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
At 5pm today the Pike officially opened for business in Los Alamitos in the location where Mr. B’s and Casa Castillo have been feeding Los Alamitos and Rossmoor residents for years. The Pike is owned by Chris Reece, a former drummer of Social Distortion and founder of the original Pike – a retro bar at … 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
The Los Alamitos Museum is looking for volunteers to help prepare and host events throughout the year. The museum is open two days a week — from 2pm to 4pm on Sundays and Tuesdays. Some of the Museum’s events include teas, Docent Appreciatioon Night, Honored Citizen Day, Paranormal Phenomema, Yard Sales, A Quilt Show, … 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
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
Technically, the first documented dedicated movie theater in the Los Alamitos-Rossmoor area was the Fox Theater which opened up in the Rossmoor Business Center in July 1964. I did, however, find that in 1919 the “Commercial Club” contracted to rent movies to show in the Los Alamitos Sugar Factory clubhouse — which was located where Green Street Interiors and … 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