>> constructed in 1909, the santa monica pier was the first concrete pier on the west coast. today it hosts millions of visitors. pier historian jim harris is the author of "santa monica pier: a century on the last great pleasure pier." he gives us a tour of this iconic landmark. jim: we see almost 9 million people year come to this peer. -- pier. that is people from all walks of life, all income levels, and all interests. there are almost as many different reasons come here on any given day many people, if you ask them what brought them , you get a different reason for

each one. a place you can get away from the city. once you begin walking on the pier, you don't realize you're only a block away from downtown. you realize you are over the ocean, at the beach. completely unique environment. we released the book to commemorate the 100 years. the story has its ups and downs and almost the community rallies to save it, and then it has to go through growing pains again , and then it needs natural disaster. then it goes again. so it's a wonderful up-and-down story. from fishing pier to amusement, it has been home to many interesting stories. the santa monica municipal pier opened on september 9, 1909, which if you write numerically is very fine, it is 9/9/09.

it ran as a public utility to run down to the ocean. the city opened it as a public pier. it did open as being distinct and unique in the fact that it was first ever entirely concrete pier built on the west coast of the united states. and was the concept that it would last forever. the city held a parade, and they held band concerts and competitions, athletic competitions on the beach and in the water to celebrate the opening of the new pier. the concrete pier in the early 1900's was it would last forever. or at least certainly longer than the wooden pier that were traditionally built here. and succumb to the elements. the most concrete piles lasted all of 10 years. [laughs] jim: before the inner ironworks started rusting.

the construction of the pier, it was very porous and allowed it to interrupt. those piles in 1920 and 21 were replaced with wooden piles. in the 1920's, we have a concrete deck with wooden piles underneath. then ultimately, the concrete was all replaced with wood. we had an entirely wooden pier until the 1980's. in the 1980's, storms came in the west end of the pier, and the wood gave way. about one-third of the pier was destroyed. then in 1989 and 1990, the city rebuilt the pier with concrete again. a much better make this time. and a wooden deck. so we've tried all sorts of formulas, and i think we've gotten one now. >> in what capacity has the pier been used over the years? jim: meaning besides being used

to run sewage into the ocean? [laughter] jim: many greater things. in fact, early on it was the best fishing spinal santa monica bay. which is ironic when you think about what they were doing to the ocean at that time.ular par. until they were able to on top of the pier. and what they were pulling out the time, among the fish at the time, were these very large giant black seabass. which while protected species, a a slow grower, but they were pulling out in the 20 century , these six-foot-long black seabass. 800 pounds. 80 years old. and i mentioned they are

protected today. in 2005 -- that was pretty young and had a lot of growth to it. it is legendary fish. so fishing is very important part to the existing pier. the community has been most dedicated. they hear 24 hours a day and very happy we still have the pier. from 1916 to 1930, originally there was a wooden roller coaster and funhouses and things like that. and a merry-go-round was on the pier. that is the original from 1915. the buildings, in particular , that merry-go-round has been here since 1937. the merry-go-round concept remains from early days. and then in 1920's, there was a large ballroom, the largest in the world. the lamonica ballroom became a feature of the pier. and for 40 years, it was -- it was used not only as a dance hall that a city convention center. a roller rink. the home to the first ever variety show brought live on la in 1948.by kt there is that distinct part of history.

people like charlie chaplin was one of the first people who had a yacht in the harbor, errol flynn had a yacht in the harbor. it is a very unique and wonderful history for the pier. in the 1940's, actually, they were displaced by fishing boats because they had taken over san , pedro, the harbor there and oxnard pier sufficient, commercial fishermen had no way to unload except for the santa monica pier. it became number one, the primary spot to deliver catches. and basically the community. and the santa monica pier became a focal point for that. it became even more efficient pier than it already was. this was home to the fishing boats. they push out the yacht community. and then in the 1960's, the pier was pretty run down. the city was trying to figure out what to do with it, and they

had many ideas, other than being a causeway, which is a series of islands, on the santa monica pier, then out to malibu, there was the idea of a large island with a convention center and and using the pier as a bridge to that, and ultimately tearing it down and building their own bridge. all the concepts were surrounding the pier in the 70s 1970's until the community rallied and put a stop to it all. they planned to turn down the pier and turn into something else. the community said no. in 1983, storms wiped out the end of the pier, and it seemed like a tragedy at the time. what it did was create a clean state for them to figure what we we are going to do with this pier that we love so much? and they really wanted to make it a very special place. so everyone could enjoy and the concept of the amusement park returned. they wanted to make it family-friendly, so a new

amusement park was built. they finished building the pier in the 1990s. and 1996, pacific park opened. and it changed everything. the visitorship was much more family-friendly and open to all. and it was comfortable and it was safe. people could enjoy a nice afternoon on the pier. thats not the seedy pier it was. it was vibrant and full of color and safe. and that is the pier that we enjoy today. we are standing out at the end of the santa monica pier. as far as you can go without going for a swim really. [laughs] jim: at one point, this was considered the endpoint of route 66. the mother road. that's because this was as far as you could drive back in the day. not the official end of route 66 , but it is the end of the journey that most people finish as they were driving route 66. it is a very special place.

the pier is a little more than a quarter of a mile. you're getting your steps in when you take a walk to the end of the pier and back. you getting a good half mile walk just to the end and back. so it is good exercise. on an uneven surface. these old, rickety, wooden boards that you're working on. it really is the experience and helped put into a sense of place , and people been walking here for over 100 years. since the book was published, i have learned so much more about the pier. people tell me stories about people, like about peterson, a very well-known and respected lifeguard, the greatest watermen an that ever lived. surf history.

there is also a wonderful craftsman, paddle boards and he was an inventor. he invented the peterson tube, which i had no idea was the reason he was the inspiration behind this orange foam. peterson.y pete it is just incredible things that come out of the woodwork that i learned about since. a nine-year-old girl inspired the first ever public paddleboard club in 1940. how wonderful fun and how fitting for the pier. because it appeals to the adults and children alike, just like the pier appeals to adults and children alike. right here in the santa monica pier. beach volleyball, most popular sport in the summer olympics now. that sport started right here next to the pier. it just goes on and on. when i came to the pier, there was no west end. there was no amusement park.

the west end had been torn down by storms. and the pier was being used by the 2 million visitors per basically as the bridge to get to the beach. santa monica has these wonderful hard to get to, because they are at the bottom of a cliff. so the pier is the bridge to the beach. and so the pier was not very popular. it was not very well respected but through time, we grew together, and the pier has become home to 9 million visitors per year. and i am the person to tell a story. and we get that together. i think that is pretty cool. tour staffes recently traveled to santa monica, california to learn about its rich history. learn more about santa monica and other subs on our tour at c-span.org/citiestour. you are watching american history tv, all weekend, every weekend on c-span3.

media mogul&a," sumner redstone and his battle for viacom and cbs. we talked with "wall street journal" investigative reporter keach haney about her book. keach: after his battle with he really sawr, being seen with women as a sign and the and with them was a sign that he could tell the world "i am going to " the lovesr, h to say. so he would go to the hollywood parties, and sometimes he would go home with his grandson's date. cbsas awkward for

announcer 1: next on the civil war, historian edward ayers talks about the civil war and its consequences. he describes how people in surrounding areas might have experienced the battle and the logistics of the confederate which all to virginia. this talk was part of the annual lincoln form symposium. >> what do we say about our speaker that hasn't already been said? , who servederitus for eight years, and author of this lincoln prize winner of this year. the thin light of freedom. you ought to get your copies if you don't have them already from our bookstore, which remains open during this presentation. ayerst president