Martin, I did know about Lebowski, but did not know about Hollywood and Highland. Interesting!

:previous:

I got that info from this article from March:

Hey Man, It's the Best Bowling Alleys in Los Angeles
Let the Good Times Roll
by Discover Los Angeles | Mar 5, 2020


The list includes "Highland Park Bowl: L.A.'s oldest functioning bowling alley, the spectacular Highland Park Bowl (5621 N. Figueroa St., Highland Park) was lovingly restored by 1933 Group and it’s a beauty. Opened in 1927, Highland Park Bowl features the original pin mechanisms, like something out of Hugo, with eight vintage lanes."

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Although it's a bit blurry, here's another image that shows the Step Inn at Topanga and. .umm. .Roosevelt Highway (or does this pre-date Roosevelt Highway?)


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/1isYvO.jpg
brasstackspress/blogspot

"Clayton Rust's service station at the mouth of the canyon."

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Mystery location.


Whenever I see one of those Redwood car tunnels, or in this case a Redwood 'tree house', I immediately think of northern California
but there's a good possibility this image is from southern California.

"WOMAN at REDWOOD TREE HOUSE ? VENICE BEACH Pier WIRELESS STATION 1910's photo."

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/M1mYDW.jpg
LINK

The seller points out that the sign on the white building at left says 'Venice Wireless Station'.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...923/VW2RnC.jpg



Here's a closer look.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/pZS0TV.jpg
DETAIL




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:previous:

I didn't find the Redwood Tree House, but here's the Venice Wireless Station. It's from a book called 'Venice' by Carolyn Elayne Alexander. It was apparently on Abbot Kinney Pier.

https://i809.photobucket.com/albums/...eWireless1.jpg
books.google.com

:previous:

The Aquarium aka the USC Marine Biological Research Station burned down in 1920 and was not rebuilt.

https://i1.rgstatic.net/publication/...rgepreview.png
https://www.researchgate.net/publica...ern_California

Still looking for something about that redwood tree house, but since we're at Venice Beach and have recently posted photos of giants (tall people), this c. 1929 photo at LAPL is titled "Beauty Contest winner peers up at tall man."

https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m...qq4no1_640.jpgLAPL

While looking for pictures of Venice, I found this drawing:

Photograph of an artist's conception of the "Niagara Barrel" ride for the Venice Pier. "Persons who have read of dare-devils going over Niagara Falls in a barrel and wondered what the impressions and sensations of such a journey could be, will have their curiosity gratified before the summer is over, Harry H. Hargrave, nationally known thrill-device designer and builder, having announced a "Niagara Barrel" ride by the American Amusement Enterprises for the Venice Pier, construction to begin immediately"

https://i809.photobucket.com/albums/...araBarrel2.jpg
USC Digital Library

Despite the last line, I wasn't sure if this was ever built. Then I came across this piece from 'Popular Mechanics', August 1932.
NB. I've rearranged the original layout to make it more screen-friendly.

https://i809.photobucket.com/albums/...araBarrel1.jpg
books.google.com

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Great find, Hoss.... . .and the building appears to match!


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...923/Y9G0wB.jpg


below:

I thought the 'tower' was part of the wireless station. lol

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...922/wHtYXc.jpg

hmm. . .perhaps the bell ringy thingy is wired up thus killing two birds with one stone.



That said - I'm still trying to wrap my head around the spinning water barrel.

I thought it was a giant pineapple.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/3...923/RcpkrV.jpg

Tell me that doesn't look like a pineapple.
.

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A mystery factory, Los Angeles area, California.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/lepVBi.jpg
eBay




Photographer's stamp on the reverse.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...922/7nke0e.jpg


ENLARGED BY EARL V. LEWIS CO.

226 W. 4TH & 305 W. 7TH

1909
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...923/YABzyC.jpg
LAPL



Frustratingly there isn't a single word written on any of the factory buildings.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/TysU08.jpg
DETAIL

As you can see it's a massive place!


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This looks like a chemical plant in the Mojave, e.g. Trona. A dry lake bed at the foot of the mountains on the right. Nothing agricultural at all, which probably takes it out of Los Angeles County.

EDIT: looking for old pictures of Trona, I found this one in "Death Valley Region ...a Chronological & Pictorial History" by Kenneth Lengner:

https://i.imgur.com/jN42hIU.jpg

(It was really hard to take a picture of the picture in the book, but I'm pretty sure it's the same place. Check the markings at the top of the 2 chimneys in both pictures, they match.)

