TABLE OF CONTENTS :
The Lasso of La Loma: A Genealogy of the Few Remaining Chavez Ravine Streets by Damian Gatto Chavez Ravine is the historic name for the hillside immediately northeast of Los Angeles’ Chinatown, and for the communities that once existed in these hills. For many, this land still is--and always will be--Chavez Ravine, the Lil' Town. I. The Lil’ Town City Councilman and namesake Julian Chavez acquired the land that would become Chavez Ravine, along with much of the land that would become Elysian Park, in the 1840s. The Stone Quarry Hills, as they were known then, was already populated with several ravine enclaves. By the late-19th/early-20th Century, “Chavez Ravine” was defined by four neighborhoods: Palo Verde, Bishop, La Loma, and Solano Canyon. Disdained as worthless land, and seen as too remote to make residential development pragmatic, it was initially the site of, among other things, a blasting mine. In 1926, LA City Council voted to zone Chavez Ravine for exclusively residential use.
Sadly, most people know about Chavez Ravine because of the way in which it met its demise, rather than its fascinating, unique, and diverse history. Originally, the communities of Chavez Ravine were razed through the power of eminent domain (the interpreted constitutional power of the government to seize land with "just" compensation) to make way for public housing designed by Richard Neutra. As the story goes, because of the anti-Communist political atmosphere of the time, this proposed “socialist” form of land use fell from favor. Following the infamous "helicopter ride," the land was purchased by the Dodgers, the final families were violently evicted, and Dodger Stadium was constructed in the early 1960s. Fewer than a dozen families remained by that time, most notably the Arechiga and Perich families, who were infamously documented being physically dragged from their home by LA County Sheriffs as news cameras rolled. Once a contiguous range of ridges, the construction of the Stadium and its giant parking lot were made possible by leveling the ridge lining the Bishop and Palo Verde neighborhoods and infilling the remaining gap with silt. Angelenos formed communities in Chavez Ravine for a century before Dodger Stadium came around. A truly sui generis community, its humble, owner-built bungalows and country markets contrasted with the bustle of Downtown, less than one linear mile away. A mostly Latino community by the early 20th century, it also had a considerable number of Slavic, Italian, Jewish, German, and Anglo residents. A remarkable mixture of people, mostly working class, flocked there not only to live the simpler life, but also to avoid housing discrimination in other sections of the City. Residents built their own homes and raised livestock. Children frolicked in its dirt roads. People looked out for each other. This idyllic, agrarian setting was almost too good to last forever in the rapidly modernizing City of Angels. II. The Physical Remains of Chavez Ravine When Dodger Stadium was built, only the Solano Canyon community was spared in its entirety. However, terraced above the 110 Freeway, south of the Stadium, are also the few remaining traces of the La Loma neighborhood: six streets from the neighborhood, lined with foundations of houses and-- if you look hard enough-- scattered belongings. Take the Academy Road exit off of the southbound 110 Freeway. Traveling northbound, Solano Avenue terminates at Bouett Street. Bouett, in turn, dead ends at a City-padlocked gate. Beyond this gate is Brooks Avenue, which travels southward up into the hills and merges with Spruce Street, coming to an end at the ovular Aqua Pura Drive. The arrangement forms a neat little lasso shape on a map. Below is a detail of Baist's survey (1910 and 1921), depicting the respective lot cuts and all. Above: Enlarged detail of the 1921 Baist survey depicting the lot cuts on our five sample streets: Bouetts, Brooks, Spruce, Aqua Pura, and Pheonix. Yolo Drive is also pictured. (Source: USC