Browse Items (464 total)
- Collection: Lower Topanga
Sort by:
Las Tunas Isle Motel stained-glass window
Las Tunas Isle Motel stained-glass window shows underwater scene with fish, seaweed, and a mermaid.
Las Tunas Isle Motel bathroom wall and ceiling
Las Tunas Isle Motel bathroom wall and ceiling have a tropical-plant decor, with green palm leaves painted around a lamp.
Las Tunas Isle Motel check-in window and doorbell
Las Tunas Isle Motel check-in window, doorbell, and arundo bamboo walls
Las Tunas Isle Motel room doorbells
Las Tunas Isle Motel room doorbells and arundo bamboo decor at front door.
Las Tunas Isle Motel arched entrance
Las Tunas Isle Motel arched entrance doorway with arundo bamboo decor and doorbells.
Armand Riza's surfboards at Las Tunas Beach
Armand Olaf Riza's surfboards, at his home on Las Tunas Beach, are covered by a banner that says, "Malibu Surf & Sail, 18904 Pacific Coast Highway." The better-looking boards are for windsurfing. The others have weathered yellow and brown.
Armand Riza, Las Tunas Beach
Armand Olaf Riza, Las Tunas Beach resident, wears wetsuit and windsurfing gear. Behind him are a boat and his neighbor's house, La Esperanza.
La Esperanza house's address plaque, Las Tunas Beach
La Esperanza house's address plaque, Las Tunas Beach, reads "18862 Malibu." The house's name means, "The Hope," and formerly belonged to actors Greta Garbo, June Havoc, Fred MacMurray, and screenwriter Frank Pierson.
Horse carriage at former site of Arch Rock
A man drives a horse carriage on the rocks at Topanga Beach. In the background is the former site of Arch Rock, which collapsed on March 23, 1906. Three women follow, including possibly May Rindge and her daughter Rhoda.
The Rust family builds snowmen in Topanga
The Rust family builds snowmen in Topanga. From left: unknown, Clayton Rust, unknown (seated), Cleo Rust Wendill, Avis Wendill, Ina Rust, Mary Kays
Topanga Beach map, 1903
A Topanga Beach map from 1903 shows four houses and the "Natural" Arch Rock.
The White Squadron pauses for lunch in Brookside
The White Squadron pauses for lunch in Brookside. The trip of 15 steam cars, carrying 67 people, was organized by Col. F. C. Fenner of the “White garage.”
A woman in a dress stands under Arch Rock
A woman in a dress stands under Arch Rock. The retaining wall has been erased from the colorized version of this photo.
At the entrance to The Topango
The Topanga Creek and Lagoon are barely visible "at the entrance to The Topango." In the background are a field of crops and Jack Rabbit Lodge.
A horse wagon carries passengers across Topanga Creek
A horse wagon carries passengers across Topanga Creek, while two women walk along the bank. The caption says, "Going up 'Topango' Canyon -- crossing a little stream is Emma and Jim on front seat, Mrs. H. Esther next, Mother S. sitting in back --…
A horse carriage pauses in front of Arch Rock
A man stands beside a horse carriage, in front of Arch Rock
Eduardo Camões painting, "Arch Rock, 1905," 2017?
A man drives a horse wagon through Arch Rock in 1905, in this painting accessed from the internet in 2017.
Mouth of the Topanga Creek
The mouth of the Topanga Creek empties into the ocean, with Jack Rabbit Lodge in the background.
A woman stands on a hill above the Topanga Lagoon
A woman stands on a hill above the Topanga Lagoon, holding flowers.
Gun-toting Mary West picnics with her daughters
Gun-toting Mary West picnics with her daughters on Topanga Beach. The caption says, "Mary A. West with Elizabeth West in front and Frances West in rear. That rifle being held by Mrs. West was given to me in Lordsburg, N.M. about 1894 by the assistant…
Unknown artist painting, "Jack Rabbit Lodge," early 1900s
The lodge beside the Topanga Lagoon was inhabited by fishermen until prospector William Wills Coolbaugh bought it in 1909. A deputy sheriff burned it down on March 22, 1911, to evict the illegal homesteader.
Rancho Boca de Santa Monica map
Map shows boundary of the Rancho Boca de Santa Monica. Also included are the oil derricks of the Port Los Angeles Oil Company, the Port Los Angeles Pier ("Long Wharf"), Dryden's Well, Arroyo de Topango, Santa Monica Cañón, and the Santa Monica Pier.
Site of the recently collapsed Arch Rock, red bicycle
A red bicycle lies at the side of the dirt road at the site of the recently collapsed Arch Rock.
Site of the recently collapsed Arch Rock
A dirt road winds past the site of the recently collapsed Arch Rock.
Costumed men ride horses on the beach
Costumed men ride horses in a line on Topanga Beach, near the former Arch Rock. This could be for a film.
Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica map, 1840s
This Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica map from the 1840s (specifically a diseño: a rough map required to accompany Spanish and Mexican land grant petitions), shows perhaps the earliest depiction of Topanga Canyon.