:previous:


The mountains from Trona ... and those in the picture.


https://i.imgur.com/gDJqtpv.jpg


:tup: Lorendoc

^^^
Bingo. Trona plant, not too far from Muroc (now Edwards) Air Force Base. Trona. Isn't that where the mule teams used to deposit their borax loads from Death Valley area, or was that something different? Boraxo soap, 20 Mule Team Borax. Famous 1950s western TV show. Wasn't Ronald Reagan the host, or was that something with GE? My memory is not what it once was.:koko:

If you are a real old timer you remember "Slim" Barnard, who used to host a popular travel show on L.A. KTLA & KCOP in early glorious color in the mid-late 1960s. It was called the "Happy Wanderers". Slim had a distinctive laugh. I remember one episode where he visited the borax plant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Happy_Wanderers

https://findagrave.com/memorial/1145...carter-barnard

Slim cohosted the show with his wfe Henrietta, who lived to be 99

https://findagrave.com/memorial/1047...a-lena-barnard

I also believe the late travel host Huell Howser also visited the Trona borax plant on an episode of his "California Gold" show. Maybe someone can find the link. He also talked about the 20 mule teams.

Huell also did a show celebrating "The Happy Wanderers" and visited an aged Henrietta Barnard. Slim had already passed. This is a good 25 minute episode to watch--it has the distinctive Slim laugh and the Happy Wandrers theme song & lots of vintage stuff. Here it is, worth 25 minutes of your time:

https://kcet.org/shows/visiting-with...appy-wanderers

For those of us who like to wander in the desert at night in the dark(aka landscape astrophotographers), just south of Trona is Trona Pinnacles.

:slob:

[QUOTE=CaliNative;8915857]^^^
Bingo. Trona plant, not too far from Muroc (now Edwards) Air Force Base. Trona. Isn't that where the mule teams used to deposit their borax loads from Death Valley area, or was that something different? Boraxo soap, 20 Mule Team Borax. Famous 1950s western TV show. Wasn't Ronald Reagan the host, or was that something with GE? My memory is not what it once was.:koko:

I also believe the late travel host Huell Howser also visited the Trona borax plant on an episode of his "California Gold" show. Maybe someone can find the link. He also talked about the 20 mule teams.
***
You're thinking of the town of Boron near Edwards Air Force Base where Huell Howser visited. Trona is northeast from China Lake Naval Station, many, many miles northward from Edwards.

Chavez Ravine, on this day (May 8th), 1961.

https://i.imgur.com/vqDJuhn.jpg

https://www.latimes.com/visuals/phot...328-story.html

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Great detective work, Lorendoc and Noir Noir!



I believe Trona, at the time the photograph was taken, was just beginning as a 'company town'. (officially established in 1913)

Here is a detail of the right side of the mystery photograph found on eBay.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/IbiWQJ.jpg
complete photo Here


Here's some info:

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...923/Qw0B1v.jpg
ummm





Here's an example of one of the company 'trade tokens'.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...922/zEqs61.jpghttps://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...924/yePYHs.jpg
worthpoint


The "A P & C CORP." stands for the American Potash Company.


I'm a bit confused about the coin and A P & C. so I'll include worthpoint's description as well.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/tczk4G.jpg
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worthpoint

It mentions the American Potash Co. opening in 1941 but I believe the coins are much older than 1941. (for example note the ornate curlicue in the center of the coin in the left pic)

What do you make of it? :shrug:




SIDENOTE:....I'll bet if you were to go to the area today with a metal detector you'd get a BAZILLION hits.

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[QUOTE=corriganville;8916162]Trona is a mineral, not just the name of a town. I drove through the area back in the late1970s....its very desolate. We did rife target practice on an open lot in town.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ona-417601.jpg
wiki file of trona mineral.

Trona is a rare mineral from the mineral class " carbonates and nitrates " (formerly carbonates, nitrates and borates , and relatives ).

Trona still has its own railroad, the Trona Railway. Long gone is the Epsom Salts Railroad, a monorail built by a Los Angeles florist named Thomas H. Wright in 1924, which ran across the South end of Searles Lake:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsom_Salts_Monorail

If you're interested in the technology, Wright's patents are US1454804A, US1523335A, US1459386A, and US1454807A. Google will bring them right up.

And let's see if Noirishers can find his florist shop, or the offices of his lawyers (Hazard and Miller).

Cheers,

Earl