Stingaree Gulch

I had heard the name ‘Stingaree Gulch’ in an old oral history tape once so I quickly picked out the file folder to see exactly what it was. The name Stingaree Gulch sounded like it came from another time or at the very least a movie where no one spoke and the action was accompanied by piano. A gulch, by definition, is a deep, narrow ravine, esp. one marking the course of a stream or torrent. Hmmm….where have we seen a deep narrow ravine near 11th street and Averill Park? Hmmmmm???? Oh wait, didn’t we see one ALL LAST WEEK?! I think all those wild patches that snaked their way through Vista del Oro are the remnants of Stingaree Gulch! At least they have a fun old timey name. There was also an article in the folder by Bill Olesen, the great historian of San Pedro. The article, in the Historical Society publication- The Shoreline, noted that Stingaree (stingray) Gulch “…meandered diagonally from San Pedro Hill…crossed Gaffey Street at Ninth, Pacific Avenue at Eighth…emptying into the bay at the foot of Sixth Street…” It also mentions the fact that there used to be a long bridge that ran over the gulch at Centre between 7th and 8th, which today would run along the Liberty Auditorium/7th St Garage location.