George Freeth
Memorial
In 1907, it was the eclectic
interests of land baron Henry Huntington that brought the
ancient art of Hawaiian surfing to the California coast. Henry
Huntington, the legendary land baron, owned most of the
properties in Redondo Beach and was anxious to sell them to
visiting Angelenos who wanted to escape the intense heat of the
greater Los Angeles basin. Visitors flocked to Redondo Beach on
Huntington's Pacific Electric Railway for a weekend or a day
trip. The glamorous Hotel Redondo, right on the Pacific Ocean
front, lured upscale visitors from throughout the state.
While vacationing, Huntington had
seen the Hawaiian beach boys surfing, and ever te savvy
marketeer, hired a young Hawaiian-Irish athlete, George Freeth,
to demonstrate the ancient art of surfing for the entertainment
of Redondo Beach Visitors. What an attraction he thought, the
crowds would flock down to see the "man who could walk on
water"; those lot parcels would just fly out of his hands.
As a child in Hawaii, George had
seen an old Polynesian painting that showed his mother's regal
ancestors standing and riding surfboards. Captain Cook wrote in
his journals in the mid-18th century, "the Hawaiians, including
their lovely bare-breasted women, came out on boards to meet his
ships." Cook also records that riding the board standing up was
reserved for chiefs and princes, and "they would wager great
treasure with each other on their prowess thereat." George
decided he would try to revive the art, but had little success
with the monstrous, 16-foot hardwood boards. But, when he cut
them in half, he unwittingly created the original "long board,"
which worked exceedingly well and made him the talk of the
islands.
George exhibited his surfing
prowess, twice a day, in front of the Hotel Redondo to the
delight of visitors. His boundless energies soon led him to
swimming, diving and water polo competitions. He was made the
official Redondo Beach lifeguard—the first in fact, in Southern
California. He organized and trained professional lifeguard
corps and won a Carnegie and a Congressional medal for saving
the lives of a boat of stranded fishermen in Santa Monica Bay.
He is also credited with inventing the "torpedo rescue can" used
by modern lifeguards today.
Before there was Duke Kahanamoku,
The Beach Boys, Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, there was
the original "surfer dude" George Freeth.
From 1907 to 1915, George
promulgated a surfing revolution that would eventually become a
stable phenomenon on the California Coast. New boards made of
foam and fiberglass, shaped in garages, progressed to new
industries. "Hanging ten" amd "wiping out" became part of the
common language of surfers and, of course, the pounding beat of
surf music captured the imagination of restless adventure
seekers worldwide.
George was only 36 years-old when
he died in 1919. The great influenza epidemic which swept the
nation ended the promising career of one of Southern
California's most beloved, but lesser known heroes. A memorial
bronze of George Freeth is in place on the Redondo Beach Pier,
and the statue is often decorated with Hawaiian leis, as tribute
from surfers who visit from around the world.
-Lois Drake
For more information about what
surfing was like during the time of George Freeth, visit the
Witt Family Archive website.
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