Great Santa Monica shots, ethereal. Apparently the arch eventually collapsed. Here are a couple of other pics, one from the north, one from the south, post-wharf:
LAPL
LAPL
And pre-wharf, ca. 1877:
Santa Monica Historical Society
Notice the "Huntington Palisades" sign at top center of the second pic. It gives a clue to the development of the Long Wharf--when Collis Huntington brought the Southern Pacific to L.A., a competition began over the location of the major L.A. port. Huntington aimed for Santa Monica, while Harrison Gray Otis and his cronies preferred San Pedro. Huntington went ahead and built the Long Wharf in 1893 and called the spot Port Los Angeles. Four years later Congress chose the southern bay. At some point the pier was abandoned and the railroad along the coast to it was sold to the Pacific Electric. The Malibu town website has an interesting history of the coast north of the Long Wharf--here's a link to a chapter of it that mentions the pier and the Rindge's efforts to successfully steer the coast railroad--but not the Roosevelt Highway/PCH--away from their ranch:
http://www.ci.malibu.ca.us/index.cfm...vid/9/cid/428/