welcome to Venice Beach California famous for its astonishing views and charismatic
inhabitants but what most people don't realize is that in its prime this part
of town was meant to be America's replica of Venice Italy complete with a massive
Canal system a shortly lived tourist railroad an elite architecture although many of the
canals have since been filled in the railroad tracks have been torn up and this part of town
is completely incomparable to Venice Italy traces of that time do remain and today we
will uncover their forgotten past so join me as we discover the Lost canals of Venice
Beach California I'm your host Ryan silkash and you're watching it's history [Music]
our story starts when the West Was wild and a man named Abbott Kinney was on the hunt for his
new frontier Abbot Kinney born in 1850 was an American entrepreneur an adventurer best known
for developing Venice Beach California born in New Jersey kidney was an adventurous Spirit from
a young age traveling extensively throughout Europe Asia and Africa he made a fortune in
the tobacco industry but his passion for travel and exploration defined his life in 1891 Kinney
visited Venice Italy and was captivated by the city's Beauty and charm eclectic as he was
he imagined recreating that City but in America Kenny's vision for Venice was Grand and ambitious
he wanted to create a beautiful and functional place with canals amusement parks and a grand
Promenade yet how this stream ultimately became a reality is in itself a fascinating story you see
this Vision was a star departure from the area's Origins as a fishing and hunting tribal ground
for thousands of years before Spanish explorers discovered it in 1542 the land became Mexico
in 1821 before ultimately falling to the United States in 1848. it's also important to note that
Abbott as such an avid traveler also had a unique perspective on the fleeting nature of life as he
primarily worked in handling the purchasing of products sales trips saw Abid in Egypt and Turkish
Macedonia when visiting a port in modern-day Greece during the winter of 1876 Abbott witnessed
a horrible massacre at the hands of a Turkish mob and barely escaped with his life this event caused
historians to speculate that with a newfound lease on life Abbott wanted to focus on Leisure from
this point on Abbott traveled to Europe India Cylon New Guinea and Australia he actually can
considered laying his roots in Australia but for undocumented reasons continued his journey
to Hawaii and then ultimately back to the mainland to return home to his family a notion that would
never really entirely play out as an unexpected snowstorm in San Francisco would send him South
and this was certainly the turn of events that led him to his Eureka moment in 1880 Abbott Kinney
arrived in San Francisco but due to heavy snow blocking travel east he found himself stranded
in the city while waiting for the situation to improve he heard about a health resort in Sierra
Madre and decided to travel there but upon his arrival when he attempted to check into the hotel
he was turned away due to a lack of reservation and a full house with nowhere else to sleep the
hotel staff perhaps generously allowed him to stay in the Parlor Room for three days where
he'd fallen asleep on a billiards table sleep didn't usually come easy to Abbott who was in
Insomniac and rarely slept yet when he woke up he felt refreshed and his asthma had subsided even
though he hadn't visited the health resort this experience may have been due to the climate but
it was enough for Abbott to settle in Southern California as a result of having enjoyed the
best night of sleep in his life a declaration was made the Venice of America would be constructed
in Southern California he also wanted to build a cultural center to attract artists writers
and intellectuals worldwide and although the odds were stacked heavily against him the die was cast
the end of the 19th century would see Abbott diversify his business activities in California
with Citrus farming and hotels in Los Angeles he also enjoyed courting a lovely lady named
Margaret the daughter of a California Supreme Court Justice the couple married after seven
months celebrating their first child Lucy just two months after marriage as his empire
grew so did his family and the conflicts with his Partners who also shared controlling interests in
his company's Ocean Park Casino purchased back in 1891 as a solution all parties elected to
dissolve the LLC and a coin flip would establish who divvied the assets Abbott won the toss and
chose the marshy undeveloped Southern half of the property to build his Venice of America a replica
of Venice Italy on the shores of the Pacific the construction of Venice Beach California then known
as Venice of America was a massive undertaking that took several years and required the work of
many engineers and laborers the first step in the construction process was to drain the marshy land
on which Venice Beach would be built for this task a team of Engineers created a system of canals
that were both functional and aesthetically pleasing the channels were designed to allow
boats to navigate through the area and serve as a centerpiece of the upcoming Resort next Abbott
oversaw the construction of numerous buildings and Roads including the famous Venetian style
architecture that still stands today the ornate buildings were designed to mimic the architecture
of Venice with arched Windows ornamental facades and intricate detailing in addition to the canals
and buildings Abbott built an amusement park with a roller coaster a Carousel and a ferris
wheel the amusement park was a major attraction drawing in crowds from all over to make Venice
Beach more accessible Abbott also built a railroad that connected the Beach to downtown Los Angeles
this connection allowed for transportation of people and goods and it helped spur the area's
growth later street cars were added providing an efficient and affordable mode of transportation
for locals and tourists alike the final results of the construction process was a world-renowned
destination that offered a unique and vibrant culture eclectic art and stunning beachfront
on July the 4th 1905 Venice of America officially opened and it was an immediate hit visitors adored
the beautifully designed Venetian style business district and the stunning Pier with its massive
Auditorium and Ship Cafe guests could explore this Resort via a miniature steam railroad or
gondolas they could swim in the ocean or take the saltwater plunge but perhaps more than anything
people were Amazed by the canal system itself when the canals were first built they were a
significant engineering feat as I mentioned before the marshy land had to be drained to create this
system allowing boats to navigate the area from there Abbott hired a civil engineer experienced
