ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : Lots of Little Lots
They were known as “encyclopedia lots”--tiny plots of land only about 10 feet square in Huntington Beach. In the early 1900s, they were used as premiums by the publishers of the Students Reference Encyclopedia. Each purchaser of an encyclopedia set received a deed to one of the little lots at the west end of the city.
The lots soared in value about 10 years later when oil was discovered in the area.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
