Beaches & Harbor

The coast. Santa Monica and Venice, the piers and the boardwalk, Muscle Beach, surfing, and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach moving most of America's container traffic.

Part of Los Angeles

29 moments in this segment.

1. 1890 - How oil was drilled in 1890. The drilling that made early LA fortunes.
2. 1894 - Long Wharf, California c. 1890s. Los Angeles, 1894. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
3. 1895 - Farmland and the Los Angeles River looking north from Elysian Park toward Mount Washingt…. Los Angeles, 1895. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
4. 1905 - Playa del Rey-1905-Playa del Rey. Los Angeles, 1905. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
5. 1907 - Detailed Geologic Section Through Olinda Oil Field. Los Angeles, 1907. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
6. 1908 - Construction of the San Pedro government breakwater from shore. Los Angeles, 1908. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
7. 1908 - Development and electrical distribution of water power. Los Angeles, 1908. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
8. 1910 - Globe Grain and Milling Company, rendering. Los Angeles, 1910. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
9. 1912 - Dredging in the Los Angeles Harbor at Wilmington. Los Angeles, 1912. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
10. 1913 - Opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct (1913, silent film). The actual silent newsreel of Mulholland opening the aqueduct: "There it is. Take it."
11. 1913 - LA Aqueduct Opening2. Los Angeles, 1913. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
12. 1916 - Cyclopedia of applied electricity - a general reference work on direct-current generator…. Los Angeles, 1916. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
13. 1924 - Northward view of the United States Navy dirigible USS Shenandoah over Long Beach, ca.1920. Los Angeles, 1924. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
14. 1930 - Eddie August Schneider on August 18, 1930 in Los Angeles, California (600 dpi, 100 quali…. Los Angeles, 1930. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
15. 1933 - The Union Stock Yards (1933). The industrial LA that fed the growing city.
16. 1935 - Douglas Aircraft, Santa Monica, 1930s (Boeing Classics). On Nov. 30, 1928, Douglas incorporated his business as the Douglas Aircraft Co. Inc. and moved to the completed building in Santa Monica in 1929. In its new facilities, the Douglas Aircraft Co. continued to make observation biplanes and built its first twin-engine aircraft, the T2D-1 torpedo bomber. It also produced a small commercial amphibian, the Sinbad that led to the successful military Dolphin; the famous Douglas Commercial series aircraft DC-1, DC-2, DC-3; the DC-5 and the B-18 Bolo bomber.
17. 1935 - Laguna Beach home movies, 1930s. Beach life south of LA, captured on home-movie film.
18. 1940 - TerminalIslandDrillingProduction1940s. Los Angeles, 1940. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
19. 1941 - Donald Douglas inspects the Santa Monica plant (1941). Los Angeles, 1941.
20. 1941 - Inside the Douglas Aircraft factory, Santa Monica (1941). Santa Monica Douglas Factory (1941) Click to subscribe!
21. 1942 - Franklin D. Roosevelt and Culbert L. Olson in Long Beach, California - NARA - 195522. Los Angeles, 1942. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
22. 1947 - Santa Monica & the Douglas Aircraft factory (1940s home movie). Los Angeles, 1943.
23. 2007-05-20 - Mulholland builds the aqueduct (archival). Archival film of the aqueduct project.
24. 2009 - Catalina Adobe Front. Los Angeles, 2009. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
25. 2009 - Catalina Adobe Side. Los Angeles, 2009. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
26. 2011 - Freight landing at 22nd Street, Long Beach, California. - NARA - 295484. Los Angeles, 2011. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
27. 2011 - Air View, Famous Signal Hill, Signal Hill, Calif. Los Angeles, 2011. From the Wikimedia Commons historical-photo collections.
28. 2013-11-20 - The aqueduct opens - Mulholland speaks (1913). "There it is. Take it.", the actual opening-day footage.
29. 2026-06-15 - Building the Los Angeles Aqueduct, 1907–1913 (film). Construction footage of the aqueduct across the desert.