“I don’t have to tell anyone who spent any time in Long Beach about how great the Pike was,” recalls Morgan Humphrey in The Historical Society of Long Beach journal Shades of the Past. “The Pike seems almost like a wonderful dream, as though it was never actually there at all.”¹

The Pike Humphrey remembers, is the Pike of the 1940s and 50s. The Pike he knew as a boy. The Pike with the Looff carousel, McGruder salt water taffy, pitch and skill games, pony rides, goat carts, a fortune teller, weight guesser and a variety of dark and thrill rides, amusements and attractions large and small². And, connecting the Pike Amusement Park with Ocean Blvd. and Pine Ave. was something else that has nearly faded from memory, the Jergins Pedestrian Subway.

Open to the public from 1927 to 1967, The Jergins Subway was that magical portal which transported you to the exciting atmosphere of the beach, the Pike, and the Jergins Arcade. Many of us cross over this subterranean tunnel each day, as we travel around downtown Long Beach by way of Pine Ave. and Ocean Blvd. But, let’s travel back further as Morgan Humphrey recalls his fondest memories of the Jergins Subway and the Jergins Arcade as a boy in midcentury Long Beach.

To decipher this month’s puzzle, consider the House of Mirrors Morgan might have stumbled upon on his adventures at the Pike.

References:
1. Berner, L., Shades of the Past. Journal of the Historical Society of Long Beach, 1995, p. 7.
2. The Pike. Retrieved July 12, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pike

The answer to last month’s puzzle:
1. Ranchos Los Alamitos, 2. Ranchos Los Cerritos, 3. American Cologny, 4. Cerritos Cologny, 5. Willmore City, 6. Fastest Growing City in the Nation, 7. The Willows, 8. Queen of the Beaches, 9. Tent City, 10. The Ideal Home City, 11. The Playground of the World, 12. The Home of Industry, 13. Clam City, 14. The National Health Resort, 15. The Wonder City of the Pacific Southwest

These names were referenced from Gerrie Schipske’s book, Early Long Beach; which can be purchased at The Historical Society of Long Beach, located at 4260 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807. (562) 424-2220. http://hslb.org/.