Newport Beach History & Untold Stories | Bill Lobdell, Historian Laureate
Bill Lobdell has spent decades documenting the stories that shaped Newport Beach. With a background at the Los Angeles Times and as editor of the Daily Pilot, his passion for local history has grown into Newport in the Rearview Mirror, a podcast and Instagram series reaching millions.
In this conversation, we cover how his interest in Newport Beach history began, what led him to launch Newport in the Rearview Mirror, and some of the lesser-known stories about the land, the people, and the defining moments behind the city.
We also discuss his role as Newport Beach’s Historian Laureate and how preserving local history helps shape the future of the community.
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Bill Odell is a former journalist, longtime storyteller, and local resident whose passion for Newport Beach history has reached thousands of listeners and millions of viewers through Newport in the Rearview Mirror. Bill, welcome aboard. We’re so glad to have you here today.
Bill, let’s start at the beginning. Your fascination with Newport Beach history dates back to the 1990s. What first sparked your interest in the city’s past?
Bill: As editor of the Daily Pilot in the ‘90s, I just fell in love with the history of Newport Beach — the stories, the characters, the places.
I started a column called Looking Back, and the more I found out, the more I loved it. And the more there was to uncover.
With your background at the LA Times and Daily Pilot, how did that experience shape the way you tell stories now?
Bill: As a journalist, you learn how to dig things up and how to tell stories. I’ve had way too many decades of doing that.
I think I know how to find a story and tell it fairly well. And if something interests me, I assume it’ll probably interest other people too. That’s kind of my barometer.
You’ve mentioned there’s an endless supply of great stories waiting to be retold. What opened your eyes to that opportunity?
Bill: There were all these stories that I felt could be told better. Some had never really been told at all.
I wanted to bring history alive and connect it to people’s daily lives today. That was always the goal.
That brings us to Newport in the Rearview Mirror, which launched in 2021.
Bill: Yeah. I had to have a bunch of surgeries. I was a triathlete and pretty much wrecked my body.
I was going to be bedridden for a while, and I knew I’d go crazy if I didn’t have something to do.
Years earlier, I had started a triathlon podcast back when podcasting was brand new, and I always loved long-form storytelling. So I thought maybe I could combine that with my love of history.
I told my wife if 10 or 15 history nerds listened to it and liked it, that would be enough for me.
Well, it’s taken off.
Bill: Yeah, the podcast has around 50,000 downloads now, and the videos — those really exploded. They’ve passed 7 million views.
I think the videos work because they reach a younger generation. Most historical societies have an older audience, but these videos bring younger people into history, and that’s probably what I’m most proud of.
The engagement is incredible too — the comments, voting series, debates.
Bill:
eah, we did one about the best local bar of the early 21st century and it got hundreds of thousands of interactions.
People love sharing memories and opinions.
What do you think history does for a community?
Bill: I think people always want to know where things came from.
Lido Isle, Balboa Island, the businesses, the streets — everything has a story behind it.
Lido Isle, for example, struggled so badly early on that developers were practically giving lots away. Balboa Island went bankrupt.
People see these places today and can’t imagine that history, but I think they love connecting the past to the present.
Is there a particular era of Newport history you feel most connected to?
Bill: Probably the 1900s.
That’s when Newport incorporated, when the Pavilion was built, when the trolley came down from LA, when Balboa Island and Bay Island began developing.
That decade really shaped modern Newport.
What’s been your most popular episode?
Bill: For videos, definitely “The Five Biggest Days at the Wedge.” That passed half a million views.
For the podcast, probably “The Nine Lives of the Castaways.”
People don’t realize how much history that property has — golf courses, restaurants, all kinds of different uses over the years.
The Fashion Island episode was also huge because everybody has memories tied to it.
Do you have favorite stories personally?
Bill: One favorite is the giant saltwater pool in West Newport.
It was three football fields long and a football field wide. Completely insane.
The filters didn’t work, it turned into a mosquito disaster, and today the footprint is basically where the 38th Street park is.
