Water and Power Associates Informing the Public about Critical Water and Energy Issues facing Los Angeles and California

Historical Notes

The northern sections of the city of Santa Monica once belonged to Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica and Rancho Boca de Santa Monica. The Sepulveda family sold 38,409 acres of Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica for $54,000 in 1872 to Colonel Robert S. Baker and his wife, Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker. Bandini was the daughter of Juan Bandini, a prominent and wealthy early Californian, and was the widow of Abel Stearns, once the richest man in Los Angeles. Baker also bought a half interest in Rancho Boca de Santa Monica. Nevada Senator John P. Jones bought a half interest in Baker's property in 1874.

To make the town marketable, Jones built a 16-mile rail line between the Santa Monica Bay waterfront and downtown Los Angeles, naming it the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad. It was only the second railroad built in Los Angeles; the first was the Los Angeles and San Pedro, which opened in 1869.

Historical Notes
 
In 1875, John P. Jones and Colonel Robert S. Baker subdivided part of their joint holdings and created the town of Santa Monica. The town site fronted on the ocean and was bounded on the northwest by Montana Avenue, on the southeast by Colorado Avenue and on the northeast by 26th Street. The avenues were all named after the states of the West, the streets being simply numbered. The first lots in Santa Monica were sold on July 15, 1875.

Historical Notes

The land was auctioned on July 15, 1875 by the San Francisco Office of the Santa Monica Land Company. The advantages of Santa Monica were emphasized, particularly the superiority of its harbor over that of San Pedro.

The lots sold for $500 and $750.  Within a few weeks after the town lot sale a change had come over the barren plain.  Houses and stores sprang up, a general store was opened and a newspaper started.

Historical Notes

The town continued to grow and, in November 1886, the electorate went to the polls and voted 97 to 71 to incorporate Santa Monica.

Historical Notes

The original naming convention for east-west avenues in Santa Monica, established when the townsite was laid out in 1875, used names of Western U.S. states and territories. In later years, many of these street names were changed.

For example:
In 1912, Oregon Street became part of Santa Monica Boulevard.
In 1913, Nevada Street adopted the name Wilshire Boulevard.
In 1924, Utah Street was renamed Broadway.
In 1902, Railroad Avenue was renamed Colorado Avenue.

Historical Notes

Cllick HERE to see more early views of 3rd Street (1910), which would later become the 3rd Street Promenade.

Click HERE to see more early views of the 3rd Street Promenade (1933+)

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles and Independence Railroad (LA&I) was a significant early railroad in Southern California, chartered in March 1874 and beginning operations on October 17, 1875. It ran a 16.67-mile steam-powered line between Santa Monica's Long Wharf and downtown Los Angeles. Initially ambitious, the LA&I aimed to reach San Bernardino and Independence, to serve the Cerro Gordo Silver Mines. Key figures in its establishment included former governor John G. Downey and banker F.P.F Temple. The railroad faced fierce competition from the Southern Pacific, engaging in the "Battle of the Pass" to secure a route through Cajon Pass. Despite completing its line and formally opening on December 1, 1875, the LA&I struggled to compete with Southern Pacific's extensive network and pricing strategies.

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles and Independence Railroad travelled from a wharf North of the current Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica along a private right-of-way to 5th and San Pedro Street in downtown Los Angeles. The 16.67 miles of track between Los Angeles and Santa Monica were built by John P. Jones without government subsidies or land grants, all in a little over ten months - primarily using 67 Chinese laborers imported for the task. Right-of-way between Los Angeles and Santa Monica was given by local ranchers who were anxious to have access to a railroad.

Click HERE to see more on the Los Angeles & Indempendent Railroad Depot in downtown Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

The line opened October 17, 1875, with two trains a day running between Santa Monica and Los Angeles; the fare was fixed at $1.00 per trip, freight at $1.00 per ton.

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles and Independence Railroad helped make Santa Monica palatable to real estate speculators and prospective residents, but Jones, who was politically well-connected as a U.S. senator from Nevada, had grander plans for the railroad. Intending to connect the line with the town of Independence in the Owens Valley, and from there to a silver mine he owned in the Panamint Mountains, Jones optimistically included "Independence" in his railroad's name. Jones, however, encountered financial problems stemming from his mines drying out. He reluctantly sold the Los Angeles and Independence to Collis P. Huntington's Southern Pacific Railroad on July 1, 1877 for $195,000.

Click HERE for more on the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad.

Historical Notes

As soon as work started on Los Angeles Independence Railroad line from Los Angeles to Santa Monica the construction of a new wharf was begun. This was located near the old "Shoo Fly" landing and near the present foot of Colorado Avenue, where a stub of the old wharf still remains. The first pile was driven April 22nd, 1875, and the first boat landed at the wharf in June. This wharf was 1700 feet in length and reached a depth of thirty feet at low tide. It was substantially built, with depot, and warehouses at its terminus and cost about $45,000.

The wharf would be sold to Southern Pacific Railway Company in 1877. One short year later, Southern Pacific deemed the wharf unsafe for train usage and by 1888 it was torn down.

Historical Notes

The wharf stood just south of the present location of the Santa Monica Pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue.

Photo date devised based on the history of the Santa Monica Hotel, which was built in 1877 and the history of the photographer, Carleton E. Watkins, who made two visits to Southern California in 1877 and 1880.

Historical Notes

The east-west street adjacent to the railroad tracks was initially named "Railroad Avenue" due to its proximity to the rail line. This street would later be renamed Colorado Avenue in 1902, reflecting the practice of naming streets after western states.

Historical Notes

Today, the Santa Monica Pier is located slightly south of the original wharf built by the Los Angeles Independence Railroad Co. in Santa Monica, also known as Shoo Fly Landing. For better perspective, the two piers are aligned in this Then and Now image. The larger building atop the bluffs in the earlier photo is the Santa Monica Hotel, built in 1877 and situated on Ocean Avenue between Railroad Street (now Colorado Avenue) and Oregon Avenue (now Santa Monica Boulevard).

The contemporary image highlights a much wider beach, primarily due to human intervention through beach nourishment projects. Over 30 million cubic yards of sand have been added, sourced from infrastructure developments and dredging operations.

Historical Notes

Duffy’s Bathhouse, built in 1876 by entrepreneur Michael Duffy, was the first bathing establishment on Santa Monica’s beach. Located beneath the original Santa Monica Hotel at the base of the Palisades bluffs, it consisted of two simple structures housing 16 private rooms, each equipped with freshwater baths and showers—an uncommon amenity at the time. The facility operated until 1892 and played a foundational role in Santa Monica’s transformation from undeveloped coastline to a fashionable seaside retreat.

Historical Notes

In 1877, Baker & Jones constructed the Santa Monica Bath House at the foot of Utah Avenue, just north of Duffy’s earlier structure. With steam baths, saltwater plunges, freshwater facilities, and rooms for rent, it was one of Southern California’s first purpose-built bathhouses. Its close proximity to the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad Wharf made it especially accessible to Angelenos seeking oceanfront recreation, contributing to the rise of the North Beach district as a premier coastal destination.

Historical Notes

This left-eye panel from the 1877 stereoscopic image gives a clearer view of Santa Monica’s early recreational shoreline. The Santa Monica Bath House, built that same year, can be seen along with visitors arriving in their finest dress. The presence of the nearby railroad wharf helped turn what was once a quiet bluff-lined beach into a social and leisure hub for Los Angeles residents.

Historical Notes

By the 1880s, the two neighboring bathhouses—Duffy’s original 1876 facility and the larger 1877 Santa Monica Bath House—defined the city’s emerging North Beach area. The Santa Monica Bath House featured oversized bathtubs, steam rooms, and rentable rooms, reflecting a more structured and resort-like approach to seaside leisure. These early facilities laid the groundwork for Santa Monica’s rise as a prominent beach town.

Historical Notes

This image captures the peak of Santa Monica’s early bathhouse era. While Duffy’s modest operation was nearing its final years, the Santa Monica Bath House remained active into the late 1890s. Both were eventually surpassed by larger and more elaborate beachfront attractions like the North Beach Bath House (1894) and the Arcadia Hotel (1887), but their pioneering presence helped define Santa Monica’s coastal identity for decades to come.

Historical Notes

The Santa Monica Hotel, built in 1877, holds the distinction of being the first hotel in the city of Santa Monica, California. It was located on Ocean Avenue between what are now Colorado Avenue and Broadway, perched atop the coastal bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Its prime location offered guests sweeping ocean views and easy access to the beach below, making it a popular destination for early travelers.

Historical Notes

The historic gulch (ravine) in Santa Monica closely corresponds to the site of today’s McClure Tunnel, which passes through the ocean bluffs beneath the intersection of Colorado Avenue and Ocean Avenue, near the Santa Monica Pier. Historically, the gulch separated the bluffs north and south of Colorado Avenue and was a major topographical feature. The original railroad tunnel (built in 1886) and the later automobile tunnel (opened in 1936) were both constructed here to span the ravine, which was eventually filled in to create the modern connection between the Santa Monica Freeway (CA-1/CA-2) and Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).

Historical Notes

The location of the historic gulch (ravine) in Santa Monica corresponds closely to the site of the present-day McClure Tunnel, which connects the Santa Monica Freeway (CA-1/CA-2) to Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The McClure Tunnel passes through the Santa Monica ocean bluffs, directly underneath the intersection of Colorado Avenue and Ocean Avenue, and near the Santa Monica Pier.

Historical Notes

At the time of the hotel’s construction, Santa Monica was a young and rapidly growing community, founded just two years earlier in 1875. The arrival of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad brought a steady stream of visitors and investors, creating a demand for accommodations. The Santa Monica Hotel met that need and quickly became a local social and recreational hub. Nearby, the city’s first bathhouse—built in 1876—added to the area’s appeal by offering freshwater baths and showers to guests and residents.

A later image with a bridge built over the ravine that is visible in the center of this image is seen HERE.

Historical Notes

At the time of the hotel’s construction, Santa Monica was a young and rapidly growing community, founded just two years earlier in 1875. The arrival of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad brought a steady stream of visitors and investors, creating a demand for accommodations. The Santa Monica Hotel met that need and quickly became a local social and recreational hub. Nearby, the city’s first bathhouse—built in 1876—added to the area’s appeal by offering freshwater baths and showers to guests and residents.

It's worth noting that while the Santa Monica Hotel was the first proper hotel in the town, there were earlier accommodations for visitors. For instance, in 1876, Michael Duffy constructed what is believed to be Southern California's first beachside bathhouse, which included 16 rooms with freshwater baths and showers. However, this was not considered a full-fledged hotel in the same sense as the Santa Monica Hotel.

Historical Notes

The Santa Monica Hotel helped shape the city’s early identity as a destination for leisure and tourism. Its legacy endures in Santa Monica’s continued status as a vibrant, world-renowned coastal retreat, and it remains an important chapter in the city's rich and colorful history.

Historical Notes

Unfortunately, the Santa Monica Hotel's existence was short-lived. It burned down in 1887, just ten years after its construction. In the same year, a new hotel called the Arcadia Hotel was built near the site of the original Santa Monica Hotel. The Arcadia Hotel was a more luxurious establishment, featuring 125 rooms and the latest amenities of the time.

Historical Notes

The hotel served Santa Monica for a decade before being destroyed by fire in 1887. Its owner, J.W. Scott, responded by building the larger and more luxurious Arcadia Hotel on a nearby site, which would go on to become a celebrated coastal landmark. Though its lifespan was brief, the Santa Monica Hotel played a key role in establishing the town’s reputation as a seaside resort.

Historical Notes

The first bathhouse on Santa Monica’s beach was built by Michael Duffy beneath the Santa Monica Hotel in 1876 and had 2 structures with 16 rooms with their own freshwater bath and shower. It closed in 1892.

Historical Notes

During the ensuing years several other bathouses were built at the same site. Bathouses, featuring hot saltwater baths, were a big tourist draw to Santa Monica in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Historical Notes

In 1887 the Santa Monica Hotel burned down. That same year the owner of the former Santa Monica Hotel, J. W. Scott, constructed a massive new hotel, the Arcadia Hotel. It was located near the site of the original Santa Monica Hotel at the corner of Ocean Avenue between Colorado and Pico Boulevard. The luxurious Arcadia Hotel had 125-rooms and featured the latest amenities.

Historical Notes

lIn the 1880s, Santa Monica's North Beach area already boasted several bath houses, setting the foundation for its reputation as a popular seaside resort. The trend began in 1876 when Michael Duffy constructed what is believed to be Southern California's first beachside bathhouse, featuring 16 rooms with freshwater baths and showers. The following year, the Santa Monica Bath House opened adjacent to Duffy's establishment, offering additional amenities such as steam baths and a saltwater pool. This bath house, built by Baker & Jones at the foot of Utah Avenue, continued to operate throughout the 1880s, as evidenced by images from that period. The area's popularity further increased with the opening of the Arcadia Hotel in 1887, which provided its guests with access to a large saltwater bathhouse. While these early facilities were not as grand as the famous North Beach Bath House that would be built in 1894, they played a crucial role in establishing Santa Monica's North Beach as a sought-after destination for beachgoers and tourists during the 1880s.

Historical Notes

The above photo was taken from the L.A. & I. wharf.

The Los Angeles and Independence Railroad (L.A. & I.) built a wharf in Santa Monica that opened in 1875, located near the present-day foot of Colorado Avenue, just north of where the Santa Monica Pier stands today. This original structure—also known as "Shoo Fly Landing"—was approximately 1,700 feet long and extended into waters 30 feet deep at low tide. Historical records confirm that the Santa Monica Pier is situated slightly south of the original wharf site. The L.A. & I. operated the wharf briefly before selling it, along with the railroad, to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in 1877. By 1888, Southern Pacific had deemed the wharf unsafe for train operations and dismantled most of it, leaving behind only a shorter section or "stub" that remained in place until at least 1898.

Historical Notes

The above photo was taken from the Santa Monica Pier which is situated slightly south of the original Los Angeles and Independence Rairloar wharf from where the previous photo was taken.

Historical Notes

The bluff lines don’t match up exactly because the 1889 photo was taken from the old Los Angeles and Independence Railroad (L.A. & I.) wharf, which was closer to shore than the current view from the Santa Monica Pier, located slightly south of the original wharf. The beach is also much wider today—mainly because sand was added over the years through beach nourishment projects. More than 30 million cubic yards came from construction and dredging work.

Historical Notes

In 1769, Francisco Reyes journeyed to Alta California to help establish Franciscan missions and claimed the land for Spain. Soldiers gave the name Santa Monica to a mountain creek that flowed to the Pacific.

Historical Notes

During the second-half of the 19th-century, the canyon was known as a camping area and rustic retreat near the beach hotels and resorts of nearby Santa Monica.

Historical Notes

In the late 1880s, Abbot Kinney, the developer best known for designing the nearby community of Venice to the south, established an experimental forestry station and planted eucalyptus trees, for which the canyon is still known today.

Historical Notes

Despite the challenges of Mother Nature, the beauty and peace of The Canyon began attracted near-by Angelenos. A small grocery store sold fresh produce and items from the local Rancheros and small tents dotted the mouth of The Canyon for picnicking and camping.

Historical Notes

After Mexico won its independence from Spain, Francisco Reyes' grandson Ysidro and his neighbor, Francisco Marquez, were granted 6,656 acres of the Rancho Boca de Santa Monica (mouth of the Santa Monica). They built the area's first permanent structures.

Historical Notes

Remarks from donor Ernest Marquez, 2015: "The adobe house was built by my grandfather Pascual Marquez in 1875, about 75 yards from the adobe where he was born, built by his father Francisco in 1839. I think Pascual’s adobe collapsed in an earthquake in the 1930s."  

Historical Notes

These type of horse-drawn wagons transported visitors from Los Angeles to Santa Monica before the arrival of train service to the area.

Historical Notes

The 1st mail wagon was established by "Aunt Lucy" Cheney and began service in 1880. It provided mail service between Santa Monica and Topanga Canyon. They began to carry passengers (as shown here) in 1885. Also pictured is "Uncle Mose" Cheney.*

Early Santa Monica Beach Views

In the late 1880s, Santa Monica was transforming from a quiet coastal outpost into one of Southern California’s first true seaside resorts. What made this transformation possible was not just the ocean, but transportation, investment, and vision. Railroads brought thousands of visitors from Los Angeles. Entrepreneurs built bath houses and hotels. Promoters advertised fresh air, saltwater bathing, and scenic beauty.

