Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
Here's another from the Getty Museum.
"SE Base Los Angeles Plains." [c.1889]
getty photo archives again, I can't find the direct link.
Same month and year as the previous photograph. (so "southeast" is a pretty good clue for both images)
And that's an early oil well, right? My imagination wants me to believe it's a lookout tower for this, so called, "base".
search terms: george davidson - carleton watkins - Cyanotype
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We moderns aren't used to calling anything in the area of L.A. the "plains"; but it was familiar usage to early Angelenos, perhaps deriving from the position of "Judge of the Plains" (
Juez del Campo).
Just for fun, I've picked out from my notes some usages of the term "plains." Here they are, in chronological order, with their context in unapologetic profusion:
—August 27, 1853, published (
Los Angeles Star): “Mr. B.A. Townsend, who has for some time been running a coach between this city and San Pedro, has sold out his coaches and all his interest therein to Messrs. Alexander & Banning, and withdrawn from the road.—Many will regret this, for while Mr. Townsend was on the road low fares ruled, and there was many an interesting race between the horses and the mules. But the mules were hard to beat, and now they will, as before time, trot over the plains without opposition. Mr. Townsend deserves the thanks of the community for his perseverance under adverse circumstances; and Messrs. Alexander and Banning will, we hope, have their energetic determination to serve the community appreciated.”
—January 25, 1855, published (
Los Angeles Star): “Mr. D.W. Alexander, assisted by his vaqueros, lassoed a wild boar of enormous size, who it is believed has been running wild on the plains several years. His tusks were from six to eight inches long, the potency of which was fully [at]tested, by a frightful gore in one of the horses used in his capture.”
—March, 1855, “We anchored at San Pedro, the port of Los Angeles, in one hundred and twelve days from Boston [
aboard the Arcadia]; the passage, though a good one, was lengthened some days by not having a reliable crew to take in sail, when the ship could have been pressed more than she was. And now again, in a well-remembered spot, how familiar everything appeared! The hills were clothed in green, the plains were waving with an immense sea of wild mustard in full blossom. The colored patches of earth in the far distance marked out, as in former years, the gardens of San Gabriel. The old bluff point of the harbor, known as ‘Don Abe[l]’s Nose’, was still there, its proportions unchanged by winds or rains. The one adobe house, and its wooden frame companion, were, as in former years, the sole tenements of the port. The cattle and horses had disappeared from the hills; all else seemed as in olden times,” Phelps, William Dane (as “Webfoot”).
Fore and Aft; or, Leaves from the Life of an Old Sailor. No location listed: No publisher listed, 1870, p. 328. "Don Abel" is of course Abel Stearns, who maintained a warehouse at San Pedro.
—May 29, 1858, published (
Los Angeles Star): “We stated in our last publication, that Capt. Thomas Seely, of the steamer
Senator, had extended the hospitalities of his steamer to the citizens of Los Angeles, for the purpose of proceeding to San Diego to participate in the pleasures of a ball and supper, to be given by the citizens of that city to their visitors from Los Angeles. Accordingly, on Thursday afternoon that prompt[,] enterprising, and ever obliging gentleman P. Banning, Esq., had his stages ready, which were gratuitously placed at the service of the citizens, for the purpose of conveying them from Los Angeles to San Pedro. Two o’clock, P.M., being the hour appointed to start, the carriages drew up in front of the Bella Union Hotel for the reception of passengers, and were very soon filled to their utmost capacity, the ladies having been waited on at their residences. All being ready, the order to move was given—Mr. Banning led off with his prancing six-in-hand; the music struck up, and the other stages followed, the cavalcade presenting a gay appearance, as it swept out of town and dashed over the plains. On arriving at the Beach, the party were conducted aboard Banning’s clipper yacht ‘
Medora,’ and conveyed to the steamer
Senator, where they were received by Captain Seely and his courteous officers—Capt. Gorman, first officer, and Mr. A.O. Spencer, Purser, whose politeness and attention to the comfort of passengers are at all times conspicuous. The stages of Mr. Timms were also placed at the service of the citizens, and all duly notified of the accommodation; his clipper yacht also conveyed passengers to the steamer; and in every respect and manner, Mr. Timms evinced his desire to promote the comfort and pleasure of his excursionists.”
—February 12, 1859, published (
Los Angeles Star): “A specimen of the ‘antique’ was picked up on the plains this week by Mr. Virgen, one of our resident surveyors, being an elaborately chased silver buckle. He took it to a silversmith, who stated that, from the condition in which it was found, it must have lain in the earth thirty or forty years. It is of native manufacture.”
