This series from May 13, 1963, shot by Jeff Goldwater, shows novelist, essayist and activist, James Baldwin speaking at a Los Angeles integration rally sponsored by the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) at the Second Baptist church near Central Avenue. Baldwin spoke to the 2,300 person audience, addressing desegregation, the recent campaign in Birmingham, violence and  accountability. He stated, “To justify the crimes committed against the negro the white man decided that the negro wasn’t a man, and the negro wasn’t a man then no crime was committed. That’s the basis of the trouble today. The white man has set up illusions that threaten to destroy his grasp on reality, that is to say, his moral values.”

malady 7, treatment and brother David, 10, make snowballs in the backyard of their modern California ranch-style home planted with tropical shrubs in the West Valley, January 30, 1957. Order #00116874″ width=”800″ height=”638″ /> Marilyn Cohen, 7, and brother David, 10, make snowballs in the backyard of their modern California ranch-style home in the West Valley, January 30, 1957. Order #00116874

Snow in Los Angeles is a newsworthy event. In these recently digitized photos, the Valley Times documented the occasional  storms that turned areas of the Valley into a winter wonderland.

George Brich in front of the Columbia II blimp. Order #00113103

In a story that ran in the Valley Times on January 1, 1964, intrepid staff photographer George Brich rode along with pilot Lee Cermack in the new Goodyear Blimp, the Columbia II, and captured stunning aerial views of the Valley.

Staff reporter Jerry Custis wrote of the experience, “From the air the Valley is an incredibly green, unbelievably broad land. It’s tree-shaded residential areas, jutting buildings, jammed parking lots — even the mosaics of its swimming pools — stretch further than the eye can distinguish. It’s like no other part of the city.”

Check out the images in the gallery below.

A view of the Christmas lanterns and bells that decorated Reseda Boulevard in Northridge by photographer Steve Young, dated December 8, 1964.

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Below, in an image from December 8, 1963 by photographer Bob Martin, Bud Bristol (left) and Ed Morris of the Reseda YMCA unload one the year’s first shipments of Christmas Trees to be sold on lots in mid Valley areas.

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Thanksgiving celebrations from the Valley’s past!

Thanksgiving Day full of meaning for ex-Russian. Triplet daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Agner, 11219 Elkwood Ave., Sun Valley, celebrate their first Thanksgiving. Nine-month-old girls surround their mother as she puts finishing touches on turkey taken piping hot from electric range. November 26, 1959. Order #00114456

Adohr Milk Farms 60-foot concrete silos Order #00113599

This series from October 13, 1948 shows the demolition of the Adohr Milk Farms’ 31 year old  concrete silos,  located at 18000 Ventura Boulevard. The Tarzana landmarks were removed after the land was sold and divided  into city parcels to build low-cost homes for veterans. This is just one of the examples from the collection of the post war boom (no pun intended) and the Valley’s transformation from agricultural center to sprawling suburbs. See the whole demolition process in the gallery below.

“Preview of special entertainment planned for Toluca Lake School PTA fall festival on Saturday is previewed by, left to right, Mrs. Keith Jones, chairman; Mrs. Burton Jay, first vice president; Doye O’Dell, guest star, and Mrs. Jocelyn Ryan, president.” October 20, 1958. Order #00115098

Look at these treats just added to the online Photo Collection — Valley Halloween celebrations!

In this series from October 18, 1960, shot by Larry Paulson, we get a look at the inner workings of the Valley Times as students tour the paper’s North Hollywood offices during National Newspaper Week.

“Students from Winnetka Avenue Elementary School in Canoga Park gaze in awe at huge cylindrical press and watch as white paper roll races between plates and is changed into Valley Times Today. Pressmen later gave paper hats to 37 members of school’s B-3 class who toured newspaper.” Order #00113553

“Wide grins crease faces of young students as they sit in newspaper photographic studio with Mrs. Joelle Green, left, their teacher, and Valley Times Today staff writer Jerry Burns.” Order #00113556