce were enough interested in it to pass the following resolutions :
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