Lawrence Culver
@lawrencecphd.bsky.social
Historian of environment/climate/disaster/cities/culture. SLC via AL and LA; UCLA Bruin. Book: The Frontier of Leisure: SoCal and the Shaping of Modern America; currently writing a book about climate and history in the US and North America.
Ugh. There’s so much of this fake AI history slop on FB.
It’s probably referencing an actual photo from 1953.
Whenever I see this stuff, I wonder which historian got their book or article scraped, and whether these posts have an actual agenda, or are purely engagement slop.
It’s probably referencing an actual photo from 1953.
Whenever I see this stuff, I wonder which historian got their book or article scraped, and whether these posts have an actual agenda, or are purely engagement slop.
October 22, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Ugh. There’s so much of this fake AI history slop on FB.
It’s probably referencing an actual photo from 1953.
Whenever I see this stuff, I wonder which historian got their book or article scraped, and whether these posts have an actual agenda, or are purely engagement slop.
It’s probably referencing an actual photo from 1953.
Whenever I see this stuff, I wonder which historian got their book or article scraped, and whether these posts have an actual agenda, or are purely engagement slop.
We will have forced corporations and governments to acknowledge our needs and safety--for all, not just some. In the end, if Altadena endures, and our society--regional, national, and global--survives in a humane and sustainable form, it will indeed be because we saved ourselves.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
We will have forced corporations and governments to acknowledge our needs and safety--for all, not just some. In the end, if Altadena endures, and our society--regional, national, and global--survives in a humane and sustainable form, it will indeed be because we saved ourselves.
The most poignant signs, however, were these:
“Altadena West of Lake: We Saved Ourselves!”
Indeed they did, and those signs were a sharp rebuke to all the failures of fire preparedness, warning systems, and the long history of racial housing discrimination in Los Angeles and the United States.
“Altadena West of Lake: We Saved Ourselves!”
Indeed they did, and those signs were a sharp rebuke to all the failures of fire preparedness, warning systems, and the long history of racial housing discrimination in Los Angeles and the United States.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
The most poignant signs, however, were these:
“Altadena West of Lake: We Saved Ourselves!”
Indeed they did, and those signs were a sharp rebuke to all the failures of fire preparedness, warning systems, and the long history of racial housing discrimination in Los Angeles and the United States.
“Altadena West of Lake: We Saved Ourselves!”
Indeed they did, and those signs were a sharp rebuke to all the failures of fire preparedness, warning systems, and the long history of racial housing discrimination in Los Angeles and the United States.
People in Altadena want to rebuild, and hopefully many residents can. I saw signs highlighting those hopes, but also ones reflecting fears that outsiders may buy up properties and transform the neighborhood, or turn it into a zone for short term rentals like Airbnbs.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
People in Altadena want to rebuild, and hopefully many residents can. I saw signs highlighting those hopes, but also ones reflecting fears that outsiders may buy up properties and transform the neighborhood, or turn it into a zone for short term rentals like Airbnbs.
Another issue is mosquito mitigation. Houses may be gone, but swimming pools with untreated water become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, potentially spreading West Nile and other diseases.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Another issue is mosquito mitigation. Houses may be gone, but swimming pools with untreated water become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, potentially spreading West Nile and other diseases.
Birds and other wildlife are all dependent on those surviving plants, especially after so much vegetation in the San Gabriel Mountains burned.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Birds and other wildlife are all dependent on those surviving plants, especially after so much vegetation in the San Gabriel Mountains burned.
This again is a reminder that this was a structure fire, burning through a built environment, not spreading primarily through vegetation.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
This again is a reminder that this was a structure fire, burning through a built environment, not spreading primarily through vegetation.
Whole swaths of Altadena are now an uncanny landscape of empty house lots still surrounded by trees and vegetation, sometimes partially burned, but other times unscathed.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Whole swaths of Altadena are now an uncanny landscape of empty house lots still surrounded by trees and vegetation, sometimes partially burned, but other times unscathed.
