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Paul Dubosclard print "Trapper 1830"
The image shows a costumed scene from Old Spanish Days (Fiesta), which has been celebrated annually in Santa Barbara, California, since 1924.
Paul Dubosclard print "Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo 1542"
The image shows a costumed scene from Old Spanish Days (Fiesta), which has been celebrated annually in Santa Barbara, California, since 1924.
Paul Dubosclard print "St. Francisco de Asis"
The image shows a costumed scene from Old Spanish Days (Fiesta), which has been celebrated annually in Santa Barbara, California, since 1924.
Paul Dubosclard print "Mission Indians"
The image shows a costumed scene from Old Spanish Days (Fiesta), which has been celebrated annually in Santa Barbara, California, since 1924.
Paul Dubosclard print "Vaquero"
The image shows a costumed scene from Old Spanish Days (Fiesta), which has been celebrated annually in Santa Barbara, California, since 1924.
Paul Dubosclard print "California Indian"
The image shows a costumed scene from Old Spanish Days (Fiesta), which has been celebrated annually in Santa Barbara, California, since 1924.
Paul Dubosclard print "Fiesta Rider (male)"
The image shows a costumed scene from Old Spanish Days (Fiesta), which has been celebrated annually in Santa Barbara, California, since 1924.
Paul Dubosclard print "Don José"
The image shows a costumed scene from Old Spanish Days (Fiesta), which has been celebrated annually in Santa Barbara, California, since 1924.
Free Americans Gallery of Art sign
Musician Ed Lewis (Juma Sultan) opened The Free Americans Gallery of Art on 252 Old Topanga Canyon Rd. in September 1965. It showed psychedelic art.
Topanga Riders Summer Gymkhana award, 1956
Dale Smith, 13, won this second-place award in the "Speed and Action" event at the Topanga Riders Summer Gymkhana. The red ribbon has gold lettering and a picture of a horse. Dale also won first place in the "Stake Race."
From "The Topanga…
From "The Topanga…
Building Topanga Canyon Blvd.
The chain gang (prison road workers) build the S-Turns of Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Potter's Topanga Trading Post matchbook
Potter's Topanga Trading Post matchbook. The grocery store advertises, "You don't get soaked here."
Potter's Topanga Trading Post
A Christmas card showing Charlie Potter and Eleanor Potter in front of Potter's Topanga Trading Post.
Pine Tree Circle and Old Topanga Canyon
Pine Tree Circle, with the post office. Old Topanga Canyon is in the background.
Peter York and Lee Rogich on a motorcycle
Peter York and girlfriend Lee Rogich, from Tucson, Arizona, on a motorcycle on Colina Dr.
Brothers John, Jim, and Peter York play in the snow
Brothers John York, Jim York, and Peter York play in the snow on Colina Dr. with an unknown boy on the left.
Brothers Peter, John, James, and Andrew York
Brothers Peter York, John York, James York, and Andrew York at home on Colina Dr.
Topanga Ladies, 1958
"Topanga Ladies and Lassies Score Triumph as Fashion Models at Show Here"
Norah DeWitt, Judy Piner, Rebel Raymond, Betty Douphner, Miriam Oberg, Dorothy Boehme, May Lewis, Nell Laymen, Lee Segler, Miss Barbara Juday, Miss Carol Esparza
Norah DeWitt, Judy Piner, Rebel Raymond, Betty Douphner, Miriam Oberg, Dorothy Boehme, May Lewis, Nell Laymen, Lee Segler, Miss Barbara Juday, Miss Carol Esparza
C. R. Tracy Insurance ad: "Are you fully covered?"
A fireman is excited to find a nude woman after breaking down her door and interrupting her shower. "Are you fully covered?" asks this advertisement for General Insurance by C. R. Tracy, Topanga's District Agent. Topanga 2563.
Topanga Canyon Video ad: "The store with a talking gorilla!"
Coming Soon! Topanga Canyon Video. Rentals, Sales, Fun. The only video store with a talking gorilla! 369 South Topanga Canyon Boulevard, in the Philips Realty Building next to Rainbow Village.
