Indians, explorers,
squatters, and bandits are all part of Calabasas
history. The Chumash Indians led a peaceful life
amidst the rolling hills, making their homes in
canyons where streams and springs ensured a plentiful
supply of wildlife.
Acorns from the massive old oak trees that thrive
in the area formed an important part of their
diet. Some of the oaks in Calabasas may be 500-700
years-old today.
Settlements of Chumash Indians named the area
Calabasas, a word perhaps descended from the Indian
word for "where the wild geese fly."
Others think Calabasas comes from the Spanish
word for pumpkin or wild gourd.
Spanish expeditions in the 1700's forever changed
the Indians´ way of life. The Diary of Miguel
Costanso, which documents the Portola expeditions
in 1769-1770, refers to encounters with the Chumash
in the area. Six years later, the Juan de Anza
party camped just west of Calabasas.
El Scorpion, or El Escorpion, a ranch that once
occupied a large tract in the west Valley, was
granted to three Indians in Calabasas in the 1830's.
About 25 years later, Miguel Leonis, the Basque
"King of Calabasas" acquired the ranch
and 1100 acres by his marriage to Espiritu, an
Indian who had inherited the property from her
father.
Leonis was often in trouble with the law, hiring
gunmen to expand his lands, bribing witnesses
and threatening nearby settlers. He was killed
in 1889 when he fell from his wagon after removing
a band of squatters from his property. Squatter
wars and gun fights were a bloody part of Calabasas
history. "Inhabitants killed each other off
so steadily that a human face is a rarity,"
wrote Horace Bell in his book on the old west
coast.
When large ranches were divided into farms in
the late 1800's, families of settlers struggled
against poverty and drought. In her book, "Calabasas
Girls," Catherine Mulholland brings the era
to life with photographs and letters of her ancestors,
the Ijams. When water and power came to Owensmouth
(Canoga Park), they were happy to leave the difficult
life of Calabasas pioneers.
After the turn of the century, several select
spots in the Calabasas area developed into weekend
respites from the city. Crater Camp in Monte Nido
was opened in 1914 as a year-round picnic ground.
There are few reminders of the camp today on the
site of Malibu Meadows.
The Stunt family developed a homestead on the
north slope of Saddle Peak, also in the Monte
Nido area. A favorite spot for filming motion
pictures, the scenery was ideal for Hollywood.
Scenes from such films as Tarzan, The Adventures
of Robin Hood, and Stalag 17 were shot in this
area, today known as Malibu Creek State Park.
Circa 1863, an adobe which was built near the
park by a settler named Sepulveda for his wife
and 12 children, is now in the process of restoration.
On the north side of Calabasas Road is L.A. Historical
Cultural Monument Number One, the Leonis
Adobe. When Leonis renovated it in the
1870's, he enlarged it extensively and remodeled
it into a Monterey-style house. He and Espiritu
made it their home.The recent history of the adobe
is one of struggles to save both it and its grounds
from destruction. In the 1960's, the threat of
razing the adobe to build a supermarket led Kathleen
Beachy to purchase the property. Toady, it is
a superb monument to a bygone era, with meticulously
maintained furnishings and grounds, and serves
as an anchor for Old Town Calabasas.
Around 1983, the Plummer House, once the oldest
home in West Hollywood, was moved next to the
Leonis property. As a young boy, Senor Plummer
had visited his neighbors in the Leonis
Adobe. The building has been beautifully
restored and both the adobe and Plummer House
are open for tours.
What is now the Sagebrush Cantina was originally
a group of small stores built by Lester Agoure,
Sr. in the early 1920's. The parking lot once
was the local jail. Outside was the famous hanging
tree, dead, but still standing today. It is the
identifying logo of the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce.
Lack of water in the Calabasas area was always
a major concern. With the founding of the Las
Virgenes Municipal Water District in 1958, a water
supply was assured, and the area began its development
boom.
The first subdivision in Calabasas, called Park
Moderne (in Mulwood near Calabasas High School),
was a retreat for artists, craftsmen, and writers.
It was built on land traded off as part of Sam
Cooper Jr.´s homestead in 1928.
The first Calabasas high school was built in
1880 on the south side of Calabasas Road. A second
school, built on the same site in 1924-1925, was
a one-teacher school for the area until 1948,
when it joined with Liberty, Cornell, and Las
Virgenes to form the Las Virgenes Unified School
District. The former Pelican´s Retreat retains
a small portion of the second school building.
A walk on Calabasas Road in the historic Old
Town, takes one past several old buildings. The
first, west of the Motion Picture Home, was originally
a two-story pioneer store and dwelling owned by
Charles and Alice Cooper. Called "Hunter´s
Inn," it provided rooms for hunters and travelers.
After Charles died, his widow married Lawrence
Kramer and together they operated a store until
his retiring in 1968.
The next building, walking west, is a rebuilt
replica of a garage built in 1921 and owned by
the Daic brothers. Operated by Joseph, Charles,
and Al Daic, descendants of homesteaders, it was
originally a two-pump station. It became a popular
movie backdrop in the early 1980's. The Daic brothers
built a smaller building next door to the garage,
where Gaetano´s is now located. A Touch
of Class was the residence of Theresa Thilmony,
an early beloved school teacher.
The Leonis Plaza was at one time the site of
many small buildings constructed in the 1920's.
They were shops for artisans, and one was the
home of the Las Virgenes Enterprise. This had
formerly been a blacksmith shop belonging to Juan
Menendez, the son of Espiritu.
Information on the history of Calabasas area
is available at the Kathleen Beachy Memorial Library
at Pierce College. Established and maintained
by the Calabasas Historical Society, the library
is available to researchers.
FREEBIES IN CALABASAS
VISIT THE HINDU TEMPLE
1600 Las Virgenes Road
HIKE THE MOUNTAINS
Call Malibu Creek State Park info at
(818) 880-0367, and Paramount Ranch at (818) 883-3770.
STROLL OLD TOWN
Follow Calabasas Road from end to end
and check out the Calabasas Junction which was
once Cooper´s General Store with the El
Camino Real bell under the Oak, visit Leonis
Adobe and Calabasas Park and the many historic
buildings which are still standing.
STOP BY THE VISITORS CENTER for more things
to do
Located at 23564 Calabasas, the Calabasas
Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center |
