Community Corner
The Pacific Electric Red Car
I've been exploring the history of amusement zones, and collaborating on a comic book about them. The Pacific Electric Red Car is featured.
On August 13, 2023 at 1 PM, artist John Ramirez (owner of JGraphixStudio in Long Beach) will host a free silk-screening session at which individuals can silkscreen their own T-Shirts to take home.
Participants may register for the event at this link. Space is limited to the first 30 participants.
The Pacific Electric company opened its first Red Car line to Long Beach, California on July 4th 1902. It was the same day that the Plunge, an indoor swimming pool, and the Long Beach Pike opened.
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Before this, the area that became known as the Long Beach Pike was a shopping area and amusement zone that was participated in by those who could find their way to it. The Red Car line made it possible for many to visit the Pike - and many did.
The Pacific Electric red care can still be seen on Electric Ave in Long Beach, and at museums around Southern California.
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Signs of the route can be seen by looking at a map and tracing the diagonal line that shows the route from Los Angeles, through Long Beach and continuing on to Seal Beach. It eventually ended up in Balboa in Newport Beach.
Here's a video I took from 10th and Grand, after I walked a bit of the path of the red car.
Here's a video I took of the end of Appian Way, where that track left Long Beach.
There was a smaller line that went along the Long Beach peninsula, through what was then wetlands and over into Seal Beach. Seal Beach was so called because of the seals that hung around at the mouth of the San Gabriel River. I have been told that there was an electric plant that put out warm water near the mouth of the river and that the seals enjoyed the warm water. Here's what it looks like today.
On August 13, 2023 at 1 PM, artist John Ramirez (owner of JGraphixStudio in Long Beach) will host a free silk-screening session at which individuals can silkscreen their own T-Shirts to take home.
Participants may register for the event at this link. Space is limited to the first 30 participants.
Squigglemom, Trish Tsoiasue is an amateur historian who is discovering the wonder of the old amusement zones around the world as she writes a comic book. To follow her adventures, please subscribe to channel Squigglemom! She's working on getting 20K subscribers, you can be one! Subscribe here!