Browse Items (384 total)

  • Collection: Lower Topanga

Five men in bathing suits sit on Topanga Beach

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Five men in bathing suits sit on Topanga Beach: Jake Fields, unknown, unknown, Louis Ranberg, and Thomas Spence.

Kathleen Kay and Jack Gardiner, 1938 fire refugees

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Kathleen Kay (18006 Roosevelt Highway) and Jack Gardiner (18028 Roosevelt Highway) lost their homes in the 1938 fire. They fled in a car packed with furniture and belongings.

Evening Outlook Race trophies won by Topanga Yacht Club

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Fifteen sailors finished the first Evening Outlook Trophy Race, on Sunday, September 2, 1934. Seven were members of the Topanga Yacht Club (names in bold below). The winner was presented a bronze trophy by "beach beauty" Marilyn Connon. Others…

Harry Marinos owned Marinos’ Seafood Restaurant

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Harry Marinos owned Marinos’ Seafood Restaurant at Topanga Beach. He was a Greek immigrant whose real name was Aristides Marinos. The Raft and The Reel Inn were later built there.

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Menu for The Point restaurant, Malibu (Marinos' Point)

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Menu for The Point restaurant, Malibu (Marinos' Point). The Chart House and Mastro's Ocean Club would later be built on this spot.

Barefoot Topanga Beach fishermen show off their fish

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Barefoot Topanga Beach fishermen show off their fish. The man on the right is Greek immigrant John Foundoukos.

Lower Topanga kids on Topanga Canyon Lane

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Lower Topanga kids take a group photo at the Rusts’ house on Topanga Canyon Lane.

FRONT:
Edna Mae Spence, Marilyn Burns, Bill Hoskins, Joyce Wiard, Mary Miller, Thais Rust, unknown, unknown.

MIDDLE:
unknown, Marvelle McClellan, Avis…

Bill Sykes with his children Beverly and Dave

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Bill Sykes lies in the sand with his children Beverly and Dave at their house on Topanga Beach,

Thais Rust feeds her dog at Brookside.

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Thais Rust feeds her dog while her family eats breakfast on a picnic bench at Brookside.

Entrance to Topanga

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Entrance to Topanga shows Step Inn Cafe, Shell gas Station, Rust's Barbecue restaurant, Los Angeles Athletic Club office, and fire station.

Clayton Rust moved his family's house to Brookside

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Clayton Rust moved his family's house out of the way of the 1933 bridge construction, from Topanga Canyon Lane to Brookside (3427 Topanga Canyon Blvd.). In the photo, the house is still propped up after reaching its destination.

Entrance to Topanga, looking towards beach

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Entrance to Topanga, looking towards beach, shows Shell gas station and Rust's Barbecue restaurant,

A boy rides a horse by Shriner's Wayside Stand

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A boy rides a horse by Shriner's Wayside Stand. He is being watched by Lucie Loggins, who bought the restaurant and renamed it Step Inn Cafe.

Mary Kays sits in car next to fire station

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Mary Kays sits in car next to fire station and Los Angeles Athletic Club office that became Malibu Feed Bin. Her sister was Ina Rust.

Entrance to Topanga

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Entrance to Topanga shows Shell Gas Station, Rust's Barbecue, Los Angeles Athletic Club office, fire station, and Potter's Store.

Back view of Lower Topanga business center

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Back view of Lower Topanga business center shows fire station, Los Angeles Athletic Club office and Rust's Barbecue

Sign points to "Dangerous Drop-Off" at entrance to Topanga

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Sign points to "Dangerous Drop-Off" at road construction (for the 1933 bridge) at the entrance to Topanga. Shell gas station, Los Angeles Athletic Club office, and Potter's Store are in the background.

Potter's Store was rebuilt as a sturdy one-story building

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Potter's Store was rebuilt as a sturdy one-story building, but the rains of 1938 created a bigger mudslide that pushed it all the way into the street. Charles Potter salvaged the lumber and rebuilt his store again, this time across the street, giving…

Paxson's Cafe, owned by Frank and Myrtle Paxson

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Paxson's Cafe, owned by Frank and Myrtle Paxson. Their daughter Blanche married Roy Rust. The Chart House and Mastro's Ocean Club were later built on this spot.

Picnic at Fred and Cleo Wendill's house in Brookside

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Picnic at Fred and Cleo Wendill's house in Brookside. Cleo was the cousin of Clayton Rust.

