Tag Archives: transportation

The streetcars

Posted on June 11, 2008 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times, 1911 seem to have antagonized some people by having the audacity to question the notion that Los Angeles’ streetcar system was anything less than a shining glory and by poking fun of the idea … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Freeways, Transportation | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

June 11, 1938

Posted on June 11, 2008 by lmharnisch

s difficult as this may be to believe (and I’m sure it is), traffic is not a new problem in Los Angeles. The city’s streets were congested 50 years ago, they were congested 70 years ago and, yes, they were … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Countdown to Watts, Downtown, Freeways, Front Pages, LAPD, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

June 11, 1908

Posted on June 11, 2008 by lmharnisch

ook, if you dare, into the mysterious disappearance of a fisherman on Santa Catalina Island named Tony the Greek, obscured not only by the details, but further muddied by the convoluted account in The Times. Toss in a private detective … Continue reading →

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June 8, 1958

Posted on June 8, 2008 by lmharnisch

Visions of the future from 1958: People will live in geodesic domes (note that the floor plan on the dome displayed at the home show has no bathroom).  At left, predictions for 2000: Cars will be banned from the urban … Continue reading →

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May 29, 1908

Posted on May 29, 2008 by lmharnisch

May 28, 1908 May 29, 1908 We will have to trust the Los Angeles Times when it says Peje Storck was a famous pianist of his day. According to The Times, the pianist arrived in town in 1903 with English … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #gays and lesbians, classical music, LAPD, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on May 29, 1908

May 13, 1908

Posted on May 13, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, two suspects are arrested on charges of trying to rob a man at a streetcar stop in Santa Monica … Below, pay careful attention to the story about renewed efforts to excavate a tunnel on Hill Street. This is … Continue reading →

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May 11, 1908

Posted on May 11, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, note the speed limit in downtown Los Angeles: 4 mph at an intersection. Below, everybody is engaged in reading the help wanted ads except a young lad who doesn’t appear to be too pleased. And what exactly does The … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

April 13, 1908

Posted on April 13, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, wouldn’t it be fun to know what exactly is in Dr. Hoffman’s Nerve Syrup? Below, the sad tale of a woman believed to be Mrs. W.I. Roberts, who died after collapsing in line at the Pacific Electric Depot, 6th … Continue reading →

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April 2, 1908

Posted on April 2, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, the tars of the Great White Fleet are fed up with the same old songs. I’m not sure about "I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark," but I did find a song titled "I Used to Be Afraid … Continue reading →

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March 28, 1908

Posted on March 28, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, the circus is coming to town–apparently. I can’t find any further mentions of "Towle’s Circus." Below, Rep. J. Thomas Heflin hates African Americans and he hates drinking, so you can imagine how he feels about African Americans who drink … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

March 8, 1958

Posted on March 8, 2008 by lmharnisch

Transportation in Los Angeles as it was 50 years ago. A motorist is stranded on the median of the Harbor Freeway. Significant point: At this time in Los Angeles history, the freeways were patrolled by the LAPD, not the CHP … Continue reading →

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March 2, 1908

Posted on March 2, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, beer, the health drink, with a mere trace of alcohol–just to aid digestion. A deadly crash involving a car and a train is reconstructed at a coroner’s inquest … Will the Great White Fleet bypass Los Angeles and head … Continue reading →

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Feb. 28, 1908

Posted on February 27, 2008 by lmharnisch

Now this is interesting: Plans for a new Pacific Electric depot on the west side of Hill Street between 4th and 5th. Hm. Isn’t the Subway Terminal Building on Hill Street between 4th and 5th? Sure is … Powdered eggs … Continue reading →

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My new favorite thing

Posted on February 23, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, Pacific Electric map, 1925, from the Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library. Daily Mirror regulars will recall that I often say the transportation plans done over the last century for Los Angeles would fill a library. OK, I found the … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Mass transit

Posted on February 19, 2008 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Bruce H. Cox / Los Angeles Times I went down into the archives last night and pulled the original photo of Ralph P. Merritt, head of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, and our 1958 rapid transit plan. The map … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Transportation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Mass transit

Posted on February 16, 2008 by lmharnisch

Hey look, it’s the Gold Line pulling into Union Station! Oops, I’m about 50 years ahead of myself. Does this elevated train look familiar? Or maybe you remember this artist’s conception of an elevated train, below, from January 1907.   … Continue reading →

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Feb. 13, 1958

Posted on February 13, 2008 by lmharnisch

  The Metropolitan Transit Authority takes its first steps toward "a speedy mass transit system." Will it build a monorail from the Valley to downtown Los Angeles? Reporter Ray Herbert is going to look at the implications for bus and … Continue reading →

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Streetcar wreck

Posted on February 6, 2008 by lmharnisch

Jan. 31, 1908 Los Angeles What happens when a freight train hits a streetcar near what is now Cesar Chavez Avenue and the Los Angeles River.  

Posted in Transportation | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Feb. 6, 1908

Posted on February 5, 2008 by lmharnisch

  As I keep saying, the carnage on the streets of early 20th century Los Angeles is not to be believed. A detailed story on a fatal car accident … A brave teamster struggles to control a runaway team of … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Front Pages, health, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Feb. 6, 1908

Bus strike ends

Posted on January 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Photograph by the Los Angeles Times Julia Mendoza, left, and Florence Estrada dry a bus that has just come out of the wash rack in preparation for the resumption of service. The bus strike ends after 54 days, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | Tagged , , | 1 Comment