John Bonnell's barn and stone house
A barn is in the foreground. A car is parked, at right, beside John Bonnell's stone house, hidden by a shadow, in Old Topanga Canyon. The Palmaymesa family lived in the house on the hill.
John Bonnell's stone house
John Bonnell's stone house is on the left, as seen from Old Topanga Canyon Road. Caretakers Bert and Mary Palmaymesa lived in the house on the hill.
Old Topanga Canyon Road passes vineyard and stone house
A white awning is attached to the back of John Bonnell's stone house, at right. Old Topanga Canyon Road passes by the apple orchard that replaced Frederico Mazet’s vineyard.
Bert and Mary Palmaymesa
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.
Map of John Bonnell's Topanga Park, circa 1926
Map of John Bonnell's Topanga Park (now Bonnell Park) in Old Topanga Canyon, circa 1926.
Frederico Joseph Mazet's restored vineyard
A deer passes by homesteader Frederico Joseph Mazet's 19th-century vineyard (recently restored) and winery in Old Topanga Canyon.
The opening of Topanga's road from the Valley to the beach
On May 29, 1915, the Automobile Club of Southern California celebrated the opening of Topanga's road from the San Fernando Valley to the beach. "The dreamer of the dream," H. J. Whitley, was the host at a "mammoth barbecue to an assembly of 5,000…
Gym for the Mind ad: "Dumbbells for weak, books for dumb."
David Esser's Gym for the Mind operated at the Topanga Turnout from 1988-1990, then moved to Woodland Hills. It advertised, "Dumbbells for the weakling and books for the dumbbell. A gym, a bookstore, a vegetable garden, and people to think with!"…
Paul Dubosclard print "Topanga Post Office"
Paul Dubosclard print "Topanga Post Office" and General Store
Paul Dubosclard print "Autumn in Fernwood"
Paul Dubosclard print "Autumn in Fernwood" ("Winter in Fernwood")
Paul Dubosclard print "The Spring Grade"
"The Spring Grade" by Paul Dubosclard is a silk-screen print of the S-Turns. "Noel" is the Christmas edition.
Don Hilston and Michael Horse in Pine Tree Circle
Don Hilston and Michael Horse in Pine Tree Circle during Topanga Days. Don Hilston was a contractor who leased space in the Messenger office. Michael Horse was a jeweler who leased Jon Raymond's old studio, and an actor whose first roles were: as…
Ed Cummings ran the Enco gas station at Fernwood
Ed Cummings ran the Enco gas station at Fernwood in the late 1960s, and organized the Strawberry Festival. He lived in Greenleaf Canyon.
Jack Jr., Marvin, and Gail Dunphy
Jack Jr., Marvin, and Gail Dunphy. Marvin coached the Olympic volleyball team that won a gold medal in 1988. Gail was a mail carrier for the Malibu Post Office. Their father Jack Dunphy Sr. ran the Topanga Fixit appliance and machinery repair store…
Louise York, editor of The Topanga Story
Louise York, editor of a historical book called The Topanga Story, outside her home. York has a stunning view of the canyon from her hilltop dwelling. A former journalist, York spent months combing shelves, files, and boxes for material and…
Regina Rosa, owner of Topanga Kids clothing store
Regina Rosa, owner of Topanga Kids clothing store, shows off one of her bubble guns.
Rose Wiley
Rose Wiley, granddaughter of Francisco Trujillo, one of Topanga's first homesteaders, walks among the mustard plants on her property.
Cosmo's thrift store
Cosmo's thrift store, in the Pine Tree Circle, had no name. Cosmo sold everything from old jewelry to used, patched blue jeans. He arrived in California from Texas, in 1959.
Topanga's Eighth Grade Graduates, 1946
Topanga's Eighth Grade Graduation. With 19 members the Class of 1946 was one of the largest and most promising ever to be graduated from the Canyon school. Left to right—Standing: Mrs. Elva Sigrist, principal; Robert Winton, Larry Allen, Dale Cutter,…
Civilian Conservation Corps camp
From 1933 to 1938, part of the Cheney Ranch, at the west end of Callon Drive, was leased for a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. The CCC was a federal government agency that hired unemployed young men to do public conservation work. In Topanga,…
Civilian Conservation Corps camp
From 1933 to 1938, part of the Cheney Ranch, at the west end of Callon Drive, was leased for a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. The CCC was a federal government agency that hired unemployed young men to do public conservation work. In Topanga,…
The diving boards at Camp Wildwood
Justin Kirby and Matthew Andrews leap from the diving boards into the swimming pool at Camp Wildwood. Owners Oka and Julia Stewart purchased the 15-acre property in 1944 and operated it for four decades.
