WHERE IS RIVER STATION YOU ASK?

This former site of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company’s River Station (1876−1901) is considered the “Ellis Island of Los Angeles” where new arrivals from the east first disembarked. Corn leaking from train cars and sprouting along the tracks gave rise to the nickname ‘The Cornfield’.

The 32-acre site was established as a California state park in 2001. In 2005, the former industrial site was transformed into a productive cornfield for one season as an art project called “Not a Cornfield. As of 2018, the park is now open; the campfire circle, restrooms and parking lot are available for public use. Numerous community fairs and gatherings have been held in the park. It also contains several plaques that relate the history of the Cornfield, Chinatown and Downtown Los Angeles.