OBIT: April 26, 1956 – Frederick Schneider, 33 year resident of Los Alamitos

Enterprise, April 26, 1956 Frederick Schneider, 80, of 10961 Chestnut, Los Alamitos, native of Brunnenbtal, Switzerland, resident of Los Alamitos 33 years, died Tuesday in Orange County Hospital. Surviving are the widow, Ida; two brothers, Godfried, Grand Junction, Iowa, and Rudolph, Stanton; one sister, Emma Haase, Cleghorn, Iowa. Funeral services were held at 2pm Friday … Read more

OBITS: Nov. 1956 – James Watts 86, James G. Killstrom, 77 – Death Takes Two Los Alamitos Men

Enterprise, Nov. 29, 1956, p. 8 Death Takes Two Los Alamitos Men LOS ALAMITOS — Death took two Los Alamitos men during the past week, both of whom had been here for many years. James Watts, 86, of 10931 Chestnut, passed away Tuesday of last week with Mottel’s & Peek Mortuary handling the funeral arrangements, … Read more

OBITS: Nov. 1956 – James Watts 86, James G. Killstrom, 77 – Death Takes Two Los Alamitos Men

Enterprise, Nov. 29, 1956, p. 8 Death Takes Two Los Alamitos Men LOS ALAMITOS — Death took two Los Alamitos men during the past week, both of whom had been here for many years. James Watts, 86, of 10931 Chestnut, passed away Tuesday of last week with Mottel’s & Peek Mortuary handling the funeral arrangements, … Read more

OBIT: Oct. 11, 1956 – Elmer Layton Dies; Resident here 36 years

LOS ALAMITOS — Elmer Layton, resident of Los Alamitos for 36 years, died Sunday in Orange County hospital after a long illness. He owned and operated Layton’s Blacksmith Shop until 1954 when it was taken over by his son, Leo.  Mr. Layton lived at 10841 Los Alamitos Blvd. He was active in the Masonic Lodge. … Read more

1956 – OBIT: Paul (Bob) Robinson Passes Away after long out with cancer

From the Thursday January 13, 1956 issue of the Los Alamitos-Cypress Enterprise.  Page 1, col 1.  (bottom left corner) Los Alamitos Civic Leader passes Away after Long Siege of Cancer LOS ALAMITOS— One of Los Alamitos’ most active civic leaders, Paul (Bob) Robinson, passed away Sunday in Seaside Hospital, following several months of suffering from … Read more

1853 – June – Diary of Dr. Thomas Flint

The Bixbys are a legendary name in the history of Long Beach and the Rancho Los Alamitos, and deservedly so.  The true start of the family fortune goes back to the early 1850s when cousins Benjamin and Thomas Flint and Lewellyn Bixby returned home to Maine from Gold Rush California, where they had some success … Read more

Jan 1992 – Horsewoman Millie Vessels Is Dead at 72

Horsewoman Millie Vessels Is Dead at 72 : Racing: She took over management of Los Alamitos after her husband’s death in 1974. January 22, 1992|BILL CHRISTINE | TIMES STAFF WRITER Millie Vessels, 72, who sustained Los Alamitos Race Course’s reputation as the leading quarter horse track in the country after her husband’s death in 1974, … Read more

Biography: Los Al Race Track founder Frank Vessels – He bet the ranch and brought home a winner

Note: this article is a work in progress.  I have come across a number of articles and bios on Los Al Race Track founder Frank Vessels, but much of the information is regurgitated and unverified legend, not to mention often conflicting.  So this is an ongoing attempt to sift the fact from the legend — … Read more

Alois (Louis) Denni – pioneer Los Alamitos dairyman

Besides having the first sugar beet factory in Orange County, Los Alamitos also had one if its first dairy farms.  The factory went out of business in 1926, but dairys stuck around until the early 1960s. The first local dairy was owned by Alois (Louis) Denn, a Swiss emigrant who began operating a cheese dairy … Read more