The Pine Tree Circle mall under construction
The Pine Tree Circle mall was constructed by a crew of mostly locals. It opened in 2000. Although resented at first, it quickly became Topanga's popular town center. Owners Steve and Leslie Carlson are standing at right. The Carlsons sold the mall…
Louie Kelly and Phil Lando at the Chevron Gas Station
Louie Kelly, who had been a Topanga resident for 15 years, and Phil Lando, of Van Nuys, took over the Chevron Gas Station at Pine Tree Circle in March 1978.
Warren Roberts, Topanga Fish Market owner
Warren Roberts opened the Topanga Fish Market, a restaurant and market near the lumber store, which was in business from the 1970s-1990s. Warren also owned the Reel Inn on Pacific Coast Highway.
Sweet Water boutique
The Sweet Water boutique sold handmade clothing, jewelry, ceramics and wooden wares. It was run by two women with excellent taste near the town center, and had a shaky deck in back, overlooking the Topanga Creek.
Gordon Butcher painting, "Topanga Threads"
"Topanga Threads" painted by Gordon Butcher. This used clothing store in the Pine Tree Circle was owned by J. R. Ball.
J. R. Ball, owner of Topanga Threads
J. R. Ball, owner of Topanga Threads, a used clothing store in the Pine Tree Circle. Ball remembered, "I went broke there because a series of winter storms came in one year, back to back. For weeks, the area was nothing but mud.
The Malibu Feed Bin and the Morehart family
In 1961, Ace Smith created the Malibu Feed Bin at the corner of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Pacific Coast Highway. In 1966, he sold it to Marty Morehart, pictured here with his wife Patricia and two daughters, Katie and Kasey, holding their own…
Sassafras Nursery
Sassafras Nursery was a plant and seed business that sold to museums, florists, and locals. Customers enjoyed the bucolic setting, although it was hard to reach when Topanga Creek was flowing.
Pamela Ingram at her Sassafras Nursery
Pamela Ingram shakes hands with two unidentified people at her Sassafras Nursery. Active in the 1980s, it was a show place of plants and flowers located near the town center. To reach it, the driveway forded Topanga Creek.
Architect Bob Bates
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,…
Elysium Fields nudist resort
Elysium Fields nudist resort opened on Robinson Road in 1968. After owner Ed Lange's death in 1995, his daughter kept the business going until 2001.
Ed Lange, owner of Elysium Fields
Ed Lange, owner of the nudist resort Elysium Fields, which opened in 1968 on seven acres at the end of Robinson Road. Neighbors put up a huge protest, but over the years Ed became such a good neighbor the he was voted Topanga Citizen of the Year in…
Richard "Dick" Sherman
Richard "Dick" Sherman founded Topanga Underground in 1971, a business specializing in designing and installing septic systems, water mains, and underground utilities.
Gail McTune and Bill Buerge receive an award
Gail McTune and Bill Buerge receive a Chamber of Commerce award. They are members of many Topanga organizations, including the Topanga Historical Society. Gail, a nutritionist, homeopath, and herbalist, came to Topanga in the early 1970s to visit…
Three Dolphin Inn restaurant
The Three Dolphin Inn restaurant existed in a building with many incarnations. First, the building was a drugstore in the 1940s-1950s. Then it became The Discovery Inn in the 1960s, followed by a series of restaurants. Allen Emerson, owner of the…
Rendezvous Restaurant
The Rendezvous Restaurant was a short-lived coffeeshop in the Turnout building that was destroyed by mudslides in 1998. Owner Rajier Ahmadpor watches customers Jack Chambers, Felice Matare, and Doug Kirby.
