You know Mauna Loa as a volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island. (It’s also a brand of macadamia nuts.) What’s its name doing way out here? Well, this street was christened in 1887 for the short-lived town of Alosta, run by L.A. County Sheriff George E. Gard (1843-1904). Gard had no ties to Hawaii, but he (or whoever named this street) must have heard that mauna loa is Hawaiian for “long mountain”. An appropriate street name, given that Mauna Loa Avenue terminates in the South Hills – not a long mountain per se, but longish and mountainish. And it’s probably not a coincidence that Hawaii’s Mauna Loa had erupted in January 1887, making headlines across the country.
Find it on the map:
