SAN FERNANDO VALLEY in the early 1930s
CLICK on the image above to see a really large image.
This illustration shows the SF Valley back when it was mostly orange fields and farms. The Southern Pacific railroad and the P&E trains were the major modes of transportation. The Los Angeles river was still in it's natural banks and would occasionally flood, particularly between Universal City and Glendale.
...on the other side of the map...
This "Motor Map" shows United Airport in Burbank; Grand Central Airport in Glendale and the Griffith Park Air Port, where the Gene Autry Museum is now. Winona St. runs right through the current day airport in Burbank. Warner Bros. is called 'First National Studios'. I can't find a date on it anywhere, but the Burbank airport was called United from May 1930 until sometime in 1934 so I assume it is from that era.
This is the San Fernando Valley in 1949. Still plenty of open farming land; big holes with no condos and parking lots. Indicated on this map are....
Lockheed Air Terminal in Burbank, with the original runways depicted. Lockheed plant A-1 is not depicted. The Air National Guard (from Griffith Park) is on the south-west portion of the airport.
The Lockheed B-1 plant is shown as vacant land; perhaps a holdover from the war era defense effort.
Grand Central is shown with 2 parallel runways. The runway extension (to Western Ave) built for the war is not shown.
Van Nuys Airport is still called Metropolitan Airport and the runway does not extend past Sherman Way yet.
The National Guard base at Griffith Park (started in 1911, located where the Gene Autry Museum is now) is called 'Roger Young Village'; a quansot hut village for returning GI's and their families. This Guard unit was moved to Lockheed Air Terminal in Burbank; it's now at Pt. Mugu.
San Fernando Airport, which later became a drag strip and is now a swap meet.
Whitman Airport is there in Pacoima.