These photographs capture Santa Monica before the pier, before automobiles lined Ocean Avenue, and before the beach was widened by modern engineering projects. The shoreline was narrower, the landscape more natural, and the pace of life slower. Together, these images show the early stages of a coastal identity that would define Santa Monica for generations.

Historical Notes

North Beach emerged as a popular destination in the 1880s. Its success was closely tied to the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad, controlled by U.S. Senator John P. Jones. The railroad made it possible for residents of Los Angeles to reach the ocean quickly and affordably. By the late 1880s, thousands of visitors were arriving daily during the summer months.

The bath house facilities of this era offered changing rooms and saltwater bathing, which was believed to promote good health. These early structures laid the foundation for the larger and more elaborate North Beach Bath House built in 1894, designed by architect Sumner P. Hunt and financed by Senator Jones.

Historical Notes

This view shows the natural shoreline as it existed in the late 19th century. The beach was narrower and shaped entirely by coastal forces. There were no paved roads, no large public facilities, and no wide engineered sand areas.

During the 20th century, tens of millions of cubic yards of sand were added to Santa Monica and Venice beaches through replenishment projects. The result is the much broader shoreline seen today.

Historical Notes

Ocean bathing became increasingly popular during the 1880s. Bath houses provided changing rooms and heated saltwater plunges, reflecting the belief that saltwater had health benefits. The “Hot Salt Water” sign advertised one of the main attractions of the facility.

The presence of a horse-drawn wagon and visible carriage tracks in the sand reminds us that the beach also functioned as a roadway. Before automobiles, horses provided transportation both to and along the shoreline.

Historical Notes

By 1887, Santa Monica was firmly established as a seaside resort. Visitors came by rail to enjoy the fresh ocean air and open shoreline. The landscape remained largely undeveloped, with the Palisades rising prominently above the beach.

This natural setting helped define Santa Monica’s early identity as a place of health, leisure, and scenic beauty.

Historical Notes

Bicycles became popular in the late 19th century, and the firm sand near the shoreline provided an ideal surface for riding. The beach served not only as a bathing area but also as a public gathering space for walking, socializing, and recreation.

The absence of automobiles and heavy development gives this scene a quiet, open character very different from the modern coastline.

Historical Notes

By the 1890s, beachgoing had become more common and more social. Bathing suits reflected Victorian standards of modesty, covering most of the body.

The tracks left by horses and carriages show how people moved along the shoreline before the arrival of motor vehicles. These details help illustrate everyday life at the beach more than a century ago.

Historical Notes

The Arcadia Hotel opened in 1887 and was the largest structure in Santa Monica at the time. It was owned by J. W. Scott and named for Arcadia Bandini de Baker, wife of Santa Monica cofounder Robert S. Baker. The hotel symbolized the city’s ambitions as a first-class resort destination.

The Los Angeles and Independence Wharf once extended into the Pacific and supported both freight and passenger service. Together, the railroad and the wharf helped transform Santa Monica from a quiet coastal settlement into one of Southern California’s earliest beach resorts.

Historical Notes

Although the camera angles differ slightly, the most noticeable change is the width of the beach. The shoreline today is far broader than it was in 1887. In the late 19th century, the beach was narrower and shaped entirely by natural coastal forces.

Beginning in the 1940s, millions of cubic yards of sand were added to Santa Monica and Venice beaches through large-scale replenishment projects. These efforts were intended to reduce erosion, protect coastal development, and expand recreational space. The result is the wide, engineered shoreline seen today. Very different from the natural beach of the 1880s.

Early Santa Monica Cottages and House Tents

In the late nineteenth century the shoreline of Santa Monica looked very different from the wide beach seen today. Below the coastal bluffs, a narrow strip of sand was lined with house tents, small wooden cottages, bathhouses, and vendor stands that together formed one of the earliest beach resort communities in Southern California. Visitors from Los Angeles arrived by train, some coming only for an afternoon and others renting simple tent houses and staying for the entire summer season.

The town itself had been founded in 1875 by Nevada Senator John Percival Jones, who also built the first railroad connecting Santa Monica to Los Angeles. That rail line made the coast reachable in under an hour from the city and set off a wave of seasonal tourism that transformed the quiet shoreline into a lively gathering place. By 1889 the Southern Pacific Railroad was bringing two hundred thousand visitors a year to the beach. The area north of the Arcadia Hotel, known as North Beach, had become one of the most popular destinations on the Pacific coast.

The informal world of tents and cottages did not last long. By the early 1890s railroad tracks were being laid along the shoreline to serve the newly completed Long Wharf, one of the longest piers in the world at the time, and the industrial expansion that followed pushed out the small seasonal settlements that had defined the beach for more than a decade. The grand Arcadia Hotel eventually closed, the Long Wharf was dismantled, and the beach itself was widened far beyond its natural size through decades of sand replenishment projects. What remains of that first seaside world exists only in photographs, showing a narrow shore and the people who came to the ocean before Santa Monica became the city the world knows today.

Historical Notes

In the 1880s visitors to Santa Monica often stayed in simple cottages or house tents built directly on the sand. These modest structures provided inexpensive lodging for families who came to enjoy the cool ocean air and the quiet setting along the shore. The tents of that era were built on raised wooden platforms with framed walls and canvas roofs. They provided enough shelter to make a week or two beside the ocean genuinely comfortable.

Many of the house tents at North Beach were rented by the week or by the entire summer season, and some families returned year after year to the same tent sites. Early newspaper accounts even describe rows of numbered tent houses so that returning visitors could reserve their preferred location the following season. Over time this created something that functioned almost like a recurring seasonal neighborhood, one where families got to know their neighbors, children played together on the sand, and informal social routines developed around the rhythms of the tide and the train schedule.

In this sense the tent houses were not simply temporary shelters. They were the beginning of a community life that would later find a more permanent expression in the bungalow courts and beach cottages that appeared across Santa Monica and Venice in the years that followed. The Southern Pacific Railroad brought two hundred thousand tourists to Santa Monica in 1889 alone, and the steady flow of visitors gave the shoreline a lively and social atmosphere that would have been difficult to imagine only a decade earlier.

Historical Notes

This view shows North Beach during the early years of Santa Monica's development as a resort destination. The large building visible in the distance is the Arcadia Hotel, which opened on January 25, 1887 and quickly became the most prominent landmark along the entire shoreline. Named in honor of Arcadia Bandini de Baker, the co-founder of Santa Monica, the hotel was considered the finest seaside hotel in California at the time of its opening. It rose five stories above the beach on the ocean side, offered a dining room for two hundred guests, therapeutic saltwater baths, and a unique gravity powered switchback railway that carried guests between the bluff top station and the hotel entrance below.

Also visible in the distance is the remaining portion of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad Wharf, built in the 1870s. The structure had once served as a shipping pier before economic difficulties and the decline of Senator Jones' silver mining interests brought the line to a halt. By the time this photograph was taken the wharf had already been largely abandoned, though its pilings still reached into the bay as a reminder of the grander commercial ambitions that had shaped Santa Monica from its very beginning.

Historical Notes

The photograph was taken from the bluff overlooking North Beach. The wooden staircase known as the 99 Steps was constructed in 1875 to provide access from the bluff top down to the beach below. Located at the foot of Arizona Avenue, the steps were one of the most used pathways on the entire Santa Monica waterfront. Visitors descended them to reach the sand, the small cottages and tent houses along the shore, and the growing number of bathhouses and vendor stalls that lined the beach.

The land along the edge of the bluffs was donated to the city in 1892 by Senator Jones and Arcadia Bandini de Baker. The park stretched from Colorado Avenue north to Montana Avenue and was first called Linda Vista Park, a Spanish phrase meaning beautiful view. The founders were also aware that the bluffs were barren and wind swept, with thin and unstable soils considered unfit for residential construction. The gift preserved the view for the public while passing on land that could not easily be built upon. The park was renamed Palisades Park in 1915 and remains one of the most recognizable landscapes in Santa Monica today.

Historical Notes

From the bluff above the beach visitors could look south toward the Arcadia Hotel and the remains of the early railroad wharf stretching into the bay. The 99 Steps provided one of the most direct routes between the bluff top and the beach below, and from this elevated vantage point the full sweep of North Beach and its informal seasonal settlement was visible in a single glance.

