One of the leading citizens of Los Alamitos in the first decades of this century Karl Vucassovich Bennis had a long history with the Los Alamitos Sugar Factory. Born in Maine in 1875, Bennis came to California in 1897, and settled in Orange County a few years later. Before coming to Los Alamitos he had … Read more
Aviation has a long history in the Seal Beach area. When Phil Stanton imported most of the 1915 San Francisco’s Pan-Pacific Exposition’s amusements to build the Joy Zone at Seal Beach, aviation was part of the business plan. Daredevils like Joe Boquel thrilled attendees with his aerial antics over the waves, and local pilots landed … Read more
City Plans to Buy Van for TV Channel FOCUS: ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY NEWS | NORTHWEST: LOS ALAMITOS April 25, 1998|JOHN CANALIS The lease is up on the Los Alamitos Television van, so the city plans to buy it. City Council members on Monday will consider purchasing the white Ford that carries crews of high school … Read more
FOCUS: ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY NEWS | NORTHWEST: LOS ALAMITOS February 11, 1998|JOHN CANALIS Officials are pushing to open the swimming pool at the Armed Forces Reserve Center for community recreation programs. Representatives from Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Cypress and Seal Beach met recently with base commanders to discuss plans to reopen the Olympic-size pool. The outdoor … Read more
On May 24, 2011, Huguette Clark, one of the world’s richest women and subject of many TV reports last fall, died at the age of 104. Worth over an estimated half billion dollars, she grew up in New York’s Gilded Age, among the Guggenheims, Astors, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. When she died, she hadn’t been seen … Read more
Michael Reagan was one of the earliest workers to come to the new town of Los Alamitos when it was formed in 1896. After working to help build the factory he started drilling wells for water and soon took over operations of the town’s water company. Main Street was later renamed for Reagan. Reagan’s … Read more
Most of the first merchants in Los Alamitos were saloon keepers. And many not of the best reputation. These men catered to the hard-working railroad track layers and the teamsters who helped haul equipment around. Immediately after the construction of the sugar factory and a railroad to the site were first announced, the citizens … Read more
The earliest mention of a public library in Los Alamitos goes back to Feb. 13, 1922 [ref]News Notes of California Libraries, Oct. 1922 , p.608-612; p. 613, Laurel [/ref]. A state directory listing for the new Orange County Free Library System, says it serves the entire county except Anaheim, Buena Park Library District, Fullerton, Huntington … Read more
Harry Butterfield was one of Los Alamitos’ earliest residents. He was born in Wilsonville, Nebraska and arrived with his family in 1897, while, the sugar factory was still under construction, and lived here about 7 years. [ref] GENEALOGY OF THE DESCENDANTS OF JOHN WHITE OF Wenham and Lancaster, MASSACHUSETTS. 1638- I90l, p. WILLIAM T. Butterfield … Read more
When this area started getting populated, students in seventh grade on attended schools in the Anaheim Union High School District. (Oak, Pine/McAuliffe, and Los Al HS were all originally built and within the Anaheim District. Local parents wanted to gain more control of their children’s destiny, and committees were formed to pursue the unification of … Read more