Browse Items (988 total)

"Boots Malone" film set at Topanga Post Office

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A scene from "Boots Malone" was filmed at the Topanga Post Office and General Store.

"Boots Malone" is a 1952 American film noir drama film directed by William Dieterle. It stars William Holden as a down-on-his-luck sports agent and Johnny Stewart…

"Commons" by Jim and Sue Sullivan

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"Commons" by ceramicists Jim and Sue Sullivan is an intricate mosaic table.

"Elkhorn Camp" Building

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Black and white photograph of Elkhorn Camp c.1920

"Mose" Cheney inaugurates the first electrical pole

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Columbus Callan "Mose" Cheney turns symbolic shovel of dirt while children sing, commemorating the installation of the first electrical pole at junction of Old Topanga and Topanga Roads in 1928, which finally brought electricity to the Canyon.

"Open-Air Dance Hall" Building

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Black and white photograph of the open-air dance hall at Elkhorn Camp

"Save Topanga" protest sign

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A protester trying to save Summit Valley from the Canyon Oaks development.

"Solomon Meadows" by Nancy Swenson

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Painter Nancy Swenson Williams is part of a multigenerational activist family that has lived in Topanga since the late 1940s.

"Sybil" by Vera T. Wood (1998)

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"Sybil" by Vera T. Wood (1998), a painted tile.

"Thank you" sign for Firefighters

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"Thank you" sign for 1993 firefighters.

"Thank you" signs for the 1993 Firefighters

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In the aftermath of the 1993 fire, "thank you" signs popped up all over Topanga Canyon.

"The Boss" Ellen Mills

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Ellen Mills knew so much about Topanga that Post Office Postmaster Oscar Reynoso nicknamed her "The Boss."

"Wil Geer," a drawing by Bob DeWitt

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"Wil Geer," a drawing of the actor and Theatricum Botanicum founder by Bob DeWitt.

"Woody Guthrie," a drawing by Bob DeWitt

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"Woody Guthrie," a drawing of the folk musician in Topanga Canyon by Bob DeWitt.

Topanga Journal, September 30, 1954 issue

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Headline: "Malibu Citizens Committee Asks 10 Questions on Water District Annexation."

1980 Flood Topples House

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House in the 700 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard is toppled from its foundation by the February 1980 flood.

6 cartoons lambasting the Water Committee

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6 cartoons lambasting the foibles of the Water Committee, in the Topanga Businessmen's Association pamphlet.

A beach house wrecked by a storm and big waves

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Just west of the Topanga Beach Lagoon, a house is wrecked by a storm and big waves.

A boulder fell on Topanga Canyon Blvd.

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A boulder fell on Topanga Canyon Blvd. after heavy rains on January 9, 2005. Pictures of this "rock star" appeared in the news around the world.

A car and a horse at the Topanga Post Office

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A car and a horse at the Topanga Post Office and General Store

A Cheney family outing

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A Cheney family outing. George Cheney (right) used this 1910 Garford to carry passengers and mail to the Post Office.

A fire burns to Topanga Canyon Blvd.

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Firemen watch as a fire burns to Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Lower Topanga.

A flood engulfs a house in Lower Topanga

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The Topanga Creek flood engulfs a house and van in Brookside in Lower Topanga.

A man watches a house that the flood carried away

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A man watches a house that the Topanga Creek flood had carried for half a mile in Lower Topanga Canyon.

A Pawlowski family picnic by Topanga Creek

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A Pawlowski family picnic by Topanga Creek. Peter and Pauline, with his parents Pelagia and Julius.

A stagecoach raises dust in the S-Turns

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A stagecoach, drawn by six horses, raises dust on the dirt road through the S-Turns.

Abalone Shell Arch

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Black and white photo of abalone shell arch and "wedding cake rock turned" circa 1920

Abalone Shell Arch 1985

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Color Photograph of Santa Maria Ranch "Abalone" arch and yard. "Old Santa Maria Ranch - Taconis"

Abalone Shell Arch 1985 with Donkey

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Color Photograph of Santa Marina Abalone Arch and yard (with donkey)
"Santa Maria Ranch - Taconis"
"Photo by Bob Wiley"
"1984"

Actor Will Geer

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Actor Will Geer moved to Topanga to escape the Hollywood blacklist. He supported himself by growing and selling vegetables and plants.

Actors read Ziff's Magazine at the Topanga Post Office

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Cowboy actors pose in an apparent advertisement for Ziff's Magazine (March 1925 issue) at the Topanga Post Office and General Store. Ziff's Magazine was an irreverent joke book published in Chicago, IL from 1923-1926. The cover always displayed a…

Actress Lindsey Wagner at Topanga Beach

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Lindsey Wagner starred in "The Bionic Woman," a TV show that aired from January 14, 1976, to May 13, 1978.

Adelaide Gibbon at her stone house

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William and Adelaide Gibbon built this stone house, which featured her wood carvings.

Adrian Santa Maria with Hunted Deer

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5"x9" photograph of Adrian (Teet) , age 12, with rifle and "1st deer"

Aerial photograph with close-ups, 1962

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Aerial photograph with close-ups of Fernwood, Pine Tree Circle, Trippet Ranch, and Hillside Drive.

Aerial Tanker Douses 1960 Fire

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The October 1960 fire on Hillside Drive was put down in record time. An aerial tanker is seen reflected against the smoke, dropping borate-fortified water.

Aerial view of the Topanga Center

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Aerial view of the Topanga Center, location of the Pine Tree Circle and the Post Office.

Aerial view of Topanga Beach

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Aerial view of Topanga Beach, from Las Tunas Beach to the Charthouse Restaurant, along Pacific Coast Highway.

Agnes Venneman

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Agnes Venneman reared eight children in Topanga.

Al Martinez stands on a bridge

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Al Martinez stands on a bridge crafted by wood carver Barry Lysaght.

Aldo Vidali

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In 1930, Aldo was born to an Italian family in Ixelles, Belgium. As a child he went to Italy and from there he began his life of traveling. His travels have taken him to almost every continent in the world. He has studied at the University of…

Alva Gustavus at his Little Brown Church in the Wildwood

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Retired Baptist Minister Alva Gustavus stands by his "Little Brown Church in the Wildwood" behind Horseshoe Bend Inn.

Alyn Ranson, Rosagua Trujillo, Eddie Gripp, and Pat Rasbury

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Alyn Ranson, Rosagua Trujillo (Rose Wiley), Eddie Gripp, and Pat Rasbury at Lee's Hitching Post in Fred Solomon's shopping center, a hangout for teenagers.

American Legion Honor Roll

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Honor Roll of men and women serving in armed forces is unveiled by the American Legion on Memorial Day 1944 at Pine Tree Circle

Ami Kirby, Kathy Hitchcock, and Hillevi Storer

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Topanga Cooperative Preschool leaders: President Ami Kirby, Kathy Hitchcock, and first long-term teacher Hillevi Storer.

Ann Stalcup with her student folk dancers

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Teacher Ann Stalcup with her student folk dancers. Topanga Elementary School came through for Ann when her house burned down in the 1993 fire.

Anne Lanaro with kids Perry and Laurie on Webb Trail

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Mrs. Lanaro with kids Perry and Laurie in front of their house on Webb Trail

Architect Bob Bates

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Bob Bates, "soft spoken and rock solid," left a mark on Topanga with his architecture and his leading role in the Topanga Association for a Scenic Community (TASC). He began his architecture career in 1963, and was known for his use of glass, stone,…

Architect Bob Bates with the tools of his trade

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Architect Bob Bates moved to Topanga in 1956 and opened an office here in 1963. He was a founder of the Topanga Association for a Scenic Community (TASC). There is "no front or back" to his houses. They "bring the outside in and vice versa," making…

Arlene Plotkin and Michelene (Mike) Kelly

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Arlene Plotkin and Michelene (Mike) Kelly were familiar faces in the office at Topanga Elementary School.

Arlis Wilhelim, Mary Hall, and the "GOP Smilemobile"

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Arlis Wilhelim and Mary Hall at the West Hills Republican Women's mobile headquarters, known as the "GOP Smilemobile."

Arson Fire of 1961

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On November 6, 1961, folks gather near Pine Tree Circle watching smoke from an arson fire curl in the distance.

Art Marshburn and family

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Art Marshburn, an Old Topanga Canyon leader involved in the water controversy, with his family in the 1950s.
From left back row: Robert, David, Arthur, Carol.
Front row: Jean, Tom.

Artist and political activist Rabyn Blake in her studio

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Artist and political activist Rabyn Blake makes ceramic sculptures in her studio. She lived with her husband Eli Sercarz on a Topanga Creek property. She was Chairperson of the Topanga Canyon Creekside Homeowners Association and helped defeat the LA…

Artist Barry Lysaght makes highly prized wood carvings

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Barry Lysaght makes highly prized wood carvings at his shop in the Turnout, a small row of businesses on Topanga Canyon Blvd. near Santa Maria Road. The Turnout was condemned after being damaged by mudslides during the rains of Winter/Spring 1998.

Artist Bob DeWitt

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Bob DeWitt was an artist and real estate agent who came to Topanga in 1941 with his wife Doi. He built a series of shacks on Topanga Canyon Blvd., where his family lived a free-spirited life. They all went barefoot and bathed each day in the ocean.…

Artist Megan Rice

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Artist Megan Rice made this papier-mâché horse as a prototype for two sculptures that were commissioned by LA County for the Topanga Library's children's section. She is also a painter and has written and illustrated several books. She is the…

Artist Stewart Moskowitz

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Artist Stewart Moskowitz with signs he painted at the Disney studio protest against the Canyon Oaks development.

August Schmidt by Bee hives

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Photograph of August Schmidt with his Bee Hives circa 1900.
Annotated:
~"Herrlüchen Gluckwiensch heim gebursley" (?)
"Many Happy Wishes for Your Birthday"
~"Pierart von"
Signed August Schmidt
"Old man Schmidt had bee hives +

Bandit Tiburcio Vasquez

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Tiburcio Vasquez, one of California's most notorious banditos, was hung for his crimes in 1875.

Barbara Anahita King painting, "Eagle Rock," 2004

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"Eagle Rock, Topanga State Park," a painting by Barbara Anahita King.

Barbara and John Williamson opened Sandstone Retreat

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John and Barbara Williamson opened Sandstone Retreat, a nudist and free-love commune, off Saddle Peak Rd., in 1969.

The Williamson were middle-class professionals who felt constrained by the traditional view of marriage and monogamy. Not long…

Barbara, Jack, and Aran Rice

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Jack Rice was a stonemason.

Barn and Ranch House on Cheney Ranch

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Barn and ranch house on Cheney Ranch 1908

Barton School Classroom Activity

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Barton School Classroom photo, c. 1940's. David Zeitlin back row with teacher

Barton School Hand-drawn Map

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Map of school property and buildings (1932-1948) drawn from memory in 1984

Barton School teacher Hildor Barton

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Barton School teacher Hildor Barton was never happier than when planning and constructing buildings.

Barton School teacher Howard Gutmann

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Barton School teacher Howard Gutmann was a German Jew and had escaped war and persecution.

Barton School teacher Nancy Gluck

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Barton School teacher Nancy Gluck came in 1940 and stay until the end. She was a dear friend of the Barton family.

Bedrock mortar

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Bedrock mortars, holes made my Native American women grinding seeds, occur in many places in Topanga sandstone. This one was found near Top of Topanga.

Beekeeper Russell Whittemore

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Beekeeper Russell Whittemore won blue ribbons for his sage honey at the Los Angeles County Fair.

Belly dancers perform at Earth Day in Topanga State Park

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Belly dancers from the Melanie Kareem Middle Eastern Dance School perform at Earth Day in Topanga State Park. The local dance school enrolled 450 local women and girls.

Bert and Mary Palmaymesa

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Bertrand “Bert” (1887-1977) and Mary Palmaymesa (1895-1967) grew up together in Calabasas. In the 1920s, they were the caretakers of John Bonnell's stone house in Old Topanga Canyon, where they raised a family.

Bert Wilson selling native plants

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Bert Wilson selling native plants at the annual Resource Conservation District (RCD) event.

Bertha Corbett Melcher, Jessie, Mrs. Luther

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Bertha Corbett Melcher (right) sits with a woman (probably sister Jessie). Mrs. Luther is standing.

Bertha Melcher with Charlotte and baby Ruth

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Bertha Melcher was known as the "Madonna of the Mountains."

Bessie Greenleaf Averil

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Bessie Greenleaf Averil Photo

Betsy Moline's home ruined by Northridge Earthquake, 1994

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Betsy Moline sits in the ruin of her Nuez Way home after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Betty Lee Morales

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Betty Lee Morales established a national food supplement operation out of Eden Ranch, the former Barton School property in Old Topanga Canyon.

Beverly Jones, Karen Wood, Carol Knittle

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Topanga Elementary School, Sixth Grade Class Graduation, 1961

Big money encroaches on Topanga, Jody Roberts, 1992

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Artist Jody Roberts drew this comic map for the "Messenger" newspaper, showing "Big Bucks Estates" and "Big Development" encroaching on Topanga.

Bikini girls eat popsicles at The Raft restaurant

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Two bikini girls eat popsicles at The Raft restaurant at Topanga Beach.

Bill and Pearl Sloan

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Bill and Pearl Sloan stand in a hole they dug for their septic tank. "There were no geological surveys required, no septic system percolation tests."

Bill and Pearl Sloan

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Bill and Pearl Sloan toast their 50th wedding anniversary.