It’s hard to believe now, but the pier almost disappeared entirely in the 1970s. Back then, the Santa Monica City Council was ...

The “altercation” occurred around 2:20 p.m. Saturday, Santa Monica police Officer D. Hodgson told City News Service. The fight was near Tower 14, north of the pier, police said.

The Santa Monica Pier was built to run sewage into the ocean in 1909. The amusement park concept developed in 1916 during the heyday of pleasure piers, which populated coastal towns nationwide.

A Route 66 sign, perched on a pole at the famed Santa Monica pier, advertises the spot as the “end of the trail.” But for these road trippers, it’s just the beginning.

Today, Harris estimates the pier draws in between 11 and 14 million people annually. When asked why people keep coming to the Santa Monica Pier, he said it's an escape.

The “altercation” occurred around 2:20 p.m. Saturday, Santa Monica police Officer D. Hodgson told City News Service. The fight was near Tower 14, north of the pier, police said.