Category: Primary Resources

We Are In Overdrive: L.A. Constructs The Future, 1940-1990

“Every city has had its boom, but the history of Los Angeles…should be regarded as one continuous boom punctuated at intervals with major explosions.”  —Carey

LA Streetcar Inaguration featured image

At L.A.’s Streetcar Inauguration, Who Told 8-Year Old Shirley Temple, “Buy Yourself A New Automobile”?

This week marks the anniversary of the 1937 National Transportation Week celebrations in Los Angeles. We reviewed the event for last year’s 75th anniversary, and included video

Rideshare campaign featuring Huell Howser

Remembering Huell Howser: Some Archived Images Of The Region’s Official Rideshare Spokesman

Going back as far as at least the Gold Rush, California has been built on promotion — and we lost one of our greatest boosters this

Streetcar on Broadway, late 1880s

Broadway Bound: Looking Back At Historic Streetcars On Broadway In Los Angeles’ Historic Core

It was announced yesterday that plans to bring streetcars back to Broadway in downtown Los Angeles took a giant step forward. Business owners and residents

LA as Subject Archives Bazaar poster

All Of SoCal History Comes Alive At The 7th Annual LA As Subject Archives Bazaar!

Southern California history comes alive once again at the 7th-annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar on the campus of USC on Saturday, October 27 from 9:00 a.m.

California Highways And Public Works, May 1937

75 Years Ago This Weekend: California Inspires The World With One Of America’s Greatest Infrastructure Projects (And Celebrations) Ever

This Sunday marks the 75th anniversary of the formal opening of the Golden Gate Bridge linking San Francisco to Marin County. The iconic span was

Pete Wilson Meet

20 Years Ago This Week: Southern California Rapid Transit District Employees’ Heroic Response To The Civil Unrest Of 1992

This weekend, the local news will be filled with stories about the long-awaited opening of the Metro Expo Line Phase I running from downtown to La

75 Years Ago This Week: 10,000 Turn Out As Shirley Temple Inaugurates New PCC Streetcar Service In Los Angeles

The third week of March, 1937 had been designated “National Transportation Week” and Los Angeles was ready to roll out its new streetcars. 10,000 cheering

Los Angeles And The Rise Of The “Super-Commuter”: The Dramatic Increase In Our Long-Distance Workforce

One of the many attributes of libraries and archives is that they provide access to information which might not otherwise be discovered or accessed by those

How Los Angeles Began Its Experiment With Steam-Powered Buses…Plus, Its Rare Documentary Film

Today marks the anniversary of an important experiment in the history of local transportation and alternative fuels. On this date in 1972, the Southern California