The city of Anaheim, now the tenth largest in California, was founded in 1857 by German farmers and vintners. George Hansen, one of Anaheim’s founding members, surveyed the original 200 acres that now make up its downtown area (bounded by North, South, East, and West streets). Anaheim draws its name from the nearby Santa Ana River and the German word for home, ‘heim’. During the 19th century, Anaheim was the center of California’s wine industry, but a blight destroyed the vineyards in the 1880s. Oranges replaced grapes as Anaheim’s agricultural backbone.
In 1889, Orange County was separated from Los Angeles County. Anaheim remained largely an agricultural community until 1955 when Disneyland opened. This prompted the construction of several hotels and motels around the area and the development of the residential regions in Anaheim. Aside from manufacturing electronics and aircraft parts, the city developed into an industrial center.
Here are some incredible historical photos that show Anaheim from 1850s to 1890s.
#1 Langenberger Residence and Store, located at 124 West Center Street, Anaheim, 1858
#2 View of Center Street (now Lincoln Ave.), with Anaheim Syndicate, located near the Southern Pacific Depot on West Center St., 1888
#3 Planters Hotel, Anaheim, 1882
#4 Bird’s Eye View of Anaheim, 1876
#5 First Presbyterian Church, Anaheim, 1870s
Side view of church located at the corner of Cypress and Claudina Streets. A white wooden fence, with chicken wire is visible on the side. Palm trees and other trees are on the church grounds. Architect Charles Giddes of San Francisco, California drew up the plans. The church was later sold to the Church of the Nazarine, who later sold the building to the Salvation Army.
#6 Dr. James H. Bullard’s Office, Anaheim, 1885
#7 Palm Tree Located at Center and Los Angeles Streets, Anaheim, 1886
#8 Langenberger Residence, located on Sycamore Street at Clementine Street, Anaheim, 1880
#9 North Los Angeles Street at Chartres Street, Anaheim, 1888
#10 Metz Block buildings, located at 106 South Los Angeles Street (later Anaheim Blvd.) at the the southeast corner of Center Street (later Lincoln Ave.), 1889
#11 West Center Street with Streetcar, Anaheim, 1888
#12 Dr. James Bullard Residence and Office, Anaheim, 1889
#13 Timm Boege family standing in front of their residence, located at 1006 West Center Street (now Lincoln Ave.), Anaheim, 1887
#14 Center Street, Anaheim, looking west from corner of Los Angeles St. (now Anaheim Blvd.), 1885
#15 August and Clementine Langenberger residence, located at 223 West Sycamore Street, Anaheim, view looking northwest, showing front and east-side facades, 1885
#16 Business Street at Anaheim, 1880
#17 Central School, located at 231 East Chartres Street, Anaheim, 1880
#18 Theodore Rimpau residence, located at 209 South Palm Street (309 after 1917; now Harbor Blvd.), Anaheim, 1880
#19 Rudolph and Sophia Horstmann residence, on North West Street, south of Sycamore and the “core” of the Dwyer house at 412 N. West Street, Anaheim, 1880s
#20 Isaac Lyons Hardware Store, located in the Metz Building at 106 South Los Angeles St. (later Anaheim Blvd.), 1889
#21 Dreyfus Winery, Anaheim, 1885
#22 Water Tower and Tank, Anaheim, 1880s
#23 Doctor James Hovey Bullard standing outside his first doctor’s office on Los Angeles Street (now Anaheim Blvd.), 1885
#24 Planters Hotel, Anaheim.1882
#25 St. Boniface Catholic Church, built in 1879, second building located on Cypress Street between the jail and the pumping plant, 1880
#26 Dreyfus Winery, Anaheim, 1884
#27 Old Central School, located at 231 East Chartres Street, Anaheim, 1880
#28 Anaheim City Band, 1881
#29 “Anaheim Landing about 1888” and “Mrs. R. Seward.”Anaheim Landing, located at the NE corner of Seal Beach Blvd. and Electric Ave, 1888
#30 Fritz Ruhmann building, located at 217 North Anaheim Blvd, 1886
#31 Painting Lesson with the Schmidt Family, Anaheim, 1885
#32 View of the Herman Werder residence, located at the corner of Citron and South Streets, 1885
#33 Joseph Backs store, located at 125 Anaheim Blvd, 1886
#34 Timm Boege family standing in front of their residence, located at 1006 West Center Street (now Lincoln Ave.), Anaheim, 1887
#35 Del Campo Hotel, located at the northeast corner of Broadway and South Olive Street, built in 1888
#36 Santa Ana River, Santa Ana Canyon, 1899
#37 Portrait of John P. Zeyn and his wife, Sophia Menke taken in San Francisco prior to their move to Anaheim with the original Los Angeles Vineyard Society in 1859
#38 A stereoscopic view looking East on Center Street at the corner of Lemon Street, Anaheim, 1868
#39 Water Tower and Tank, Anaheim, 1870s
Three frame buildings are visiable. drying racks are stacked at the side of building that the water tower is built over. Trees are in the background. One man is sitting astride a horse, two men are standing on a plank at the storage tank, and a young child is at the right side of the print.
