This street honors attorney/real estate speculator Moses Langley “M.L.” Wicks (1852-1919). Opened in 1902, it was actually an extension of a hypothetical “Wicks Avenue” that was planned for the 1885 Maclay Rancho subdivision, co-owned by Hugh L. Macneil, a partner of Wicks. An 1898 map also outlined a “Wicks Subdivision” right on this spot – surely not a coincidence. A Southern boy through and through – born in Mississippi, raised in Memphis, a graduate of the University of Virginia – M.L. Wicks came to Anaheim in 1875 to practice law and soon began acquiring land. By 1878, he had settled in San Gabriel with his family (his father Moses Jarvis Wicks was already growing fruit there in 1875) while running a DTLA legal firm with his brother Moye. Wicks had his fingers in a vast array of pies: he established the towns of Lancaster and San Dimas; subdivided parts of Azusa, Pomona, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park; and set up neighborhoods like Angelino Heights and Edendale. With all those developments, it’s no surprise that Wicks was hit hard when L.A.’s real estate bubble burst in 1888: he declared bankruptcy in 1899 with debts exceeding $135,000 (around $4.5 million today). He recovered, but met his end after being struck by a car at Hollywood and Vine.
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