Creating advocates for history through the stories of greater Los Angeles.
by Paul R. Spitzzeri In this centennial year of the passage of the 18th Amendment curtailing, with few exceptions, the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in America, and, as the Homestead is on the cusp of changing out its exhibit in the Gallery, this is a good time for another post dealing with the... Continue Reading →
by Paul R. Spitzzeri It's remarkable how so many aspects of American life in the 1920s served as a template for the future. Whether it is transportation (the growing use of aviation, for example); communications (for instance, the development of radio); or entertainment (the worldwide effect of motion pictures), we can see some very important... Continue Reading →
by Paul R. Spitzzeri After last Sunday's hike and panel sponsored by the Homestead in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Portolá Expedition of 1769-1770, the first land-based trek by Europeans of California, attendee David Kipen contacted me and asked if I and Andy Salas and Matt Teutimez of the Kizh-Gabrieleño Band of Mission... Continue Reading →
by Steven Dugan With baseball well into the second half of its season, millions of fans are enjoying all the sport has to offer. One interesting thing about baseball is that it’s filled with long-standing traditions. One is not talking about a no-hitter in progress (you don’t want to jinx the pitcher!). Another is keeping... Continue Reading →
by Paul R. Spitzzeri In early January, I went to speak to the Harbor Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, an association of 35,000 members who are direct lineal descendants of those who fought in the Revolution. When I pulled into the parking lot of Alpine Village, a German-themed center in Torrance where... Continue Reading →
by Paul R. Spitzzeri As discussed in recent posts here about the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Portolá Expedition of 1769-1770, the more than 60 men who comprised the party that embarked on the first land-based trek through California, the end of July 1769 included the group's travels through portions of the San... Continue Reading →
by Paul R. Spitzzeri For over forty years, the Pilgrimage Play, the creation of Christine Wetherill Stevenson, presented the story of Christ to large crowds at the Pilgrimage Theatre and then the John Anson Ford Theatre, in a canyon off Cahuenga Pass near the Hollywood Bowl. First presented in summer 1920, just after the First... Continue Reading →
by Paul R. Spitzzeri After a two-hour morning hike with more than 30 hardy hikers in the Powder Canyon area of the Puente Hills to discuss the two possible routes of the Portolá Expedition through the area, we headed over to the Homestead for the next part of the program to commemorate the 250th anniversary... Continue Reading →
by Paul R. Spitzzeri Well, there wasn't much said or done locally about the 250th anniversary of the Portolá Expedition, the first land-based trek by Europeans through California, though there has been more talked about and plans made for events in Northern California in the fall, which is when the 60+ member party reached the... Continue Reading →