Shady Lane runs by Josiah Thrasher's house, at right

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Shady Lane runs by Josiah Thrasher's house, at right. Josiah was Ina Rust's father, and a pioneer of Van Nuys.

Waitresses at Rust's Barbecue restaurant (2/2)

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Waitresses at Rust's Barbecue restaurant: Mabel, Dolly, and Cleo Wendill.

Waitresses at Rust's Barbecue restaurant (1/2)

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Waitresses at at Rust's Barbecue restaurant: Dolly, Ina Rust, Mabel, and Cleo Wendill.

Cows graze by Josiah Thrasher's house on Shady Lane

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Cows graze by Josiah Thrasher's house on Shady Lane. Josiah was Ina Rust's father, and a pioneer of Van Nuys.

Three women at the Step Inn Cafe

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Three women at the Step Inn Cafe stand in front of 1937 Dodge and 1932 Buick cars.

Potter's Store, aka "The Skyscraper," hit by a mudslide (4/4)

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Potter's Store at Topanga Beach was nicknamed "The Skyscraper." After it was damaged by floods, Charles Potter rebuilt it, then moved it across the street, and renamed it Potter's Topanga Trading Post. On the second floor was the office of the Title…

Entrance to Topanga, 1931

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Entrance to Topanga shows Shriner’s Wayside Stand restaurant, Shell Gas Station, and Potter's Store

Oka Stewart sails in Evening Outlook Perpetual Trophy Race

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On September 1, 1935, the second annual Evening Outlook Perpetual Trophy Race was held on a 12-mile course that went from the Santa Monica Pier to Topanga Beach and back. The prize was custody for one year of the 36-inch bronze perpetual trophy, and…

Aerial view of entrance to Topanga Canyon, 2022

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Aerial view of entrance to Topanga Canyon shows Oasis Imports, the Malibu Feed Bin, and 7-Eleven gas station.

Oka Stewart's Topanga Yacht Club sailboat

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Oka Stewart's Topanga Yacht Club sailboat. His boats were Imp, Starlite, and Marlin. The man in the water is probably him. He sometimes raced with his son Bert for ballast.

Topanga Yacht Club membership cards, 1933-1936

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Topanga Yacht Club membership cards, signed by Oka Stewart (member), Helene Raymond and Henry Gledhill Jr. (secretaries), and Vesey O’Davoren (commodore).

Potter's Store, aka "The Skyscraper," hit by a mudslide (3/4)

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Potter's Store at Topanga Beach was nicknamed "The Skyscraper." After it was damaged by floods, Charles Potter rebuilt it, then moved it across the street, and renamed it Potter's Topanga Trading Post. On the second floor was the office of the Title…

Potter's Store, aka "The Skyscraper," hit by a mudslide (2/4)

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Potter's Store at Topanga Beach was nicknamed "The Skyscraper." After it was damaged by floods, Charles Potter rebuilt it, then moved it across the street, and renamed it Potter's Topanga Trading Post. On the second floor was the office of the Title…

Potter's Store, aka "The Skyscraper," hit by a mudslide (1/4)

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Potter's Store at Topanga Beach was nicknamed "The Skyscraper." After it was damaged by floods, Charles Potter rebuilt it, then moved it across the street, and renamed it Potter's Topanga Trading Post. On the second floor was the office of the Title…

A couple stands by the chimney of their house lost to fire

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A man and woman stand by the chimney of the house at Brookside that they lost to the 1938 fire.

Lucille Way searches the ruins of Marmont Studio after a fire

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Lucille Way searches the ruins of Marmont Studio in Brookside after the 1938 fire. Her sister was the owner, Laura Way Mathiesen.

Laura Way searches the ruins of Marmont Studio after a fire

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A woman searches the ruins of Marmont Studio in Brookside after the 1938 fire. She is probably the owner, Laura Way Mathiesen, whose paintings were burned.

Aerial view of Topanga Beach, 1938

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Aerial view of Topanga Beach shows the motel, Topanga Lagoon, Old Malibu Road, Topanga Lane, Shady Lane, and the Rodeo Grounds.

Topographical Sheet map, 1933

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Topographical Sheet map shows houses on Topanga Beach and Las Tunas Beach.

Topanga Yacht Club race off Topanga Beach

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Topanga Yacht Club races promoted the cause of a Topanga Yacht Harbor at Topanga Beach. Emmett Harvey of Los Angeles won this race in his Vagabond. Second was Dr. Fred Ott of Inglewood in his Goat. Floyd Alexander was third in Sea Horse.

