Was radio only a fad? With 2000 radio receivers in use in Long Beach in 1922, most costing around $150 ($2,500 in 2021), the answer seemed to be no. Radio was here to stay.
On July 23, 1922, City Auditor Myrtelle Gunsul rose at 5 a.m. to be the first to move into the new City Hall. Other departments scheduled to move were the offices of the city manager, Purchasing Department, Recreation, Civil Service, City Clerk, Water Department, Tax and License Collector.
In ages past, Signal Hill was used by Indian tribes as a signaling site. Fires were built that could be seen many miles from its summit. They gave warnings about invasions of warring tribes, or told of native festivities, to which all the surrounding tribes were signaled to attend.
At one time Japanese farmers thrived on Signal Hill, growing cucumbers which made the city the cucumber growing capital of California. Many believe the Japanese were forced off their Signal Hill land because of the discovery of oil in 1921. That is not the case.
By 1921 Long Beach had leaped to the forefront as one of the most progressive cities in the United States, accomplishing a marvelous record of growth by trebling its population and property valuations and multiplying its bank deposits by five in the past decade.
African Americans were hit hard by the Great Depression. By 1934 black unemployment rates reached 50%, a higher rate than among white Americans. But in October 1930, employment opportunities for local African Americans took a novel turn.
In Long Beach, New Year’s Eve has always been a popular time to celebrate. One hundred twenty years ago Long Beach festively greeted the New Year with ringing bells, singing songs and tooting horns at a party held at the Tabernacle.
Prosperous times swept America following the discovery of oil on Signal Hill, helping end the depression of 1920-1921. A new industry had been born. By 1924 oil surpassed agriculture as the leading industry in California.
What was the world like after World War I and the influenza pandemic? Time, not medicine, had lessened the deaths from influenza. There was no prevention and no treatment. Isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene and limits on public gatherings were used to control the spread.
