Skip to main content

Up Next

Calle de los Negros, Los Angeles, 1871

Wild West

Season 2 Episode 2
26:12
Steel frame of building being erected

Building the Metropolis

Season 2 Episode 3
25:32
press image for lost la season 2

Dream Factory

Season 2 Episode 4
23:50
coded geographies

Coded Geographies

Season 2 Episode 5
25:06
pacific rim

Pacific Rim

Season 2 Episode 6
26:50
descanso gardens

Special: Descanso Gardens

Season 2 Episode 7
51:47
Explorers in Yosemite National Park | Public Domain

Yosemite

Season 3 Episode 1
26:40
bombay beach

Desert Fantasy

Season 3 Episode 2
26:40
Four surfers stand in front of their boards- black and white

Beach Culture

Season 3 Episode 3
26:39
Bodie

Ghost Towns

Season 3 Episode 4
26:40
venice_canal_header.jpg

Venice

Season 3 Episode 5
26:40
Fantasyland Banner

Fantasyland

Season 3 Episode 6
26:40
Back to Show
Lost LA

Borderlands

Season 2 Episode 1

American history has long been told as a triumphant march westward from the Atlantic coast, but in southern California, our history stretches back further in time. This episode explores the interconnected lives of three people who lived through California's transition from native land to Spanish colony and from Mexican province to American state. Featuring the stories of native teacher Toypurina, who led the revolt against the San Gabriel Mission, Spanish soldier Jose Marco Pico, who served at the mission, and his son Pio Pico, who became the last Mexican Governor of California.

Lesson Plan: How and why is Toypurina remembered in different ways by different groups of people?

Support Provided By
Season
When the St. Francis Dam Collapsed
27:05
Trace the devastation of the 1928 St. Francis Dam collapse and its deadly flood.
Cold War Secrecy
26:40
How Cold War vigilance and secrecy shaped Southern California culture.
Space Shuttle
26:39
The Space Shuttle Endeavour’s journey is traced from its origins.
Tiki Bars and Their Hollywood Origins
26:40
Tiki culture isn’t a Polynesian import — it’s a Hollywood creation.
Tuberculosis: The Forgotten Plague
26:49
Archives reveal the “forgotten plague” that shaped Southern California: tuberculosis.
Eternal City: Los Angeles Cemeteries
26:50
Visit Hollywood Forever, Evergreen and Forest Lawn, where L.A. reinvented the cemetery.
Hiking Trailblazers
26:40
The hiker-activists who led Angelenos into their hills and onto the trails.
Historic Filipinotown
26:39
How Filipino Americans in Southern California are making their heritage more visible.
Fast Food and Car Culture
26:47
Iconic fast-food chains from McDonald’s to Taco Bell were born in SoCal.
From Little Tokyo to Crenshaw
26:37
After internment camps, Japanese Americans made L.A.'s Crenshaw neighborhood their home.
German Exiles
26:04
During WWII, L.A. became a sanctuary for Europe’s accomplished artists and intellectuals.
Prehistoric Landscapes
26:46
Dig deep into Southern California’s past to reveal lessons for our climate-changed future.
Active loading indicator