5er Times: Seal Beach, CA & the Pacific Ocean

Seal Beach is a small, quaint town located in Orange County, CA. Years ago, the Gabrielino Indians inhabited this area speaking a Shoshone language of many western tribes. They were Nomads who built winter shacks as they enjoyed the mild climate and were noted for their basket weaving.
The center of the coastal Indians was Rancho Los Alamitos...the seed of Seal Beach today.
Later, a "tent city" began with 25sq ft plots. This pattern can still be seen today in Old Town Seal Beach.
Early on, the area was known as "Anaheim Landing" and was established as a port of entry for the Santa Ana Valley Co. Despite treacherous entrance conditions that caused several disasters, regular coastal trade was carried on for about 15 years. Then its name changed to Bay City; but, there already was a Bay City in Northern, CA. So, in 1915 when incorporated, the town was named Seal Beach. Some say it was named for the seals in the area. It was once noted for its Joy Zone and beach-side amusement park built in 1916. During this time, the Pacific Electric Railway Red Car passed thru carrying folk to/from the beach festivities.
During the depression the Jewel Cafe dance hall and roller coaster fell into disrepair and were hauled away. Seal Beach also went thru a dark period where it was known as "Sin City" due to the lack of police enforcement. During the 1940's, Seal Beach became a family-like town.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<Red Car Museum>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A majority of the city's acreage is devoted to the naval Weapons Station Seal Beach military base. This base was constructed during WWII for loading, unloading, and storing of ammunition for the Pacific Fleet.

These big ships can be seen from J's mother's house and we can hear their "leaving dock" horns sound and tweets from the small tugboats as they leave port. On this day (below), the "red flag" was flying which meant the ship was being loaded with ammunition. Some of the larger ships cannot come into port due to its depth. Therefore, smaller ships carry ammunition to them at sea.

The Seal Beach NWR (a salt water marsh) is located on part of the Naval Weapons Station.

We stopped by the Submarine Memorial for WWII Veterans where 52 submarines and crew are named and honored with plaques. Noticeable (to me) were the names of the submarines...quite a few with fish names. Wives were also acknowledged.

Torpedo below.................................... Patriotic water fountain......................

Once upon a time, the Weapons Station was
overrun by ground squirrels. Today, with the healthy coyote population, there are few to be seen.

On our walk to the beach we encountered hummingbirds, sparrows, and doves.

The banana tree has a bunch of small green bananas.

The firm berm (below) was great for walking as we watched the surf. The berm is hauled in beach sand bulldozed up high every winter to prevent the storms with overwash from flooding the beachfront properties. Look at those waves.

Today the surf was up making high splashes on the jetty with a number of surfers trying to catch a wave. Surfing locations in Seal Beach include the Seal Beach pier and the mouth of the San Gabriel river nicknamed "Stingray Bay" as the stingrays are attracted by the heated water from upstream powerplants. Below surfing was between the jetty and the pier. Lots of nice wave sets today. Boat carrying oil workers in the background.

Seal Beach Pier is the second longest wooden pier in CA, used for fishing and sightseeing. The 1/4 mile structure was built in 1906 and rebuilt in 1980 when 2 sections were destroyed by storms.
There use to be a restaurant at the end of the pier. It now is CLOSED.

J in his surfing prime & friends use to shoot the pier pilings as they surfed the waves. They also would climb on the piling supports to gather fishing hooks and sinkers lost by unlucky folk.

Here is "Slick" immortalized in bronze as he was the last seal to visit Seal Beach. Now they hang offshore on the bouys.

Seal Beach Pier is the perfect place to people watch, view surfing, kite flying, and an occasional film production. In 1923, "The Ten Commandments" and Moses parting the "Red Sea" were filmed on the flat sea shore of Seal Beach. Others have been filmed here as well.

The breakers were out as far as the oil rig with good sets for surfing bringing back memories for J when he once rode the waves with his long board. A ship waits in the distance to dock and load or unload its goods.

Below a boat is loading oil rig workers from the pier boarding spot as it rides the high waves.

Its bow went up/down with each wave....sometimes almost to height of the pier.

With the growing aerospace industry (Boeing) plus others...

...Seal Beach began to grow with additional residential areas....Old Town...Marina Hill...and others. Leisure World is a retirement community with about 1/3 of the city's residents.

"June gloom" brings in the fog with the jetty fog horns blowing ever so often with their different sounds for each jetty location.

Gas prices remain close to $3 per gallon for Regular. I about fell out when I saw eggs were almost $6 per dozen. OUCH!

Houses are close with friendly neighbors.

One can take the Greenbelt to town...4 blocks away.

At the end of Main Street across the highway is the Seal Beach Pier with Eisenhower Park. Working oil wells can be seen here and there as you drive around the area.