Jerry Cibilich sculpture, "Crystal Radio Antenna," 1991
Jerry Lee Cibilich (1957-2011) worked as a California lifeguard in the summer, and studied art in Italy in the winter under famous artists like Marco Gastini and Mario Merz. The ocean, found its way into his work through the use of salt, waves of all…
Woody Woodward rides his new Hobie surfboard
Woody Woodward rides a wave on his first new surfboard, from Hobie.
Woody Woodward's Skateboarding Hall of Fame T-shirt
Woody Woodward skates on a T-shirt created by Logan Earth Ski to commemorate his induction into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2013.
Topanga Bombers reunion T-shirt, 1991
Topanga Bomber Jim Fitzpatrick commissioned skateboard artist Sean Cliver to design this reunion T-shirt in 1991. It was printed at Powell-Peralta Skateboards.
Fitzpatrick asked Cliver to modify the logo of the Santa Cruz Surfers Union by adding a…
Fitzpatrick asked Cliver to modify the logo of the Santa Cruz Surfers Union by adding a…
T. H. Webster painting, "Topango Canyon," 1934
This watercolor painting shows Marmont Studio, the home of painter Laura Way Mathiesen at Brookside. It burned in the 1938 fire.
The last residents of the Rodeo Grounds 1/2
The last residents of the Rodeo Grounds gather on a couch at James Mathers's party.
BACK ROW: Michele Capra, Calvin Lunsford, Farengis Danesh, Kendall Perkins ("Lyf"), Robin Paz ("Lunch Lady"), Sam Rollins.
FRONT ROW: Daisy Duck McCrackin,…
BACK ROW: Michele Capra, Calvin Lunsford, Farengis Danesh, Kendall Perkins ("Lyf"), Robin Paz ("Lunch Lady"), Sam Rollins.
FRONT ROW: Daisy Duck McCrackin,…
The last residents of the Rodeo Grounds 2/2
The last residents of the Rodeo Grounds gather on a couch at James Mathers's party.
BACK ROW: Christof Marquardsen, Michele Capra, Bernt Capra, Jean-Louis Bartoli, Kendall Perkins ("Lyf"), Robin Paz ("Lunch Lady").
FRONT ROW: Daisy Duck…
BACK ROW: Christof Marquardsen, Michele Capra, Bernt Capra, Jean-Louis Bartoli, Kendall Perkins ("Lyf"), Robin Paz ("Lunch Lady").
FRONT ROW: Daisy Duck…
Rock riprap along Topanga Creek, near PCH
Boulders were placed as rock riprap along the right bank of Topanga Creek, 600 feet upstream from Pacific Coast Highway.
E. Roger Stearns fishes in Topanga Creek from his car
Car salesman E. Roger Stearns made a publicity stunt out of fishing in Topanga Creek from the seat of his red Velie,
Native-American artifacts discovered in Lower Topanga
William Wills Coolbaugh discovered these Native-American artifacts in a mound in Lower Topanga. In addition to arrowheads, spearheads, necklaces, and skulls, they include an "idol" statue, made of polished bone, on which “The eyes and nose of the…
William Wills Coolbaugh holds a Native-American skull
William Wills Coolbaugh holds a Native-American skull that he dug out of a mound in Lower Topanga.
Native-American skulls discovered in Lower Topanga
William Wills Coolbaugh discovered the bones of Native Americans in a mound in Lower Topanga. At least one of the skulls had an arrowhead embedded in it. Others were crushed. A Stanford Archaeology class came to assist, and conjectured that the…
Western actors with rifles and wagons play settlers
D. W. Griffith directed the Western "Crossing the American Prairies in the Early Fifties" in Lower Topanga. He spoke through a megaphone from the saddle of a cream-colored horse. He included 200 cowboys from nearby ranches, 50 women and children, 120…
Western actors play Native Americans and settlers
D. W. Griffith directed the Western "Crossing the American Prairies in the Early Fifties" in Lower Topanga. He spoke through a megaphone from the saddle of a cream-colored horse. He included 200 cowboys from nearby ranches, 50 women and children, 120…
D. W. Griffith directs a Western on horseback
D. W. Griffith directed the Western "Crossing the American Prairies in the Early Fifties" in Lower Topanga. He spoke through a megaphone from the saddle of a cream-colored horse. He included 200 cowboys from nearby ranches, 50 women and children, 120…
Topanga Beach before the automobile age
Topanga Beach had only one house "before the automobile age." This photo was taken from Sunset Mesa.
The Topanga Canyon road between the coast and the grade
The Topanga Canyon road was once a narrow dirt road, as seen here between the coast and the grade.
Cars drive on a dirt road at Topanga Beach
Cars drive on a dirt road at Topanga Beach near the former site of Arch Rock.
Jack Rabbit Lodge, a long barn, and a plowed field
Jack Rabbit Lodge, a long barn, and a plowed field were once beside the Topanga Lagoon at Topanga Beach.
Theodore Gegoux painting, "Topanga Canyon, Mountains on the Coast," 1915
Theodore Gegoux's painting, "Topanga Canyon, Mountains on the Coast," shows Topanga Beach, Topanga Lagoon, and the entrance to Topanga Canyon.
