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Tag: 1915

  • July 23rd in Seal Beach History

    On this date in 1915, the Santa Ana Register ran a short story with the provocative headline, “SEAL BEACH TO INCORPORATE AND BE WET?”
    Seal Beach’s incorporation by election was just a little over three months away, and rumors were floating that table liquor licenses would be granted by the newly incorporated city. Temperance workers from Long Beach, a dry town, planned to reach out to dry workers in Orange County to prevent Seal Beach. 

    New Years Eve celebrants in the freshly incorporated Seal Beach were forced to ring in the new year of 1916 in a sober state, and the wet/dry conflict would continue to play out throughout 1916. Ultimately serving demon alcohol was too enticing and lucrative for Seal Beach, and the city went wet (to the relief of Long Beach non-abstainers who enjoyed nipping on over to Seal Beach cafes for a nip or two. Or three. Or five.)

    When the Volstead Act prohibited alcohol to the entire nation, Seal Beach became a prime spot for bootleggers and rum runners with local landmarks the pier, Anaheim Landing, and Alamitos Bay looming large in liquor smuggling legends and tall tales.

    – Michael Dobkins

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  • March 6th in Seal Beach History

    On this date in 1936, the Los Angeles Times reported that demolition of the Seal Beach amusement zone was underway.

    Described as “one of Southern California’s famous pre-prohibition amusement centers,” the land was to be converted to a “swanky subdivision” with ocean frontage. The roller coaster, a transplant from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco (most likely just the design and the rails, the wood was provided by a Long Beach Lumber company), the fishing pier (already damaged in a 1935 storm), and the Jewel City Cafe were all to be razed. It’s safe to assume that the scintillators and the pavilion were also scheduled to be destroyed, but the Times story didn’t mention them.

    (For some reason the damaged pier wasn’t actually demolished until 1938 when the city successfully litigated to take ownership. A new pier was finally built in 1939.)

    All this prime oceanfront real estate had been the property of the Bayside Land Company, a company owned by Phillip A. Stanton and other Seal Beach founding fathers, but the prosperity that seemed so imminent when the city incorporated back in 1915 never fully arrived. Prohibition, the Spanish Flu epidemic, malfeasance from contractors and licensees, stiff competition from other cities, and finally the Great Depression all held Seal Beach back from taking off the way the Bayside Land company stockholders and other city founders had envisioned twenty years earlier.

    A significant portion of Seal Beach real estate remained empty and undeveloped. The amusement zone fell into disuse and disrepair, and the pier and the rest of the beachfront no longer attracted crowds. Finally, Security First National Bank took over the Bayside Land Company’s holdings in foreclosure sale held in August 1935. Those holdings was said to make up nearly 50 per cent of the city.

    Management at Security First National Bank had a different vision for Seal Beach, one that is still recognizable in modern day Seal Beach. A program of civic improvements and new construction was launched to enhance the community.  The bank installed The Dickson Realty in the old Bayside Land Company Building at Ocean Avenue and Main Street with an exclusive contract to sell the bank’s Seal Beach holdings. Once again, Seal Beach’s future seemed filled with bright possibilities.

    And the era of Seal Beach as a seaside amusement attraction was done. It began in full force with a grand opening on Saturday, June 10, 1916 and ended with wrecking balls in early 1936 without even lasting a complete twenty years.

    Still, the romance and giddy promise and excitement of those early days of Seal Beach lives on our imaginations.

    – Michael Dobkins

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  • January 6th in Seal Beach History

    On This Date in 1915, The classified section of The Santa Ana Register presented this opportunity under For Sale – City Property:

    We regret to inform modern investors that the Guy M. Rush Co. office in Santa Ana is no longer offering dandy residence lots at these prices, partly due to having been replaced by a multi-story parking structure.

    But why go to Santa Ana for your 1915 Seal Beach real estate needs? You can visit G. E. Moon in his tent near Anaheim Landing or drop in on A. L. Havens on Ocean Avenue.

    Don’t wait. These bargains will not last forever.

    – Michael Dobkins

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    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.

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    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.

  • Sunday On The Pier With Kopf

    Fridays on The Pier – April 11, 1915

    The Seal Beach pier has been a favorite subject for photographers throughout its 95 years of history.  Every Friday between now and the end of the Seal Beach Founders Celebration, we’ll be posting an image of the pier.

    click on the image for a larger view

    The notation on this photo reads “at Seal Beach with Kopf – April 11, 1915.”  There’s a story here, but it’s lost to the ages.  This was a Sunday, so perhaps the gals decided to drop by Main Street for some ice cream after church with Kopf.

    Be sure to check back every for more historical photos and stories of Seal Beach.

    – Michael Dobkins

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

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  • A Cafe, Two Pavilions and A Seal Who Wasn’t There

    Fridays on The Pier – 1915

    The Seal Beach pier has been a favorite subject for photographers throughout its 95 years of history.  Every Friday between now and the end of the Seal Beach Founders Celebration, we’ll be posting an image of the pier.

    Once you get past the obvious pre-Adobe Photoshop cut and paste job on the seal lion, this photo reveals plenty of fascinating details, especially when you blow up the background.

    A nice look at the future location of the Jewel City Cafe.

    A glimpse of Main Street past the pier entryway arch.  You can see the electrical poles for the Pacific Electric red car line that ran down Main Street and the drugstore where Clancy’s is today.  We’ll get a closer look at this view of Main Street on Monday.

    The brand new dance pavilion and  bathhouse, waiting for an influx of tourists.

    The relocated old pavilion, empty, forlorn, and soon to be torn down to make room for the roller coaster and the Joy Zone.

    That’s all for this week.  Have a great weekend, and be sure to check back each week for more historical photos and stories of Seal Beach.
     
    Bookmark and Share– 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.