As we have pointed out in other barely read missives, Anaheim Landing is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year — making it (and thus Seal Beach) Orange County’s second oldest community — behind only the Mother Colony herself, Anaheim. There are actually plenty of descriptions about the Landing’s early days — most are newspaper articles, … Read more
Anaheim Landing, the first settlement of Seal Beach, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Funded by Anaheim wine-growers seeking an easier way to ship than by going through Wilmington, the Anaheim Lighter Company established its first wharvf in 1864 on Alamitos Bay (near Island Village). After floods in 1866 and 1867 blocked ocean access, … Read more
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
I just got word from the History Pres that my new book on Seal Beach (cleverly titled “Seal Beach: A Brief History”) has actually been printed and my own stash of books is on its way. If you want an autographed copy, order it now and you’ll have it within a week or so. (You … Read more
After a year and a half of writing (and far longer than that for procrastination) yours truly has just turned in his final proof manuscript for our new book “Seal Beach: A Brief History” which will unleashed on the unsuspecting public at the end of March. It’s 224 pages covering Seal Beach’s early days … Read more
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
Although Seal Beach residents will not officially celebrate their village’s 100th birthday until Oct 1915, Seal Beach technically will turn 100 years old on July 17 of this year. It was on that day in 1913 when Bayside Land Company President (and Seal Beach founder) Philip A. Stanton officially “christened” his unincorporated community of Bay … Read more
The new growing town of Los Alamitos offered great opportunities to the open farmlands of the Hellman Ranch, but it also caused unintended problems for landowner I.W. Hellman, as articulated by his land agent, Philip A. Stanton. The Landing, which had always been a summer resort area, suddenly held even more appeal to a larger … Read more
The new growing town of Los Alamitos offered great opportunities to the open farmlands of the Hellman Ranch, but it also caused unintended problems for landowner I.W. Hellman, as articulated by his land agent, Philip A. Stanton. The Landing, which had always been a summer resort area, suddenly held even more appeal to a larger … Read more
John Ord is one of Seal Beach’s most familiar names. Over the years he continually claimed that he was not only Seal Beach’s first resident, but that for a long time he was the new town’s ONLY resident — all of which was interesting news to the 200 permanent residents who lived a few blocks … Read more