Early History of Newport Harbor

[Music] the City of Newport Beach was incorporated in 1906 and though its appearance has greatly changed and population immensely grown the recreational Harbor continues to remain the nucleus of the city the unique landscape of the harbor its islands and the peninsula have been shaped not only by natural forces but by generations of families and Visionary individuals who early on realized the potential of the area for more than 100 years people have been drawn to this beautiful place to take advantage of the very same activities enjoyed today the great ocean fishing the calm Bay Waters a unique sense of community and of course the surf and the [Music] sand the most recognizable of Newport Beach's landmarks is the baloa Pavilion The Pavilion was built in 1905 to serve as a bath and Boat House the Newport Bay Investment Company funded the construction of the Pavilion in order to bring attention to the recreational activities available and to attract potential land buyers at the time no roads or train tracks reached bboa and all building materials were brought across the swampy Bay by barge giving a major boost to the success of the developing area as a vacation destination was the extension of the Pacific electric red car line on July 4th 1906 the first red car arrived at the Pavilion over 1,000 people made the journey many of them who took the 1hour ride from Los Angeles in the first year restaurants hotels and other Resort Town businesses developed catering to the influx of tourists and the Newport Bay Investment Company had sold enough real estate to recoup their investment in the Pavilion for more than 100 years Balboa has remained a favorite summer destination and the Pavilion has been in almost continuous operation since the beginning the earliest Services The Pavilion provided included the Renning of bathing suits canoes and other personal watercraft through the years they would expand operations to offer additional activities such as Saturday night dances in the ballroom sightseeing trips on the motorboat called the magic aisle in the evening the magic aisle took passengers on Ocean cruises to spot flying fish with its powerful search light 50 Cent speedboat rides departed from The Pavilion speeding through the harbor to the Open Sea at the time a harbor speed limit did not exist in the 1920s Bathing Beauty contests were held to attract visitors to the area both female and male Beauties were judged in front of the Pavilion however the contest was not representative of local Beauty as most contestants were brought in from train from Los Angeles over the years the Pavilion has held many amusements including a bowling alley a seashell Museum a gambling facility in the 1930s and a dance hall where the Jitterbug dance was restricted because of structural weaknesses in the building by the 1950s the pavilion's business shifted to cater to fishermen and their needs fishing and boating Recreation remained the focus of operations [Music] today in 1909 the land adjacent to the Pavilion developed as a boat building and service business one of several on the newly established recreational Bay in 1919 the land was sold to the Roger Brothers who operate the business as a boat building repair and storage facility and by 1929 had expand Ed the business along more of the Waterfront during these early years additional business came from some of the many movies being filmed in the bay and Roger Brothers assisted in the building and repair of these large movie props by the 1930s business had slowed dramatically and the land was sold to Newport Beach banker and landowner John vogle together with partner El Anderson the Boatyard was cleared and the waterf front amusement park called The Fun Zone was built arcade games Kitty rides and Mary around and the ferris wheel were brought in in addition to amusement rides Fair style foods and games visitors could sunbath swim or dive from one of the floating platforms right off the shore in 1948 the Funzone boat company started business and continued the traditions of Harbor Cruises and boating excursions that are still in operation today perhaps the most recognizable watercraft on the Newport Harbor are the aoto fairies that have continually crossed between the Balo Peninsula and baloa Island since 1919 the ferry business was started by Joseph beak described as baloa Island's most enthusiastic lifelong resident and a major advocate for the development of the harbor into a recreational Bay in 1919 beak became the only person to put a bid on the rights of the earlier infrequent and deteriorating passenger ferry service in doing so his intent was not to make money there simply were not enough customers at the time but to make Baba Island a more hospitable and attractive place especially to potential buyers of the Island's subdivided empty lots the operation began with the oversized rowo named the ark fair was 5 cents beak then expanded the operation with the fat fery capable of accommodating an occasional Auto and then in 1922 he began operating The Joker be's first self-propelled Auto fery offering regular passage The Joker could accommodate two cars and up to 80 passengers in the 1930s the Commodore was added to the fleet and by the 1950s three new fairies were built with the same appearance as the earlier Joker named The Admiral the commodor and the [Music] captain in 1868 when James mcfaden saw the landlock Newport Bay filled with mud flats and sandb bars he fora a potential Harbor from which the abundance of produce grain and livestock of the Santa Ana area could be exchanged in 1875 James and Robert mcfaden opened Newport Landing a Warf and Warehouse within the harbor where they exchanged goods for lumber navigating through the harbor to reach the landing proved to be difficult and dangerous not being able to obtain government a to improve the conditions of the harbor they would make fatens move their business to the sandpit peninsula where they build a warp that extended to the ocean in the same site as Newport Municipal Pier stands today the warf stretched a quarter of a mile to Sea and was able to accommodate up to four trains at the end in 1891 a railway connecting Newport