Tag Archives: Oil
Pacific Electric streetcar travel through Redondo Beach, south of Los Angeles, 1939
I would imagine that this would be one of the more scenic streetcar routes in all of Los Angeles. Here we’re seeing a Pacific Electric car on a track paralleling Redondo Beach, which is the third beach south of L.A. … Continue reading
Oil derricks crowd Huntington Beach, California, circa 1960s
I don’t know about you, but when I think of sunny days spent lazing on golden California beaches, I’m not picturing a forest of oil derricks chugga-chugga-chugging as far as the eye can see. In this circa 1960s shot, it … Continue reading
Looking north around an oil derrick in the middle of La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, 1938
I guess motorists of the 1920s and 30s got used to driving around Los Angeles and seeing oil derricks scattered across the landscape. But I wonder if any of these motorists driving on La Cienega Blvd (at around where the … Continue reading
Goodyear blimp at Culver City Airport, Los Angeles, circa late 1940s
When I came across this photo of the Goodyear blimp at Hughes Airport, I was struck by how little the design of the Goodyear blimp has changed over the years. This photo is circa 1940s but that blimp could be … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Airports Aircraft Airlines, Color photo, Goodyear blimp, Oil
5 Comments
Oil wells line Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, California 1948
I can’t imagine a Sunday drive down Atlantic Ave in Long Beach would have been a particularly pleasant way to spend an afternoon in 1948, when this photo was taken. The closest I’ve been to an oil well is watching … Continue reading
Aerial view of Wilshire Boulevard at La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 1922
Thank goodness for those magnificent men in their flying machines (in case you don’t know, I’m quoting the title of a Twentieth Century-Fox movie from 1965) otherwise we’d never have spectacular aerial photos of LA like this one taken in … Continue reading
A small pond at La Brea tar pits near what is now Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 1910
The young girl to the left is standing at a small pond in what we now know as the La Brea Tar Pits near Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Ave. This was taken in 1910, when the only development was the … Continue reading
Gilmore “Gas-a-teria” self-service station, Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, 1948.
Gilmore isn’t a name we see much of anymore but during the first half of the 20th century, it was everywhere. Not just the many gas stations but the Gilmore field and stadium and drive-in. In 1948 they opened the … Continue reading
A forest of oil derricks crowds the Huntington Beach coastline, Los Angeles, January 1940
After oil was discovered in Huntington Beach and Long Beach south of Los Angeles, oil wells popped up in their hundreds and pumped out oil for decades. This is a 1940 shot of Huntington Beach—not exactly the sun-dappled, picture-postcard vista … Continue reading
Oil derrick as Christmas tree, Huntington Beach, 1939
Huntington Beach is a lovely ocean-side community just south of Long Beach but back in the 1930s it was dotted with oil wells pulling from the large reserves that lay underground. It can’t have been a very pretty landscape so … Continue reading