In 1895, the
Southern Pacific Railroad built a rail line to Huntington
Beach connecting the relocated Holly Sugar Plant to
Huntington Beach, a former Spanish land-grant ranch and
farming area.
In 1901, Philip A. Stanton and Col. H.S. Finley visited
the area and recognized its potential as a west coast resort
rivaling Atlantic City, New Jersey. They formed a syndicate
called the West Coast Land and Water Co and acquired 1,500
acres for $100,000. They named their new
development Pacific City and began dividing the future Main
Street area into lots and streets.
Eighteen months later, they sold to
a group of investors lead by Henry E. Huntington, who
immediately worked to have the city renamed in his
honor. The new Huntington Beach
Company built a 1000 ft long wooden pier to aid in commerce
since the Pacific
Electric Railway now connected the city to Long Beach.
The city's first telephone system was installed and operated
from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The city incorporated on Feb. 17, 1909
and had its first school built. For most, Huntington was
still just a stop on Henry Huntington's Red Line Railroad.
In
1912, winter storms destroyed the pier, and a $70,000
bond issue was approved by the voters to build a new one.
The new 1,350 ft. pier was the longest, highest, and only
solid concrete pleasure pier in the United States at that
time.
With the discovery of oil in 1920, Huntington Beach
village became a boomtown. Pacific
Coast Highway was constructed in 1925, providing access to 9
miles of unspoiled beach. Huntington Beach High School was
built in 1926 at a cost of $500,000. In 1930, the pier was lengthened by 500 ft. with a
café at the end. The City Gym and Pool was
constructed in 1931 next to
Dwyer Middle School on Palm Avenue. The building survived the 1933
earthquake, while most other buildings did not. In 1939, a storm destroyed the end of the
pier and the café. It was re-opened
in 1940 and in 1941, the Navy commandeered the pier for
submarine watch during World War II.
During the years of 1946-1956, the beach was the main
draw to Huntington Beach. When it was hot in the inland
valley, many families would pitch army tents and stay for a
couple of weeks at a time. It became known as 'Tin Can Beach'
because of all the tin cans left to rot in the ocean from
campers.
By 1960, Huntington Beach had become the fastest growing city
in the nation. In the 1960's, many buildings were
destroyed because they failed to meet new earthquake
standards. Huntington remained a mixture of oil pumps,
summer and residential homes, surfers, and a roughneck
downtown Main Street until 1980 when the city undertook a
massive redevelopment project.
In March of 1983,
storms severely damaged the end of the pier and the café. In September 1985, the rehabilitated pier reopened with a
new two story cafe. On January 17, 1988 the end of the pier
was washed away again. The pier was declared unsafe and
closed on July 12, 1988. The new pier was designed in architectural style of the
original 1914 concrete pier and designed to withstand wave impact,
uplift, and earthquakes.
