LOS ALAMITOS — Elmer Layton, resident of Los Alamitos for 36 years, died Sunday in Orange County hospital after a long illness. He owned and operated Layton’s Blacksmith Shop until 1954 when it was taken over by his son, Leo. Mr. Layton lived at 10841 Los Alamitos Blvd. He was active in the Masonic Lodge. … Read more
30 SEP 1956 — 3 FLYERS DIE IN CRASH. — a twin-engine Navy anti-submarine plane from VS 772 crashed into a sugar beet field shortly after taking off from the NAS Los Alamitos at 10:30am Saturday. The three men in its crew were killed instantly. The plane was a Grumman S2F Sentinel radio training mission. Killed … Read more
From the March 9, 1956 Enterprise, p. 4, col. 4 Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Watts, 10931 Chestnut, will quietly observe their sixtieth wedding anniversary here Sunday. They are among the oldest residents of Los Alamitos, having moved here in 1911[ref] It’s possible they followed a relative to the town. One Joseph R. Watts was listed … Read more
Beginning in 1953 incorporation and annexation fever were sweeping west Orange County. Anaheim was moving west down Lincoln and Katella Avenues. Buena Park formed in 1953 and it was trying to grab industrial area to its west to use as a tax base. Garden Grove was also snaking its way west along Lampson and Garden … Read more
How times have changed. The January 6, 1956 issue of the Enterprise printed the Los Alamitos Elementary School District menu. Monday Sloppy Joes and buttered ham Savory lima beans Cottage cheese Fresh fruit, milk Tuesday Scalloped potatoes and cheese 100 per cent whole wheat bread Sweet and sour beef slices Apricots, milk Wednesday Enchiladas Buttered … Read more
From the Thursday January 13, 1956 issue of the Los Alamitos-Cypress Enterprise. Page 1, col 1. (bottom left corner) Los Alamitos Civic Leader passes Away after Long Siege of Cancer LOS ALAMITOS— One of Los Alamitos’ most active civic leaders, Paul (Bob) Robinson, passed away Sunday in Seaside Hospital, following several months of suffering from … Read more
The Bixbys are a legendary name in the history of Long Beach and the Rancho Los Alamitos, and deservedly so. The true start of the family fortune goes back to the early 1850s when cousins Benjamin and Thomas Flint and Lewellyn Bixby returned home to Maine from Gold Rush California, where they had some success … Read more
The Enterprise, Thursday, February 12, 1954, page 7 Mrs. Oscar Watte was elected president for the coming term of the Altar Society of St. Isadore’s Catholic Church of Los Alamitos. She will be assisted by Mrs. Camille Pattyn, who was chosen vice-president; and Mrs. Bruce Baker will be secretary and publicity chairman. Mrs. Ray … Read more
I have heard many stories abut the Youth Center’s beginnings in the Los Alamitos area, but never a definitive, documentable explanation. And I suspect, as often happens with institutional histories, many innocent errors have morphed into “truths.” So the point of this article is to try to begin a process to document the real origins … Read more
While not officially incorporated as a city until 1960, Los Alamitos has had a very definite presence since it was first laid out as a sugar factory town in 1896. An early 1897 LA Times article listed the new community as one of the top three towns in Orange County — along with Anaheim and … Read more