When I visited Altadena, lots where trees and flowers were still being watered were teeming with hummingbirds, woodpeckers rattled in trees, and ravens took turns croaking at me and flying directly overhead.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
When I visited Altadena, lots where trees and flowers were still being watered were teeming with hummingbirds, woodpeckers rattled in trees, and ravens took turns croaking at me and flying directly overhead.
Lake Avenue, running north-south, separated East Altadena from West Altadena. It was the historic redlining boundary, and west of Lake was a historically African American neighborhood. Every fatality but one occurred west of Lake Avenue. Historical racism and redlining had deadly consequences.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Lake Avenue, running north-south, separated East Altadena from West Altadena. It was the historic redlining boundary, and west of Lake was a historically African American neighborhood. Every fatality but one occurred west of Lake Avenue. Historical racism and redlining had deadly consequences.
Everyone needs to be warned of danger immediately, have a plan to evacuate, and help neighbors who can’t drive out on their own. But in Altadena, an older issue also played out in the fire. Fires were reported in West Altadena, miles from the ignition point, by 10 and 11 PM. But no warnings arrived.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Everyone needs to be warned of danger immediately, have a plan to evacuate, and help neighbors who can’t drive out on their own. But in Altadena, an older issue also played out in the fire. Fires were reported in West Altadena, miles from the ignition point, by 10 and 11 PM. But no warnings arrived.
Though due south of the ignition point, my old neighborhood on the Altadena/Pasadena border only lost individual houses. It was a different story further west, where whole blocks of houses burned. Though the fire started in open space, it spread as a structure fire, one house igniting after another.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Though due south of the ignition point, my old neighborhood on the Altadena/Pasadena border only lost individual houses. It was a different story further west, where whole blocks of houses burned. Though the fire started in open space, it spread as a structure fire, one house igniting after another.
The fire was likely sparked by an old Southern California Edison power line during a Santa Ana wind event, with winds gusting close to 100 mph, after eight months without measurable precipitation. It resulted in 19 known fatalities and the destruction of more than 9,000 structures.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
The fire was likely sparked by an old Southern California Edison power line during a Santa Ana wind event, with winds gusting close to 100 mph, after eight months without measurable precipitation. It resulted in 19 known fatalities and the destruction of more than 9,000 structures.
The Eaton/Altadena Fire, nine months later: a personal and historical thread:
Nine months after it was devastated by fire, I went back to my old neighborhood. I once lived immediately south of the mouth of Eaton Canyon, where the Altadena fire ignited on the evening of January 7th 2025.
Nine months after it was devastated by fire, I went back to my old neighborhood. I once lived immediately south of the mouth of Eaton Canyon, where the Altadena fire ignited on the evening of January 7th 2025.
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
The Eaton/Altadena Fire, nine months later: a personal and historical thread:
Nine months after it was devastated by fire, I went back to my old neighborhood. I once lived immediately south of the mouth of Eaton Canyon, where the Altadena fire ignited on the evening of January 7th 2025.
Nine months after it was devastated by fire, I went back to my old neighborhood. I once lived immediately south of the mouth of Eaton Canyon, where the Altadena fire ignited on the evening of January 7th 2025.
Sometimes one image says it all.
The USA, 2025.
The USA, 2025.
October 19, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Sometimes one image says it all.
The USA, 2025.
The USA, 2025.
I’ll post more LA, climate, and disaster history, but here’s a different kind of LA history.
I had coffee & a chocolate shake at Bob’s Big Boy. (If you know, you know.) Thankfully I didn’t see the Thing behind Winkie’s, but I did have beautiful blue skies and golden sunshine, all along the way.
I had coffee & a chocolate shake at Bob’s Big Boy. (If you know, you know.) Thankfully I didn’t see the Thing behind Winkie’s, but I did have beautiful blue skies and golden sunshine, all along the way.
October 17, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I’ll post more LA, climate, and disaster history, but here’s a different kind of LA history.
I had coffee & a chocolate shake at Bob’s Big Boy. (If you know, you know.) Thankfully I didn’t see the Thing behind Winkie’s, but I did have beautiful blue skies and golden sunshine, all along the way.
