MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
 
JUMP TO PAGE   100  >  200  >  300  >  400  >  500  >  600
VINTAGRAPH • WPA • WWII • YOU MEAN A WOMAN CAN OPEN IT?

Seal Beach: 1958

From circa 1958, a Kodachrome taken by my mother, who could handle a 35mm camera in a pinch. My parents had friends with a summer place in Seal Beach, California, a coastal community  on the border of Orange and Los Angeles counties. In the foreground are my parents' bosom pals who owned or rented the place behind the Ford station wagon. That's me at the bottom of the slide; the boy making his precarious way up is the son of the aforementioned couple. Dad (with the cap) appears to be zoning out, judging by the beer cans by his side. I wonder if any of these beachside homes exist today. View full size.

From circa 1958, a Kodachrome taken by my mother, who could handle a 35mm camera in a pinch. My parents had friends with a summer place in Seal Beach, California, a coastal community on the border of Orange and Los Angeles counties. In the foreground are my parents' bosom pals who owned or rented the place behind the Ford station wagon. That's me at the bottom of the slide; the boy making his precarious way up is the son of the aforementioned couple. Dad (with the cap) appears to be zoning out, judging by the beer cans by his side. I wonder if any of these beachside homes exist today. View full size.

On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5

Surfside I think

I went to Cal State Long Beach and in those days a lot of these cottages were rented to collage students and my best friend and some others rented a place that looks pretty much like this one. A great little town that tended to flood under large wave alerts.

Looks like

Steinbrau Pale Dry

What brand of beer?

On what brand of beer was your father zoning out? I don't recognize the design on the cans. Does anyone recognize it?

Eastside, Surfside

I shared this link to some Seal Beach and Sunset Beach facebook groups, and I'm sure someone in the online mob of locals will be able to pinpoint the exact location, and I'll share it here.

Aha, while I was typing, I got a confirmation that it is in Surfside, and the house on the right is still there and painted blue. I'll try to take a photo when I drive up to SB on Friday, and I'll post it (no Google Streetview, darn it.) Since Surfside is within Seal Beach city limits, your mother's memory was correct!

This photo has made a lot of locals happy. Thanks for posting it.

Mad Dog, I am sure you are correct.

It is my mother's recollection that the location was Seal Beach. That memory of hers is no doubt a bit hazy, as over 50 years have gone by.

My parents (and I) would visit those friends, and stay at that place several times in the summers of the late '50s and early '60s. I don't know what eventually became of that house.

Years later, I lived and worked in Huntington Beach and would often grab a late night dinner at the Harbor House Restaurant in Sunset Beach. Yummy!

Sunset Beach or Surfside

I just checked an aerial shot of Seal Beach from 1958, and I can't match this photo with any of the beachside buildings. This is probably Surfside (or Sunset Beach), a small enclave immediately south of Seal Beach across Anaheim Bay.

Surfside is officially part of Seal Beach, but it is now a gated community and has always maintained a separate identity from Seal Beach. Sunset is right next to Surfside.

The sandy area with the slide is probably on what used to be the Pacific Electric right of way. The red car trolley use to run down to Newport Beach along this strip.

Seal Beach is celebrating its centennial next year, and you can see more photos of our local history at sbfoundersday.wordpress.com. I'm tickled to see this photo because Shorpy was the inspiration for our blog back in 2010. Kinda brings the whole thing full circle.

Those were the days

My grandfather had the same Ford wagon, but his was burgundy with beige. I loved riding in that car! If I recall, his was a '54. I would love to find one and restore it as a daily driver. I remember it had 3 on the tree. We used to go to the drive-in movies, me and my siblings all decked out in our PJ's, with popcorn & Coke. I remember seeing Dr. No in 1962 at the drive-in. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Love the site!

Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.