The beach scene captured in this photograph represents a brief window of time before large scale transportation and harbor projects began to transform the coastline. Within only a few years the expansion of Southern Pacific rail lines along the shoreline would bring industrial activity directly to the edge of North Beach, permanently altering the quiet and informal character of the place these early visitors had come to enjoy.

Historical Notes

This colorized version of the original photograph offers a different way of seeing the same scene. The addition of color draws attention to details that can be easy to overlook in a black and white image, including the texture of the sandy bluff, the weathered wood of the staircase, and the open expanse of sky above Santa Monica Bay.

Colorization also has a way of closing the distance between past and present. What might feel like a remote historical record in its original form becomes something more immediate when rendered in color, a reminder that the people who stood on these steps and looked out over North Beach experienced the world in the same vivid way that visitors do today.

Historical Notes

By the early 1890s the area north of the Arcadia Hotel had developed into one of the liveliest seaside resort districts in Southern California. Tent houses stood in long rows along the sand and provided seasonal accommodations for visitors arriving from Los Angeles and other inland communities. Many people came simply to walk the beach or breathe the ocean air, while others swam, fished from the old wharf pilings, or gathered on the shore for picnics and social events.

The scale of change over those few years is worth pausing to consider. In 1880 the population of Santa Monica had bottomed out at only 350 residents, and the town was struggling through a period of economic depression following the collapse of Senator Jones' silver mining interests. A decade later, with the Southern Pacific bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, the same shoreline had become one of the most visited stretches of coast in the entire American West.

Historical Notes

Railroads played a defining role in the early growth of Santa Monica, and by 1893 their influence over the shoreline was impossible to ignore. The first tracks had reached the city in October 1875 with the opening of Senator Jones' Los Angeles and Independence Railroad, a sixteen mile line connecting Santa Monica with downtown Los Angeles. In the early 1890s the Southern Pacific dramatically expanded its presence along the shore, laying new tracks beside the beach road and extending them north toward a massive new structure known as the Long Wharf, also called Port Los Angeles.

Completed in May 1893, the Long Wharf measured approximately 4,700 feet and was considered one of the longest wharves in the world at the time. The industrial operations it brought to the shoreline changed North Beach permanently. The 99 Steps were modified to allow trains to pass beneath them, small cottages and seasonal shelters disappeared as railroad infrastructure took their place, and the easy informal character of the beach gave way to something far more commercial. The road beside the tracks was eventually renamed Roosevelt Highway in the 1920s and later became the route now known as Pacific Coast Highway.

Historical Notes

The bluff top park seen in this photograph was known at the time as Linda Vista Park. The land had been donated to the city in 1892 by Senator John Percival Jones and Arcadia Bandini de Baker so that the edge of the bluffs overlooking Santa Monica Bay would remain open public space. From this elevated position visitors enjoyed wide and unobstructed views of the bay, the Arcadia Hotel below, and the beach along which the seasonal tent community had spread each summer for more than a decade.

By the mid-1890s the world visible from this bluff was already beginning to change. The Long Wharf now extended far into the bay to the north, railroad tracks ran along the shoreline below, and the simple tent community of North Beach was shrinking as more organized and commercial beach facilities replaced the informal arrangements of the previous decade. The park itself, renamed Palisades Park in 1915, would outlast all of them and remains one of Santa Monica's most cherished public spaces today.

Historical Notes

The earlier photograph shows the original 99 Steps descending from the bluff down to North Beach. At the time the image was taken only a thin band of sand separated the base of the cliffs from the surf, and the tent cottages and small wooden structures near the foot of the steps occupied nearly the full width of the available beach.

Over the past century the shoreline of Santa Monica has been transformed through a series of large scale engineering efforts. In the early 1900s city officials began bringing in imported sand to widen the naturally rocky and narrow beaches for recreational use. Between 1930 and 1993 more than 130 million cubic yards of sand were placed on Southern California beaches as part of ongoing nourishment programs. The place where the 99 Steps once met the shore, where house tents stood in summer rows and visitors walked barefoot toward the Pacific, now lies buried beneath a beach that is largely the product of human engineering.

Closing Notes

The photographs in this section capture a moment in the early history of Santa Monica that passed very quickly. For visitors arriving from Los Angeles in the 1880s and early 1890s, the shoreline below the bluffs offered something that was still rare in Southern California at the time: a place where ordinary people could spend days beside the ocean in simple surroundings, at modest cost, with little formality and a great deal of open air and freedom.

The forces that ended that world were not dramatic. They were the ordinary pressures of growth, commerce, and ambition. Railroads needed more land along the shore. Hotels needed more amenities to stay competitive. Developers needed more infrastructure to attract investment and permanent residents. Within a generation the tent community had vanished, the Long Wharf had been built and then dismantled, the Arcadia Hotel had closed and been torn down, and the beach itself had been remade by human engineering into something wider and more uniform than nature had ever provided. The small seaside village of cottages and canvas shelters slowly disappeared, leaving behind only a handful of photographs that record the earliest days of Santa Monica as a seaside resort and the simple world that existed along its shore before the modern city arrived.

Arcadia Hotel

Historical Notes

The Hotel Arcadia was part of a larger railroad strategy. J. W. Scott purchased a swath of land from the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in 1885 on the condition that he build a fine hotel. He subdivided the land into 40 lots, sold 30 of them for $1,200 each, and used the resulting funds to begin construction on the Arcadia. The railroad's Pacific Improvement Company held a stake in the project as part of its plan to develop destinations for train passengers.

The hotel was built next to a steep cliff and showed only three stories on the Ocean Avenue side while rising five full stories on the beach side. Scott had previously operated Santa Monica's earlier Santa Monica Hotel, and he brought that same experience to what became the grandest structure the town had ever seen. With its passenger elevators, ocean-view rooms, and incandescent electric lighting, the Arcadia was widely promoted as one of the most modern resorts on the Pacific Coast.

Historical Notes

By 1891 the hotel was billing itself as "Unquestionably the most elegant resort on the Coast," boasting in advertisements of its beautiful ballroom, passenger elevators, and incandescent lights in every room. Resort advertisements also highlighted the hotel's hot and cold saltwater baths located in the bathhouse at beach level. The Arcadia quickly became a destination for travelers arriving by rail from Los Angeles who were seeking ocean air, refined dining, and the relaxing pace of coastal society life.

As one historian wrote, guests often made mention in postcards and letters of the phosphorescent surf on moonlit nights, and how, while listening to the hotel's string orchestra play in the ballroom, the water seemed to dance to the rhythm of the music. Whether a visitor came from Los Angeles for a single night or traveled from the East Coast for an entire summer at the shore, the Arcadia had a way of making people fall in love with it.

This view from the beach captures a side of the Arcadia Hotel that Ocean Avenue visitors never saw. From this angle the full five-story height of the building is apparent, and the working infrastructure of a seaside resort comes into focus. The large water tank and windmill visible at the right were practical necessities, using the reliable coastal breeze to pump and store fresh water for the hotel's plumbing. The Arcadia Bath House occupied the base of the bluff between the hotel and the shoreline, offering guests hot and cold saltwater baths, dressing rooms, and a covered walkway across the sand. The Billiard Parlor sign speaks to the range of entertainments on offer, as billiards was a fashionable pastime among the Gilded Age guests who filled the hotel's rooms, keeping visitors occupied even on days when the surf was rough or the weather was cool.

The beachgoers visible in the sand reflect the bathing fashions of the era. Visitors to California beaches in the 1890s typically wore full-length wool bathing costumes and carried parasols to protect themselves from the sun, as tanned skin was not yet considered fashionable. Lying directly on the open sand, as several figures in this photograph appear to be doing, was itself a relatively new idea. For most of the century the beach had been a place to visit rather than to linger on, and the relaxed posture of the figures here suggests that Santa Monica was quietly helping to change that.

Historical Notes

From the hotel's broad verandas guests could look north along the shoreline toward the Palisades and the growing beach settlement below the bluffs. The remains of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad Wharf could still be seen extending into the bay. Such views were a major attraction for visitors who came to Santa Monica to enjoy sea breezes and the unhurried pace of the coastal resort community. The observation tower, which rose approximately 136 feet above beach level, gave those who climbed it an even more sweeping panorama of the coastline in both directions.

Historical Notes

The hotel was named for Arcadia Bandini de Baker, one of the most remarkable women in the history of Southern California. Born in 1827 into the Bandini family, one of the most prominent Californio families whose vast ranchlands spread from San Diego through Riverside and San Bernardino, Arcadia entered an arranged marriage at age 14 with Abel Stearns, whose commercial enterprises made him one of the wealthiest men in California. Stearns died in 1871, leaving his entire fortune to Arcadia.

