Land Boom Leftover

By spring of 1888 the southern California land boom was over.  Investors regretted the lack of industry and cultivated crops.  Orange groves had been neglected in hopes of selling town lots.  Municipal services like water, sewage, roads and schools couldn't keep up with the rapid growth.  The boom began to leave ghost towns,  but there was something left - at least for a period of time.

The University of Southern California was founded in 1879 as a read estate endowment.  Two years later it became the University of California at Los Angeles, followed by Whittier College which was a product of the developer of the town of Whittier.  Occidental College was found in 1887 as a Presbyterian institution.  Tuition was $50 a year.  The college was advertised as combining real estate and education.  A portion of the land was sold for development of homes, ranging from $300-$500.  "Rich soil and pure air.  No better place in the state for a home" wrote the President of the college in an advertisement.

The boom proved the power of advertising and the willingness of American to believe anything that was presented well and repeated often enough.  Newspapers flourished.  San Diego boasted five newspaper for a population of 20,000 people.  Every boom town had a newspaper of its own no matter what the size.

One of the sad results of the California boom was the loss of Spanish heritage. By the end of the boom in the 1880s  much of the Spanish influence in southern California had become merely an advertising slogan.  Place names hinted at a rich history, but the missions were gone as were the ranches.  Just as the boom changed California, the pattern traveled cross-country to reappear some 40 years later.

Next time...1920s Florida




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Today in Pioneer History: "On September 9, 1776, Congress formerly declares the new nation to be the "United States" of America, replacing the term "United Colonies."