UpDaily >
SoCal Focus > History
Recently in History
The Many and Contradictory Meanings of Southern California's Iconic Eucalyptus Trees
by D. J. Waldie
May 18, 2012 2:00 PM
They are "inauthentic" in an entirely authentic Californian way.
'A Growing Sense of Resignation,' But What are Angeleños to Do?
by D. J. Waldie
May 7, 2012 2:00 PM
A lot has changed since April 1992. Mostly, there are a lot fewer jobs from which a decent life might be made.
1992 was a long time coming in neighborhoods across Los Angeles County; it will be a long time going.
They welcomed the flotsam of the early 20th century city with a "genteel" offering of dance music, sing-alongs, and the possibility of romance.
A Monument to the Earthquake That Made Los Angeles
by D. J. Waldie
April 20, 2012 2:00 PM
A downtown building with an impressive pedigree marks the turning point when L.A. became the state's economic capitol.
History, memory, and the state deficit complicate the fate of a piece of the city's past.
African-Americans Shaping the California Desert: Murray's Ranch
by Chris Clarke
February 15, 2012 10:05 AM
At places like Murray's Dude Ranch in Apple Valley the history of African-American people in the desert mainly involved kicking back, enjoying a break from the grind of mid-20th-century city life and drinking in that clean, high-desert air.
The man behind the iconic cafeterias faced down a corrupt city hall and a murderous LAPD "goon squad."
A Sacred Gem: San Secondo d'Asti Church in Guasti, CA
February 9, 2012 4:00 PM
Coming out of the Ontario Airport, travelers can see just beyond the railroad tracks a vast stone building with arched windows and the skeletal remains of a wooden roof. Nearby are smaller buildings wrapped incongruously in shiny white plastic,...
Celebrating the history of black Americans every year should be simple, but it's anything but.
African-Americans Shaping the California Desert: Coachella Valley
by Chris Clarke
February 9, 2012 1:00 PM
Prejudice against African-Americans can still be found, and the wealthier cities in the West Valley are almost as segregated as they were when such discrimination was still legal, but without pioneers like Nobles and Crossley the divisions might have run much deeper.
To Boldly Go, Or Not: Newt Gingrich and his Quest to Outer Space
by D. J. Waldie
February 6, 2012 2:00 PM
1950s science fiction speculated on the answers, both tragic and majestic, but today only Newt Gingrich seems convinced.
African-Americans Shaping the California Desert: Homesteading in the Mojave
by Chris Clarke
February 1, 2012 10:47 AM
Residents of the Lanfair Valley may well have enjoyed more relative freedom, and less hatred, than any other African-Americans in the U.S.
Sierra Dawn: A Slice of Heaven in Hemet
January 26, 2012 4:00 PM
It can be historic, as it remains the nation's first-ever master-planned retirement community where seniors could buy their own plot of land, move onto it a single or double-wide mobile home, and run this world.
Book Review: L.A.'s Poetry Renaissance Captured in 'Hold-Outs'
by Holly Willis
January 17, 2012 12:33 PM
Bill Mohr's new book on poetry in Los Angeles is a rich, exuberant and pleasurable history of nearly 50 years of extraordinary writing.
There is a middle way between big government and little cities. It began 58 years ago.
The Night Watch at Anza Crossing
January 12, 2012 4:00 PM
The nighttime security officer arrives when the sun sets and the Santa Ana River is lit by floodlights at the construction site. Here in March of 1774, a party formed by Juan Bautista de Anza to form a trading route in New California crossed the river for the first time.
Los Angeles was beautiful then (more beautiful than we realized or cared to consider).
Defeat of the socialist candidate for mayor brightened the season for the Los Angeles Times.
The Studio for Southern California History aims to document the region's history through a social and cultural perspective.
Support for KCET.org provided by:
SoCal Focus is a daily blog about the people, places and issues in and around Southern California.
Support for KCET.org provided by:




