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Changing Face of Southern California

Largest searchlight in the world on Echo Mount, Calif.

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Largest searchlight in the world on Echo Mount, Calif.

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Identifier	clloy_177
Title	Largest searchlight in the world on Echo Mount, Calif.
Creator	Unknown
Date Published	circa 1910
Subject (Topic)	Searchlights--California--Los Angeles; Mountains--California--Los Angeles;
Subject (Place)	Echo Mountain (Los Angeles County, Calif.);
Type	image
Form/Genre	Postcards
Physical Description	1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Institution	Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University
Country of Creation	DE
Copyright Status	public domain
Copyright Statement	https://library.lmu.edu/policies&procedures/librarycopyrightpolicy/
Publisher	Pacific Novelty Company
Place of Publication	San Francisco, Cal.
Language	eng
Description	A man stands next to a large searchlight on a platform on top of Echo Mountain in Los Angeles, California. A reflection of the Echo Mountain House is visible in the lens of the searchlight. The landscape below is largely undeveloped farmland.
Historical Background	Shortly after retiring to Los Angeles in the 1880s, Thaddeus Lowe began construction on the Mount Lowe Railway, which wound for nearly seven miles around Mount Lowe and Echo Mountain. The track ended at the summit of Echo Mountain, where tourists could visit an observatory, casino and dance hall, or stay at one of several hotels. In 1893, Lowe purchased a three million candlepower searchlight from the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. In 1894, Lowe installed on Echo Mountain a three million candlepower searchlight purchased from the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. The searchlight's reflecting mirror wass 60 inches in diameter, and was manufactured by Mangin, in Paris, France. The beam from the light had a 35-mile projection, and was advertised as being able to illuminate the island of Catalina from its mountain perch. Residents announcing their birthdays could have the light shone on their homes in the evening. By the 1930s, however, the light was considered a public nuisance and was shut off permanently.
Additional Printed Matter	On back: "Quality Series"
Publisher's Identifier	Publisher's serial number: No. 847
Additional Notes	Approximate date from postmark; Made in Germany.
Source	Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection