Cahuenga Boulevard: 1887 An Indian settlement in the middle of the pass at the lower end of the San Fernando Valley, Cahuenga was the site of the landmark Battle of Cahuenga. The Jan. 13, 1847, Treaty of Cahuenga, signed by Gen. Andres Pico and Col. John C. Fremont, ended the Mexican-American War in California and declared as part of the United States all land west of the Rocky Mountains, south of Oregon and north of Mexico. California officially joined the Union on April 4, 1850.
Chandler Boulevard: 1926 One of the most prominent thoroughfares in the San Fernando Valley, it was named for Harry Chandler, the partner and son-in-law of Gen. Harrison Gray Otis of the Los Angeles Times. Chandler became publisher of The Times in 1917.
Edward Everett Horton Lane: 1968 The Encino road was named for the late character actor, who was considered the honorary mayor of the community. After a successful film career, Horton's voice became familiar to children as the narrator of the Saturday and Sunday morning Bullwinkle cartoon feature "Fractured Fairy Tales."
Figueroa Street: 1855 North Figueroa was originally named Pearl Street and South Figueroa was called Calle de las Chapules--the Street of
Grasshoppers--because pedestrians used to leap about while sour-faced policemen whistled and chased the crowds from one corner to the other. From 1834 to 1845, Gov. Jose Figueroa, who was part Aztec Indian, directed the beginning of secularization of the territory, which had been under the control of its missions. After the padres lost their power, California experienced its first land boom. Eight million acres were acquired by fewer than 800 men, who created 500 ranchos.
Gen. Thaddeus Kosciuszko Way: 1978 The downtown route was named after a Polish revolutionary war hero who was recognized as a Renaissance man--a gifted painter, architect, composer, scholar and philosopher--whose scope of interests was a match for that of Thomas Jefferson.
Gower Avenue: 1893 Named because it ran along the west side of the ranch belonging to George T. Gower. California's first films were made on the corner of Gower and Sunset Boulevard in 1911.
Grand Avenue: 1887 It originally was known as Calle de la Caritad--Charity Street--but when the English version of the name became popular, wealthy residents petitioned the City Council to change it. The problem was that, though early Spaniards interpreted "Charity" to mean "Christian love"--and other streets nearby were named Faith and Hope--to the prosperous residents the suggestion of handouts was too much to take.
Hill Street: 1849 Part of it--north of the Plaza--was first called Calle del Toro (Bull Street) because it ended at the ring where crowds gathered after Sunday Mass to see bullfights and occasional battles pitting a bull against a bear. But the ring eventually faded into oblivion and so did the name.
Hollywood Boulevard: 1910 Named by Horace Henderson Wilcox, who bought 120 acres in the foothills northwest of Los Angeles during the 1880s and called the area Hollywood. Several decades later, a group of businessmen developed a housing tract, Hollywoodland, and advertised it with a huge hillside sign, the "land" of which was eventually dropped. Another street in Hollywood, Wilcox Avenue, is named for the community's founder.
La Brea Avenue: 1869 Named with the Spanish word for tar, which was found in nearby pits and used for waterproofing the sod roofs of the adobe houses in the Plaza. The street was part of the 4,439-acre Rancho La Brea, which in 1860 was purchased by Maj. Henry Hancock for $2.50 an acre.
La Cienega Boulevard: 1923 \o7 Cienega \f7 is Spanish for marshland. A section of the route was in an area that was always damp, and its grass was green throughout the year. Don Francisco Avila was given a grant to Rancho Las Cienegas in 1823.
Los Angeles Street: 1854 Before the first official survey of the area in 1849, most of this thoroughfare was called Calle Principal (Main Street). Other sections were known as Calle de la Zanja (Ditch Street), Calle de Los Vinas (Vineyard Street) and--much to the south--Calle de los Huertos (Orchard Street), which is now San Pedro Street. These formed the principal highway running south to the Embarcadero of San Pedro. At its northern end, near the Plaza, a 500-foot stretch was known as Calle de Los Negros, which had a racially diverse population. It was543780384hanged by a mob after two policemen and a policeman's brother were shot trying to break up a fight. The extension of Los Angeles Street in 1886 eliminated the alley and today the site adjoins the Hollywood Freeway.
Los Feliz Boulevard: 1888 Named after Rancho Los Feliz, a Spanish land grant issued to Cpl. Jose Vicente Feliz, who led the first non-Indian expedition to what became the Pueblo of Los Angeles. Feliz led 11 families here from Sonora, Mexico, in 1781. Most of Feliz's land was the Silver Lake area and the higher slopes of Griffith Park. Rancho Los Feliz sold in the 1850s for $1 an acre.
