Page 4 January 26, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE TerriAnn in Torrance A Glance at Rural Torrance Story and Photos by TerriAnn Ferren Some of you may remember not too many years ago when Torrance was less crowded, when open fields claimed Hawthorne Boulevard, chicken and turkey farms dotted the landscape, and local youngsters kept and sold pigeons. Torrance had a rural feel. There were wideopen fields and blocks where Hawthorne Boulevard was home to several single-family homes. The other day, I had the opportunity to speak with former Mayor Frank Scotto about growing up in rural Torrance. Frank Scotto was raised by Italian immigrant parents on a rabbit farm located at 237th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. At the early age of 10, he began a pigeon business. “It was a different time than we live in today. I was growing up on a farm, and we had literally thousands of rabbits. Next door was a chicken ranch, so there was a lot of agriculture,” said Scotto. Frank Scotto was an entrepreneur even at a young age. He mowed lawns, kept score at a bowling alley, and had a paper route in addition to his chores at the rabbit farm. He told me he collected money for the lumber that he needed to build this pigeon coop, which was literally the size of a small bedroom, by collecting bottles at the nearby construction site around Marble Estates and Palo Del Amo. Scotto said, “I would collect bottles every day and I would turn them in for money. That is how it started because I didn’t have money to start this. I collected nails from the construction site, small pieces of wood and lumber that they would give me to construct [the coop]. It was 12 x 12. The idea was to collect pigeons to earn money. At the time, we thought they were very rare pigeons. There was the Feather Footed pigeon, a Fantail pigeon, and also I collected Tumblers that tumbled in mid-air. They’d fly along at full speed, then stop and start to roll. All these pigeons at that time were expensive.” Scotto told me people spent $10, $20 or more for a pigeon, which was a lot of money back then. Scotto selected pigeons of different colors he thought would breed and show well at the exhibits. Scotto continued, “People who collected pigeons back then would show them. I did it [the business] all by myself. My biggest concern was predators, of course--cats and coyotes…anything that would eat pigeons.” Frank then told me he remembers a number of other farms in the city of Torrance. “There were cattle farms, a couple dairies that were really big, a couple of big turkey farms, and a number of chicken farms,” he said. “Chickens were raised in Torrance on a large scale. People don’t realize that Torrance had a large chicken population back in those days. We had the only rabbit farm of that size and it was truly a lot of work. Rabbits were just like chickens that we would sell to the markets. We would bring the rabbits [dead] and drive around San Pedro with other people that were doing the exact same thing--with three or four other trucks--and we would go to a corner, honk our horns, like six, seven, eight o’clock on Saturday mornings like a moving farmer’s market. We would stay there 15 to 20 minutes and people would come out and buy our rabbits. One guy sold chickens, one guy sold produce, etc. Everybody did his or her own thing until you ran out of product. We did that for a number of years. I would go to these corners and people would ask me if I had this or that kind of pigeon and if I had one, I would bring it the next week and sell it.” These were not the kind of pigeons that you see flying around today. They were considered “show pigeons.” Scotto told me he never personally took a pigeon to a show because he didn’t have transportation or money for the entry fee, but he did sell them to people who did. Not only did some of the pigeons he sold win prizes, but he met a lot of very famous people who lived in the South Bay and kept pigeons. Scotto went on to tell me, “It was a different time in Torrance, almost a different era. It’s hard to imagine Torrance has evolved into the city it is today because we were truly a farming community. There were large areas bordered by Crenshaw down to Western to Lomita--there were a lot of farms in that area. There were also farms around Torrance and Hawthorne boulevards. A turkey farm was there and a dairy off of Del Amo with hundreds of cows. It was a different time in Torrance, it really was. Most people who move here today would never imagine that Torrance had that kind of history and past--that we had that type of community. Lomita was that way for years, and you can still do a lot of things in Lomita that you cannot do in Torrance. Once in a while I would get $30, $40 or $50 for a bird and in those days that was a lot of money. It was a big deal. The funniest part is my parents could never accept it. They could never see the value of a pigeon looking pretty to sell. Remember, they came from Italy and they could never understand the concept of an animal being in a show. It was strange to them. I went to a lot of work to build a cage all by myself, and my dad thought it was cool, but he would shake his head at me and tell me I was wasting my time and that I needed to make money. I would tell him this is going to make me money and he would laugh in Italian at me. So when I sold my first pigeon, I had to make sure he was there just to see that. He couldn’t believe the guy handed me $10 for my first pigeon. All he could do was