Yes, racing played a part in the history of Culver City! As Historic Preservation Month draws to a close, it seems fitting to clarify the location and story of our “Speedway.”

The Spanish settled this land traversed by Native Americans called “Tongva,” later known as Gabrielinos because of their proximity to Mission San Gabriel. The bulk of our community was carved from Rancho La Ballona, established by two families: the Machados and the Talamantes. 

California became a part of the United States in 1850, and land entitlements were still being clarified. Many of the early settlers lost their land because of interest payments that were unfamiliar to them.

By the time Culver City was incorporated in 1917, this emerging community was served by main transportation routes. In fact, our train/Red Car depot was next to the Ivy Substation. 

Enter a horse racing track on land we know today as Dr. Paul Carlson Memorial Park.  Its life was short-lived (1923-1924), when the city trustees authorized by Resolution No. 594 (the year of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer merger) “a franchise to the Speedway Corporation of Los Angeles to erect, improve and maintain, an auto race course in Culver City.” The board race track was built.

Records show an action by the trustees on Dec. 15, the day after the Speedway opened. The purpose of this Resolution No. 600 was to commend “Captain Cain and officers of the CCPD for the efficient manner at which crowds at auto races held Dec. 14 were handled.” The document reflected that more than 50,000 visitors were in attendance that opening day, without a single mishap! News coverage recalled that Bonnie Hill took top honors by averaging 126.9 miles per hour in these “Indy” type races. Barney Oldfield also raced at our Speedway.

By 1927, this area was targeted to be a part of our park master plan. In fact, it was the first park, and its name “Victory Park” was selected by the Culver City Parks Board and Art Commission. The trustees (council) adopted the suggested name, which remained until 1964. Dr. Paul E. Carlson, a medical missionary who was born in Culver City, was killed in the Republic of the Congo that November, and the park has carried his name since as a memorial. 

A bronze marker placed last weekend by the Historical Society under the park sign now reflects the full history of this site.

Yes, there was race activity at the west end of the city … we’ll talk about that another day!

Julie Lugo Cerra is the council-appointed city historian of Culver City and author of three books and hundreds of articles on local history.