Tag Archives: 1800s
Los Angeles’ first telephone pay station, 228 S. Spring St, downtown Los Angeles, 1899
What we’re looking here is new technology coming to Los Angeles on the cusp of a new century. This was Los Angeles’ first telephone pay station which opened at 228 S. Spring St in downtown Los Angeles, which was the … Continue reading
Cahuenga Valley Railroad’s first train to East Hollywood, Los Angeles, 1889
Here’s a slice of Los Angeles public transportation history in the making. The Cahuenga Valley Railroad used to run between Hollywood and Santa Monica. This photo documented the arrival of its first train in East Hollywood in 1889. I love … Continue reading
Hotel Green, at the corner of Raymond Ave. and Green St, Pasadena, California, circa 1901
Back in the day (as in “1800s”) well-heeled Easterners would head west to escape the brutal winters. (And quite frankly, who would blame them?) One of the most popular places to spend the winters was Pasadena (it helped that there … Continue reading
Hotel Palomares, 344 North Garey Ave, Pomona, California, circa 1904
I wouldn’t have expected to find such an impressive hotel in late-1800s Pomona, but Hotel Palomares at 344 North Garey Ave opened its doors in 1897. By that stage, the city of Pomona had only been around for less than … Continue reading
Looking west along Colorado Blvd from Raymond Ave past the Hotel Carlton, Pasadena, California, 1887
It’s images like this that make me thankful someone thought to take a photo of what for them would have been a regular street scene, but for us is a snapshot into a place that no longer exists. We’re looking … Continue reading
Farmers raising lima beans on the land that would later become Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 1888
During the last couple of decades of the 1800s, the land that would later become Beverly Hills was far enough from downtown Los Angeles to be considered agricultural. The main crop was lima beans. They provided a good, cheap, and … Continue reading
Crocker Mansion at 300 S. Olive St, as seen from the corner of Third and Hill Streets, Bunker Hill, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1890
It’s amazing to think that downtown Los Angeles ever looked as genteel and regal as this. That huge home on top of Bunker Hill at 300 S. Olive was called the Crocker mansion. It was named after Aimee Crocker, the … Continue reading
Train passengers pose in front of a Santa Fe Railway locomotive in the Arroyo Seco near Pasadena, California, 1888
This photo is a real early one! It was taken in 1888, when a group of around 30 passengers posed in front of Santa Fe Railway locomotive #13. They’re in the Arroyo Seco near Pasadena, which later became also the … Continue reading
Horses and buggies lined up in front of the St. Charles Hotel on the 300 Block of N. Main St, downtown Los Angeles, 1875
This is photo dates all the way back to 1875, and shows horses and buggies lined up in front of the St. Charles Hotel (formally the Bella Union) on the 300 Block of N. Main St in downtown Los Angeles. … Continue reading
Opening of the electric railway from Los Angeles to Santa Monica, April 1, 1896
In this photo we’re lucky enough to have had someone on hand with a camera, which I doubt would’ve have been too common in 1896. This scene shows us the April 1st opening of the electric railway from Los Angeles … Continue reading