The legend is that Dr. Francis Townsend had just been let go as an assistant medical examiner with the city of Long Beach when one day in 1933 while he was shaving, he looked outside the window and saw elderly women rummaging for food in the trash cans in the alley.
As the large ad proclaimed in the Santa Ana Register in 1915, Long Beach was hosting “three days of solid fun – July 3-5” under the banner: “Hear the Eagle Screech.”
In 1906, Long Beach was experiencing tremendous population growth. The Pacific Electric train replaced the GOPR (Get Out and Push Railroad) and brought thousands of passengers to the pleasure pier and bathhouse; some of whom decided to stay.
From its earliest days, Long Beach was a major site for women in aviation. After Long Beach aviator John Montijo taught Amelia Earhart how to perform aerobatics, she flew stunts in Earl Daugherty’s air rodeo.
As the drawing from a 1900s newspaper shows, in the earliest days of Long Beach, Civil War veterans and their families would line up for a parade, that marched from the corner of Fifth Street and Pine Avenue to the Pine Avenue Pier.
Long Beach may contain some of the earliest burial grounds in California. Home of the Tongva natives, the eastern portion of Long Beach contains a dozen or more archeological sites that are believed to be ceremonial and burial sites.
March is Women’s History Month and a time for us to reflect upon the remarkable women who have made and make Long Beach a quality community in which to live and to work.
It is quite interesting to do a search of archived newspapers and use the words “Long Beach and crime.” Front pages across the United States frequently featured snippets of the latest crimes being committed in the “city by the sea” or more aptly “Iowa by the sea.” Because of its popularity as a s
In 1881, while platting out the American Colony (which became Long Beach) William Willmore worked with the railroads through the California Immigrant Union to lure “god fearing” travelers to the area. Willmore gave land to the Methodists who in turn held summer Chautauqua Assemblies.
