{"product_id":"santa-monica-pier-a-history-from-1875-1990","title":"Santa Monica Pier: A History From 1875-1990","description":"Santa Monica Pier: A History From 1875-1990 SOFTCOVER ocean wonderland history! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp class=\"proAttr productType\"\u003e\u003clabel\u003eType: \u003c\/label\u003e Audio Book \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"proAttr productType\"\u003e\u003clabel\u003ePlatform: \u003c\/label\u003e Softcover \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"proAttr productType\"\u003e\u003clabel\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/label\u003e Donahue Publishing \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"proAttr productType\"\u003e\u003clabel\u003eReleased: \u003c\/label\u003e 1990 \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"proAttr productType\"\u003e\u003clabel\u003eMedia: \u003c\/label\u003e Other \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cshortdescription\u003e\u003c\/shortdescription\u003eInformative history about a great landmark. Santa Monica has such a rich history and it's good to see a book show you how it all happened. Pictures on every page!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSanta Monica's North Beach (1875-1907) In the decade following the American Civil War (1861-1865), when Los Angeles was little more than a hot, dusty pueblo with a population of less than 6000, those living inland were beckoned by the cool Pacific Ocean breezes along Santa Monica Bay. They came most-ly by horse drawn wagons, some by stage. It was a jour-ney across fourteen miles of parched ranch land on roads that were nothing more than rutted wagon tracks, a trip that took the better part of a day. Whole families, and some young couples sought a glimpse of the sea and a reprieve from the stifling heat that plagued the Los Ange-les Basin each summer and fall. Their destination was the flat creek bed of Santa Monica Canyon where it met the Pacific, or the area further south beneath the towering bluffs that faced Santa Monica Bay. These tourists were welcomed by Francisco Marquez and Ysidro Reyes, who in 1839, a decade before Califor-nia became a state, were granted title to Rancho Boca de Santa Monica by the Mexican governor. Their property extended north to Topanga Canyon, south to what is now Montana Avenue and from the ocean to a line paral-leling 26th street in Santa Monica. Canvas tents were pitched, often for weeks at a time, amidst clusters of sycamore trees and bushes alongside the canyon's stream bed, or on the wide flat sandy beach at the canyon's outlet. The visitors enjoyed the sun and surf, lit bonfires at night and held Saturday night dances. As the popularity of the area grew, various en-trepreneurs began catering to the tourists' needs. First there was a general store, but then in 1870 a saloon opened, and a year later a small inn on the property flourished. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile the ranchero families at first received little compensation from the tourist trade, Pascaul Mar-quez, Francisco's son eventually built the canyon's first bath house in the late 1870's. One of the visitors to the Santa Monica area in 1872 was a wealthy San Francisco merchant named Colonel Robert S. Baker. He made his fortune in the sheep ranch-ing business in Kern County's Tehachapi Mountains and had come south to investigate Southern California's booming wool industry. He arrived by steamer at the Shoo Fly Landing, a small pier several hundred yards south of the present pier, near what is now the foot of Pico Blvd. The pier was used for loading shipments of \"asphaltum\" that was brought overland by wagon \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSoftcover 176 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Donahue Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Used In Other","offer_id":44172403147030,"sku":"88065","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/0377\/1710\/products\/2023217161023863_be534d0c-461c-437b-87e2-ed469aa6387d.jpg?v=1677884133","url":"https:\/\/www.neverdiemedia.com\/products\/santa-monica-pier-a-history-from-1875-1990","provider":"NeverDieMedia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}