In 1948, Walter J. “Doc” Daugherty of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society proposed that an annual West Coast convention be started for West Coast fans who couldn’t afford to travel east each year. The first Westercon was held in September, 1948. It was a one-day event with an attendance of 77. It wasn’t until 1951 that the Westercon became a weekend-long event, settled into the July 4th holiday and began traveling to different cities.