SCENE | The West Coast, 1951.


Photos of West Coast Youth by Loomis Dean for LIFE, 1951.

In 1951 a feature article ran in LIFE Magazine that highlighted the west coast's youth as a new crop of Americans that were "brawny and buoyant" and an asset for the country's future.

"From the sun-drenched valleys of Southern California to the rain-drenched inlets of Puget Sound this new race of children, of whom some three million are now in school, have one big thing in common. It is a lust for the outdoors, and the richly scenic coast offers kids a maximum of temptation and a minimum of inconvenience in fulfilling it. The bumper crop of youth also shares a buoyant optimism of spirit, a supreme confidence in its ability to get on in the world. This current of self-reliance is without intellectual basis; it may spring in part form youth's closeness to nature, from intimately living with wind, sand, and sun."

Comments

Claire said…
Love your blog and love these retro posts.
Anonymous said…
Love the rose tint on these old photos. Makes me want to go outdoors even more!
Anonymous said…
Wonder if this was an Oregon shoot - Timberline, Cannon Beach, etc.?

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