As one of the West Coast's most unique and beautiful resort cities, Laguna Beach has thrived as an enduring enclave of art culture, a destination of hidden beaches, and a coastline rich in natural wonders, which its officials and residents strive to maintain. Settlers arrived in the 1870s, and by the summer of 1918 Laguna's first art gallery opened, featuring works by a growing collective of local artists. Hundreds of visitors came on opening day and, in the next month, 2,000 more visited the small art gallery. In 1932, Laguna started what would become a world-renowned event called the Festival of the Arts and later added the equally famous Pageant of the Masters. Since its simple beginnings as a small village situated where Laguna Canyon opens onto the Pacific shoreline to the reason there are traffic jams on Coast Highway during hot-month weekends, this southern Orange County jewel has continued to be a great draw for beachgoers, painters, and nature lovers the world over.
Author Claire Marie Vogel, a photographer and collector of antique photographs, worked closely with the Laguna Beach Historical Society and local photographer James Nordstrom to compile this captivating visual history of Laguna Beach.