Two cars park on the newly widened Topanga Canyon Road
Two cars full of people park on the newly widened Topanga Canyon Road in Lower Topanga. On the right, a man gets water from a spring.
Two men in suits walk down Topanga Canyon Road
Two men in suits walk down Topanga Canyon Road in Lower Topanga. They have draped their coats over their shoulders.
Five men in suits pose beside Topanga Creek
Five men in suits pose beside Topanga Creek in Lower Topanga. A jacket is draped over their car.
Men in suits and women in dresses on Topanga Canyon Road
Men in suits and women in long dresses pause on Topanga Canyon Road in Lower Topanga.
Women sit beside a large rock, holding flowers
Women, wearing dresses and large hats, hold flowers and sit with men in suits beside a large rock on the bank of Topanga Creek in Lower Topanga.
A man in a suit and a woman in a dress stand beside a cave
A man in a suit and a woman in a long dress stand beside a large rock with a shallow cave on Topanga Canyon Road in Lower Topanga.
A car parks at the bottom of the S-Turns
A man and woman park their car on the curb of the newly widened Topanga Canyon Road, at the bottom of the S-Turns.
A prison camp in Lower Topanga housed a chain gang
A prison camp in Lower Topanga housed a chain gang while they built the Topanga Canyon Road.
"The great dormitory sits in the center of what will soon be a beautiful garden. The prisoners have already marked off the plot for flower…
"The great dormitory sits in the center of what will soon be a beautiful garden. The prisoners have already marked off the plot for flower…
Charlie Chaplin escapes from prison in "The Adventurer"
Charlie Chaplin runs away from the chain gang and prison camp at Topanga Beach, in his film "The Adventurer," 1917
Dolores Trujillo drives a wagon through Topanga Creek
Topanga pioneer Dolores Trujillo (probably in the left front seat) drives through Topanga Creek in a horse-drawn wagon, transporting the chain gang's road-building equipment back to the beach.
Program for the Elks' Round-Up at Cooper's Ranch
A program for the Elks' Round-Up at Cooper's Ranch shows a list of prizes.
On June 2-3, 1923, the Elks threw a two-day rodeo at Cooper's Ranch (behind Cooper's Camp, in the Rodeo Grounds). The stated purpose was to raise money to send their band…
On June 2-3, 1923, the Elks threw a two-day rodeo at Cooper's Ranch (behind Cooper's Camp, in the Rodeo Grounds). The stated purpose was to raise money to send their band…
Topanga Ranch Motel key
Topanga Ranch Motel cabin #19 was the home of Jack Lester Sr. and his sons Kim and Jack Jr. They lived in multiple cabins from 1963 until it closed in 2002... about half of the motel's existence!
Florence Spence gives Edna Mae Spence a bath
Florence Spence gives Edna Mae Spence a bath at their home on Topanga Lane, which would become Spence's Cabins.
A new coast road is built through Cooper's Camp
A new coast road is built through Cooper's Camp, and over a Native American burial mound.
Rodeo performer "Tuck" Gibson rides his horse
Rodeo performer "Tuck" Gibson rides his horse Steamboat in the Rodeo Grounds.
Jack Curtis and Andy Andrews break ground for the rodeo
Jack Curtis and Andy Andrews break ground for the Elks' Rodeo at Topanga Beach. The Elks built a frontier village.
Elks ride in a wagon to the Topanga Beach rodeo
Prominent members of the Santa Monica Elks Lodge are shown riding in a wagon pulled by reindeer to the Topanga Beach rodeo. The photographic cartoon was created by Fred Coffey
Topanga Beach map, 1925
Topanga Beach map, 1925, shows Brookside Drive, Shady Lane, The Rodeo Grounds, Topanga Lane (Topanga Canyon Lane), Old Malibu Road, and the former site of Arch Rock (Natural Arch).
Aerial view of Topanga Beach, 1925
Aerial view of Topanga Beach, which is called "the probable future site of the finest Pacific coast estates."
Aerial view of Lower Topanga, 1926
Aerial photo of Lower Topanga, 1926, showing Cooper's Camp (motel) and the Rodeo Grounds.
Aerial view of Lower Topanga, 1927
Aerial photo of Lower Topanga, 1927, showing Cooper's Camp (motel) and the Rodeo Grounds.
Charles Hudson leaves Topanga Beach in a canoe
A cartoon shows Charles Hudson leaving Topanga Beach in a canoe after boasting that he could reach Catalina Island.
Frank Hudson with son Charles Hudson
Frank Hudson with son Charles Hudson, who tried to canoe from Topanga Beach to Catalina Island.
Aerial view of Lower Topanga, 1928
Aerial photo of Lower Topanga, 1928, showing Cooper's Camp (motel) and the Rodeo Grounds.
A bridge crosses the Topanga Lagoon
A bridge crosses the Topanga Lagoon, near Cooper's Camp and De Long Cafe. Plans were afoot to replace the bridge, which happened in 1933. This photo comes from a 1930 report submitted to the Citizens' Committee on Parks, Playgrounds, and Beaches, by…
Featured Item
No featured items are available.