The internet archive just added thousands of scanned book images from their archives to flickr. We’ve found some great L.A. nuggets all ready, and many of them come from an amazing 1903 Book called The city and county of Los Angeles in southern California. This book is by Harry Ellington Brook and contains images of all sorts, and descriptions of Los Angeles and SoCal at the turn of the century. You can peruse the book in full on archive.org here. It contains many interesting observations such as:

here is a great variety of soil, as well as of climate, in Los Angeles county, varying from light sandy loam to heavy adobe. The price of land also varies greatly, ranging from $30 to $100 per acre for lands adapted to grain,hay and deciduous fruits, without irrigation,up to $250 or $300 per acre for first-classcitrus land, with an ample water right. Land may be purchased in Los Angeles county on easy terms. A great many improved places,with bearing orchards and comfortable houses

Here are some of our favorite images…

Above, the State Normal School, L.A. branch. This is the predecessor to UCLA, and was located on the site of the current Central Library.

Above: Westlake, now MacArthur Park.

Above: A home in West Adams.

Above: Terminal Island. One of the main beach spots of its day.



Above, the San Gabriel Mission.

Above: The Pasadena Library.

The original city Court House.