laugh. He realized you could make money on something like that. When I was 13, 14 years old I got a full-time job and couldn’t continue doing the pigeons. That is the only reason I got rid of them.” The Scottos stopped raising rabbits in the mid ‘60s as rabbits fell from favor. With first-generation Italian immigrants, rabbit was a staple--but as their children were born in America, less and less families ate rabbit. It slowly became unprofitable. After all this talk about pigeons, I had a few questions. I thought doves and pigeons were different, but I found out they are from the same family: Columbidae. We call the smaller, more delicate pigeons doves. Most of us know a white dove has come to symbolize peace. Genesis 8:11 tells us “…a dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.” The picture of a white dove with an olive branch has become the universal symbol for peace. In 1949, Pablo Picasso’s lithograph of a white dove was selected as the emblem for the International Peace Congress in Paris. Each Christmas, I receive at least one Christmas card adorned with Picasso’s later-developed simple drawing, which has become one of the world’s most recognizable symbols of peace. I attended an opening for a new business in Torrance last year, where the owners released white doves into the air. Somehow, it might not have had the desired effect had they released a flock of dark, speckled, fat pigeons. But, doves are pigeons. When my late husband Dave was about 13 years old, he used to keep pigeons in the backyard behind the garage. He had cages for his pigeons and fed and tended them with care. I remember he once told me he was trying to teach his pigeons to carry messages. He and his friend Joe Raia thought they could train the birds to fly messages back and forth. I am not sure if Dave ever achieved his pre-Internet message system, but he enjoyed caring for his pigeons. So the next time we find ourselves zipping up and down Hawthorne Boulevard, I suggest we slow down and remember our rural roots. Torrance has grown immensely through the years, but we still have a treasure of history alive in the people who remember a gentler time--a rural time, a much slower time--which is still at the heart of Torrance. • Former Councilman Frank Scotto and his wife, Cindy. Picasso’s Dove of Peace. Wowser Schnauzers and ended up at an LA city shelter as a stray. I met some really great dogs and, because I get along well with other dogs, we became fast friends. I’ve been told that I’m very “puppyish” and if that means “loves to play,” then that’s definitely me. I’m 18 pounds of curiosity and could use some obedience training, but most dogs my age need a bit of “guidance” in the manners department. Please come to adoptions and just ask for the playful one!” If you’re interested in Cecil, please email info@msfr.org for more information. “Hi, my name is Zion and I’m a two-year old male purebred Miniature Schnauzer who has had a pretty bizarre life. My “first” family decided that they didn’t have time for me, so they gave me to a groomer about a year ago. Cecil Anderson Zion Earl We are looking for volunteers to help with our pet adoption fairs, which are held every Saturday at the Petco located at 537 N. Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach from noon-3: 30 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering and can commit to at least one Saturday a month, please contact us at info@msfr.org. You can also visit all of our Miniature Schnauzers & Friends rescues at the adoption fair or check out our website, www.msfr.org. If you have any questions about a particular dog’s availability, you can email us at info@msfr.org. Schnauzers! Bet you can’t adopt just one! “If a one-year old, male purebred Miniature Schnauzer is your idea of the perfect addition to the family, then I’m your guy. My name is Cecil and I love to play. In fact, I was out playing with some friends when I lost my way Nice family, but his Giant Schnauzer and Old English Sheepdog took turns bullying me--so that’s how I ended up with the folks at MSFR. Upon first meeting I may appear to be a bit shy and a tad nervous, but once I realize you like me I warm up very quickly. I’m 18 pounds of affection and kisses..and playing with other dogs is my absolute favorite pastime. In fact, if you already have a dog, I’d be the perfect companion for both of you because I know that having a doggie pal about my size (please, no big dogs) would make me ecstatic.” If you are interested in Zion, please email info@msfr.org for more information. “They call me Anderson and I’m a two-year old, male Havanese mix. Not sure what the “mix” is, but whatever it is, it works because I’m cute as a button. I’m only 15 pounds, but it’s all friendliness, love and affection. I got lost one day and ended up at an LA county shelter where I met lots of nice folks. I had two potential adopters and I thought I’d be going home, but then both of them changed their minds. Then I was scheduled to go to another state for adoption, but that got cancelled too. Looks like I was just meant to be rescued by the wonderful MSFR folks and boy, am I ever glad! They think I’m mostly Havanese, but they’re not positive. What they do know is that I get along great with other dogs and would be the perfect companion to a family looking for someone to love.” If you’re interested in Anderson, please email info@msfr.org for more information. See Pets, page 6
Torrance_012617_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above