Terminal Island

Terminal lsland: Lost Communities on America’s Edge tells a story of the birth, flourishing, and ultimate destruction of Terminal Island, a vibrant community in Los Angeles Harbor. Written by Naomi Hirahara and Geraldine Knatz, with a foreword by William Deverell and an afterword by George Takei, this insightful work uncovers the untold story of a forgotten chapter in American history—the rise and fall of a vibrant community on Terminal Island in Los Angeles Harbor that was ultimately destroyed during World War II. Few Los Angelenos have visited Terminal Island, a sheltered spot in the Pacific Ocean that once served as a resort for wealthy Southern California landowners and as a refuge for its artists and writers and scientists, all in need of a respite from the heat of the city. Not long after the rich and creative were driven away by a greedy throng of industrialists and railroad magnates and the politics they wrought, Terminal Island became home to another thriving world, this time