In 1875, the same year Santa Monica was first planned out, the widowed Arcadia married Colonel Robert S. Baker, business partner of Senator John P. Jones, the founder of Santa Monica. She was a skilled businesswoman, a renowned hostess, and through the wealth of her family and her husbands she amassed an enormous fortune. In her later life she was considered "the great benefactress of Santa Monica" for her investments in and contributions to the development of the city. She never spoke English in public, conducting all her business affairs in fluent Castilian Spanish with an interpreter at her side, a deliberate statement of cultural pride at a time when Californio families were losing their footing in a rapidly changing region.

She and Senator Jones donated the land for Palisades Park, and she donated 600 acres for what would become the Veterans Administration campus in West Los Angeles. Upon her death in 1912, Arcadia Bandini de Baker left an estate valued between eight and fifteen million dollars and was considered one of the wealthiest women in America. Because she left no children and no will, her estate became the subject of the largest probate court battle ever recorded in California. The hotel that bore her name was a fitting tribute to a woman whose vision helped shape the entire western edge of Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

The palms in the garden on the land side of the Arcadia were a celebrated feature of the hotel. Some of them survived the demolition of the hotel in 1909 and were transplanted to other developments in Santa Monica, becoming the only known physical elements of the grand hotel to endure.

Despite its prestige, the Arcadia struggled during periods of slow tourism. The hotel and the rapidly growing community of Santa Monica were hit hard by the Panic of 1893, a nationwide economic depression that lasted until 1897, abruptly chilling the enthusiasm of the Gilded Age. The hotel operated as a resort for the last time in 1904, when the Occidental Club of Los Angeles purchased the property. By January 1907, the Southern California Military Academy had taken over the building on a lease, a quiet and unceremonious end for what had once been the grandest address on the Pacific Coast.

Historical Notes

This panoramic view from the street side reveals the full sweep of the Arcadia's carefully designed grounds. The circular carriage drive, manicured garden beds, and rows of young palm trees were as much a part of the hotel's identity as the building itself. Arriving guests would have followed this drive to the entrance, the landscaping signaling from the moment of arrival that this was no ordinary destination. In the far right of the frame, the open expanse of Santa Monica Bay is visible beyond the bluff's edge, a reminder of how close the ocean always was.

After the hotel closed the property remained vacant for several years. The end came in 1909 when the grand old hotel was demolished to make way for an exclusive residential development called Seaside Terrace. The celebrated palm trees that lined the grounds were carefully dug up and transplanted to other properties around Santa Monica, becoming the only living remnants of the Arcadia to survive. Today a single street called Arcadia Terrace is the only reminder of where the legendary hotel once stood.

Historical Notes

This view shows the railroad station that served passengers arriving from Los Angeles. The railroad played a major role in Santa Monica's early development by making the seaside town easily accessible to visitors who might otherwise have faced a long overland journey. Beyond the depot the Palisades and the sweeping coastline of Santa Monica Bay can be seen stretching northward. The railroad connection was not merely convenient but essential. Without it, a resort hotel of the Arcadia's size and ambition would have had no reliable way to fill its rooms.

Historical Notes

In the hotel's early years, arriving guests did not simply walk from the train depot to the front door. They first had to cross a steep, 500-foot-wide ravine, and the Thompson Gravity Switchback Railroad was the solution. Its single car held ten passengers, who paid five cents for a round trip along a gently undulating track of 500 feet, using gravity rather than steam or coal to propel it up the bluff on the other side. Its inventor, LaMarcus Adna Thompson, had already built a similar ride at Coney Island in 1884 and is widely credited as the father of the modern roller coaster. The Santa Monica version was quieter and slower than a true thrill ride, but it gave new arrivals a memorable introduction to the hotel grounds and a small taste of what the resort had in store.

The ride operated from 1887 to 1889, a brief window that coincided with the hotel's earliest and most celebrated years. When it closed, guests arrived by carriage or on foot across the new bridge that eventually replaced the ravine crossing. Even so, the Thompson Switchback left its mark on Santa Monica's identity as a place where recreation and invention arrived together, and hinted at the amusement parks and pleasure piers that would define the coastline in the decades to come.

The Arcadia Hotel was famous for its elegance, but in September 1903 it became the scene of one of the most sensational crimes in the history of Los Angeles. Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, best known today as the man who donated the land that became Griffith Park, was staying in the presidential suite of the Hotel Arcadia with his wife Tina and their teenage son during the summer of 1903. Throughout the stay Griffith had grown increasingly paranoid, convinced that someone was trying to poison him.

On the evening of September 3, 1903, as the family prepared to return to Los Angeles the following morning, Griffith slipped out of the suite and went directly to the hotel bar, where he consumed a number of powerful absinthe cocktails. He then returned to the suite and joined his wife in packing. He retrieved her prayer book, handed it to her, and ordered her to kneel on the floor. As she knelt, he pressed a .38 caliber revolver against her. The bullet struck her head. Bloodied and dazed, she threw herself through a hotel window and fell nearly two stories onto an awning below, breaking her shoulder. She survived, but lost her right eye and was permanently disfigured.

Griffith was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to commit murder. The prosecution was led by Henry T. Gage, former governor of California, while Griffith was defended by the brilliant attorney Earl Rogers. Griffith served a year and nine months in prison. The trial drew enormous attention across Southern California and cast a long shadow over the hotel's final years. By the time the Arcadia was demolished in 1909, the shooting had become the most remembered event in its history, a dark footnote to what had otherwise been one of the most celebrated resort hotels the Pacific Coast had ever known.

Thompson Gravity Switchback Railroad

(aka Switchback Roller Coaster)

Historical Notes

A special delight for Arcadia Hotel guests was a two-track gravity switchback roller coaster, which in a one minute journey, could whisk guests either to or from the hotel and back again. For five cents, riders would climb a platform to board the large bench-like car and were pushed off to coast 300 ft. down the track across the ravine.  The car went just over 6 mph.  At the top of the other platform the vehicle was switched to a return track or "switched back" (hence the name).

Historical Notes

The original Switchback Railway (Coney Island) was the first roller coaster designed as an amusement ride in America. It was designed by LaMarcus Adna Thompson in 1881 and constructed in 1884. It appears Thompson based his design, at least in part, on the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway which was a coal-mining train that had started carrying passengers as a thrill ride in 1827.

Historical Notes

The Arcadia Hotel opened for business in 1887 and was located on Ocean Avenue between Railroad Avenue (later known as Colorado Avenue) and Front (later known as Pico Boulevard). The Arcadia was the largest structure in Santa Monica at the time of its construction. The 125-room hotel was owned by J.W. Scott, the proprietor of the city's first hotel, the Santa Monica Hotel. The hotel was named for Arcadia Bandini de Baker, the wife of Santa Monica cofounder Colonel R. S. Baker.

The hotel was built next to a steep cliff and shows only 3 stories on the Ocean Avenue side and 5 stories on the beach side as seen above.

Historical Notes

The North Beach Bath House was built in 1898 and replaced the 1876-built Santa Monica Bath House.

Historical Notes

When it opened in 1887, Santa Monica's ritzy Arcadia Hotel offered its guests a large saltwater bathhouse, the Arcadia Bath House.

Southern Pacific Railroad Tunnel

In 1891, the Southern Pacific Railroad carved a tunnel through the coastal bluffs beneath Ocean Avenue near the Arcadia Hotel as part of its rail route north from Santa Monica toward Santa Monica Canyon and the Long Wharf district. The line ran along the base of the bluffs below the city’s premier seaside resort area, where visitors above could watch trains emerge from the tunnel near the beach. For more than forty years locomotives used this passage while carrying passengers and freight along the shoreline. Rail service ended in 1933, and three years later the old railroad opening was replaced by a wider automobile tunnel. Today motorists entering Pacific Coast Highway at the western end of Interstate 10 pass through this same historic gateway, now known as the McClure Tunnel.

Historical Notes

This view captures the layered landscape of early Santa Monica. Above the rail line stood the Arcadia Hotel, opened in 1887 and long considered the city’s most elegant seaside resort. Just below the bluff top hotels and streets, Southern Pacific’s rail line passed through a tunnel beneath Ocean Avenue before continuing north along the shoreline.

