– Michael Dobkins
On this date in 1969, this ad in the Long Beach Independent touting the wonders of Seal Beach’s latest real estate tract, the exotically named “Suburbia.” Later this tract would become better known as “Bridgeport.”
– Michael Dobkins
On this date in 1963, Village Bazaar ran this ad in the Long Beach Independent.
Village Bazaar was a women’s fashion store that operated by Marie Rogers at 137 ½ Main Steet (although BankAmericard ads listed it as 139 Main Street).
– Michael Dobkins
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On this date in 1949, the Seal Beach City Council passed what was described by the Los Angeles Times as “an ironclad anti-gambling ordinance.”
There was already a city ordinance against gambling on the books, but the new ordinance was designed to close loopholes in the previous ordinance. This followed a failed city initiative to allow poker rooms in Seal Beach that was voted down by Seal Beach voters in July 1949.
The city council meeting was packed with a charged crowd as Mayor Frank Shufelt, councilmen F. O. Brostrom, Albert R. Leonard, Emil F. Jacobsen, and Oliver L. Bowers voted unanimously to adopt the new ordinance. Richard Steyling, chairman of the Seal Beach Civic Improvement Association, the organization sponsoring the ordinance, told the Long Beach Independent that the new ordinance would ban virtually every type of game of chance from Seal Beach.
Well, that settles that.
Of course, nothing was settled. The battle between gambling interests and anti-gambling forces would continue in Seal Beach well into the next decade.
– Michael Dobkins
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On this date in 1975, Rix Rack Sportswear placed a Back-To-School ad ran in the Long Beach Independent.
Rix Rack reminded readers that “It’s time to get ready for the school days ahead… From the foxiest, funkiest fashion… to all the wild groovy accessories.” Use your BankAmericard or Master Charge!
Rix Rack was a clothing store chain that operated during the sixties and the seventies with several locations in Southern California, including one at 12447 Seal Beach Boulevard in the Rossmoor Center.
– Michael Dobkins
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On this date in 1916, thirty-two year old aviator stuntman Joe Boquel began his first exhibition engagement above Seal Beach.
Boquel had only been flying for four years, having taken lessons from another well-known stunt pilot of the era, Silas Christofferson. In 1915, Boquel had flown at the San Francisco Panama Pacific Expo, and the publicity brought him into the public eye. He became famous for his multiple mid-air loops, death-defying corkscrews, and nighttime acrobatics (and skywriting!) with lit fireworks attached to the wings of his airplane. His exhibitions were unpredictable and thrilling.
This period of Seal Beach history is dominated by hyperbole and exaggeration, and it’s always a good policy to view the claims about city events and plans with a skeptical eye. However, there’s a subtle difference to the publicity and stories about Boquel. He really did attract large crowds to Seal Beach, and his shows actually delivered the excitement promised in the ads.
On his first August 13 flight at 5:00 pm, Boquel performed eight loops from a height of 5,000 feet. Four hours later, he took to the air again and was lost in a fog bank that had gathered over the city, creating much anxiety in the onlookers which the Los Angeles Times estimated numbered in the thousands. Suddenly Boquel’s plane appeared at the northern limits of the city and made a spectacular series of loops and curves while illuminated against the dark sky. His entire flight took sixteen minutes, but it was enough to make him a true sensation in Seal Beach.
Less than three months later, Joe Boquel would be dead.
Los Angeles Times – August 13, 1916
– Michael Dobkins
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On this date in 1977, The Great Antique Five and Dime Store ran this ad in the Long Beach Independent. 
Today the only gold you can find at 142 Main Street is the color of the pizza crusts at A Slice of New York Pizza.
– Michael Dobkins
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On this date in 1963, the following ad ran in the Long Beach Independent for Rossmoor Leisure World.
– Michael Dobkins
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On this date in 1944, a car crash fatality at Main Street and Bolsa Avenue in Seal Beach occurred, according to the Long Beach Independent. An unnamed reporter wrote the next day that “Claud Roland, 23, of the San Diego naval base, was killed at 7:27 last night.”
12-17-1936 aerial shot of Main Street as it turns into Bolsa Avenue right after crossing PCH
Roland had been turning on to Bolsa Avenue from Main Street when his tire blew. The car flipped over and skidded almost 30 feet, throwing passengers USMC Sergeant James Johnson of the Corona Navy Hospital and Mrs. June Blackman of Fullerton from the car. Blackman and Johnson suffered some bruises and lacerations, and pedestrians Edward Booker and Joe Jackman, both of the Naval Weapons Depot, couldn’t avoid being hit by the car, but were only slightly injured. The injured were taken to the Long Beach Naval Hospital, according to Seal Beach Police Sergeant Charles Irvine.
Police Chief Lee Howard, Captain James Morousek, and Sergeant Jack Whittington rushed to the accident scene and struggled to remove Roland from the overturned car wreckage, only to discover his head had been crushed and young Claud Roland was dead.
A 5/23/1931 aerial shot showing how Bolsa Avenue curved into Main Street at PCH and how Main Street continue up into the farmland on Landing Hill.
– Michael Dobkins
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On this date in 1919, the following ads ran in the Santa Ana Register.
Not very glamorous or novel, but if your automobile ever breaks down in Seal Beach during 1919, you’ll know where to take it for repairs and where to stay if you’re forced to wait a few days for back-ordered parts to arrive.
Main Street Seal Beach in 1917. The hotel is the last building on the right before the Lodge Cafe. Like many local brick buildings, it collapsed in 1933 during the Long Beach earthquake.
– Michael Dobkins
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On this date in 1969, the following ad ran in the Long Beach Independent.
– Michael Dobkins
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