in building irrigation canals the team built a 500 foot long conduit beneath willworth Avenue to fill
the channels with salt water two pipes supplied water to fill the canals and excavate the Lagoon
the Lagoon was turned into a giant Pond where mock Naval battles and Aquatic competitions were held
progress on the canals could have been faster so in 1904 Abbott hired the hall construction
company to complete the digging with human and animal power and a newly installed steam dredging
machine the Grand Canal and Lagoon were ready to be filled with ocean water by the planned opening
on July the 4th 1905. approximately three miles of canals were built including Coral
Cabrillo Venus lion Altair aldebarin and Grand he successfully sold numerous building lots for
permanent homes along the banks many of which still stand today surprisingly throughout this
process Abbott built a tent city on the banks of the Grand Canal to house visitors and workers of
lesser means a tradition that has perhaps since been continued or expanded upon a city of canals
is a very romantic notion however sometimes when fantasy becomes reality problems occur you see the
water management system installed was inadequate to provide circulating ocean water to the canals
resulting in foul smelling and stagnant water so when Abbott Kinney suddenly passed away in
1920 and was laid to rest in the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery of Santa Monica there was no one left to
protect his vision almost immediately the public demanded to fill in the canals filling in the
canals would have resolved the putrid order and perhaps more importantly it would accommodate the
increasing numbers of automobiles in the area with expanded Road surface so when Venice was
incorporated into the city of Los Angeles in 1925 those in favor of eliminating the canals convinced
the city policymakers to take action by 1929 many of the canals built by Abbott were filled in and
replaced by roads by the mid-20th century only a few of the original canals remained and they
were often used as dumping grounds for trash or other debris understandably this encouraged the
locals to prompt for their removal as well however it was a hot button topic as half the citizens
really hated these filthy canals the other half could potential hence in the 1960s and 1970s the
remaining channels became a hotbed of activism and Community involvement ultimately residents
banded together to fight against development and further destruction of the canals and eventually
they convinced the city to restore them the canals were dredged and clean and new sidewalks Bridges
and plants were added it's funny to think that the absolute defining feature Venice Beach is
so easy to overlook which is why I'd like to show you a little more in depth what remains
starting at the modern day entrance of Marina Del Rey we are met with three inlets the southernmost
is biona Creek this 8.8 mile long Waterway flows from Los Angeles River through Culver City and
the Delray District before emptying into the Santa Monica Bay the creek is a significant part of the
local Watershed and is essential in managing the area's storm water runoff to be thorough
though this Creek is often confused with the canal system but it's entirely unrelated it is
a partially man-made Waterway which was originally a natural Creek that flowed from the Baldwin Hills
to the Pacific Ocean still it was modified in the early 20th century to control flooding and
facilitate development the lower portion of the creek which runs through Culver City and the
Delray District was channelized with concrete walls and a concrete bottom in the 1930s the
upper portion of the creek which runs through the biona wetlands still retains some of its natural
features just just north of the creek you have the massive entrance to Marina del Rey which is
also unrelated to the canal system however its history is fascinating all the same you see oil
was discovered in the land that is now Marina Del Rey in 1929 and over the next few decades numerous
oil wells were drilled in the region then by the 1950s plans were made to redevelop the oil field
into a recreational Marina the oil wells were gradually capped and removed and the area was
dredged converting this oil field into a marina took several years with the marina officially
opening in 1965. today Marina Del Rey is one of the largest man-made small craft Harbors in
the United States and a popular destination for boating fishing and other water-based activities
and despite its history as an oil field it's also a thriving Community with a mix of residential
commercial and recreational properties notably it's at this entrance that the modern day Seagate
providing water to the existing Canal can be found beyond that gate we have the modern day Grand
Canal I couldn't establish if the southernmost part of that is man-made or natural as its shape
seems somewhat organic perhaps this was once a Connecting Point between the system and smaller
natural inland waterways anyhow the Grand Canal runs north to the five other remaining canals
four run east west whereas the fifth runs north south many local homeowners have small watercraft
in their backyard and various blocks have pedway bridges of a historic nature so now let's take the
modern day Grand Canal to its conclusion where the Waterway dead ends into the appropriately
named Canal Street and it's here that the canal disappears under the streets of Los Angeles in the
past the Grand Canal would have continued North to where it met two miles of Passage and seven
additional canals the epicenter of this section was the Grand Lagoon or today's Windward Circle
sadly this entire portion of the network has been paved over today's Grand Boulevard would
have been the then Grand Canal lion Canal is now Windward Avenue Coral Canal has become Main Street
the aldebaran canal was turned into Market Street Cabrillo Canal became Cabrillo Avenue and San Juan
Avenue now covers what was once the Venus Canal All That Remains is a fragment of the original
Vision in its prime authentic gondolas from Italy took visitors on romantic voyages around Venice
Beach under the beautiful Californian Sun offering sites of the Miniature Railway circling the
neighborhood with sounds of Joyful roller coaster enthusiasts enjoying the twin track racer named
race through the clouds aside the traffic circle in Venice Beach along Gondola replica commemorates
the Lost Lagoon but it won't be going on a voyage anytime soon although the magic of Venice Beach
remains time has shifted it into something new and although this story is unique there are many
examples of fading Marvels throughout America like the Forgotten workers Village that was
constructed to build the Hoover Dam and its many forgotten secrets which is a tale you
can explore right now by clicking this link and until next time this is Ryan sokash signing off