Hdoc: Growing Up in Downtown Los Angeles During the 1880s

In 1964 an audio recording was made by a member of one of the early pioneer families of Los Angeles. In the recording, Belle Buford Thom Collins recalled growing up in 1880s Los Angeles. The interviewee's father, Cameron Erskine Thom (1825-1915), was Los Angeles County district attorney, mayor of Los Angeles (elected 1882) and a California state senator.

Excerpts from "Reminiscences of Los Angeles by Belle Buford Thom Collins." Part of The Huntington Library's collection on California Revealed.

All images are from original photographs in The Huntington Library and are available digitally through the Huntington Digital Library, primarily from the Ernest Marquez Collection.

The Hdoc series examines The Huntington through short documentaries that expose the archives, collections, and stories that make the institution unique.