Becoming L.A.! exhibit at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum.

L.A. history divided into seven periods.

1541, the Spanish conquest of Alta California begins. At this time, California was populated by Native Americans, who became workers, not usually willingly, at the 21 missions founded by the Spanish Franciscan Father Juniper Serra.

The first mission founded was the Mission San Diego de Alcala on July 16, 1969. I believe this is the mission in this painting.

I think this is the Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded November 1, 1776.

And I believe this to be Mission San Luis Rey de Espana, founded September 8, 1797. After the Spanish left, the missions became in disrepair. Many also had serious earthquake damage. Today, almost all have been restored and they are easy to visit as most are along the 101 and 5 freeways, as these roads mostly follow the El Camino Real, the mission road. I've been to almost all of the missions.

Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by 11 familes from Mexico. The Spanish wanted to establish a pueblo along the River Los Angeles. They had a difficult time recruiting familes to travel the hazardous journey to what was then a desolate area.

Painting of the early settlers of Los Angeles. Two stories of how L.A. got its name: one, it was named by Father Juan Crespi on August 2, 1769, when the expedition he was leading arrived at the L.A. River. He called it El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de la Reyna de Los Angeles de Porciuncula as this was the day of the Franciscan celebration of the Perdono at the Assisi chapel of St. Francis. Two, it was just called originally El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles. Los Angeles means "The Angels."

1821, Mexican independence from Spanish rule. Alta California became part of Mexico. The missions were disbanded and its lands granted to residents as private ranchos.

The Native Americans were mainly landless and improvished throughout the Mission, Mexican, and Early American period. With the breakup of the mission system during the Mexican era, they worked as cowboys, basket makers, servants, and cooks. Some practiced their traditional way of life.

Louse Domingo de Sepulveda, 1830-1912, heir to Ranch Los Feliz and Rancho San Rafael--all these names and other persons' and rancho names are still in use in Los Angeles today.

The Lugos--one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in Los Angeles.

Benjamin Davis Wilson, 1811-1878, owner of the Rancho Rincon de San Pasqual, where Altadena, South Pasadena, Alhambra, San Marino, and San Gabriel are located today.

Pio de Jesus Pico, 1801-1894, one of the most influential figures of the 1800s. He helped transform the region from Spain to Mexico to the United States. He served two terms of governor under Mexico.

Eulelia Perez Guillan Marine, a Baja Californian, 1766-1878, died at age 112. She was a skilled midwife to Californios (California-born Mexicans) and was granted a rancho.

I don't think many people in LA know about this, when the LA River changed course in 1825. A flash flood caused the river to flow south to San Pedro rather than west to Santa Monica.

In 1848, Alta California became part of the United States. Mexico formally ceded California to the U.S. by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. All Mexcian citizens became U.S. citizens. The previous Mexican citizens had great difficulty proving that they were legal owners of their rancheros and most lost them.

Left, Johnathan Warner, came to LA in 1844. Was granted the Rancho Agua Caliente. Right, William "Guilleeeero" Wolfspill, arrived LA in 1831 and was the founder of the California citrus industry and helped develop the cattle industry.

John "Don Juan" Temple (1796-1866), also developed the cattle industry.

Cattle was at the center of the rancho economy but even more so when gold was discovered in California in 1848. There was now a great demand for beef.

However, the cattle herds overgrazed the land, there were floods, and locusts ate what was left of the grass. The cattle industry started to die out.

Rogerio Rocha, 1801-1904, was a Fernandeno born at Mission San Fernando and trained as a blacksmith. During the Mexican era, Native Americans had property rights, so he bought land. However, under American law, Native Americans could not own property and he was evicted from his land.

On October 24, 1871, Los Angeles "witnessed its most brutal act of racial violence, known as the Chinese Massacre. A white man was killed in the crossfire between rival Chinese groups and a riot broke out. Nineteen Chinese men and boys were murdered."

Mexicans, Native Americans, and Ango-Americans often intermarried. Photo: 1870s.

A Mexican family outside their adobe home near Mission San Gabriel--1870.

