Old-Timey Map From 1929 Shows Fun Stuff People Used To Do In Los Angeles

If there's one thing for sure, Angelenos have always found a way to have fun. we get a glimpse into the surprising things you could do for fun back then in this vintage map of L.A. County from 1929 that was hand-drawn by cartographer and historian Hebert E. Floercky, according to Los Angeles Magazine.

Most interesting about this amusement map was that there were plenty of unusual zoos that once existed in L.A. such as a monkey farm in Culver City, an ostrich and alligator one in Elysian Park, and a lion farm in El Monte. Also, who knew Ventura Blvd. was such a hub for wildlife? There was Squab Ranch, Valmont (with 30,000 chicks!), a Hollywood Zoo, Bird Wonderland, and Tropical Birds.

The golden era of the silver screen was captured by the number of classic movie studios in L.A. on this map. We also weren't shy of gun clubs and had 10 of them from Cerritos to Burbank. There were a number of horse riding and exhibition spots and theatres (with many ones that still exist today such as the Belasco, El Capitan, Mayan and Music Box). In addition, Beverly Hills once had the attraction of Magnetic Hill, which the map describes as, "Strange optical illusion of coasting uphill" on Villa Dr., north of Sunset Blvd. We would totally visit that today!

You can view a larger version of the map here and the key to it here.

Eds. note: A previous version of this post indicated that the map was drawn at the cusp of the Depression but Los Angeles Magazine says it was actually Los Angeles' attempt to "squeeze tourist money out of the depressed economy."