Another is Cherry Lake — Newport’s only lake — which hardly anyone knows exists.
And I love the stories behind the old trolley and railroad tracks near Newport Pier. Those weird street curves all make sense once you realize they followed the train lines.
How do you uncover these stories?
Bill: Mostly archives and old newspapers.
A lot of stories have become distorted over time, like a giant game of telephone. I love going back to the primary sources and figuring out what actually happened.
Are there stories longtime residents would still be surprised by?
Bill: Absolutely.
For example, Corona del Mar originally had no roads. To get there, people took the trolley to the Pavilion, then a ferry across the bay, then climbed stairs into the neighborhood.
Most of Newport’s early developments were also failures at first — Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, Lido Isle — all ahead of their time.
When people are walking or boating around town, are there historical landmarks they may not even realize they’re passing?
Bill: Definitely.
The Santa Ana River used to flow through the Back Bay and out near present-day Lido Marina Village.
That’s why River Avenue is called River Avenue.
Or places like Woody’s Wharf — Woody was a fisherman who wanted a place for fishermen to tell stories.
Billy’s at the Beach was named after Olympic athlete Billy Vukovich.
The names around Newport usually mean something.
Do you think people know the history of the Cannery district?
Bill: Not really.
Newport was once one of the greatest fishing ports on the West Coast. The Cannery processed sardines, anchovies, and mackerel.
Eventually overfishing killed the industry, and the Cannery was almost demolished multiple times.
It was saved first by engineer Bill Hamilton and later by Jack Croul, who paid three times market value just to preserve it.
You recently became Newport Beach’s first Historian Laureate. Tell us about that.
Bill: That came out of nowhere for me.
Councilmembers Joe Stapleton and Robyn Grant were champions of local history and wanted a position dedicated to uncovering, preserving, and promoting Newport’s history.
It doesn’t pay anything, but it’s an honor.
We’re still figuring out exactly what the role becomes, but one big goal is bringing together the various historical groups around town.
Who are some of those groups?
Bill: The Newport Beach Historical Society, the Balboa Island Museum, Sherman Library & Gardens, Crystal Cove Conservancy, and several Corona del Mar preservation groups.
There’s amazing work happening.
Crystal Cove Conservancy also has a powerful exhibit about the Japanese farming families who lost their land during WWII internment.
You’ve said you’d stack Newport Beach’s history against any California city. Why?
Bill: Two reasons: geography and people.
Geographically, this entire harbor system is incredibly recent in geological terms. The Santa Ana River changed course and created the peninsula and islands over time.
And then there were all these pivotal moments — Newport almost became a massive commercial shipping port like Long Beach.
There was also almost a giant freeway running parallel to PCH.
Really?
Bill: Yes. Huge freeway interchanges at Newport Boulevard and MacArthur.
Marshall Duffield — Duffy’s father — led the fight to stop it. The freeway had already been approved 6-1 before community activists killed it.
That fight completely changed Newport’s future.
When did Newport really begin as a community?
Bill: In the 1870s and 1880s.
Originally, it was a fishing village centered around where Newport Pier is now.
The original harbor facilities were actually near Lower Castaways before they moved across the bay to what became Newport Beach.
What about the Buffalo Ranch?
Bill: That was this bizarre amusement attraction near MacArthur and Bison.
A developer brought in actual buffalo during the Western craze era. It was like a weird mini western theme park.
Eventually Irvine Company reclaimed the land and the buffalo disappeared.
There were also massive plans for Newport Dunes to become a Disneyland-style aquatic amusement park.
What recent Newport news do you think future generations will view as “history”?
Bill: That’s a great question.
Probably things like the Newport Theater redevelopment or major land-use changes. Those become defining moments later on.
Final question — if you had a Duffy boat, what would you name it?
Bill: I’d probably go with Current Events.
I love that.
Or maybe Newport in the Rearview Mirror.
Both are perfect.
Bill, thank you for joining us and sharing all of your knowledge and passion for preserving Newport Beach history.
Bill: Thank you for having me.