Without photos like these, it’s hard to conceive of a time when Beverly Hills and its environs were largely rural. This was taken in 1920 and shows us how little this area was developed. Toward the top of the photo over to the left, you can see a black hand-drawn arrow – that’s the Beverly Hills Hotel. The large oval structure is the Los Angeles Speedway – aka the Beverly Hills Speedway, which was open from 1919 to 1924. At the time, it was probably a good location—there were hardly any neighbors disturbed by the noise!