#40 Center Street, Anaheim, 1872
#41 Charles and Pauline Stechert and Daughter, Mitzie, 1865
#42 View of Center Street (now Lincoln Ave.) looking west past Los Angeles Street (now Anaheim Blvd.); view shows dirt road and buildings on the north side of the street, 1873
#43 Wine Rooms, Anaheim, 1870
#44 Anaheim Hotel, located at 182 West Center Street ( now Lincoln Avenue) at Lemon Street, 1871
It was built by Anaheim's second mayor, Henry Kroeger, and later sold to the hotel's proprietor, Max Nebelung; image, taken from a brochure, shows full view of hotel with figures standing on second-story balcony and along front and side of ground floor walkways; four-wheeled horse-drawn wagon and four-wheeled horse-drawn buggy in front of hotel; sign above ground floor doorway on left side of hotel reads "STEINHART & BRO." ; main entrance overdoor sign reads "H. BREMERMANN 1872"; by 1905 the hotel's name was changed to the Commercial Hotel and was sold to John Ziegler.
#45 Carl August Lorenz residence, located at 507 South Lemon Street, Anaheim, 1870
#46 Row of Poplar Trees Along Center Street, Anaheim, 1876
#47 Anaheim Central School, built on site for $1500. in 1877 located at 231 East Chartres Street, Anaheim.
#48 Center Street, Anaheim, 1872
#49 The residence of renowned Polish actress Helena Modjeska, her husband Count Karol Bozenta Chlapowski and other members of a pioneer Polish settlement in Anaheim in 1876
#50 Planters Hotel in Elevated View of Anaheim, 1880s
#51 Otto Koenig (Kronig), Herman A. Dickel and an unidentified man, 1875. The background shows a climbing vine. Two men are seated and one is standing in the middle.
#52 Wells Fargo and Co. Express Building, 1875
#53 Celebration of Completion of Flume No. 8, Cajon Irrigation Company, 1878
#54 Centre St., Anaheim, 1875
#55 Center St., Anaheim, Looking East, 1875
#56 Center St., Anaheim. Looking West, 1875
#57 Poplar Row, Anaheim, 1875
#58 View of Center Street in Anaheim, looking west, 1879.
#59 Dreyfus Winery, Interior, Anaheim, 1885
#60 Anaheim Exhibit, Southern California Citrus Fair, 1886
#61 View of Dr. James Hovey Bullard and unidentified man and woman maiking wine at the Bullard Winery in Anaheim, 1885
#62 Joe Barter and water drilling rig, 1889
#63 Anaheim Landing, located at the NE corner of Seal Beach Blvd. and Electric Ave, 1888
#64 Timm Boege family standing in front of their residence, located at 1006 West Center Street (now Lincoln Ave.), Anaheim, 1887
#65 Interior of R. H. Seale Grocery, 1880
#66 Anaheim Streetcar in Front of the Fashion Stables, Anaheim, 1887
#67 Planters Hotel in Elevated View of Anaheim, 1871
#68 Smythe Boys, Group Portrait. 1888
Group Portrait of the Smythe boys, sons of Maria Antonia Josefa Yorba and John Sydney Smythe; seated is Fred C. Smythe; standing (left to right) Henry, Frank, John L. and David P. Smythe; image shows oldest four boys wearing dark suites with white shirts and dark ties; youngest boy wearing lighter suite with knickers and belted jacket.
#69 Irrigation Ditch and Willow Trees, Anaheim, 1880
#70 Los Coyote House in ruins, 1886
#71 Santa Ana Canyon, 1887
#72 Kate and Ella Rea in Front of House in El Cajon, 1880s
#73 Santa Ana Canyon, 1887
#74 Anaheim in 1887
#75 Two people stand in the middle of the road with the city buildings behind them, Anaheim, 1885
#76 Los Angeles Street, Anaheim in the late 1880’s
The buildings are labelled and include from left to right: 1. Palace Meat Market, 2. Pamperl, Hdwe. Store, 3. S. S. Federman - Clothing, 4. Cahen's Store. Two men are outside of the Palace meat market wearing aprons. Carriages are visible in the dirt road as well as people along the sidewalk.
It would’ve been beautiful if they had preserved that and made it a historic district.
Very cool and fascinating!
This is great, there are a lot of pictures! The Anaheim landing on Anaheim Bay is actually located in Seal Beach, not Anaheim.
Insane how Anaheim destroyed their old downtown
That’s neat!