1876, a new era begins for Los Angeles. Los Angeles grew from a population of 5,728 in the city and 15,309 in the county in 1870 to 576,637 in the city and 936,465 in the county in 1920.

In 1881, the Southern Pacific Railroad linked Los Angeles with the eastern United States. This caused a population boom.

In 1889, Modesta Avila (1870-1891) fought the Santa Fe Railroad's extension of its main line through her mother's prperty. In protest, she strung her laundry across the tracks and was arrested on a charge of "attempted obstruction of a train." She was sentenced to 3 years in the women's wing at San Quentin State Penitentiary, where she became ill and died 2 years later at age 22.

Bridget "Biddy" Mason (1818-1891), pioneer of the African-American community.

Earliest Chinese immigrants to California were men who arrived during the Gold Rush and later to build the railroads. By 1870, a Chinese community on the easter edge of the Plaza had grown to 200 people, including women and children.

Ricardo Flores Magon, 1874-1922, a radical jounalist and leader of the anarchist Mexican Liberation Party based in LA. He was imprisoned in Levenworth and died in prison.

Harry Chandler, 1884-1944, published to the Los Angeles Times from 1917-1941.

Ice cream vendor Nicholas Martinez outside the old Plaza Church on Main Street in 1890. The church is still there.

In 1887, LA had its first electrified street car. In 1920, LA had the largest electric railway system in the entire world. It was privately owned and was dismantled bit by bit until 1963, when there were no more cars on the system.

Suburbia--Pasadena develops north of Los Angeles.

I believe this is what is now called Linda Vista. It was being sold as such: no frost, fog, mud, or dirt; pure mountain water piped in; and a line of street cars running from the center of the city.

A proposed hotel, which was built as the Green Hotel. It is stll standing and now has apartments.

Oil was discovered in Los Angeles in 1892 by Edward Doheny. In 1897, LA had over 500 oil wells. Today, there still are pumping oil wells within the city limits and in Beverly Hills.

Aviation Meet in Los Angles in 1910.

In the 1910s and 1920s, exotic animal displays were popular. There is an ostrich farm today, but north of Los Angeles.

In 1913, Cecil de Mille shot the first Hollywood movie: "Squaw Man."

Charlie Chaplin. Hollywood became the movie capital of the world.

The movie star look was created by Max Factor.

Hollywood had a growth spurt.

The Great Depression

Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) founded the Foursquare Gospel Church at Angelus Temple in Echo Park. She provided relief to thousands of families during the depression.

Soup kitchens and WPA workers.

In 1934 and again in 1938, the Los Angeles River flooded Los Angeles. Bridges, homes, and businesses were wiped out

The Army Corps of Engineers cemented the river to prevent future floods. The ugly cementing is still there, but there is now an effort to make the river beautiful again with paths along it. Some kayaking has recently been allowed.

The 6.3 Long Beach earthquake on March 10, 1933, changed the building codes in Los Angeles. After each major earthquake we have, building codes are again updated.

A model of Los Angeles. City Hall, the tallest building in the photo, was built in 1928, but there are some newer buildings in the model.

Close up of Los Anges City Hall. It is still there.

Union Station, opening in 1939. The Chinatown that was on the property was forced to move to a new location.

Cultural crossroads--a Mexican bakery and restaurant in the 1930s.

The first African-American trans-continental flight, October 9, 1931, Los Angeles to New York.

The first freeway in Los Angeles was the Arroyo Seco Parkway, built in 1940, and better known as the Pasadena Freeway. However, it has recently reverted back to its original name so, as a parkway, maximum speed can be lowered on it. Photo of the freeway mess that the Pasadena Freeway started.

1941, World War II.

The Zoot Suit Riots. In the summer of 1943, mobs of servicemen and civilizians assaulted Mexican-Americans for wearing tailored "zoot suits' which they labeled as anti-American.

The 442nd regiment combat team was made up of almost entirely of second-generated Japanese-American (Nisal) soldiers.

The movie business brought about the TV industry in Los Angeles.

And later, surfing culture came to LA.