Plaza Festival Celebrates Columbus Day

Posted on October 22, 2009 by lmharnisch
 Oct. 22, 1909, J.W. Robinson

What the stalwart young lad is wearing.

Oct. 22, 1909, Columbus Day

Oct. 22, 1909: Columbus Day is celebrated at the Plaza with a surprising array of ethnic groups. I’ve seen postcards of the Indian Village at Eastlake Park, but have never found out too much about it. I’d be interested to know which band of Apaches was in Los Angeles. Notice that in addition to Spanish dances, the youngsters did Dutch and Greek dances. And somehow, in celebrating Columbus Day, people found a way to reconnect with “the early times and romance of California.”

Father John Caballeria says: "We should all encourage this glorious spirit of the past and the old mission days of Southern California should never be forgotten. The Indians and the dances all show what great work has been accomplished in the past and just as great a work will be done in the future. This old mission is the mother of the churches in Los Angeles, as all of the churches in the city started from her. The old mission is getting old, very old, and for this reason we want to preserve its walls. The old mission needs lots of help."

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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