September 18, 1941 – Ten Arrested in big Seal Beach Gambling Raid behind Garden of Allah

A big event which actually had quite an effect on Seal Beach was a September 18, 1941 gambling raid which resulted in the arrest of at least ten men and the detainment of over eighty customers.  Orange County sheriff’s deputies used a sledge hammer to break into a gambling den (behind a facade made to … Read more

The strange case of Jimmy Slyter: Seal Beach’s romantic but unlucky swimmer.

One of the more curious stories I’ve come across in my research of Seal Beach is the tale of Jimmy Slyter and his nationally publicized, but somewhat sketchy, quest in 1946 to swim from Catalina and use the money raided to marry Anne Brennan, one of “Seal Beach’s beauties.”   From being on national headlines, we … Read more

Jacob Stern, owner of City Garden Acres (Apartment Row)

Anyone who looks at Los Alamitos property maps around 1920 comes across the name “J. Stern and Sons” as owners of the land of what is now called Apartment Row. After emigrating from Germany, Stern partnered with a cousin, __ Goodman, to start a small store, Stern & Goodman, in Fullerton. From there the pair … Read more

Dec. 15, 1966 – Jet Crash in Rossmoor

Rossmoor resident recalls when Navy Jet landed in his backyard Burton Schild, an orthodontist, was one of Rossmoor’s original residents, owning a home on Yellowtail Drive that backed up to Los Alamitos Blvd (later changed to Seal Beach Blvd.).  Now retired, last year Burton took a creative writing class at Long Beach State.  Instructed to … Read more

Street Names of Rossmoor

People often ask me to confirm stories they have heard about Rossmoor.  (No, it was not originally intended to be a nudist camp — that was somebody’s joke on Wikipedia.)  A frequent question is about the origin of street names within the “Walled City.”  I know some so I finally figured, why not put this … Read more

Looking Back at Looking Back: 1965 — Los Alamitos Marks Its 5th Birthday

Having worked for a daily newspaper during my formative years and running my own small-town publication, I know that correct facts are often immaterial to a story.  So keep that in mind as you read this article on Los Alamitos’ fifth anniversary.  But there are some things of (verifiable) interest. From the Press-Telegram, March 3, … Read more

Christmas Past in early Los Alamitos

The Holiday season is full swing now– which means Youth Center Christmas tree sales at the Ganahl Parking Lot, Holiday Crafts sales, sports teams selling wreath and poinsettias, realtors driving Santa Claus through Rossmoor and Los Alamitos, students caroling at the some of the area’s senior citizen homes, family drives to check out the amazing … Read more