Digital Libraries) Immediately west of this lasso-shaped island, leading to the Chavez Ravine Reservoir, is a tiny stub of what used to be Yolo Drive. Parallel to Spruce Street (and right behind the San Conrado Church) was the serpentine Phoenix Street. Although Phoenix Street was formally designated, it was never paved, and as such has receded from view. At present, it is slowly being reclaimed by nature. You can hike up into the hills behind the church, along Phoenix Street, up until where it intersects with an old, unpaved portion of Jarvis Street. Here is where you will find poignant signs of former habitation, such as foundations of houses. You can see items that had just been in the kitchen…or in the family room…or on the porch… one day, 60-odd years ago. It is truly profound. It feels wrong to remove or even touch these things. III. A Genealogy of The Neighborhood Bouett Street, Brooks Avenue, Spruce Street, Aqua Pura Drive, and Pheonix Street. With this sample size--five streets, sans the stub of Yolo Drive, for now-- I decided to conduct a street genealogy in order to deduce the demography as well as some of the building habits of La Loma folks, to see if I could paint a picture of the geography of a Chavez Ravine neighborhood. Though it would be quite an undertaking to perform such a task for the entirety of Chavez Ravine, someday I may do just this. The following is a list of all the recorded house numbers on these streets, containing the names and families appearing on the original titles of the properties, their mailing addresses (if applicable), and whether they built the structure(s) themselves or hired a contractor-builder. If an original title was not available to deduce the name of the owner-builders, the names of the earliest known owners are listed instead. + Phoenix Street’s address system ran from 600 to 800. + Aqua Pura Drive’s address system ran from 600 to 700. + Spruce Drive’s address system ran from 500 to 800. + Brooks Avenue's address system ran from 1700 to 1900, and from 700 to 900. Much of the 1800 to 1900 block of Brooks (save for 1860) is still standing today, and as such is omitted below…for now. + Bouett Street's built environment still largely stands, and so a street genealogy is omitted...for now. CLICK "READ MORE" BELOW LEGEND: SF = single family residence MF= multi-family residence (e.g. a duplex or triplex) MSF = means “multiple single-family residences on the lot” ADD’N = Addition OB = owner-built (i.e. a new construction, built by the owner) Note: The house numbers are listed in numeric order, not their order of appearance. I. Phoenix Street (behind San Conrado Church) 654 - Stanley Sult - 1 SF residence - 1932 - owner-built. 701 - L.A. City-owned - No recorded structures. 743 - Bide Anda - 1 SF residence - c. 1905-25. 767 - Esteban Ocaira - Owner in 1920. 774 - Luis Yanes - Owner in 1927. 781 - 1914 barn - Jesus Pimentel - (CT) - At present, the site of the San Conrado Church parking lot. [End of Phoenix Street; Brooks Avenue begins westward, up the hill.] [Though, if you follow Pheonix all the way South, it intersects with Jarvis Street.] II. Brooks Avenue (Not to be confused with Brooks Avenue in Venice.) 702 - Louis Castellano of Spruce Street - 1 SF residence, 1914, owner-built - Marcello Lopez owned it by 1920. In 1922, Louis Rangel built 704. - Huerta Andrade owned it a few years later. 1924, she added 702 1/2. - Her contractor: M. Andrade (spouse?) of 4886 Brooklyn Avenue. - Brooklyn Avenue = modern-day Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. 706 - Ennicia Robetta (or Roberta) of 704 Brooks - 1 MF (duplex?) 1922. 710 - Joseph Yinnoy(?) or Yinroy(?) - 1 SF residence, 1922, owner-built. 712 - Joe Spinoza - 1 SF res., 1923. - Builder: Frank Arellano of 710 Brooks Avenue. 714 - Bruno Hernandez of 724 Brooks - 1 SF residence, 1922, owner-built. 716 - Bruno Hernandez of 724 Brooks - 1 SF residence, 1923, owner-built. 717 - Inez Barraza (alt. Ines Barrosa) of 801 Effie Street. 1 SFR, 1923, OB. 724 - H. and E.L. Mathis(?) of 902 N. Broadway. 1 SF residence, 1914, OB. - Bruno Hernandez, owner in 1917, addition of 724 1/2 a few yrs. later. 726 - Bruno Hernandez - 1 SF residence, 1918, owner-built. 730 - Rose Morris of 537 South San Pedro St. - 1 SF residence, 1923. - Builder: Chas Roper/Roker of 1912 S. San Julian St. (fake address.) 732 - Mrs. Rose Morris of 3034 Keating Drive, LA. 1 SFR, 1923. - Contractor was E. Delaney, also of 3034 Keating Drive, LA. - Keating Drive = former name of Future Street in Mt. Washington. 739 - F. Regaldo - Owner in 1918. Addition of 1 room to a 1914 SFR. 740 - This lot was the corner of Spruce&Brooks. No recorded structures. 752 - S.H. Castillo - 1 SF residence, 1920, owner-built. Added 754 later(?) 760 - S.H. (Serafin) Castillo - GROCERY STORE - 1923. Owner-built. - This grocery store had an unknown name. Castillo built two others. 762 - Serafín Castillo - 1 SF residence, 1921, owner-built. 763 - A.J. Bowden - two 2-car garages, 1925, owner-built. 766 - Anastacio Robelo or Robela - 1 SF residence, 1922. - Lived at 117 Block Street, possibly in El Sereno. 772 - Esteban Ocaira of 770 Pheonix Avenue. 1 SF residence, 1923. OB. 776 - E. Angelo (Esteban) Ocaira, of 838 Aliso St. - 1 SF res., 1920. OB. 790 - 1 SF residence, 1920. Owners after 1920 construction unknown. - Built by Surety Investment Co., loc. in the A.G. Bartlett Building #431. 803 - Emily Pfizter - 1 SF residence and shed, 1908. Owner-built. - Albert Pfizter moved it to 805 the next year. Lived @ 752-54 Bouett. - Several Pfizters lived at 752-54 Bouett. - Contractor for the move was W.M. Fleming & Co. @ 686 S. Alvarado. 805 - A. Osborne of 658 Solano Ave. 1 SF residence, 1905. - Pfizers moved house @ 803 to 805 in 1909. Where’d Osborne go? At this point, Brooks Avenue intersected with Park Row. 850 - Albert Glade of 1801 Isabel St. 2 SF residences, 1923 and 1930. OB. 852 - Albert Glade of 850 Brooks Avenue. 1 SF Residence, 1923. OB. [No 900 or 1000 Blocks of Brooks Ave.] 1106 - R.R. Romero and Wife - 1 SF residence, 1927, owner-built. [No 1200 to 1600 Blocks of Brooks Ave.] 1704 - Pallo (?) Rossilo (?) - 1 SF residence, 1921, owner-built. 1706 - Dionsia Robledo - 1 SF residence, 1947, day labor. 1710 - Joe Spinuzza - 1928 - 1 MF residence (duplex). - Built two garages and one storage unit in 1930. - Mr. Spinuzza added-on, creating 1712, at some point after 1930. 1714 - Pedro Hernandez - Add’n to 1 SF residence, 1928, owner-builder. 1716 - Natalia Hernandez - owner, 1928; Pedro made add’ns in 1928/1939. 1724 - Bruno Hernandez - owner, 1928; Pedro made additions that year. 1726 - Domingo Hernandez - owner, 1927; Pedro adds 1726 1/2 that year. 1750 - Ventura Ramirez of 800 Spruce Street - 1 SF res, 1927, owner-built. 1752 to 1754 - Ventura Ramirez - 1 Res./Store Combo, 1928. Owner-built. - Relocated 1952 to lots 239-39 Walton Tract (10962 Wilmington Ave) - Owner: Booth Smart (11845 Holmes Av) until 1989 (illegally demo’d) 1760 - Serafin H. Castillo - 1 SF residence and Store combo. - This was called “Gennaro’s Grocery” - Relocated to intersection of Pheonix and Spruce in 1939. 1860 - Serafín Castillo - 1 SF residence and store combo. - This was called “Elysian Grocery”. The 1800 to 1900 block of Brooks is still standing, and as such is not listed. [End of Brooks Avenue, which transitions into Spruce Street.] Above: Asphalt Island blog viewer Victor R. sends us this newspaper ad for Martin F. Witt's "House Court Elysian, Sleeping Paradise", established in 1915, which took up a considerable portion of Spruce Street. Note the disclaimer: "Mechanics & tradesmen preferred." III. Spruce Street (also called Spruce Avenue and Spruce Drive) 500 - Owners: Los Angeles Police Department - 1940 to present. 603 - A. Cortes of 1767 Palo Verde Dr. 1 SF residence, 1914. Owner-built. - Ygnacio Lira - 1927-1928 additions to existing SF residence. O-B. 605 - Ygnacio Lira - 1 new SF Residence, 1920, Owner-built. 621 - Martin F. Witt - 1 SF residence, 1936, owner-built. 627 - Robert and Ruth Malkinson - 1 SF Cabin, 1914, Owner-built. - Peter Perich - Add’n to existing SF res. 1923 Owner Built. 629 - Henry Jonathan Lawrence - Owner in 1930 census, 1932. 631 - Emil Vincent - 1 new SF residence, 1915, Owner-built. - Martin Witt - 1 new SF residence, + add’n to ex. 1936. Owner-built. 632 - Teodosa Barrientos (Theodora) - 1 new SF residence - Contractor was Tomas A. Torres - Teodosa lived in Dogtown, at 1646 N. Main Street (no longer stands). - Gave the house to her son George, caretake for her + his wife/4 kids. - George made 2 add’ns in 1939. Contractor: 336 Milford St. Glendale. 633 - Retaining Wall. 635 - Harry Stevens - 1 new SF residence, 1915, Owner-built. - Maria Gonzales - 1932 on. Moved house to 643 Aqua Pura in 1941. 636 - Mary Castro - Add’n to 1 SF res - 1939 - Used Milford contractor. 637 - William H. Wilhelm - 1 SF Residence, 1918, Owner-built. 638 - Thos (Thomas) E. Parker of 321 East 2nd Street, Los Angeles. - 1 New SF residence, 1915, Owner-built. 639 - Erze Skulnick - 1 SF residence, 1915, owner-built. 641 - Francisco Estrada - 1 SF residence, 1923, owner-built. 1930 Add’n. 643 - Joe Cordero of 657 Antonia St. (1 SF res., 1922, Owner-built.) - Antonia St. is under the UPS mailing center on Main and Alhambra. 644 - Albert Pearl Shaw - 1 SF Residence w/Add’n, 1926-27, owner-built. 646 - David Thomson Edwards - 1 SF residence, 1923, owner-built. - Sold to A.J. Matis in 1924, who made an addition. 652 - Andres A. Pallares - 1 SF residence, 1914. - House built by contractor John/Josh Johnson of 1325 Mission Rd. - Mr. Pallares lived in La Loma, and had other properties here. - Previously lived at 239 S. Avenue 16 in HLP. Landlord was Italian. - By 1940, Maria (Marie) Gonzales had obtained the house. 657 - A.H. Westman - 1 SF residence, 1922, owner-built. - Lived @ “Box 396, Route 3, Burbank CA.” 660 - Martin F. Witt of 693 Spruce Street - Originally 1 SF residence, 1926, owner-built. - 660, 660 1/2, 660 3/4, and 660 1/8 were added on from 1927-28. 662 - A.J. Matis of 738 Merchant St. - 1 SF residence, 1923, owner-built. - Martin F. Witt built 662 1/2 in 1927. - After the addition, Martin sold 662 to his son, Herman L. Witt. - Herman previously at 57 West in Fullerton, CA. 663 - Bide Aida (“Bidi”) - 1 SF residence, 1925, Owner-built. - Aida (who I believe was Ethiopian) also had property at 743 Pheonix. 664 - Gustav Garfield - 1 SF residence, 1923. Add’n in 1924. Owner-built. 665 - Caspar Meder - 1 SF residence, 1933, owner-built. - Matt Boroya(?) - Built a goat shed in 1940. I love it! 666 - Chaz Hilper - 1 SF residence, 1924. - Contractor was A.W. Wilson of 613 W. 54th Street. South Central. - Hilper moved from “Camp Baldy” (i.e. Mount Baldy). How about that. 671 - Jose Cadena - 1 SF residence, 1924, owner-built. - Lived at 672 Pheonix Street and owned this property. - Sold to Garcia family in the 1930s. 672 - Jose Cadena - 1 SF residence, 1924, owner-built. 674 - Jose Fuentes - 1 MF residence (duplex), 1914 or 1915, owner-built. - Lived at 102 Ann Street (in Dogtown, below Chavez Ravine.) - Address range for this property included 674, 676, and 678. - Contractor was Tomas Torres of 1007 East 7th Street. - Torres also lived in La Loma. - With a shop on that part of 7th, Torres was probably a RR worker. - By 1930, to property was owned by Albina Fuentes. 675 - Joseph Wetzel - 1 SF residence, 1923, owner-built. 686 - Martin F. Witt - 1 MF residence (triplex), 1922, owner-built. - He resided at 674 Amador Street at the time of building. - Repairs+add’n in 1924; address range grew to 686/688/690/692. 693 - Martin F. Witt’s house for most of his time in La Loma. O-B, 1926. 696 - Martin F. Witt - 1 SF Residence, 1926, owner-built. 700 - J.T. Swank - Built a house here in 1913. - 1940s-50s: LAPD eminent-domains this and other Spruce Street lots. - Permits still appear for 700 Block of Spruce. What for? Radio towers. 718 - Santiago Amalla (also Amaya, Amayo, and Amallo) of 720 Spruce St. - 1 SF residence, 1923. Contractor = Julio Rangel. He lived next door. 724 - Julio Rangel (or “Rangle”). 