The West L.A. neighborhood of Mar Vista was home to many of Southern California’s earliest Mormon settlers. It was Mormon community leaders who changed the area's name from Ocean Park Heights to Mar Vista. Glen Howell, co-founder of the Mar Vista Historical Society, says they established the chamber of commerce and ran most of the businesses.

"The first church that was built, they called it the Little White Chapel on the Hill, was built in 1928. And it was a community effort. The lumber was donated, the organ was donated, the people, whether they were Mormon or not, all donated labor, and they built the church in a short period of time."

The head of the local Mormon community was an investment manager named George McCune. McCune Avenue in Mar Vista is named for him.

(Airdate for this story: 1/5/08)