Post #455607 by bigbrotiki on Fri, May 22, 2009 10:04 AM

Just thought that this

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/Gang_Sweep_Arrests_20090521

is a poignant symbol of the changes of the times from 50 years ago when Hawaiian names were used on the mainland to conjure up paradisaical visions. But let's get not too nostalgic, even in the 50s and 60s, there was crime, violence, and discrimination.

And the use of the city name actually stems from an earlier period:

"In 1927 a trail followed Coyote Creek and travelers going north or south on horseback used it frequently. An enterprising businessman built a shack near what is now the corner of Norwalk Boulevard and Carson Street as a way-stop serving soda pop and sandwiches. It was a fruit stand type affair, just a bamboo frame covered with palm fronds, with two palm covered outhouses in the back. He called it Hawaiian Gardens.
Rumor has it that if you made a special request, your soft beverage could be hardened up a bit with a little homemade moonshine. Hawaiian Gardens farmers were punching up their punch with a little hooch. The prosperous little stand disappeared after the repeal of prohibition, but the name Hawaiian Gardens stayed."

Gosh darnit, what we might have here is the earliest use of a Polynesian named, bamboo and palm frond decorated cocktail bar in L.A. ! :)