1 SF Residence, 1921, owner-built. 728 - P. Castillo - 1 SF residence, 1914, owner-built. - Lived at 121 Elmyra Street, in Dogtown, just down the hill. - Contractor was T. Carli of 222 Leroy Street, also of Dogtown. - Mr. Carli built terra cotta chimneys!!! - Perfecta Castillo owned it by 1930. 737 - Lorenzo Luna - 1 SF Residence, 1920, owner-built. 800 - Lorenzo Luna - 1 SF residence, 1922. O-B. Add-ons in 1924/1927. 806 - Jesus E. Villalobos - 1 SF Residence, 1926, owner-built. - Jesus lived nearby at the Bernardo Ramirez/ Bessando residence. - Villalobos built additions in 1926, 1927, and 1930. - A very honest permit-puller. - Serafín Castillo of 1760 Brooks Avenue - owner by the 1940 census. 814 - John Randolph (or Radulovich) - 1 SF residence, 1909, owner-built. - Luigi Gotta of Bishops Road - 2 new SF residences in 1912 & 1920. - Contractor was Filip Fianna of 748 (or 948) New High Street. - Julia Parque - owner by the late 20s. Added on in 1929, 30, and 33. 818 - Marchino Cruz - 1 SF residence, 1910, owner-built. Add’n in 1922. 826 - Bernardo Ramirez ( and Bessando(?) family.) [End of Spruce Street, which transitions into Aqua Pura Drive.] Above: Aqua Pura Drive, looking southeast toward Downtown, taken sometime before the early 1930s, when this portion was chopped off in order to build the Figueroa Street Tunnels. (Source: University of Southern California Digital Libraries) IV. Aqua Pura Drive (often mistakenly called “AGUA”) 603 - Martin F. Witt - 1 single room - 1940, owner-built. 609 - Martin F. Witt -1 new SF residence, 1923, owner-built. 611 - Juan Franca - 1 new SF residence, 1922, owner-built. - Owned by Lorenso Lopes from 1924. 613 - Martin F. Witt - 1 new SF residence, 1932, owner-built. - Added-on by Witt in 1934 and 1936. 615 - Martin F. Witt - 1 new SF residence, 1923, owner-built. - Added-on by Witt in 1934 and 1936. 619-21 - Martin F. Witt - 1 new Bathhouse - 1932, owner-built. - A neighborhood bathhouse! How interesting. 622 - A retaining wall, built 1937 and added-on in 1940. 623 - Martin F. Witt - 1 new SF residence - 1928, owner-built. 626 - E. Vincent - Owner in 1914. 635 - Mato Petar Cokljat - 1 new SF residence, 1914. - Born June 16th, 1885 in Paune, Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Son of Petar and Jela. - Married Myrtle Leah Suckling at an unknown date. Died April 3rd 1965. - Lived at 937 N. Broadway at the time of construction. - Contractors were A.E. Hollingsworth and S.G.____? - 1930 Census: Owner = Peter Perich born 1882 in Yugoslavia. - See entry on the Perches below. They were a holdout property. 637 - Michael Chuckuk - 1 new SF residence, 1914, owner-built. - Mike Chuckuk was the American name that Mr. Cokljat adopted. - "Cokljat", by the way, is pronounced almost like "chocolate". 641 - Francisco Estrada - 1 new SF residence, 1923, owner-built. - Estrada added-on in 1930. 643 - Maria P. Gonzales (“Marie”) Moved a house here, and built either 2 or 4 garages between 1940-41. Maria was an enterprising builder and property owner, as you’ll see. 653 - Marie Gonzales - Garage add’n to 1 SF Residence, 1942. Day work. 657 - A.A. Pallarez. Also “Pallares”. May have also been a Jose/Juan here. 662 - Martin F. Witt - Addition to 1 SF residence, 1940, owner-built. 667 - Martin F. Witt - Addition to 1 SF residence, 1927, owner-built. This is the end of the Lasso of La Loma. Above: A still from the 1957 movie "Without Warning!" No doubt, the filmmakers took advantage of the by-then mostly vacated vicinity of La Loma (and much of the rest of Chavez Ravine) in order to secure this location for filming. According to the descendants of the Garcia-Rini family, who owned 671 Spruce Street in the 1930s-1940s, the southernmost 2/3 of the Aqua Pura Drive loop was chopped off during the 1931-1935 construction of the Figueroa Street Tunnels. The arbitration notes on the City's urban planning database, ZIMAS.lacity.org, confirm this. This occurred some two decades before the groundbreaking on Dodger Stadium, and almost a decade before the initial buyouts.
