Los Angeles Promotional Literature, 1885-1915

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE THE SELLING OF A MYTH: 1\ LOS ANGELES PROMOTIONAL LITERATURE, 1885-1915 A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Mass Communication by Judith Wilnin Elias August, 1979 The Thesis of Judith Wilnin Elias is approved: - California State University, Northridge ii ACKNOWLEDGMENT Special thanks to Susan Henry, for her encouragement and expertise Sam Feldman, for his understanding and enthusiasm John Baur, for his experience and knowledge and sincere appreciation to Carey McWilliams, for his support of an unconventional idea. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT . v Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . • . • • . 9 III. METHODOLOGY ....... 24 IV. THE LEGEND OF LOS ANGELES: The Climate and the Dream . 32 V. THE SELLING OF LOS ANGELES: The Chamber, the Colonel and the Railroads. • . 47 VI. THE HARVESTING OF LOS ANGELES: Oil and Oranges . 73 VII. THE FOLKLORE OF LOS ANGELES: The Electric Theatre ... : . 86 VIII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . 97 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY . 109 APPENDIX A . 122 APPENDIX B . 123 ! • iv ABSTRACT THE SELLING OF A MYTH: LOS ANGELES PROMOTIONAL LITERATURE~ 1885-1915 by Judith Wilnin Elias Master of Arts in Mass Communication At the end of the 19th century, Los Angeles created a legend of a mythical city through the continual use of self-advertising and promotion. This publicity, which included descriptive accounts, rail road propaganda, newspaper and magazine material and advertisements! was largely responsible for the city's phenomenal growth. This thesis is a study of the promotional practices used during Los Angeles' formative years, and deals with the psychological and sociological aspects of the booster literature of that era; The self-interests of the railroads, the real estate specula tors, the oil, citrus, manufacturing and other enthusiasts provided the impetus for what became the most intensive public relations effort the country had yet experienced, and which produced unprecedented results. v The land boom of the 1880s was the beginning of the publicity consciousnessthat has characterized Los Angeles ever since. The boosters sold climate, land and unlimited economic opportunity to a growing and responsive middle class. Much of the promotional litera ture was produced by professional organizations formed to encourage westvtard migration. Subsidized vtriters produced a prodigious amount of slick brochures, newspaper copy and other published propaganda that successfully marketed a new lifestyle, one which stressed the enjoy ment of wealth. The claims made by the boosters overcame the fact that, during these years, Los Angeles had very little industry, insufficient water to sustain growth, reputation as a "cow-town," and inadequate hotel facilities and a location distant from established population centers. By basing their campaign on real attributes, the climate and the scenic grandeur and the availability of land, Los Angeles promoters were able· to gain believability for their exaggerated statements in other areas. After the turn of the century the national advertising campaign of "Sunkist" and the image-making role of the film industry provided unexpected support for the boosters. Although most histories of Los Angeles describe the historical role played by the promotional material, this thesis explores its significance in depth, and emphasizes the importance of utilizing this variety of ephemeral material for historical research. vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In this grand country we have the tallest mountains, the biggest trees, the crookedest railroads, the dryest rivers, the loveliest flowers, the smoothest ocean, the finest fruits, the mildest lives, the softest breezes, the purest air, the most bashful real estate agents, the-brightest skies and the most genial sunshine to be found anywhere else in North America ... we ... welcome those sojourn ing in a 1 City of the Angels 1 where their hearts will be irrigated by living waters flowing from the plrennial fountains of health, happiness and longevity. Illinois Association booster pamphlet (1886) At the end of the nineteenth century, California history was legendary. The legend included a pastoral past, a progressive and imaginative present and an imperial future. 2 Due to the state's isolation, it was sparsely populated. The residents of southern California, however, demonstrated a collective genius for self- advertising and promotion, and sent a continuing supply of news stories, flyers, letters and pamphlets to the east, the mid-west and Europe--projecting an image of Los Angeles as a "golden dream",to all who would listen. This publicity consciousness, first developed during the 1870s and 1880s, has characterized this region ever since. Neither agricultural development nor railroad competition would have been successful in attracting mass immigration without the use of widespread propaganda. 3 1 2 This thesis deals with seminal aspects of Los Angeles promotion during the years 1885-1915, using the promotional literature of this era. Samples of surviving pamphlets, flyers, advertising lit- \ erature, travel books and special supplements prepared and distributed by Los Angeles newspapers are studied to demonstrate their importance to what was, in effect, a major public relations campaign to sell the ·fledgling city. Historians have seldom given much more than peripheral atten- , tion to this material, though the amount of promotional literature ·produced during Los Angeles• formative years was prodigious. One of the few who noted this lack is historian Glenn S. Dumke who credits this literature with being largely responsible for southern California's penchant towards extravagant publicity. 4 This thesis will show that analysis of the language and distribution patterns used for public relations purposes can provide insights into the economics, politics and sociology of an era. Such analysis results in information not easily obtained by other, more traditional research methods. The public relations practices which created and perpetuated California•s mythology of a paradise deserve a place in journalism history. The results changed the course of American history and geography, and established themes that are used to define Los Angeles to this day. Hope for a good life was a key motivating factor both in America and Europe in the 1880s, and thousands upon thousands of emigrants were attracted to southern California by the themes which 3 dominated this promotional literature --the potential for health and wealth, the enjoyment of that wealth, and land and home ownership. The selling campaign gained its impetus from the economic self-interests ~f the railroads and local business enterprises and landholders, but the mythology created by the publicity writers appealed to the American and European public, and the 11 legendn of a land of easy living created a bellwether metropolis in the middle of a desert. An additional factor was the selection of a target population for the bulk of this promotional material. The midwest was constantly flooded with publicity stating that the good life could be found in southern California, and this population, carefully chosen because it was relatively close geographically, fairly prosperous, interested in better agricultural conditions and beset by an arduous climate,. responded. 5 The success of the promotional campaign was impressive. Beginning in 1900, more than 50,000 people annually migrated to California, an overwhelming majority settling in southern California.6 And most of them stayed to in turn become boosters themselves. The Los Angeles campaign was unique in several aspects. Though overt advertising and exaggerated claims had been used before in drawing the American population westward, these promotional efforts eventually peaked. In southern California boosting became an integral part of 1i fe. This thesis will focus on the three decades between 1885 and 1915 because they encompass a number of catalytic events: the arrival in Los Angeles of the Santa Fe railway and the resulting competition with the Southern Pacific railroad; the real estate frenzy of 1886-88; the discovery of oil in Los Angeles; the first national advertising campaign of the region's citrus growers; and the arrival of the early film producers. These events led to unprecedented periods of population' growth in southern California, and many historians credit the creation of these boom eras to the extravaganzas of promotion written and distributed by Los Angeles business interests. 7 Due to the emphasis in the promotional literature, Los Angeles attracted a population that did not conform to the typical frontier pattern. During the period covered in this study~ Los Angeles registered a very low ratio of men to women, an extremely low propor tion of young people and a correspondingly high proportion of elderly. Additionally, due to the emphasis on the enjoyment of wealth that was central to the Los Angeles image, the area attracted a larger majority of middle-class native-white Americans. 8 The enticement of a scenic home-site and the beneficent climate resulted in many more women moving to the area than in previous frontier settlements. The emphasis on a home-of-one's-own was underscored by the innovative time-payment trust loans devised by the state's lending institutions.9 The California railroads, having created transportation routes before there was a need, induced travel by offering a safe, relatively comfortable means

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