January 29th In Seal Beach History

On this date in 1914, a deed was recorded transferring 13.85 acres owned by Isaac W. Hellman to Guy M. Rush. The property joined Seal Beach (formerly Bay City) on the East (just past 14th Street) and stood between the Pacific Electric red car tracks (Electric Avenue) and the high tide line. This property was divided into lots and was given the exotic name of “tract no. 1.”

The streets of tract no. 1 were more colorfully named with a nautical theme: Dolphin Avenue,  Seal Way, and Marine Avenue. The already existing Ocean Avenue  curved through tract no. 1 to meet Bay Boulevard (later renamed Seal Beach Boulevard). After Tent City and the Joy Zone were replaced by more housing, Seal Way was extended westward beyond 14th Street.

The mortgage on the entire property was a whopping $ 44,015.

This 1921 aerial view shows Seal Beach seven years after the sale of the lot:

The triangle spotlights the boundaries of Tract no. 1.

– Michael Dobkins

Have you enjoyed this and other This Date in Seal Beach History posts?

If so, please consider making a small donation of a dollar or more to help defray the online subscriptions and other research costs that make this blog possible.

Donations can be made securely with most major credit cards directly through PayPal. Just click on paypal.me/MichaelDobkins to go to PayPal. Thank you.

This Date in Seal Beach History also has an online store hosted at Cafepress where you can order shirts, tote bags, stationery, and other gift items imprinted with vintage Seal Beach images. Visit the online store by clicking here.