At right, the stairway known as the “55 Steps” connected the bluff top resort district with the beach, bath houses, and railroad corridor below. The scene illustrates how closely transportation, tourism, and recreation were intertwined in Santa Monica during the city’s early resort era.

Historical Notes

This photograph shows a Southern Pacific locomotive emerging from the curved tunnel opening beneath the Santa Monica bluffs. The rail line formed part of Southern Pacific’s coastal operations during the period when the company was developing Santa Monica as a freight and passenger terminal connected with the nearby Long Wharf.

Passenger service later included Pacific Electric interurban operations along the route. Trains continued to use the line until 1933. After rail service ended, the original railroad tunnel was replaced by a wider concrete automobile tunnel that opened on February 1, 1936. The new roadway connected Lincoln Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard with Roosevelt Highway, later renamed Pacific Coast Highway.

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The historic railroad tunnel once carried steam locomotives along the base of the Santa Monica bluffs. Today the same passage serves automobile traffic entering Pacific Coast Highway from Interstate 10.

Although the Arcadia Hotel, bath houses, and bluff top stairways have long since disappeared, the geography remains strikingly similar. Travelers still pass through the bluff at nearly the same location where Southern Pacific locomotives emerged more than a century ago. The McClure Tunnel continues to mark one of the primary gateways between the city and the Santa Monica shoreline.

Arcadia Hotel and the Santa Monica Bluffs

1904 - 1905

At the turn of the twentieth century, the bluffs above Santa Monica Beach formed one of the most dramatic seaside landscapes in Southern California. Along the edge of what was then known as Linda Vista Park, visitors could look down upon bath houses, piers, railroad tracks, and the wide sandy beach below. Dominating the skyline was the Arcadia Hotel, opened in 1887 as Santa Monica’s premier seaside resort. From its bluff top setting the hotel overlooked both the growing beach recreation district and the Southern Pacific rail line that ran along the base of the cliffs. Although the Arcadia Hotel stood for only twenty years, it helped establish Santa Monica’s reputation as one of the leading coastal destinations of the era.

Historical Notes

This view captures the layered geography that defined early Santa Monica. At the top of the bluffs, Linda Vista Park offered sweeping views of the ocean and beach below. Beneath the cliffs, the Southern Pacific Railroad ran along the shoreline, carrying passengers to and from the seaside resort district.

The Arcadia Hotel, visible at center, quickly became the social centerpiece of Santa Monica after opening in 1887. Nearby bath houses and piers served the growing number of visitors arriving by train from Los Angeles. Together these elements helped transform the once quiet coastline into one of Southern California’s earliest beach recreation centers.

Historical Notes

Colorization helps reveal the natural tones of the Santa Monica bluffs and the wide sandy beach that attracted visitors to the area. The bluffs themselves were formed from layers of marine sediments and alluvial deposits, shaped over centuries by erosion and coastal weathering.

From the bluff top promenade visitors could watch trains passing below, bathers gathering near the bath houses, and ships moving along the Pacific horizon. The view helped establish Linda Vista Park as one of Santa Monica’s earliest scenic landmarks.

Historical Notes

Winter storms frequently damaged the early wooden structures built along the Santa Monica shoreline. Boardwalks, bath houses, and piers were particularly vulnerable to heavy surf and high tides.

Scenes like this illustrate the fragile nature of early beachfront development before modern coastal protections were introduced. Despite periodic storm damage, the beach remained a major attraction for visitors arriving by train from Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

The presence of spectators in the photograph suggests that storm damage along the beachfront quickly became a public spectacle. Residents and visitors often gathered along the shore to observe the effects of winter storms on piers, boardwalks, and bath houses.

In the background, the Arcadia Hotel continues to dominate the bluff top skyline. Just two years after this photograph was taken, the landmark hotel would be demolished in 1907 as Santa Monica entered a new phase of coastal development.

Historical Notes

The sign reading “NOTICE: LADIES ON BEACH MUST WEAR BLOOMERS – CITY ORD. 72” appears to be a novelty reproduction rather than an authentic municipal posting from Venice Beach or nearby coastal towns. However, its message draws from real history. In the early 1900s, many seaside communities in Southern California, including Venice, enforced strict modesty laws that dictated what women could wear at the beach. Bloomers and full-length bathing attire were often required, and so-called “swimsuit police” or “beach censors” patrolled the sand, sometimes measuring women’s suits to ensure compliance. Famous photographs from the 1920s and 1930s show officers at Venice Beach inspecting beachgoers’ attire—evidence of genuine social norms that inspired signs like this, whether in jest or homage. While no known city ordinance matches “ORD. 72,” the sign captures, through exaggeration or satire, the era’s tension between public decency codes and evolving fashion freedoms.

Historical Notes

In the 1890s, Santa Monica Beach was a burgeoning seaside resort, attracting visitors eager to enjoy the Pacific surf and the burgeoning amenities of the area. Group photographs from this era often depict bathers in modest swimwear, reflective of the Victorian and Edwardian sensibilities of the time.

These group photos were more than mere snapshots; they served as cherished mementos of seaside excursions. Photographers would set up along the beach, offering visitors the opportunity to capture their leisure moments, which were then printed as souvenir postcards or keepsakes. Such images not only documented personal memories but also contributed to the broader cultural narrative of beach-going as a fashionable and wholesome activity during that period.

Historical Notes

Women's bathing attire typically consisted of dark-colored, knee-length dresses with puffed sleeves, worn over bloomers or stockings, and complemented by bathing caps or wide-brimmed hats to shield from the sun. Men's swimwear was usually one-piece woolen suits that covered the torso and extended to the mid-thigh, often in darker hues.

The Santa Monica Cycle Path was a pioneering bicycle route in Los Angeles, completed in 1900. It was an 18 mile cycleway that provided a smooth and reliable route from downtown Los Angeles to the coast at Santa Monica. At a time when most roads were rough and poorly maintained, the path offered cyclists a safer and more efficient alternative.

The cycle path was a six foot wide gravel road reserved for cyclists and pedestrians. Decorative arches marked the route and prevented wagons and buggies from entering. These arches also displayed advertisements that helped fund construction and maintenance of the path.

Along the route, riders passed through open farmland, meadows, and developing industrial areas, including the Hauser slaughterhouse. Newly planted pepper trees provided shade and made the ride more comfortable.

When the path opened, it greatly reduced travel time between Los Angeles and Santa Monica. It quickly became popular with cyclists who no longer had to rely on difficult wagon roads.

Location note
The intersection shown here was Washington Street and Third Avenue. Washington Street later became Washington Boulevard. Third Avenue no longer exists under that name. Based on early maps and period references, this location corresponds approximately to today’s Washington Boulevard near the former Rosedale Cemetery area, close to present day Normandie Avenue. The exact alignment of Third Avenue does not survive on modern street maps.

The 18 mile Santa Monica Cycle Path was a dedicated bicycle route that connected downtown Los Angeles with the coastal city of Santa Monica. Beginning near the city center, the path followed Washington Street, later renamed Washington Boulevard, creating a direct east west route across the city.

Key intersections along the way included Third Avenue and Western Avenue. West of these points, the path passed through less developed areas, including what is now Culver City, before reaching Santa Monica and its coastal attractions.

Washington Street was renamed Washington Boulevard in the early 1900s as the roadway was widened and improved. By 1905, it was already commonly referred to as Washington Boulevard and was used for organized horse driving events west of Western Avenue.

The Santa Monica Cycle Path was built as part of the good roads movement led by the League of American Wheelmen. The movement focused on improving road conditions, first for cyclists and later for all travelers. Fundraising for the path also served as publicity, with supporters purchasing good roads buttons instead of paying a toll.

The path crossed Washington Boulevard at Western Avenue, an important point along the route between Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

Despite its early success, the rise of the automobile in the early 20th century led to the decline of dedicated bicycle paths like this one. The Santa Monica Cycle Path eventually fell into disuse as streets were redesigned to serve cars. Even so, it remains an important chapter in Los Angeles transportation history and an early example of dedicated infrastructure for cyclists.

The Santa Monica Cycle Path, along with the California Cycleway in Pasadena, reflected the cycling boom of the 1890s, when Los Angeles had more than 35,000 cyclists. These projects were early attempts to create dedicated infrastructure for non motorized travel, long before automobiles shaped the region.

