A LOOK BACK -- JERRY PERSON

Inside the historic Newland House Museum, hangs a panoramic photo of

the Huntington Beach pier area taken just after World War II. In the

right-hand corner out on the sand sat the old Huntington Beach Plunge at

the end of 5th Street.

Back then, many beach towns along our coast had their own heated

plunge or swimming pools. For many years, Long Beach maintained its

1910-era plunge along the Nu-Pike boardwalk.

Huntington Beach also had its own saltwater plunge, and this week

we’re going to look briefly at its early history.

When the city of Huntington Beach incorporated in 1909, the major land

developer, the Huntington Beach Co., decided the town needed a plunge to

attract tourists. Its motive was to bring people here to buy lots for

summer cottages. That same year, the open-air plunge was built.

Nov. 22, 1923 marks the first appearance in Huntington Beach of that

famous Hawaiian swimmer, Duke Kahanamoku. He appeared in a swimming and

diving competition at the plunge with many of the town’s best swimmers

and divers.

The plunge’s swimming instructor at the time was Ted Combs. In 1925,

the Huntington Beach Co. hired local contractors Rube and Frank Catching

to build a cover over part of the plunge. The east end was covered and

the west end was left open. Inside this covered part was a large pool and

a row of separate rooms with bath tubs.

During this time, a good many of the cottages didn’t have bath tubs,

so many of our early residents would have their daily baths here. Local

boys were hired to clean out each room and tub for 10 cents. What many of

those bathers didn’t know was that they were bathing in the same warm

water that was used in the pool.

Since its early days, swimming and diving lessons were given at the

plunge. The shallow end was divided from the deep end by a concrete wall.

In the 1930s our high school lads would train at the plunge for free,

and compete with boys from the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Over the years, the plunge was managed by John Barlow, Clyde and Marie

Musgrave and the last to operate the plunge were Ida and Don Blossom. The

Huntington Beach Co. wanted to replace the aging plunge with either a

resort complex or condominiums in 1961.

On Sept. 10, 1961, the Blossoms closed the plunge for the last time.

On March 19, 1962, the Bruce Brothers Trucking Co. hauled away the last

remaining timbers of the old Huntington Beach Plunge.* JERRY PERSON is a

local historian and longtime Huntington Beach resident. If you have ideas

for future columns, write him at P.O. Box 7182, Huntington Beach, CA

92615.