Beach to Santa Ana is completed facilitating the movement of products and people in the first year of operations seven 72 vessels brought cargo employing over 100 men it was the largest business Orange County had ever known the area around the busy Warf soon became populated with homes and businesses like Mrs Salter's store that provided Necessities such as coal oil and medicine as well as house Goods souvenirs and candies visitors to Newport had the option of staying at one of two available hotels or to rent sand lots for summer camping visitors who came by horse and buggy would leave these belongings in a large Corral during their stay business was successful for the mcfaden until the late 1890s when ships carrying Freight opted to use the port at San Pedro in 1899 mcfaden sold the business including the warf Railroad and the town in 1912 McFadden's 840 Acres of surrounding land would be sold for a price of somewhere between $35 and $50,000 to William Collins Collins eager to make a profit subdivided the land around the warf into lots and set the price at $125 each in a move to ensure real estate sales Collins partnered with the head of the Pacific electric red car company and by 1905 the first red car reached Newport when passengers arrived they were greeted with music free lunches and real estate agents seen as potential buyers the visitors were loaded into boats to visit available Lots along the peninsula empty Corona delmare and even Balboa Island though it was mostly underwater at the end of 1905 several new Cottages could be found on the peninsula in July of 1906 the red car reaches the baloa Pavilion and in August Newport Beach is incorporated as a city seeking revenue for the new city officials calling themselves Harbor boosters asked the government for Harbor Improvement funds to support a commercial Harbor but without already established the government denies the request in 1910 the census shows 445 permanent residents living mostly on the peninsula and hardly anyone at coruna delmare Collins had dredged the area around baloa Island depositing the sand on top to raise the tideline and about 20 Cottages could be found there each sold for about $325 the next decade will bring challenges to both homeowners and those helping to develop the area in 1914 foreclosures on bboa island come as a result of much needed improvements later that year the peninsula's infrastructure is wiped out after The Tide Rises 8 in above the high water mark then in 1916 the Santa Ana river floods filling the bay with debris clogging the channels with silt islands of mud appear everywhere and black ooze covers everything Harbor improvements finally come in 1917 when a bond helps pay for a much needed Jetty at the harbor entrance the accomplishment is truly a cause for celebration and the entire town celebrates with a large clam bake on the beach despite the difficulties in these early years both history and long-lasting traditions are made on May 10th 1912 Aviator Glenn Martin departs from Sandy Newport Beach in his pontoon equipped Aero hydroplane with his mother as co-pilot he sets the record for the longest overwater flight when he flies from new Port Beach to Avalon Joseph beak starts the baloa Island Ferry business Italian John Scarpa brings the Venetian custom of gondel piloting to the harbor One Night in 1908 he gathered eight canoes decorated them in candle lit Japanese lanterns and led them with his Gondola through the harbor as he sang boisterously this act would eventually develop into the annual Tournament of Lights Parade still held every December a setback in Harbor accessibility occurs in 1920 when Jetty rocks lose hold and begin to sink due to heavy surf the jetty is lengthened but it is clear a second Jetty extending from Corona delmare is needed with only one Jetty the waves make an excellent surf break that rolls into the harbor for a good distance this condition attracts Hawaiian world champion Surfer Duke Kohan moku to the area he begins a surfing Club in coronin delmare and holds regular surfing contests needless to say surfing as a sport grows tremendously in popularity with more of the harbor dredge than ever Harbor boosters welcome the albian which brings 100,000 ft of lumber the occasion is celebrated but to the disappointment of the boosters the albian is only one of two freight ships that will again enter the harbor for reasons of commerce between 1923 and 25 at least four ships run ground or capsize in the Harbor entrance and several lives are lost these events led to a life-saving core formed by Anton derga the operation began with the Dory booat buoys and life-saving lines although the harbor entrance is difficult to navigate the interior Bay waters are calm and more personal watercraft appear Harbor activities increase with the population and sailing and yacht clubs are formed by 1926 the Judy is in poor condition enough loose rocks have shifted so that in many places the ocean engulfes parts of it at high tide in 1927 voters pass a bond to strengthen and lengthen the jetty so that it has a slight curve at the end the bond also covered the building of a second East Jetty the improvements were a cause for celebration but unfortunately shortlived the curved Judy diverted ocean water to the Waterfront eroding away away the shoreline and The Sandbar at the harbor only grew larger all allotted Improvement monies had been spent only to make the situation worse in 1928 the sandb bar at the entrance made for excellent surfing but at a depth of only 4T at low tide many wondered how Newport would be able to meet their obligation as host to both the transpacific race to Hawaii and the international star class race scheduled for the year a Citizens Harbor committee headed by chairman Joseph beak sought private donations including the collection of pennies from school children able to collect enough funds the committee commissions a dredger and the harbor is cleared to a safe Deb to host both events that year with the harbor functioning for recreational use no one thought the government would fund further needed developments however in the midst of the Great Depression government monies were able to be secured under President Roosevelt's National Recovery Act giving much needed jobs to many finally the safe and navigable Harbor so many had longed and fought for would become a reality the final drudging began in 1935 and Newport Harbor became the first recreational Harbor on the Pacific coast the drudging helped build up the islands deepen the channels and build shorelines and on May 23rd 1936 the harbor was completed and dedicated the 3600 permanent residents of Newport Beach were there to celebrate this accomplishment the harbor improvements did not mean that there were still not challenges to come in 1939 storms took out 500 ft of McFadden's Warf and destroyed Coastline properties only 5 years after the Safe Harbor open it's closed in December 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked and US coastlines become potential World War II targets at 12:30 on December 7th 1941 the harbor is officially closed blackouts along the coast are enforced as the attack from offshore Japanese submarines is a threat the harbor entrance was blocked with a log barrier and the Coast Guard check credentials of anyone piloting a vessel in or out only fishing boats could access the sea for this they had to obtain a special permit in Harbor sailing slowed drastically in Pace as gasoline rationing prevented many from traveling to the harbor to participate in sailing events and many residents left their vacation homes for the city more than 250 military vessels were built dedicated and launched from the harbor including mine sweepers subchasers and rescue boats servicemen and women stationed at nearby santaana Army Airbase would frequent Newport Beach on leave time bringing Commerce to the city the Fun Zone various clubs and restaurants and especially the Rendevous Ballroom were packed with servicemen and women and their local dates to hear and dance to the most popular bands of the era the Balboa became a popular swing dance style and spread throughout the country at the end of the war newport's population had boomed the wonderful weather activities and lifestyle easily persuaded thousands that had been stationed nearby to call Newport [Music] home Newport Harbor and the surrounding Coastal area have been the location of several movies and television shows in the early days the area was ideal for Movie Makers who took advantage of the natural scenery void of all signs of people often locals in the area stood in as extras in the movies and local ship Builders were hired to build or remodel ships brought to the harbor as movie props thousands lined the shores in 1919 as extras in Cleopatra starring legendary film St thetaba local boat makers were employed to assist in the construction of the 29 ships used in the movie The sailing ship Fremont comes to the harbor to represent the Hispanola in the 1920 version of Treasure Island near the Pavilion the tourists and the Prosper are remodeled before being used as competing pirate ships in the 1924 movie Captain Blood by the 1930s the coastline showed too much evidence of human occupancies and movie Shi from historic theme to those that use the populated and vibrant Newport as scenery Newport Harbor has played host of many celebrities who have enjoyed the area as both a vacation retreat and a home in the 1940s Newport became a Haven for those wishing to escape from busy Hollywood Life Greta Garbo joined the Balo a bay club and John Wayne Errol Flynn Humphrey bogar and Lauren ball just to name a few have all enjoyed the harbor water today many celebrities call Newport beach [Music] home as long as people have been at Newport Beach they've been fishing early visitors watched in amazement as fishermen put large Nets out to sea and then with the help of horses pulled Nets bursting with fish back to shore a fishing tradition was started when in 1906 the Dory booat fishermen established their business next to mcfaden morph bringing fresh seafood in from the sea the fishermen with the help of their wives and families would sell to customers right on the beach their business has not changed or moved locations since 1906 sport fishing became a major recreation in the 1930s and grew enormously through the 1940s this was due to the abundance and variety of fish off the Newport Coast small Bait fish like anchovy were in such great numbers that Sports fishing boats first gathered bait right off the coast using Nets before heading out to deeper waters this optimal fishing environment led to a boom for the sports fishing business and between 1945 and 1950 Newport Harbor was home to the largest Fleet of fishing boats in the world with approximately 136 licensed vessels there is no need for a fishing pole boat or net when the Grans are running the first fishing canery was built in 192 one at what was and still is the center for commercial boat activity Here Local employees work by hand to process boatloads of tuna and mackerel fish from offshore at the rate of 400 cases per day and this number increased as Machinery improved by the 1930s three canies were in steady business to meet the demands for affordable high protein foods during the Depression and World War II by the 1950s technology enabled the factories to process thousands of pounds of fish and fishing boats met this quota by using Nets able to capture entire populations of fish in one catch in combination these commercial fishing practices led to the major loss of fish population and polluted Waters by the 1960s industrial pollutants from the Harbor's industry discouraged remaining fish populations from coming close to the coast leading to the eventual closing of all canning Productions thankfully healthy numbers of fish have been brought back to the area with improvements in regul UL [Music] ations there are many more stories that I've here gone unmentioned many parades racing events of every caliber nostalgic businesses and days of pirates all of which are segments in a rich and ongoing Harbor history a

Channel: ExplorOcean

Views: 34,729

Keywords: Newport Beach, History, Documentary, California, Beach Culture, Surf, Ocean, Waves, ExplorOcean, Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, Nautical, Maritime

Id: 4WTnBr1gCac

Length: 21min 30sec (1290 seconds)

Published: Tue May 22 2012