Where Topango Creek meets the ocean

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"Where Topango Creek meets the ocean".... The view shows the last turn before the Topanga Lagoon

A diver searches for the Ameco, off Topanga Beach

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A diver searches for the Ameco, off Topanga Beach.

The fishing boat "Ameco" capsized off Topanga Beach, and 16 people drowned on Memorial Day, May 30, 1930. This remains the worst boating accident in the Santa Monica Bay.

Divers searched here for the Ameco, off Topanga Beach

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Divers searched here for the Ameco, off Topanga Beach

The fishing boat "Ameco" capsized off Topanga Beach, and 16 people drowned on Memorial Day, May 30, 1930. This remains the worst boating accident in the Santa Monica Bay.

Cartoon shows a giant wave strike the Ameco

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Cartoon shows a giant wave strike the Ameco as it wallows in a sea trough.

The fishing boat "Ameco" capsized off Topanga Beach, and 16 people drowned on Memorial Day, May 30, 1930. This remains the worst boating accident in the Santa Monica Bay.

A 1930 map marks Lower Topanga as a future park

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A 1930 map ("Diagram of Beach Frontage") marks Lower Topanga as the site of a future park, and the Santa Monica / Venice coastline as a future harbor.

The fishing boat Ameco sank off Topanga Beach, killing 16

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The fishing boat "Ameco" capsized off Topanga Beach, and 16 people drowned on Memorial Day, May 30, 1930. This remains the worst boating accident in the Santa Monica Bay.

Spence's Cabins motel sign on the Pacific Coast Highway

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Spence's Cabins motel sign on the Pacific Coast Highway points to Topanga Lane.

Marion Spence, unknown, Florence Spence by a trailer

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Marion Spence, unknown, Florence Spence by a trailer in the backyard of Spence's Cabins motel on Topanga Lane.

Siblings Thomas and Marion Spence at Spence's Cabins

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Siblings Thomas and Marion Spence sit on a car in front of Spence's Cabins motel on Topanga Lane.

Marion Spence leans on a car in front of Spence's Cabins

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Marion Spence leans on a car door in front of Spence's Cabins motel on Topanga Lane.

Edna Mae Spence with Adelia, Tom Jr., and Howard Evans

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Edna Mae Spence with nieces and nephews Adelia “Dee Dee”, Tom Jr., and Howard “Happy” Evans at Spence's Cabins motel on Topanga Lane.

Tom Evans with Marion, Roberta, William, Florence Spence

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Tom (maybe), wife Marion Evans (Spence), Roberta, William, and Florence Spence gather by a trailer in the backyard of Spence's Cabins motel on Topanga Lane.

Florence Spence, Jake Fields, William Spence, dog Skippy

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Florence Spence, Jake Fields, William Spence, and dog Skippy at Spence's Cabins motel on Topanga Lane.

Edna Mae Spence with mother Florence, friend Jake Fields

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Edna Mae Spence with mother Florence and friend Jake Fields at Spence's Cabins motel on Topanga Lane.

Florence, William, and Edna Mae Spence with dog Skippy

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Florence, William , and daughter Edna Mae Spence with dog Skippy at Spence's Cabins motel on Topanga Lane.

Norton Wisdom's art studio in the Snake Pit

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A painting and sculptures decorate Norton Wisdom's art studio in the Snake Pit.

Surfers Mike Perry and Craig Halley sit on a fence

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Mike Perry and Craig Halley sit on a fence on Topanga Beach Road.

Aricia Halley, Woody Stuart, Carole Winter, Mike Perry

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Aricia Halley, Woody Stuart, Carole Winter, and Mike Perry sit on the sand in front of a beach house.

Surfer Jono Fadriquela and friends in the parking lot, 2/2

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Unknown, Cathy Kersford, Ross Terranova, Jono Fadriquela, and Heidi Von Meter in the Topanga Beach parking lot

Surfer Jono Fadriquela and friends in the parking lot, 1/2

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Jono Fadriquela, Cathy Kersford, Kurt Armand (behind), Ross Terranova, Jimmy Allard, unknown, and Heidi Von Meter in the Topanga Beach parking lot

Woody Woodward, John Murphy, and Jeff Horseman

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Woody Woodward, John Murphy (J. Murf), and Jeff Horseman in the Topanga Beach parking lot