California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 1997 Falling from favor: The demise of electric trolleys in Los Angeles Beth Lorraine Tillitson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the Urban Studies Commons Recommended Citation Tillitson, Beth Lorraine, "Falling from favor: The demise of electric trolleys in Los Angeles" (1997). Theses Digitization Project. 1367. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1367 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. FALLING FROM FAVOR THE DEMISE OF ELECTRIC TROLLEYS IN LOS ANGELES A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment , of the Requirements for the begree ''Master of Arts^; Social Sciences by Beth Lorraine Tillitson March 1997 FALLING FROM FAVOR THE DEMISE OF ELECTRIC TROLLEYS IN LOS ANGELES A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Beth Lorraine Tillitson March 1997 Approved by: I / 3g / ?7 ~ ' Date Kent M. Schofield, Professor, Histofy Thomas J. Pierce, Professor, Economics ABSTRACT Once a vibrant symbol of the Los Angeles region, the Pacific Electric Railway is popularly believed to have been the victim of a conspiracy of automobile related industries intent upon destroying all sources of competition. Examina tion of the history of the region's electric trolley system, however, exposes this theory as a myth.