Place · United States
The history of Los Angeles
Assembled from 2 dug tiles · 18 sourced records · 1847–2025 · last reviewed 4 November 2026
Los Angeles gathers ground as different as a moored ocean liner and a working railroad street. At Windsor Way in Long Beach, the retired RMS Queen Mary has stood as hotel and museum since the late 1960s. At Union Pacific Avenue in Commerce, trains, a derailment, and an 1847 battle mark a corridor still in daily use.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Los Angeles — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Los Angeles
An industrial corridor in Commerce, CAYou're standing on Union Pacific Avenue, a working street in the city of Commerce, south of Los Angeles. Union Pacific Avenue
1847–2025 A retired British ocean liner, now a hotel
This point sits aboard the RMS Queen Mary, permanently moored at the Port of Long Beach as a hotel and museum. RMS Queen Mary
1888–1993
Los Angeles in layers
The decommissioned Soviet submarine B-427, later renamed Scorpion, is preserved afloat about 180 meters from this spot. Wikipedia: Soviet submarine B-427
Gaspur was a populated place recorded by the federal gazetteer; it no longer exists on the map. GNIS
The Long Beach Naval Shipyard is recorded as a vanished military installation that once stood in this harbor area. GNIS
1847
The Battle of La Mesa took place in 1847 near Vernon, about 3 miles west of here, during the Mexican-American War. Wikidata
1888
The city of Long Beach, whose waterfront you are on the edge of, was incorporated in 1888. Wikidata
1929
The Union Pacific's East Los Angeles station, at Ferguson Drive in Commerce, was built in 1928 to a design by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and opened on May 15, 1929. The City of Commerce named it a local landmark in 1990. Los Angeles Revisited blog; LAmag
1934–1971
Queen Mary was launched on the Clyde in Scotland in 1934, sailed her maiden voyage in 1936, held the Blue Riband for years, and after Cunard retired her in 1967 she opened to the public at Long Beach in 1971. Wikipedia: RMS Queen Mary
1939
Carl Laemmle, a German-American film producer and founder of Universal Studios, died in 1939 and was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery, about half a mile north of here. Wikidata
October 2, 1942
On October 2, 1942, the Queen Mary, carrying American troops and under orders never to stop for fear of U-boats, accidentally struck and sank her escort HMS Curacoa, killing 239 of its crew. Wikipedia: RMS Queen Mary (French)
August 2, 1942
On August 2, 1942, José Gallardo Díaz, a young Mexican-American man, was found dying near a reservoir in Commerce, about half a mile south of here. His death sparked the Sleepy Lagoon murder case. Wikidata
1952
Curly Howard, an American comedian who performed as one of the Three Stooges, died in 1952 and was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery, about half a mile north of here. Wikidata
1957
Louis B. Mayer, a Canadian-American film producer who built MGM into a major studio, died in 1957 and was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery, about half a mile north of here. Wikidata
1967–present
The retired Cunard liner Queen Mary, which carried over 16,600 people on a single 1943 wartime voyage, has been permanently docked here since 1967 and now operates as a hotel and museum. Wikipedia: RMS Queen Mary
1978
Jack Warner, an American film studio executive at Warner Bros., died in 1978 and was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery, about half a mile north of here. Wikidata
July 9, 1987
The Whittier earthquake of July 9, 1987, killed 8 people and struck near here. A smaller quake on the same day killed 1 person in the Whittier-Pasadena area. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
1993
The ship was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, protecting her as a landmark of Long Beach. Wikidata
June 20, 2003, 11:58 a.m.
A runaway cut of 31 railcars carrying lumber derailed on Union Pacific tracks in Commerce on June 20, 2003, at 11:58 a.m., destroying three residences and damaging five others. Thirteen people were injured and about 150 were evacuated from the area. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB/RAB-04-03)
2025
A large outdoor fire broke out in the 3700 block of Union Pacific Avenue near commercial buildings in Boyle Heights, described as a 50-by-25 pile of baled goods. Crews contained it within 30 minutes. CBS News Los Angeles
Questions about Los Angeles
What is Los Angeles known for historically, at these two points?
At Windsor Way, Long Beach, it is known for the RMS Queen Mary, a Cunard ocean liner launched in 1934 that has been permanently moored there as a hotel and museum since 1967. At Union Pacific Avenue in Commerce, it is known as a working railroad corridor whose ground also carries the memory of the 1847 Battle of La Mesa.
What happened at Windsor Way in Long Beach?
The RMS Queen Mary, once carrying over 16,600 people on a single wartime voyage in 1943, opened here as a museum in 1971 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. A Soviet submarine is also moored nearby.
What happened on Union Pacific Avenue in Commerce?
On June 20, 2003, 31 railcars derailed at 95 mph on the Union Pacific tracks, destroying homes nearby. In February 2025, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a train on the same line, and a large outdoor fire in baled goods was also reported near the avenue that year.
Is there an older history beneath Union Pacific Avenue?
Yes. The street runs near the site of the 1847 Battle of La Mesa, fought close to present-day Vernon.
When did Long Beach, home to the Queen Mary, become a city?
Long Beach became a city in 1888, and the Queen Mary has been moored in its port since 1967, following its 1934 launch on the Clyde.