Parish History: 2004 Centennial Edition
Blessed Sacrament Parish History Book
"La Nopalera"
Between Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley was a flat, cactus-covered expanse so sparsely populated that the bobcats and coyotes outnumbered the people. Initially the land here was only used for sheep grazing because there was very little water to be found in the area but eventually local farmers were able to grow oranges, lemons and other fruit trees which fared well in the dry climate. The Spaniards who settled this area called it La Nopalera - "the area covered with cactus." We now call it Hollywood.
There's a lot of whimsy surrounding how Hollywood got its name. Some say it was named after the holly berries that grow in the region. Others believe it has its basis in a long ago religious service. According to that story, Father Junipero Serra, who was in charge of establishing the Spanish Missions in California, was traveling through the Cahuenga Pass when he stopped to say Mass on May 3, 1769, which happened to be the feast of the Holy Wood of the Cross. Legend has it that later settlers dubbed the surrounding area "Holy Wood" (which later evolved into "Hollywood") to commemorate Fr. Serra allegedly saying the first known mass in the area.
Although both stories are charming, neither is accurate. Hollywood owes both its name and its existence to its visionary founders, Harvey and Daeida Wilcox, who moved to Los Angeles from Topeka, Kansas in the 1870s. Undaunted by challenges, Harvey looked forward to making his mark on what was still largely a frontier town. As a teenager he had been stricken with typhoid fever and lost the use of his legs. Despite this disability, Harvey put himself through college working as a cobbler, or shoe repairman, and as a janitor, even though he had to get around on crutches. After graduating, he became a successful real estate developer in Kansas before heading to California looking for warm weather and new business opportunities.
While taking a Sunday afternoon ride through the Cahuenga Pass in late 1887, Harvey and Daeida came across a fig and apricot orchard located approximately where Hollywood Blvd. and Cahuenga intersect today. In the distance several large droves of sheep grazed among some small farms rented by Chinese immigrants. Wilcox and his wife fell in love with the area and decided to buy the orchard as well as the surrounding 160 acres.
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