—March 10, 1860, published (
Los Angeles Star): “In the prosecution of their duties they [
the members of the Grand Jury] have been greatly retarded by the absence of witnesses, and the great difficulty experienced in procuring their attendance. The District attorney has been always prompt in attendance upon their session, and has used every endeavor to facilitate the investigations before them, and the Sheriff has manifested the same desire to aid them efficiently in the discharge of their duties, but it being the season of Rodeos, a large number of the witnesses required, are so scattered over the plains, at a distance from their usual places of residence, that it has been wholly impracticable for the officers to find them, and secure their attendance, and the consequence has been that charges have been ignored for the want of legal evidence where there was a moral conviction of the guilt of the parties accused.”
—November 10, 1860, published (
Los Angeles Star): “On Tuesday last a murder was committed in this city, by a quadroon, named Lawrence Smith, which has thrown the deepest gloom over a large circle in this city. About noon, the quadroon, who is about eighteen years old, was playing marbles with a number of small boys, near the corner of Los Angeles and First streets; and falling out with the children about the game, he commenced abusing them in loud and indecent language, to the great annoyance of the neighborhood. A couple of persons went over and remonstrated with Lawrence, and ordered him to cease his abuse of the white boys and to use no further indecent language within the hearing of neighboring families. This seemed to further enrage the negro, and he commenced the most indiscriminate abuse of those present, in the vilest Billingsgate. At this time, at the instance of some of the nearest residents, Mr. Henry Ferling went over to the negro and ordered him to leave that locality or desist in his noisy and blackguard language. The negro then turned upon Mr. Ferling and commenced abusing him in the foulest conceivable manner. Mr. Ferling then approached the negro to chastise him, when the latter ran into a small alley which leads from First street, on the west side. Mr. Ferling followed the black scoundrel into the alley, toward the rear, when he overtook and caught him by the shoulder, upon which the negro drew a knife and stabbed Mr. Ferling in the abdomen, from which wound he died, about five o’clock in the afternoon of the same day. The negro immediately ran away towards the plains, and, although diligently searched for during that day by forty or fifty persons, he escaped from them, and up to the present has not been arrested. His mother and other relations live in San Bernardino, and it is supposed he has gone in that direction.”
—December 29, 1860, published (
Los Angeles Star): “In the south end of town the water [
resulting from heavy rain] spread over nearly the whole plain.”
—April 30, 1864, published (
Los Angeles Star): “Under and by virtue of a write of Execution issued out of the District Court […] and to me as Sheriff of said County duly directed and delivered, in favor of Concepcion Alaniz, and against the property of Martin Lelong, I have levied on all the right, title, and interest of the said defendant Martin Lelong, of, in, and to the following described tract or parcel of land, to wit: […] Bounded on the South by the Rancho of the Machados, on the North by the mountains of San Fernando, on the West by the Rancho of Francisco Sepulveda, and on the East by the Rancho of Ricardo Vejar, as will appear by the grant of Manuel Micheltorena, Governor, Commanding General and Inspector of both Californias, with date in the city of Los Angeles twenty-fourth of February A.D. 1843. Boundaries according to judicials possession. The cord was extended from a little hill about one hundred Varas to that part of the road that goes to San Vicente in a Westerly direction upon a line of the Machados who being present manifested no objection, and three thousand varas were measured, with the addition of one hundred varas more, which closed in the plains of San Vicente where was ordered to be placed a pillar of Stones and mortar, from this place a line was run in a northerly direction passing through a grove of mangrove trees, and the number of varas measured on this line was five thousand and four hundred and fifty which closed at [an] Oak on which are signs of cuts with an ax which oak can be found where the road to San Fernando goes through the mangrove Valley. Thence the line was run in an Easterly direction, including a part of the mountain, and thence measured five thousand four hundred varas, which line closes on the top of a Sharp cone or hill, which will be found on the opposite side of the valley of Sycamores, from hence the line was run south, measuring five thousand and five hundred varas which closes at the beginning point, the said tract or parcel of land being known as San Jose de Buenos Ayres, and is so designated in the original grant, and in the act of judicial possession, the interest of said defendant Martin Lelong, being all the interest and title of Maria Dorotea Alaniz[,] one of the heirs of Maximo Alaniz deceased purchased by deed of date November 13th A.D. 1852.”
—May 28, 1864, published (
Los Angeles Star): “The
Alta’s San Diego correspondent has made a furious attack on the settlement in this county, known as Wilmington. Couldn’t ‘Diego’ let up a little, just a little, on the bad location, dry arid plains, alkali dust, covering Drum Barracks in Vesuvian quantity, the low marshy lands, &c., &c.—or must the green-eyed monster have these plains both arid and marshy. We shall move that the State Capital be located at San Diego, if that will satisfy that highly enterprising community, if they just let us alone—that’s all we ask.”