Los Angeles History 1850 to 1900: The Birth of a Modern City

Los Angeles Plaza and Old Plaza Church circa 1869.

Photo: Water & Power Associates

The second half of the nineteenth century transformed Los Angeles from a small California settlement into a rapidly developing city. Between 1850 and 1900, railways arrived, agriculture flourished, oil was discovered, neighbourhoods emerged and cultural institutions were established.

This fascinating period laid many of the foundations of modern Los Angeles, creating connections, industries and landmarks that continue to shape the City of Angels today.

1850 to 1869: Building the Foundations

In 1850, Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality as California became the 31st state of the United States. Just two years later, the Gilmore Adobe was constructed at what is now the Original Farmers Market, becoming associated with the Gilmore family's influential role in the region's oil industry.

The city's cultural life also expanded. Jewish services were first held in Los Angeles in 1854, while the city's first schoolhouse opened in 1855.

Following the end of the American Civil War in 1865, increasing numbers of African Americans moved to Los Angeles. That same year, St. Vincent's College was established, becoming the city's first college and eventually evolving into Loyola Marymount University.

Los Angeles Town Square was established in 1866 and later became Pershing Square. In 1868, streetlights illuminated the city at night for the first time.

1870s: Railways, Education and Culture

Gilmore Adobe aka Rancho La Brea Adobe 

 Photo: Water & Power Associates

Transportation transformed Los Angeles during the 1870s. In 1869, Southern California's first railroad connected Downtown Los Angeles with San Pedro Bay, while a rail link to San Francisco followed in 1871.

The decade also saw the establishment of the Los Angeles Library Association, the city's first African Methodist Episcopal Church and its first synagogue. The first trolley line opened in 1873, followed by the city's first horse-drawn streetcar in 1874.

Agriculture increasingly became central to the local economy. Refrigerated railway technology allowed Southern California oranges to reach distant markets, helping establish citrus farming as an important regional industry.

1880 to 1889: Railways Bring Rapid Growth

The 1880s were a period of extraordinary expansion. The University of Southern California was founded in 1880, while the first Chinatown developed around Alameda and Macy Streets.

The Los Angeles Times began publishing in 1881, initially as the Los Angeles Daily Times. Southern Pacific connected Los Angeles directly with the eastern United States, while the Santa Fe Railroad opened another national route in 1885.

In 1886, Harvey Henderson Wilcox purchased land west of Cahuenga Pass and named his planned community Hollywood. A dramatic fall in rail fares also encouraged thousands of people to settle in Southern California.

1890 to 1899: Oil, Architecture and Hollywood's Early Years

Cathedral of Saint Vibiana

Photo: Water & Power Associates

By 1890, Los Angeles had reached a population of 50,000. Two years later, oil was discovered near Westlake Park, triggering further petroleum exploration across the region.

In 1893, construction began on the remarkable Bradbury Building in Downtown Los Angeles. Its ornate ironwork and spectacular skylit atrium would eventually make it one of the city's most recognisable historic buildings and a celebrated filming location.

A major gift followed in 1896 when Colonel Griffith J. Griffith donated almost five square miles of land to Los Angeles. The area became Griffith Park, now one of America's best-known urban parks.

By 1897, hundreds of oil wells were operating around Los Angeles. The city's first automobile appeared on its streets, while a nine-mile wooden cycleway connected Los Angeles with Pasadena.

The decade closed with further cultural and maritime developments. Los Angeles gained a symphony orchestra in 1898, Hollywood Cemetery was established in 1899 and the first breakwater was constructed at the Port of Los Angeles.

A City Ready for the Twentieth Century

The Bradbury Building

By 1900, Los Angeles had undergone an extraordinary transformation. Railways had connected the city with the wider United States, agriculture and oil had driven economic growth, Hollywood had been named, cultural institutions were flourishing and Griffith Park had become part of the city's future.

Many attractions that visitors enjoy today have their origins in this remarkable period. Exploring historic Los Angeles offers travellers an opportunity to discover how a small nineteenth-century community developed the foundations of the dynamic metropolis it would become.

Discover Los Angeles

Website: www.discoverlosangeles.com
Email: info@discoverlosangeles.com
Phone: 213-624-7300
Address: 633 West 5th Street, Los Angeles, California 90071, USA

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