History is written in many ways. Street names can be fascinating clues to our past.

Some streets are still with us, some are not. Street names that are second nature to us now had very different names in the past.
La Brea was originally Commercial St. and didn’t go north of Plymouth until sometime after 1930. Florence went through a couple of names before it finally settled on Florence. First it was Los Angeles Ave, then Redondo Blvd. (named for the land grant, Sausal Redondo, from which this part of Inglewood was carved). A portion of Redondo is still with us at the fork on Florence. Hyde Park was known first as Capsella Ave. and thereafter as Manor Drive.

The 1906 Sanborn Fire map of the Inglewood Poultry Colony (the area south of Centinela, bounded by La Brea and La Cienega east and west, and stretching south, almost to Florence, shows streets named for the chicken varieties that were raised there. Back then, Beach was Leghorn, Inglewood was Wyandotte, and Glenway was Orpington. Only Plymouth Street remains to remind us of this colorful history.

La Cienega was called Freeman Blvd., but only below Florence and the railroad tracks. The 1921 San- born map shows Centinela
Avenue started at Florence, turned east at its present intersection with La Cienega, and continued to the present intersection with Florence, and formed an arc around the northern portion of the city.

Centinela is a major name in our city: the street, the springs and the former park name. Centinela is the Spanish word for “sentinel.” The name came from the sentinels who watched over sheep herds in the rancho era.

Inglewood has a history of tree and flower street names. Today, we see them mostly in the Arbor Village neighborhood. The Nightshade was the only plant name street to be changed. It became Kelso in 1906. How- ever, the 1912 Sanborn map shows Fushia Drive, Citrus Ave., Laurel St., Dandelion Ave., Guava Ave., and Dalia St. in Fairview Heights. By the way, the Dalia is Inglewood’s official flower.

At one time we had six streets named for women. Stella, now Industrial, was named for Stella Cunning- ham, wife of the tract owner.
Augusta is also in this vicinity. Dorothy no longer exists but used to run behind the old Sears on Manchester. It was incorporated into the Von’s lot when it replaced Sears. Cory Drive, in Centinela Heights, was named for Ruth A. Cory, the 1921 city clerk. Flora Drive is the next street over. Finally Grace Ave., between Locust and Prairie, was named for Grace Freeman Howland, daughter of city founder Daniel Freeman. Howland St., in the same area, was al- so named to commemorate Grace and her husband. Several streets were
named for early mayors and civic leaders: Darby, Dixon, England, Woodworth and Barton. These are located in the Lockhaven area. Interestingly, Warren Lane in Fairview Heights isn’t a “lane” at all. The man’s name was Warren Lane.

And there is the street that leads nowhere: Marlborough Ave., originally College Ave.

In 1888, Daniel Freeman was in negotiations with the new University of Southern California to have their College of Applied Sciences located in Inglewood. Marlborough was to be the entrance to the campus. It never happened and the land that was set aside for the campus became part of the city’s first residential development, Fairview Heights.

It’s Spring, so when you’re planting a garden, include a Dalia or two in honor of our city’s official flower.

Be sure to read more about our streets and the history they reveal will in Part II, in the March 29 edition of Morningside Park Chronicle!.