As of the U. The city is a major hub for professional sports with several teams that have played in Inglewood's venues. Park known for most of its history as Centinela Park. Local historian Gladys Waddingham wrote that these springs took the name Centinela from the hills that rose gradually around them, and which allowed ranchers to watch over their herds," thus the name centinelas or sentinels. These settlers were ordered by the officials of the San Gabriel Mission "to graze their animals on the ocean side of Los Angeles in order not to infringe on mission lands.
Later, Avila constructed a three-room adobe house on a slight rise overlooking the creek that ran from Centinela Springs all the way to the ocean. According to the LAOkay web site, [ 10 ] this adobe was built where the present baseball field is in the park. It no longer exists. Daniel Freeman acquired the rancho and was a founder of the Centinela-Inglewood Land Company in , which developed the city. That year it was reported that: [ 13 ].
The Centinela-Inglewood Company has put on a four-horse coach between their office and Inglewood, leaving at am and returning at 2 pm to carry passengers desiring to see the property. It is understood that arrangements will soon be completed for frequent fast trains between Los Angeles and Inglewood over the California Southern. Inglewood Park Cemetery , a widely used cemetery for the entire region, was founded in The Ku Klux Klan had a presence in Inglewood in the s, with the most notable event being the raid , [ 19 ] the Klan had a chapter in Inglewood as late as October Labor troubles became a serious issue during the early years of World War II as local industries supplied the Allies, against the wishes of Communist local union officials.
UAW negotiators demanded a starting pay of 75 cents an hour, plus a cent raise for the 11, current employees. The UAW had made a no-strike pledge, but suddenly a wildcat strike on June 4 closed the plant that produced a fourth of the nation's fighter planes. The UAW was unable to get the workers to return, when Washington intervened.
When Germany suddenly invaded the USSR in late June , though, the Communist activists suddenly became the strongest supporters of war production; they crushed wildcat strikes. This came to the great displeasure of the predominantly white residents already residing in Inglewood. In , the census counted only 29 "Negroes" among Inglewood's 63, residents.