I had coffee & a chocolate shake at Bob’s Big Boy. (If you know, you know.) Thankfully I didn’t see the Thing behind Winkie’s, but I did have beautiful blue skies and golden sunshine, all along the way.
These included the African American beach once derisively known as the “Ink Well,” the original Muscle Beach before it was exiled to Venice, and Tongva Park, opened in 2013 and commemorating the long history of the Tongva in the region that is now Santa Monica and LA.
October 13, 2025 at 4:27 AM
These included the African American beach once derisively known as the “Ink Well,” the original Muscle Beach before it was exiled to Venice, and Tongva Park, opened in 2013 and commemorating the long history of the Tongva in the region that is now Santa Monica and LA.
We saw places and historic markers for African American spaces of community and leisure, LGBTQ+ spaces, and reminders of the Indigenous Tongva people’s deep history in the region.
October 13, 2025 at 4:27 AM
We saw places and historic markers for African American spaces of community and leisure, LGBTQ+ spaces, and reminders of the Indigenous Tongva people’s deep history in the region.
I just wanted to share some more photos from the great beach history tour led by @elsadevienne.bsky.social and
alisonrosejefferson.com in Santa Monica today as part of the Urban History Association’s conference!
#UHA2025LA
alisonrosejefferson.com in Santa Monica today as part of the Urban History Association’s conference!
#UHA2025LA
October 13, 2025 at 4:27 AM
I just wanted to share some more photos from the great beach history tour led by @elsadevienne.bsky.social and
alisonrosejefferson.com in Santa Monica today as part of the Urban History Association’s conference!
#UHA2025LA
alisonrosejefferson.com in Santa Monica today as part of the Urban History Association’s conference!
#UHA2025LA
I’m delighted to be on the program for the Urban History Association’s first ever conference in Los Angeles! My panel, “Summer in the City: Urban Heat in the Past, Present, and Future,” will be on Saturday. The program listing and abstract are below.
#UHA #urbanhist #envirohist
#UHA #urbanhist #envirohist
October 8, 2025 at 3:28 PM
I’m delighted to be on the program for the Urban History Association’s first ever conference in Los Angeles! My panel, “Summer in the City: Urban Heat in the Past, Present, and Future,” will be on Saturday. The program listing and abstract are below.
#UHA #urbanhist #envirohist
#UHA #urbanhist #envirohist
Hasta la vista, Kermit!
Now we can look forward to AI scouring agency documents and grant proposals, flagging every occasion of the word “green” — place names, last names, you name it. Simultaneously terrible policy and spectacular idiocy.
Now we can look forward to AI scouring agency documents and grant proposals, flagging every occasion of the word “green” — place names, last names, you name it. Simultaneously terrible policy and spectacular idiocy.
September 28, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Hasta la vista, Kermit!
Now we can look forward to AI scouring agency documents and grant proposals, flagging every occasion of the word “green” — place names, last names, you name it. Simultaneously terrible policy and spectacular idiocy.
Now we can look forward to AI scouring agency documents and grant proposals, flagging every occasion of the word “green” — place names, last names, you name it. Simultaneously terrible policy and spectacular idiocy.
If by saying “their place in history is settled,” he means that they used a primitive machine gun to slaughter women, children and old men, then yes, those soldiers certainly made their infamous place in history.
September 26, 2025 at 3:53 AM
If by saying “their place in history is settled,” he means that they used a primitive machine gun to slaughter women, children and old men, then yes, those soldiers certainly made their infamous place in history.
There were a variety of themed/historical sets like these. I have one, the Historic America set from Johnson Brothers, England, that belonged to my grandmother. It features historic US landmarks and city views (see alt text). I don’t know anything else about it—I’d guess it dates from the 1930s.
September 23, 2025 at 6:29 PM
There were a variety of themed/historical sets like these. I have one, the Historic America set from Johnson Brothers, England, that belonged to my grandmother. It features historic US landmarks and city views (see alt text). I don’t know anything else about it—I’d guess it dates from the 1930s.