Although neither project lasted for many years, both remain important chapters in the history of transportation and urban planning in Southern California.

Historical Notes

Senator Jones built a mansion, Miramar, and his wife Georgina planted a Moreton Bay Fig tree in its front yard in 1889. The tree is now in the courtyard of the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and is the second-largest such tree in California, the largest being the tree in Santa Barbara.

In 1924 Senator Jones’ mansion became the grand Miramar Hotel

Originally the location of Santa Monica's founding father Senator Jones mansion, the Miramar has provided shelter for rich and famous guests looking for an extended beach stay since the 1920s. Notables include Cary Grant, John F Kennedy, Charles Lindbergh and Eleanor Roosevelt.

In 1924 the six-story Palisades Wing was constructed to provide apartments for guests who planned lengthy stays at the beach. Scandinavian beauty Greta Garbo was one of the first celebrity guests to move into the wing and resided there for more than four years.

Sultry blonde Jean Harlow rented one of the Miramar's bungalows in the early 1930s, and years later another famous blonde, Marilyn Monroe, frequently retreated to the Miramar when she wanted to disappear from the media.

The above map was prepared by the Title Guarantee & Trust Company in 1935.  Other landmarks on the map include, from left to right, top to bottom: Calabasas, Santa Susana Pass, Chatsworth, Fremont Pass, San Bernardo, El Mission de San Fernando, Tujunga Canyon, Verdugo Mountains, Burbank, Glendale, Laurel Canyon, Cahuenga Pass, La Canada, Verdugo Canyon, Pasadena, Santa Monica Mountains, Sepulveda Canyon, Franklin Canyon, Sherman, Laguna, La Brea, Brea Pits, Hollywood, Colegrove, Bath House, Canon de Santa Monica, Casa de Reyes, Casa de Marquez, Rodeo de las Aguas, Las Cienegas, Westlake Park, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Rincon de los Bueyos, and La Ballona.

Historical Notes

The Long Wharf, also known as Port Los Angeles or the Mile Long Pier, was constructed between 1892 and 1894 by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company just north of Santa Monica Canyon. At nearly a mile in length, it was the longest wooden pier in the world at the time. The wharf was built to serve as a deep-water port for the Los Angeles region, addressing the area’s lack of a natural harbor and facilitating the transfer of goods and passengers between ships and railroads.

Historical Notes

The Long Wharf, also known as the Santa Monica Wharf, was constructed in 1893 by the Southern Pacific Railroad as part of an ambitious plan to establish a deep-water port for Los Angeles at Santa Monica. Stretching 4,600 feet into the Pacific Ocean, it was the longest wooden pier in the world at the time. Southern Pacific sought to control the region’s shipping access and bypass the shallow, undeveloped port at San Pedro. The wharf allowed cargo ships to dock directly offshore and transfer goods to waiting trains. However, political pressure—led by the "Free Harbor Fight" and backed by the federal government—ultimately favored San Pedro, which became the official Port of Los Angeles in 1897, rendering the Long Wharf obsolete within just a few years.

Historical Notes

The wharf’s construction was part of a larger vision by railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington and Nevada Senator John P. Jones, who hoped to make Santa Monica Bay the principal port of Los Angeles. With double railroad tracks running its length, the Long Wharf quickly became a bustling hub for lumber and other imports essential to Southern California’s rapid development. Its impressive size and modern facilities made it a symbol of the region’s ambitions.

Historical Notes

Pictured with surveying instruments during the early planning of the Long Wharf in Santa Monica are (left to right): Fred Strichfield, Edna Orr (later Nellie Coffman of Desert Inn fame), Mr. Donovan, and Casper Tyler. The Long Wharf—built between 1892 and 1894—was once the longest pier in the world. This rare image captures a young Edna Orr before her rise as a pioneering figure in Palm Springs hospitality.

Nellie Coffman (1867–1950), née Edna Beatrice Orr, was a pioneering hotelier who helped transform Palm Springs into a premier desert resort. After moving there in 1909 for her husband’s health, she opened a modest boarding house that grew into the famed Desert Inn. Known for her high standards and charm, “The Duchess of Palm Springs” attracted celebrities, dignitaries, and investors, shaping the city’s early identity as an upscale retreat. She managed the Inn until shortly before her death in 1950, leaving a lasting legacy in the region.

Historical Notes

Also referred to as “Port Los Angeles” during the 1890s, the Long Wharf was promoted by the Southern Pacific Railroad as the region’s future deep-water harbor. Stretching over 4,700 feet into the bay, it was the longest pier in the world at the time.

Historical Notes

The Long Wharf’s prominence was short-lived due to intense political and commercial rivalry known as the "Free Harbor Fight." Huntington and Jones used their influence to delay federal investment in San Pedro Bay, advocating instead for a breakwater and port facilities at Santa Monica. However, local business interests, led by Los Angeles Times publisher Harrison Gray Otis and U.S. Senator Stephen White, lobbied for San Pedro. In 1897, a federal commission led by Rear Admiral John Grimes Walker selected San Pedro Bay as the official site for the Port of Los Angeles, ending Santa Monica’s bid.

Historical Notes

With San Pedro’s selection and subsequent harbor improvements, shipping traffic shifted away from the Long Wharf. The wharf ceased major shipping operations by 1913, and demolition began soon after. By 1919, the tip of the pier was removed, and the remaining structure was used as a fishing pier until its complete removal in 1933. Today, no physical trace remains, but a California Historical Landmark plaque marks the site at Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades.

Historical Notes

n 1897, San Pedro Bay, now known as the Port of Los Angeles, was selected by the United States Congress to be the official port of Los Angeles (Port of Los Angeles) over Santa Monica. Still, the Long Wharf acted as the major port of call for Los Angeles until 1903. Though the final decision disappointed the city's residents, the selection allowed Santa Monica to maintain its scenic charm. The rail line down to Santa Monica Canyon was sold to the Pacific Electric Railway, and was in use from 1891 to 1933.

Click HERE to see more in Early Views of San Pedro and Wilmington.

Historical Notes

Tourists marveled at riding streetcars out over the ocean on the old freight wharf, promoted as “the only ocean voyage on wheels.” When Pacific Electric absorbed LAP in 1911, the line was operated as the Santa Monica Canyon Local or Port Los Angeles Line, but its function remained recreational rather than practical transit. Passenger service continued on a diminishing basis, with cutbacks in the 1920s as the wharf deteriorated and automobile tourism supplanted the red cars.

By the early 1930s, only a token daily shuttle remained, and the line was formally abandoned in 1933. The last remnants of the Long Wharf were demolished that same year. Though short-lived and lightly used, the line had a notable impact on regional tourism and helped shape Santa Monica’s identity as a beach resort instead of a shipping port.

Historical Notes

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a Japanese fishing village known as Maikura was established at the foot of the Long Wharf in what is now Pacific Palisades, just north of Santa Monica Canyon. The settlement took root around 1899, led by Issei (first-generation Japanese immigrants) such as Hatsuji Sano, who were drawn to the area for its rich fishing grounds and proximity to the enormous, soon-abandoned wharf built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1893 as part of an unsuccessful attempt to establish Port Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

Fishing was the foundation of the local economy. Japanese fishermen supplied fresh seafood to Japanese communities in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, while others opened seafood shops and related businesses inland. The Long Wharf and the village’s seaside location also drew day visitors from the city, many of whom came to fish, dine, or enjoy the beach. The mix of hard work and cultural continuity gave the village a uniquely communal and industrious character.

Historical Notes

By 1910, Maikura had grown into a small but vibrant community of about 50 residents—two-thirds Japanese and one-third Russian. As the years went on, the population swelled to nearly 300 people. Families built modest homes along the beach and up Temescal Canyon’s coastal shelf, constructing their own roads, laying down power and gas lines, and opening businesses such as small hotels and restaurants. The residents rebuilt after storms and setbacks, forming a self-sufficient, resilient community.

Historical Notes

Despite its coastal isolation, the Maikura community maintained strong cultural and social ties with other Japanese neighborhoods, especially Little Tokyo and Sawtelle. Villagers participated in religious observances, sporting events, and social gatherings in those areas. The community’s character was often compared to the better-known Japanese enclave on Terminal Island—tight-knit, industrious, and proudly self-reliant.

Historical Notes

By the early 1910s, the land had been annexed by Los Angeles County and fell under the control of developer Robert Gillis. Gillis sought to turn the coastal region into a whites-only, affluent suburb. Using the excuse of substandard sanitation infrastructure, he orchestrated the removal of the Japanese community. By 1916, the village was razed and the Long Wharf dismantled. Many former residents relocated to Terminal Island or to Santa Monica, where they shifted into farming, labor, and trades.

The Maikura fishing village was one of over 40 Japanese communities in California that ultimately vanished—many during or after World War II. Though short-lived, its legacy is significant. It stands as a testament to the contributions of early Japanese immigrants to the Los Angeles region and the broader patterns of exclusion and forced removal that shaped Southern California's urban and cultural history.

Historical Notes

The Santa Monica Canyon area was experiencing a land boom during the late 1880’s attracting tycoons (either actual or potential) of every industry. One such industrious man was Abbot Kinney who opened the first forestry station in the adjacent Rustic Canyon in 1887. One of his objectives was to test trees, primarily eucalyptus, as cash crops. On 247 acres of land Kinney began planting trees. Despite the success of the trees, it was clear they were not an effective cash crop and Kinney soon sold the property. Notwithstanding a devastating fire in 1904, many of the trees survived creating the plentiful and beautiful eucalyptus groves in Rustic Canyon today. A plaque was dedicated on August 18, 1971, officially designating the eucalyptus groves as a California State Historical Landmark.

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Historical Notes

Because of the construction of the nearby Long Wharf, a railroad was built right by the mouth of the Santa Monica Canyon.  The area now became accessible to hundreds of people. Traveling characters enjoyed days of croquet, horseback riding, and, of course, bathing.

Historical Notes

The increased sand on Santa Monica Beach compared to 100 years ago is largely due to human intervention, particularly through beach nourishment projects. Over the past century, efforts have been made to widen and enhance the beach to boost tourism and recreation. Key factors include the artificial widening of the beach by adding approximately 30 million cubic yards of sand, sourced from infrastructure projects and dredging operations, and the desire to make Santa Monica Beach resemble wider, flatter East Coast beaches.

In 1947, for example, nearly 14 million cubic yards of sand were removed to make way for El Segundo's Hyperion power plant. They were deposited onto Santa Monica's beaches. Another million cubic yards came a couple years later, the sand this time recovered from dredging operations along a nearby breakwater. In all, some thirty million cubic yards of sand have been dumped onto the beaches of Santa Monica and Venice. 

Historical Notes

The railroad depot seen in the above photo is still standing today.  The original 1890’s structure is the entrance to Patrick’s Roadhouse Restaurant, 106 Entrada Drive. The lunch counter and booth area of the restaurant appear to be the original fixtures as well.

Historical Notes

After San Pedro Bay was selected over the Long Wharf as the location of the new Los Angeles Harbor, the rail line down to Santa Monica Canyon was sold by Southern Pacific Railroad to the Pacific Electric Railway. The track was in use from 1891 to 1933.

Historical Notes

Adelaide Dr. and 4th house is still there. It was built in 1906 for R C Gillis as a summer house. Gillis and partners subdivided area as The Palisades and marketed it as a place to build summer houses for Los Angeles residents.

Historical Notes

Ocean Avenue starts at the residential Adelaide Drive (seen above) on the north end of Santa Monica and ends at Pico Boulevard. It is westernmost street in Santa Monica, and for most of its course it runs parallel to Palisades Park, whose bluffs overlook Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica State Beach.

Historical Notes

Santa Monica Canyon in the 1880s was a landscape in transition, poised on the brink of significant development. Originally part of the Mexican land grant Rancho Boca de Santa Monica, the area experienced a land boom in the late 1880s, though the first formal subdivision wouldn't be created until 1912. A pivotal moment came in 1887 with the establishment of the Old Santa Monica Forestry Station in Rustic Canyon, the nation's first experimental forestry station. This facility tested exotic trees and conducted important management studies, setting a precedent for scientific research in the area. The canyon was renowned for its natural water resources, with streams formed by moisture gathering on the hills, making the land particularly fertile. Infrastructure development was also underway, with railroad tracks laid near the canyon by 1885. This decade marked the beginning of Santa Monica Canyon's transformation from expansive ranchland to a more settled area, laying the foundation for the intensive development that would follow in subsequent years.

Historical Notes

The Long Wharf, also known as Port Los Angeles, was a major infrastructure project built by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Construction began in 1892 and was completed in 1894. At the time of its opening, it was the longest wharf in the world, stretching approximately 4,700 feet (1,400 meters) into Santa Monica Bay, just north of Santa Monica Canyon. The wharf served as a cargo and passenger port until 1913. It was constructed to establish Port Los Angeles, as the city lacked a natural harbor, and was a collaborative effort between Collis P. Huntington of Southern Pacific Railroad and Nevada Senator John P. Jones, who also founded Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Canyon Line, a tram line built in 1891, connected the wharf to the city, running from Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue through a tunnel to the beach. The Long Wharf played a vital role in the region's development by bringing lumber from Northern ports to support Southern California’s construction boom.

Historical Notes

The Long Wharf's prominence was short-lived despite its initial success. It began losing significant traffic to San Pedro after the latter was selected as the site for the Port of Los Angeles in 1897. The wharf's dismantling commenced in 1919, with its tip removed by 1920. The remaining structure served as a fishing pier until its complete removal in 1933. Today, the former site of the Long Wharf is recognized as a California Historical Landmark (site number 881) and is located in present-day Pacific Palisades at Will Rogers State Beach, preserving the memory of this once-impressive maritime structure.

Historical Notes

Tract planning for residential homes in the Santa Monica Canyon began in 1912. Santa Monica Land Companies owned by Gillis, Sherman, and C.L. Bundy promoted one expensive new tract after another. At the place Where the Mountains meet the Sea (as The Canyon was advertised), the Bundy’s built a bath house with picnic area, refreshments, and dance pavilion. It became the favorite oasis of many until it burned down in 1927.

Francis Eugene "Frank" Bundy (1870-1944), commonly known as F.E. Bundy, was part of the Bundy family that played a significant role in the development of Santa Monica, including having Bundy Drive named after them. F.E. Bundy was one of the Bundy brothers, which included G.G. Bundy, C.L. Bundy, Nathan P. Bundy, and Thomas C. Bundy. The Bundy family originally moved to Santa Monica from Ames, Iowa, where they established a home in Santa Monica Canyon. F.E. Bundy became a prominent real estate developer in Santa Monica, acquiring substantial real estate holdings through his business ventures.

Historical Notes

The Santa Monica Canyon Bath House, also known as Bundy Bath House, was a prominent recreational landmark in the early 20th century. Situated at the mouth of Santa Monica Canyon on the beach, it operated from at least 1915 to 1927. Built and owned by F.E. Bundy, a member of the Santa Monica Land Company, the bathhouse played a key role in promoting the area's residential development.

The Bundy Bath House offered a range of amenities, including refreshment stands, picnic areas, a dance pavilion, and changing rooms, making it a popular destination for locals and visitors. As Santa Monica Canyon developed into a recreational and residential hub, the bathhouse’s location near the Pacific Electric Railway tracks leading to the Long Wharf made it easily accessible.

Described as "the favorite oasis of many," the bathhouse was central to the growing leisure culture of the period. However, in 1927, it was destroyed by fire, marking the end of its brief but impactful existence. The area continued to evolve, and the Pacific Coast Highway was later constructed near its former site. Despite its short lifespan, the Bundy Bath House was an important part of Santa Monica Canyon’s transition from a rural landscape to a thriving residential community.

Historical Notes

In November 1919 the Pacific Electric Railway announced they were going to pull down the entire wharf.  By the middle of the next summer not a trace of it was left.

Historical Notes

Pacific Palisades was founded in 1920 by Dr. Charles Holmes Scott of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who sought permanent roots for his religious community. Scott, along with a delegation of Methodist ministers and laymen, purchased 16.6 acres of Rustic Canyon property (then-owned by scholar and widow Julia Edmond) and 11.8 acres of land adjacent to a forestry station. That same year, the Pacific Palisades Association was established to implement Scott’s plans and to further expand the community — in land and in population. January 14, 1922 was Pacific Palisades’ official “opening day.”

In 1926, the Pacific Palisades Association purchased the land that was owned by the Huntington family of New York. Both a commemorative gesture and a way to benefit from the prestige associated with the Huntington name, the area was deemed “Huntington Palisades.”

Historical Notes

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