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An old, Sepia-toned image of a late 1800s street with unpaved roads. A gas lamp stands just off the side of the road.
Making Modern L.A.: When the City Was Lit by Gas
In the 19th century, efforts in making Los Angeles more modern made the city more dependent on burning a fossil fuel.
A black and white photo of a valley with a river running down the center. Off in the distance, embedded into the foothills of the mountain is a house. Across the bottom of the image is written in white text, "The Crag's Country Club, Los Angeles."
How an Exclusive Club Helped 'Preserve' Nature While Pushing 'Progress'
While working on ambitious plans to grow the city of Los Angeles for profit, an elite group of businessmen also founded an exclusive club that promised a natural escape.
In this photo dated January 6, 1982, Vin Scully in front of a podium with the Dodgers logo behind him.
13 Vin Scully Highlights Captured in Southern California Archives
Here are photos, videos and ephemera from Southern California archives to add to the collective celebration of one of the best sportscasters in history.
An elder Japanese American man points at a iPad being held by another woman off-screen. On the iPad screen is a view of the front facing camera with 3D images of two Japanese Americans conversing next to suitcases overlaid.
L.A.’s Multi-Layered History Comes to Life in These AR/VR Projects
A number of Los Angeles history-minded institutions are exploring the use of new technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to reconstruct Southern California’s past. Here are projects that make the past feel present through the use of AR and VR.
A black and white photo of a steel-framed stage. Three man stand outside of it.
How Balboa Studios Almost Made Long Beach the West Coast Movie Capital
In the early 1900s, Long Beach was on track to becoming the "other Hollywood," led by independent production company Balboa Amusement Producing Company which created over 200 films in their studio at the intersection of Sixth Street and Alamitos Avenue.
A black and white photo of men standing in front of a store front. The glass of the store has printed on it, "Automobile Club." The men are standing on the sidewalk in front of it. On the street in front of it, two men sit on an old car and a young boy behind them is leaning on a bicycle.
How SoCal's Automobile Club Paved the Way For Road Development in the Name of Historic Preservation
First envisioned as a private social club, the Automobile Club of Southern California helped push development throughout Los Angeles by playing up a fabricated cultural past.
Photograph of people posing with their automobiles at Tioga Pass Summit, Yosemite National Park, ca.1925. Three automobiles are visible from the front at center, with a fourth visible from the side at left. At least twelve men and two women can be seen standing around, on top of, or sitting on the automobiles. A few are holding their hats in their hands, or are about to take their hats off. Most wear suits. Two piles of stones can be seen at left and right in the foreground, while a few trees are visible in the background.
How a Car Ban in Yosemite Park Ushered the Car-Friendly National Parks of Today
During Yosemite Park's infancy, it banned all automobiles at the park. The resulting rally from the Automobile Club of Southern California set the stage for cars at national parks to this day.
A drawing by Edward Vischer depicting cattle-drivers traveling towards the Mission Santa Barbara, May 6, 1865. The mission is visible at the foot of the mountains in the distance, while several cowboys on horseback drive a herd of cattle towards it from the pueblo. Several unsaddled horses, one of which is a foal, graze by a cluster of short trees to the left. The text below the image reads: "View of the Convent Santa Barbara from the Town". Picture file card asserts: "Cattle drove (northward-bound for market) passing the Valley of Santa Barbara" and "In lower left hand Vischer, May 2, 1865."
How a 19th-Century Drought Gave Us the L.A. We Know Today
The Owens Valley aqueduct and water from the Colorado River blunted the impact of 20th century droughts. Cattle and sheep range, emptied by thirst, became 50-by-100 foot house lots for the ten million of us who live in Los Angeles County, wondering today if there will ever be enough water.
Photographed on November 9, 1932, this view of Sixth Street Viaduct was taken the west bank of the Los Angeles River.
23 Eye-Opening Photos of the Original Sixth Street Viaduct in Construction
The Sixth Street Viaduct may have started life as a functional overpass on the Los Angeles River, but in the decades since, it has grown into a symbolic gateway. Here are some historic photos of the Sixth Street Viaduct.
Man crossing Alameda Street in 1932 with the viewpoint of Chop Suey restaurant, Tuey Far Low, in the background.
L.A. Chinatown Podcast Project Reveals the Power of Oral History
It is important in research not prop up tropes, stereotypes and caricatures — whether they are in the historical record or our times today.
A demonstration of hundreds protesting against the 1967 police raid at The Black Cat Tavern.
'Let Us Dance': When SoCal's Queer Nightlife Becomes a Place of Resistance
In the 20th century, when the queer rights movement was just surfacing, the queer nightlife scene coexisted as a safe haven as well as a place of resistance and activism.
Trikone Magazine's "Last Dance of Billo," 1998. Shows a woman in a revealing garb and a couple holding each other closely.
How Print Magazines Upheld Queer South Asian Culture
For decades, print publications, like Trikone Magazine, Bombay Dost and Shakti Khabar, told stories by and for queer South Asians in the '80s and '90s. And, they were fearless.
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