San Pedro Bay, California (Images of America Series)

The name "San Pedro Bay" meant Los Angeles Harbor through the 20th century, but the vestiges of that original, rustic, fishing village like identity still cling to the port community that, through its proximity to the city of Los Angeles, grew into one of the world's largest centers of importing and exporting. The bay has served commercial fishermen, the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, the sailing yachts of the very wealthy, and the dinghies of the disenfranchised. Today, tugboats guide gargantuan oceangoing cargo ships under the towering gantry cranes for off-loading, and enormous cruise ships call the Port of Los Angeles home.

In this new retrospective, author and San Pedro Bay Historical Society board member Joe McKinzie has combed through his large and diverse collection of vintage San Pedro postcards and selected the most evocative examples to illustrate the historic past of his hometown's great harbor. Both the waters and shores of the port community are shown in their heyday, including images of boats of every kind, cargo and military ships, off-loading cranes, military installations, lighthouses, wharfs, beaches, restaurants, and other shoreline businesses.