Well At Least We Tried

The Seaport of Redondo Beach from 1888 to 1912

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Preface

There have been a handful of histories written on the topic of Redondo Beach, California, varying in both length and focus. One of the more interesting works is Albert S. Karr’s Master’s Thesis, “The port of Redondo Beach (1887 - 1926)” submitted to the history department of the University of Southern California in 1947. Karr began his study because he noticed a wide divergence of opinion as to the significance of the short-lived port of Redondo Beach. Yet Karr does not go into detail as to the actual building and development of the port, nor does he address such issues as actually how safe was Redondo Beach as a port of refuge.

Karr does attempt to draw connections between regional events and the community of Redondo Beach, particularly the “Free Harbor Contest” for the Port that would serve Los Angeles. Analysis of these kinds of influences can provide links between the particular and the universal allowing us to better define the community in time and space. Links exist between social, economic, political, and cultural phenomena that occurred in Redondo Beach and elsewhere in Southern California, the nation, and the world. It is the task of the historian to discover (or rediscover) them and make them obvious. Links between the unique and the commonplace help us to discover the true human condition as it existed in Redondo Beach during the latter part of the nineteenth and on into the early twentieth century.

The purpose of this history is to fill some of the gaps left by Karr’s work. Though Karr used some primary sources (mainly government publications, such as railroad statistics, and U.S. Army Board of Engineers reports), it appears certain documents were not available to him in 1947. These documents included the official records of the port of Redondo Beach located in the collections of the National Archives, Laguna Niguel, California. In this collection of bound volumes ar,e customs seizures, records of entrances and clearances of vessels, and wreck reports for the port of Redondo Beach. In addition, he did not have access to several photographs containing information about the port, which are today easily accessed on the Internet.

The scope of this work is a little narrower than Karr’s. His thesis includes more information on Redondo Beach as a resort town, and Henry Huntington’s role in the development of the community. The focus of this history is strictly Redondo Beach as a port of call until 1912.

Albert S. Karr should be acknowledged for the original work upon which this historical essay is based. Mr. Karr taught history at Redondo Union High School and El Camino College for many years. I also wish to acknowledge Professor Judson A. Grenier, Emeritus Professor of History at California State University, Dominguez Hills, who taught me the basics of historiography. Dr. Grenier’s own work, California Legacy: The Watson Family and The Rancho San Pedro, by Robert Cameron Gillingham, Ph. D., edited by Dr. Grenier, have been very helpful in writing this essay.

Dedication

To the memory of my Grandfather,

Harry P. McCandless

who told me that, once upon a time,
great ships came to Redondo Beach, California.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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