Turn Photos To Digital Memories For Lifelong Preservation

Historic El Segundo Photos Show How One City Is Saving Its Past

El Segundo Boulevard in 1911. A Boy Scout troop in 1928, weary from a Topanga Canyon hike. The Aerospace Corporation, breaking ground in 1963.

These historic El Segundo photos would or will be lost if not for today’s photo scanning technology.

Converting old photos to digital memories is a smart and easy way to preserve history. This is a step that all towns, small and large, can and should take. Even if images from the 50s and 60s are still around, they are likely weathered, faded, wrinkled and yellowed at this point. Turning those photos to digital would keep them from disintegrating further, and allow future generations a chance to see the city in its pioneer days.

As El Segundo experiences new development and an exciting transformation, it’s more important than ever not to lose sight of its storied past. New transplants to the South Bay can visit the city’s library – in person or online – to learn more about their new hometown, and young students can research historic El Segundo photos for projects and civic-boosting pride.

The online archive features more than 200 nostalgia-laced photos in black and white and sepia. Among them: a 1917 picture of Carl Rueger, El Segundo’s first mayor. There’s even an idyllic shot of Rosecrans Avenue, lined with tall trees in 1940 (rush-hour traffic was probably inconceivable back then). Old-timers, too, may recall the Piggly Wiggly grocery store, c. 1930.

Today’s El Segundo looks remarkably different, with houses spaced much closer together, increased traffic and a posh shopping complex that draws visitors from neighboring cities. If not for the historic El Segundo photos, many residents would be without any perspective about the growth of their town.

Thanks to the city’s efforts in turning old photos to digital, they and future citizens will have a chance to appreciate the path of their predecessors.