[belmont bob]

Thanks to all of you I ordered my very own copy of Southern California an Island on the Land, and it arrived today. All I had time for (my wife keeps me busy) was to read about half a page of the intro. McWilliams talks about the unprecedented growth of Los Angeles in the twenties.

This remained me of the growth following WWII. My parents bought their first home in the Echo Park area in 1946. The house sat high off the street with a lot of stairs to the front door.

We had a basement area that was open to the front but unfinished. So dad put in paneling and finished a tiny bathroom. The only heat was a portable gas fire heater (I don’t think you can buy those anymore) and no AC. And there was no provision for cooking - long time before micros. This was in late 1946 or early 1947. And I remember they rented before it was even finished it to a man (Mr. Collins-how’s that for memory?) who had been discharged from the service and would take anything to stay in Southern California. He moved on eventually but we did keep it rented for over 5 or 6 years.

I’m assuming that the book will get into this growth of the late 40’s. But this growth also took place at the time when the big changes that most affected the view of the Los Angeles we know today were being sorted out – a time when those little wheels started turning in those little minds that changed the landscape forever and give us the reason to be on this forum wishing they would have let well enough alone!!! That house still stands although it looks awful with new windows and stucco replacing the clap board siding and a yard overgrown with bamboo. No one would want to rent there now.