A Glassell Park Story
A more than twenty-year resident of Glassell Park, Helene Schpak understands that civic engagement is an essential part of healthy community living. “It’s giving back. It’s being part of a society, part of a community. If you care, sitting back isn’t going to accomplish anything. Pace yourself and volunteer, put in some effort, and sometimes…
Read MoreKruegermann Pickles
Carl and Greg Kruegermann are brothers who grew up in Elysian Valley (not Frogtown!) in a East German immigrant family whose livelihood was to make pickles. Their family’s business employed members of the community to make traditional dill pickles in the German style. At the end of 2022, the brothers face the devastating truth that…
Read More“Paayme” sung by Lazaro Arvizu Jr.
Lazaro Arvizu Jr. is an artist, educator, musician, and researcher dedicated to the culture of the First Peoples of Los Angeles. In the video he performs the song “Paayme”, meaning “West” in the Tongva language, which he wrote with his mother Virginia Carmelo. With the LA River as a backdrop, Lazaro sings about moving West…
Read MoreYancey’s (Childhood) Instacart Route
Yancey Quinones grew up in Cypress Park adjacent to the LA River. One of his jobs as a boy was to do the food shopping for senior citizens in the neighborhood. Some might even say he was an early pioneer of Instacart! Yancey learned how to navigate a safe route on his bike and how…
Read MoreCalifornia declared a state
California is admitted to the United States as a non-slavery “free” state, becoming the 31st state in the Union. The state is divided into 27 counties (now there are 52), including Los Angeles County.
Read MoreTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War and cedes the areas now known as California, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico to the United States, in addition to large parts of Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming.
Read MoreUnited States declares war on Mexico
On May 12, 1846, the United States Senate votes 40 to 2 to go to war with Mexico. President James K. Polk accuses Mexican troops of attacking Americans on U.S. soil, north of the Rio Grande. But Mexico claims this land as its own territory and accuses the American military of having invaded.
Read MoreLos Angeles River floods and changes course again
This flood particularly affects the areas east of Alameda Street. Resident J. R. Ramirez remembers the river “cut[ting] a great wash where the Baker Iron Works now [in 1914] stands.”
Read MoreSecularization of the missions
The Mexican government ends the California mission system. Mission properties are confiscated, and Spanish missionaries are sent into exile. Native laborers who had lived at the missions find work on the ranchos. The former mission lands comprise rich, coastal areas that are coveted by soldiers, rancheros, and farmers. The government splits land parcels into individual…
Read MoreFlood of 1825 causes LA River to change course
The river drastically changes course, especially on the south side of LA. People subsequently refer to this flood as the LA River’s “big change.” Instead of emptying into the Ballona wetlands, it empties into the San Pedro Bay. Various marshlands dry up entirely, eliminating forests of western sycamore, cottonwood, and alder. Whereas the river previously…
Read More