The Lasso of La Loma makes a cameo in the 1957 B-Movie "Without Warning!”. The film is about a reclusive killer who lives in Chavez Ravine. In the film, Aqua Pura Drive, as well as the general vicinity of Spruce and Phoenix streets, are visible. The center-island property on Aqua Pura was used as the deranged man’s residence; the address number was altered for filming. IV. My Conclusions and Closing Remarks I arrived at a few conclusions over the course of my documenting the owner-builders and residents of the Lasso of La Loma. The prevailing myth of the period was that Chavez Ravine was one big shantytown. Of course, the photographs of Don Normark and other documentary evidence has long disproven this. In addition to this, as you may have noticed, the VAST majority of the homes I documented had original building permits to account for their construction. This is consistent with the conclusions of geographer Lawrence Bouett (great-grandson of the namesake of Bouett Street) who estimated that some 85% of ALL homes in Chavez Ravine were permitted structures. This leads to my second conclusion: most of these homes, about four-in-five, were owner-built, and using conventional building materials. Almost all of them specify “redwood foundations” on the building permits. Anybody who owns a home with an old-growth redwood frame knows that they are tanks of houses. Among the over 100 homes documented, there is no mention of corrugated steel. Any corrugated steel shacks in Chavez Ravine were outliers. Third, and also along the lines of construction, these folks were very honest permit pullers. Nobody likes dealing with the permiting-entitlement processes......not then, not now. Still, these folks not only pulled permits for their new constructions and additions, but even for menial repairs; in the case of one fellow: “Want to put cabinet above the stove” [sic]. Truly honest, self-determined, industrious folks, the people of La Loma and Chavez Ravine were. Fourth: the demographics of La Loma. Permits pulled before 1905 and until 1915 were more likely to have Eastern European names (Skulynick, Wilkinson) or Anglo names (Lawrence, Vincent). After 1910, you begin to see more Italian (Karli, Franca, Gotta, Costello) or German names (Witt, Swank). All along, the plurality of surnames on titles and building permits are Spanish. Finally, I noted the identities of some very prolific owner-builders who lived on these streets. Marie P. Gonzales and Martin F. Witt were the most prolific property owner-builders. Gonzales appears on five properties, and Witt appears on twenty. Other frequent names are Andres Pallares (4), the Hernandez family (4), the Cadena family (4, one of which was sold to the Garcia-Rini family, who are acquaintances of mine) and Serafin Castillo (5). The Witts were a German Family. Martin provided for his brother Frank (born in Germany), Irene (relation unknown, born in Minnesota), and Olga (daughter or niece, born in Germany). Witt died in late 1941, aged 71, just after the 1940 census documented his family for the third time. Peter Perich (born Petar Peric) was a Yugoslav, born in the 1870s in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. His household at 627 Spruce in 1930 was: Peter Jr. (son, 10), Powell (son, 7), Leo (son, 6), Robert (son, 11), and Vera (daughter in-law, 10). At some point after the 1940s, he had a certain “Paul” living with him, and they were joint owners of their two homes. During the 1931-1935 construction of the Figueroa tunnels, one of the Perich’s houses on Aqua Pura was leveled, along with about 2/3 of Aqua Pura’s total surface area. In 1955, Peter was sentenced for misdemeanor drunk driving. In early 1962, two months before demolition, the Perichs re-stuccoed their other house at 635 Spruce—an expensive job. This would make the Perichs among the last remaining property holdouts during the Battle of Chavez Ravine, even surpassing the Arechigas. Unverified: At the present, the Perich's lot, Tract 2208 Lot 143, one of the few non-Dodger and non-government lots left, is owned by White nationalist lawyer William Daniel Johnson. Serafín Castillo owned three markets (two of which he built) and two residences (one of which he built, the other built by his father or brother "P. Castillo"). Very industrious individuals. At the 1940 Census, Serafin was 50 years old and supporting his daughters Francis (23) Juanita (7) and Silva (1). Of a wife, there is no mention; apparently, she had died the previous year. These days, the evictees of these communities are known amongst themselves as "Los Desterados" ("the uprooted"). Part of my motivation to conduct this geneaology was growing up with a few of the Desterados and hearing their stories, my eyes welling up at the though of being dragged out of my home just because some suits-and-ties decieded it was for the public's benefit. Don't ever write off your historical interests, no matter how particular, as being trivial, insignificant, or otherwise unworthwhile. Document them. It will mean something to someone, and someday it may inspire others or solve other mysteries. The reason I say this is because through my research of Chavez Ravine, I met others who thought their families records in the Lil' Town had been lost. I had the opportunity to meet them and listen to their stories, namely those of the Garcia-Rini family. That concludes my second post on my site. Many more to come! Thank you for reading.
