Nathan Masters
Nathan Masters is host and executive producer of Lost L.A., an Emmy Award-winning public television series from KCET and the USC Libraries. The show explores how rare artifacts from Southern California's archives can unlock hidden and often-surprising stories from the region's past. Nathan’s writing has appeared in many publications, including Los Angeles Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. He also helps manage public programs and media initiatives at the USC Libraries, home to the L.A. as Subjectresearch consortium.
A popular outdoor retreat in the 1880s, Second Street Park became a casualty of industrial progress when L.A.'s first oil boom gripped the city in 1892. Today, not a trace of it remains.
In 1877, parts of Los Angeles' Eastside began to resemble New York's second borough -- in name, at least.
Angels Flight is a remnant of an earlier age. Incline railways once climbed hillsides and conquered steep grades across Southern California.
Located in present-day Lincoln Heights, Eastlake Park was once the crown jewel of L.A.'s public park system.
When Los Angeles created Westlake Park in 1886, the site's use as a neighborhood dump had marred the beauty of its naturally occurring lake.
Many of the city's earliest parks were created out of marshes, hills, and other lands then considered worthless.
Castle Rock and Arch Rock once stood sentinel along the shore between Topanga Canyon and Santa Monica.
They lived at a pigeon ranch on the banks of the Los Angeles River until a flood destroyed their home in 1914.
A century ago, Angelenos didn't have to travel far to see some spectacular wildflower shows.
Spreading giants imported from Australia, Moreton Bay fig trees have become a cherished part of Southern California's arboreal heritage.
The seven original canals of Venice, California, are lost to history – long ago filled in, paved over, and converted into residential streets.
When Spanish explorers first visited the Los Angeles shore in 1542, they named the area the "Bay of the Smoke."