Los Angeles Union Stock Yards

The Los Angeles Union Stock Yards were a livestock market and transfer station in the so-called Central Merchandising District south of downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California. The stock yards closed in 1960 and the facilities were demolished and replaced with other industrial warehouses.

Los Angeles Union Stock Yards
IndustryLivestock market, meat processing
FoundedNovember 1, 1922 (1922-11-01)
DefunctApril 30, 1960 (1960-04-30)
FateDemolished
Headquarters
Vernon, California
,
United States

History

The Central Manufacturing District was established on what had once been the pre-statehood Rancho San Antonio land grant.[1] The Stock Yards were built on the site of the 1847 Battle of La Mesa.[2] Planning for the development and some outdoor pens were established as early as 1913.[3][4] The Los Angeles Union Stock Yards were developed by the businessmen who ran the Union Stock Yards of Chicago.[5] The Central Manufacturing District Terminal building, sometimes called the Tower Building, was developed at the same time as the stock yards.[6] The grand opening of the Spanish-style administration building[7] was held on November 1, 1922.[8]

Beginning in September 1925, the Stock Yards and the Central Manufacturing District generally were served by the Los Angeles Junction Railway[5] which permitted joint use of the tracks by Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and Santa Fe trains.[9] In 1926 the Stock Yards Company controlled 300 acres of land in the area but the Stock Yards proper encompassed 25 acres.[5] The Great Western Livestock Show was held at the Los Angeles Union Stockyards from 1926[10] until 1953.[11] Santa Fe Railroad bought out the Stock Yards Company in 1928 and eventually expanded the "Central Manufacturing District" into a 3,500 acre irregularly shaped industrial tract.[1] Circa 1939 the Los Angeles Union Stock Yards advertised itself to ranchers as being host to four major national meat packing companies and 25 smaller regional companies.[12] The Junction Railway Company took over the stock yard platforms, chutes, chute pens, facilities for feeding, resting and watering livestock in 1941.[13]

Beginning during World War II, stockmen began selling their animals directly to packers, and the industry shifted more generally to using trucks, rather than rail, for transport. The stockyard business declined but the value of centrally located Los Angeles real estate continued to increase. The Los Angeles Union Stock Yards were closed on April 30, 1960. The Stock Yard buildings were all demolished and eventually replaced with other commercial and industrial warehouses.[14][15]

See also

References
  1. Herbert, Ray. "Tower Marks Vernon's Landmark Warehouse: Unusual Structure Stands Through 60 Years of Growth in Central Manufacturing District, The Los Angeles Times 13 Feb 1983, page 149". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  2. "San Pedro News Pilot 17 September 1926 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  3. The West Coast: An Illustrated Monthly, a Magazine of Today and Tomorrow. 1913.
  4. "Los Angeles Herald 27 June 1913 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  5. Hunt, Rockwell Dennis (1926). California and Californians. Lewis publishing Company.
  6. "The Los Angeles Times 13 Feb 1983, page 149". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  7. Chicago Commerce. 1923.
  8. "Arizona Republic 18 Nov 1934, page Page 102". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  9. Board, United States National Railroad Adjustment. Awards [of The] First Division. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  10. "South Gate Press 11 Aug 1957, page 6". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  11. "The Los Angeles Times 03 Nov 1957, page 45". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  12. "The Salt Lake Tribune 20 Aug 1939, page 19". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  13. Commission, United States Interstate Commerce (1942). Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Reports and Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. L.K. Strouse.
  14. "The Los Angeles Times 29 Apr 1960, page 48". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  15. "The Sacramento Bee 28 Aug 1960, page 112". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
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