25 Comments
Jano
4/26/2018 08:47:05 pm
Great page of information! I was just up there today (4/26/18) for the first time, and afterwards I found this site. I found these streets on Google Earth almost a year ago and have wanted to explore. I would love to learn more!
Reply
5/7/2018 04:31:14 pm
Hi, Jano!
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Jano
5/3/2018 01:36:20 pm
Thanks for the reply! The flikr photos are amazing!!
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Victor R
5/3/2018 05:29:23 pm
Hey Jano,
Victor R
5/1/2018 12:33:38 pm
Putting a link in the website field, removes the ":" in a url.
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Perry
6/28/2018 03:29:46 pm
I read there was only one street light in La Loma. Was it located on Yolo drive?
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Victor R
6/28/2018 05:42:02 pm
Hello Perry,
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Armando Moreno
1/21/2022 06:24:46 pm
Hello, This was a great read thank you, for your research. I love learning about the Chavez Ravine history. My family had relatives who had owned a house and lived there in the late 1920's and 1930's. Jesus and Anastacia Montijo and three children Rita, Manuela, Rosaura, and Victor. Also, Anastacia's mother Ramona Herrera lived with them. The family lived at 621 Phoenix Street.
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5/7/2023 09:41:54 am
Hello Armando,
Alicia
7/26/2018 12:35:02 pm
This is brilliantly done! Thank you so much for sharing this and dispelling so many myths.
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5/25/2019 10:56:25 am
Alicia,
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steven bauchiero
12/17/2019 11:02:10 am
My Italian Grandma was born in 1908 on Ravine Road and lived there for 9 years. The 1910 Census shows several Italian families in the neighborhood. My Great Grandfather worked as a Laborer in a Steel Foundry and others worked at the Brick Factory.
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3/19/2020 10:21:35 am
Ciao, Steven! I am grateful to have this information. Maybe I can find some information on the property she resided in. Do you know if it was the American Foundry that your bisnonno worked at? (The AF was at the present site of Union Station and the Terminal Annex Building.) And which brick factory? My email is theasphaltisland AT gmail DOT com
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Jacob
1/15/2024 01:40:57 pm
Good Afternoon. With all due respect., By any chance. Are any of those Italian families “The Garibaldi’s”??
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1/21/2023 12:59:52 pm
Mabel,
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Armando Moreno
3/22/2022 06:49:17 pm
I’m hopeful to see much more like this article.
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1/21/2023 01:10:17 pm
Armando,
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5/26/2022 05:03:11 am
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 1900 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚 ! 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐳 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚'𝐬
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1/21/2023 01:45:22 pm
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my site, and for sharing this history. Do you have any idea where their home was?
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Desiree
9/13/2022 01:47:24 pm
Thank you for this interesting research. I am a descendant of the Hernandez family that you mentioned. My grandparents were born and raised in La Loma and Palo Verde. Pedro Hernandez is my great-grandfather and Bruno Hernandez is my great-great grandfather.They lived on Brooks Ave. My grandmother (Aguilar) grew up on Paducah. I love learning about family history.
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1/21/2023 01:54:43 pm
Desiree,
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Maggie Negrete
11/10/2023 06:35:19 am
Excellent read!!! Well done. My grandparents Emiliano Serrano lived at 1726 Bishops Rd and his brother Alejandro Serrano lived at 1151 Effie St which are both in the Palo Verde area.I do Genealogy and For years I've been looking for the name of their grocery stores- each one owned one from 1932 on. Would you know where I can find more information about Palo Verde areas as you have so detailed La Loma areas. Their 1930 & 1940 Census only states "Grocery Store-Owner" but not the name.
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