Newly concrete-lined Los Angeles River, looking north from Elysian Park, 1940

1938, View of the Los Feliz Boulevard Bridge from Riverside Driver looking northeast shortly after half of it was destroyed by Los Angeles River flood waters.  The Police Officer, left, is unknown.  The man on the right is Van Griffith, son of Col. Griffith J. Griffith, who gave Griffith Park to Los Angeles.  Thanks to Water & Power. 

1938, View of floodwaters in the Los Angeles River that have compromised the Southern Pacific Railroad bridge near Elysian Park. (Herald-Examiner Collection) https://buff.ly/4eMsibu.  Thank you to LAPL.  From a rowboat, two heroic newspaper reporters, "Magellan" Eldridge and "Balboa" Watson photographed the floodwaters in the Los Angeles River that have compromised the Southern Pacific Railroad bridge near Elysian Park.  Photograph dated March 1938. 

1939, A train crosses the Mission Tower Railroad Bridge over the Los Angeles River.  Built to accommodate growing rail traffic, the bridge connected the Southern Pacific Railroad's network, a key part of Los Angeles's rail infrastructure.  The adjacent Mission Tower Interlocking control tower managed the complex web of rail lines converging near the Los Angeles Pueblo and Mission Road area, overseeing trains heading north through the San Fernando Valley and east along the Sunset Route.  Thank you to Water & Power.

1940, View of the mostly unpaved L.A. River meandering through Elysian Valley, with the Southern Pacific Railroad Yard, aka, Taylor Yard, visible at center right.

Elysian Valley, often referred to as Frogtown, got its nickname due to the abundance of amphibians that once thrived in the area. Between the 1950s and 1970s, small amphibians—most likely Western Toads—would emerge from the Los Angeles River in such large numbers that they covered the streets, making it nearly impossible for people to walk without stepping on them. These toads typically appeared during rainy periods, responding to the increased moisture as an opportunity to breed in the river.  Thank you to Jack Feldman. 

1940, Image of the newly concrete-lined [paved in 1938] Los Angeles River, looking north from Elysian Park. Visible across the river to the right are houses and the Southern Pacific Railroad's Taylor Yard, with train cars in view. In the center, the tower of the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale stands out, framed by the mountains in the distance. Photo by Bob Plunkett.  Thanks to Jack Feldman.  

1933, Looking north from the Broadway Bridge.  This is the northeast section of Elysian Valley just south of the Figueroa Bridge or the Pasadena Freeway, 11. 

1934, Aerial view showing the Southern Pacific Railroad General Shops in the foreground and Taylor Yard at the top of the photo. The Los Angeles River is visible on the left. Southern Pacific’s General Shops was the most comprehensive railroad maintenance facility in the city's history.  Thank you to Jack Feldman and to the Water & Power Museum.  

Thank you to Robert L. Davis for this comment,

Los Angeles used to be an industrial power house until the Environmental Protection Agency was created to destroy the economy.  Firestone Tires, on Firestone Blvd, Goodyear Tire on Central Ave, Uniroyal Tire at the Citadel, United States Streel on Slauson, Anaconda Copper, Todd Shipyard in San Pedro, the Navy Shipyard on Terminal Island, Star Kist fishing fleet on Terminal Island, Chrysler Plant in Pico Rivera, General Motors in Southgate, Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica and Long Beach, Alcoa Alum in Vernon.  Harvey Aluminum on 190th & Western, Aircraft plants in Hawthorne, Van Nuys, and Inglewood.  Auto wrecking and salvage yards in Gardena, countless foundries that manufactured aircraft parts.  Several engine rebuilding shops such as Engine Rebuilding Corp on 53rd and McKinley, and Rocketdyne in Topanga Canyon and Southgate.  And Lockheed Aircraft in the valley.   Everyone had a job or two.

1941, A major storm struck Los Angeles, causing the LA River to surge once more, reminiscent of the catastrophic 1938 floods.  The storm damaged the Mission Tower Railroad Bridge, destroying part of its structure over the Los Angeles River.  Thank you to Water & Power.

1950s, drag racing on the LA River?  Say it isn't so.  Thank you to Lynn Thompson @ Southern California Nostalgia. on October 10, 2024.  Posted here on October 12, 2024.