Bridge Building Books
Kathleen Gildred opened Bridge Building Books in an old gas station on the property of the Inn of the Seventh Ray restaurant. Her metaphysical bookstore complemented the the restaurant's spiritual atmosphere. When her five-year lease expired, the…
Inn of the Seventh Ray restaurant
Psychotherapists Ralph and Lucille Yaney opened the Inn of the Seventh Ray in 1975. They were disciples of the spiritual leader Elizabeth Clare Prophet. The fancy restaurant, with outdoor patios that overlook Topanga Creek, is a popular place for…
Waterlily Café
The Waterlily Café was one of the first businesses to open in the Pine Tree Circle mall.
Pat's Topanga Grill restaurant
Pat Burke opened Pat's Topanga Grill in 1994. Its walls were decorated with paintings by local artists and signs of defunct Topanga businesses. The restaurant closed when Pat died in 2015.
Café Mimosa interior
Arlette Morgan, from France, opened Café Mimosa opened in 1994. She sold it to Claire Cohn, also from France, in 2004.
Café Mimosa
Arlette Morgan, from France, opened Café Mimosa opened in 1994. She sold it to Claire Cohn, also from France, in 2004.
Kedric Wolfe painting "Buddha on the Wall," 1982
Liz Shepherd, David Totheroh, and Kedric Wolfe painted "Buddha on the Wall" on Labor Day 1982. The mural, designed by Shepherd, can still be seen on the retaining wall along Topanga Canyon Blvd., near Highvale Trail. In 2016, Clare Brown led a crew…
Liz Shepherd painting "Buddha on the Wall," 1982
Liz Shepherd, David Totheroh, and Kedric Wolfe painted "Buddha on the Wall" on Labor Day 1982. The mural, designed by Shepherd, can still be seen on the retaining wall along Topanga Canyon Blvd., near Highvale Trail. In 2016, Clare Brown led a crew…
Marshall (?) visits Kedric Wolfe and "Buddha on the Wall"
Liz Shepherd, David Totheroh, and Kedric Wolfe painted "Buddha on the Wall" on Labor Day 1982. The mural, designed by Shepherd, can still be seen on the retaining wall along Topanga Canyon Blvd., near Highvale Trail. In 2016, Clare Brown led a crew…
Kedric Wolfe and mural "Buddha on the Wall," 1982
Liz Shepherd, David Totheroh, and Kedric Wolfe painted "Buddha on the Wall" on Labor Day 1982. The mural, designed by Shepherd, can still be seen on the retaining wall along Topanga Canyon Blvd., near Highvale Trail. In 2016, Clare Brown led a crew…
Performance artist Kedric Wolfe
Performance artist Kedric Wolfe was part of Topanga's art scene from the late 1960s until the late 1990s. He enjoyed wearing costumes in public, often promoting a political point of view, like in this example where he parades his confidence in the…
Ceramicist Rebecca Andrews displays decorative tiles
Ceramicist Rebecca Andrews displays decorative tiles from the business she created, Touchstone Ceramics. She moved to Topanga in the late 1960s with her husband and six children, often employing the latter and their friends to assist her. She…
Artist Barry Lysaght makes highly prized wood carvings
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 and political activist Rabyn Blake in her studio
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…
Ceramists Jim and Sue Sullivan at their art studio
Ceramists Jim and Sue Sullivan made fine art pieces at their studio and home at the end of Greenleaf Canyon. In the 2010s, they moved to Petaluma, CA.
Topanga Canyon Gallery artists
Topanga Canyon Gallery artists Jon Burns, Ainsley Pryor, Kathleen Sullivan, Linda Bolhuis, Sue Sullivan, and Jim Sullivan.
Topanga Canyon Gallery opening party
Topanga Canyon Gallery throws an opening party in the Old Center. The gallery was founded by ceramists Jim and Sue Sullivan, and for many years featured local artists. It closed in 1995, but reopened five years later in Pine Tree Circle.
Painter Llyn Foulkes plays his instrument "The Machine"
Painter Llyn Foulkes plays his instrument "The Machine," which he built himself. He lived in the Topanga in the 1980s-1990s. In 2013, he had a retrospective exhibit at Los Angele's Hammer Museum.
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