Today's photo shows Loara Elementary School, 1601 West Broadway, in Anaheim in 1960. The 1888 bell from the original Loara school building is displayed in front. The name "Loara" can be traced back to a Southern Pacific depot named in 1899 -- But it's hard to pin down just how the depot got its name in the first place..
The Orange County Historical Society and Anaheim Historical Society will hold a joint meeting at Loara Elementary School's auditorium tonight, Tues., March 15th, at 7:00 p.m. Contributors to OCHS's Orange Countiana historical journal (Vol. 6) will discuss and sign their articles. Copies of the journal will be available for sale.
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The Tustin Area Historical Society is sponsoring their "Tour of Tustin's History" Annual Promenade of Homes and Gardens, on Sat., May 14, 9am-3pm. Visit their website for details.
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Please note the update in my last post about services for Arline Howard.
Possible origin of the name Loara.
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The idea that Loara is yet another contraction (like Katella) seems less likely than it being a proper name. Local storekeeper E.J. Mercereau claimed to have convinced the SP to adopt the new name, but never seems to have explained why. He was descended from old Pilgrim stock, and that may explain the Miles Standish connection. But the railroads also sometimes took it on themselves to name stations (Wanda, Benedict, and Galivan would be local examples), so the name may not come from a local family at all.
ReplyDeleteWithout explicit proof, it is always dangerous to assume with place names.
--Phil B.
Well, not everyone can be Don Sleeper.
ReplyDeleteThis is sheer speculation but one possibility for Loara might be an acronym for Los Alamitos Railway. Didn't the spur from Anaheim make its turn right from north-south to east-west about that area?
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