Oddity Odysseys
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      • Solstice Canyon
      • The Kea Mill
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      • The Shoemaker Tunnels
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      • Devil's Gate Dam
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      • The Peephole Cinema
      • Nike Missile Site LA-88L
      • The High Tower Elevator
    • 2017 Episodes >
      • The Bridge to Nowhere
      • The Musical Road
      • The Old Los Angeles Zoo
      • The St. Francis Dam
      • Phantasma Gloria
      • The Sunken City
      • Nike Missile Site LA-96C
      • The Prohibition Tunnels
      • Vasquez Rocks
      • Big Horn Mine
      • The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
    • 2016 Episodes >
      • The Laguna Beach Pirate Tower
      • The Great Wall of Los Angeles
      • Murphy's Ranch
      • The Chemosphere
      • The Los Feliz Murder Mansion
      • The Music Box Steps
      • Bronson Cave
      • The Shakespeare Bridge
      • The S.S. Dominator Shipwreck
      • The Last Bookstore
      • Picnic Table #29
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THE RED CAR STONE OBELISKS

We were on our way to see Chicken Boy. Click HERE to reveal the mystery of Chicken Boy. Passing through the intersection of Riverside and Fletcher in Silverlake, I saw Drew’s shoulders perk up and his eyes scouted the area in realization.
“Would you mind a quick stop to see a random Outing?” He asked. 
(Absolutely!). “Sure, why not?” I replied.

We parked in front of an Arco station and I looked around wondering if this Outing was obvious. He led the way behind the Arco station to a patch of land on the hill. On the hill sat several cement blocks. The cement blocks made the hill look as though it was a tiny graveyard. For a moment I thought we were trespassing on a land of tombstones. Drew explained that we were walking the Corralitas Red Car Path. From 1896 to 1955, the “Big Red Cars” were the major transport system of Los Angeles. 
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In 1904, L.C. Brand and Association contracted the right-of-way through Silver Lake. This particular path was the home of the Fletcher Bridge for Los Angeles and Glendale electric railway which went out of service for freeway contraction in 1955. 
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So what are these cement blocks now decorated with the artwork of a few who have visited? They are the remains of the 100-foot-tall trestle bridge which spanned between the two hills. The Red Car Trestle Footings are L.A. Historic Cultural Monument #770. The cement block are not the only ghosts of the railway. Across the street is a staircase which Drew dubbed, “The stairs to nowhere.” We made it to the top and took in the views of the  “mini graveyard” and imaged for a moment what it must have looked like in 1955. We were standing on top of a staircase that once helped pedestrians access the trolley stop. 
Although at first glance, the cement blocks look like a graveyard, instead of burying, they are keeping alive an important part of L.A.’s history. 
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  • New Episodes
  • Episode Archive
    • 2020 Episodes >
      • The Lummis Castle
      • The Sky Slide
      • The Galleta Meadows Sculptures
      • Burro Schmidt Tunnel
      • The Global Angel Wings Project
      • The Topanga Time Tunnel
      • Solstice Canyon
      • The Kea Mill
      • Tankland
      • Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village
      • Cabot's Pueblo
    • 2019 Episodes >
      • The Shoemaker Tunnels
      • The Canned Heat Suicide House
      • Angels Flight
      • Echo Mountain
      • Amir's Garden
      • The Amboy Crater
      • Hazel's Volcanic Gardens
      • East Jesus
      • Rock-a-Hoola Waterpark
      • The Mojave Lava Tube
      • The Mosaic Tile House
      • The Krampus Run
    • 2018 Episodes >
      • Devil's Gate Dam
      • Salvation Mountain
      • The Cat House
      • The Sutro Bath Ruins
      • Bring Your Own Big Wheel
      • The Wave Organ
      • The Bay Bridge Troll
      • The Peephole Cinema
      • Nike Missile Site LA-88L
      • The High Tower Elevator
    • 2017 Episodes >
      • The Bridge to Nowhere
      • The Musical Road
      • The Old Los Angeles Zoo
      • The St. Francis Dam
      • Phantasma Gloria
      • The Sunken City
      • Nike Missile Site LA-96C
      • The Prohibition Tunnels
      • Vasquez Rocks
      • Big Horn Mine
      • The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
    • 2016 Episodes >
      • The Laguna Beach Pirate Tower
      • The Great Wall of Los Angeles
      • Murphy's Ranch
      • The Chemosphere
      • The Los Feliz Murder Mansion
      • The Music Box Steps
      • Bronson Cave
      • The Shakespeare Bridge
      • The S.S. Dominator Shipwreck
      • The Last Bookstore
      • Picnic Table #29
  • Contact Us