Browse Items (3726 total)

George Herms points to his head at 1972's "Tap City Circus"

Beginning in 1965, whenever he was short on funds (or, “tapped out”), George Herms held Tap City Circuses at his home in Topanga Canyon, which were sort of like raffles, with artworks as prizes. The event recurred about every 18 months, and each one…

Jessi Woodhams drawing, "Sandstone Living Room," 2013

Nudists listen to a man play guitar at Sandstone Retreat, a free-love commune that opened off Saddle Peak Rd. in 1969.

Suzy Caldis and James Mathers jam in The Rodeo Grounds

Suzy Caldis watches James Mathers play the ukulele in his art studio at 3726 Rodeo Grounds. His paintings are in the background.

James Mathers and Russell stand on the hill above PCH

Russell [SURNAME?] and James Mathers stand on the hill above PCH that separates Topanga Canyon and Tuna Canyon.

Never-Ending Costume Party at 3726 Rodeo Grounds, 5/6

People take a group photo at a "Never-Ending Costume Party" in front of James Mathers's airstream trailer at 3726 Rodeo Grounds. James Mathers (shirtless) wears a silver space suit, a clown hat, and has black eye makeup. Erin Loggins ("Log") holds a…

People hike on the hill above The Rodeo Grounds

People hike on the hill above The Rodeo Grounds. Jeffrey Indiana Schwartz ("Paperboy") wears a gray shirt.

The Spaghetti Joint: Stephanie, Jarnell, Philly, Aurora, 1/2

Stephanie Lira, Jarnell Wingard, Philly Brooks, and Aurora Glassock share a table at The Spaghetti Joint restaurant, across from Topanga Beach.

The Spaghetti Joint: Stephanie, Jarnell, Philly, Aurora, 2/2

Stephanie Lira, Jarnell Wingard, Philly Brooks, and Aurora Glassock share a table at The Spaghetti Joint restaurant, across from Topanga Beach.

Blue Juice: Jeff, Don, George, and Murf

The surf-rock band Blue Juice takes a group photo: Jeff Ort (drums), Don MacVicar (bass), George Trafton (guitar), and J. Murf (guitar).

"Topanga Beach," International Surfing Magazine, 1971, 3/7

Jim Fitzpatrick's "Topanga Beach" article shows artwork by Jim Evans depicting Myth, Fable, Fact, Dog, Cat People, Waves, Seaweed, Weed (marijuana), and You.

Frances Fitzpatrick sits in her backyard at Topanga Beach

Frances Fitzpatrick sits in her backyard at 18658 W. Topanga Beach Rd.

Topanga Beach residents gather for a group photo, 1/2

Topanga Beach residents gather for a group photo.

STANDING:
Peter Smith (left, white long-sleeve shirt)
Wheeler Coberly (left, talking to a woman)
Foster Sherwood (center, long blond hair and beard)
Bob Schiller (center, puffy parka)
Jack…

Topanga Beach residents gather for a group photo, 2/2

Topanga Beach residents gather for a group photo

STANDING:
Peter Smith (left, white long-sleeve shirt)
Wheeler Coberly (left, striped pants)
"Tennis Shoe Ernie" Ford (left, in back)
Reva (sunglasses) and Doug Meredith (center left)
Foster…

"Topanga Beach," International Surfing Magazine, 1971, 4/7

Jim Fitzpatrick's "Topanga Beach" article shows surfers J. Riddle, Woody Woodward, and George Trafton riding waves.

"Topanga Beach," International Surfing Magazine, 1971, 5/7

Jim Fitzpatrick's "Topanga Beach" article shows surfer George Trafton riding a wave, and "The Daylight Savings Naked Romp of 1969," presumably on the nude beach.

"Topanga Beach," International Surfing Magazine, 1971, 6/7

Jim Fitzpatrick's "Topanga Beach" article shows a montage.

1. A beautifully shaped wave breaks.
2. Beach houses belonging to Doug Meredith, Geary Steffen, and Bob Schiller are just below the intersection.
3. Katherine Ottesen's beach house is on…

"Topanga Beach," International Surfing Magazine, 1971, 7/7

Jim Fitzpatrick's "Topanga Beach" article shows surfers Davey Hilton and Scott Heywood riding waves. At left is artwork by Jim Evans depicting Fable, Cat, People, and Weed (marijuana).

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach, 1/5

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach. The band played the soundtrack for the surf film "The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun" (1970). From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach, 2/5

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach. The band played the soundtrack for the surf film "The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun" (1970).From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach, 3/5

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach. The band played the soundtrack for the surf film "The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun" (1970).From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach, 4/5

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach. The band played the soundtrack for the surf film "The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun" (1970).From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Bonnie Vincent rides a horse by the Yellow House

Bonnie Vincent rides a horse with an unknown girl (not her daughter) by the Yellow House at Topanga Beach. Surfboards lean against the porch.From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Victoria Anderson sunbathes at Topanga Beach

From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Joe Pleshe lived across the creek near Brookside

From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

The dining room at Jim Ganzer's Topanga Beach house

From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Jan-Michael Vincent, Ronne Troup, and Jim Ganzer

Jan-Michael Vincent, Ronne Troup, and Jim Ganzer in Ganzer's Topanga Beach house.From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Robbie Dick stands in his surfboard shaping room

Robbie Dick stands in his surfboard shaping roomat 3843 Topanga Canyon Blvd.From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Jan-Michael Vincent wears a military hat at Topanga Beach

From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Jim Ganzer waxes his surfboard at Topanga Beach

From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Jan-Michael Vincent rides a horse at Topanga Beach

From the book Life Lived by Jim Ganzer (Indoek, 2024).

Surfer Mike Waco at Topanga Beach

John Clemens leans on a Hobie surfboard at Topanga Beach

John Clemens leans on a Hobie surfboard (Corky Carroll model) at Topanga Beach.

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach, 5/5

Farm plays on a porch at Topanga Beach. The band played the soundtrack for the surf film "The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun" (1970). Dennis Dragon (1947-2017) plays drums next to a Fender amplifier. In 1976, he formed The Surf Punks, a popular Malibu…

A man in a leather jacket buys fruit at The Fruit Stand, 1/2

A man wearing a leather jacket, sunglasses, and a peace-symbol necklace pays cash to a woman at The Fruit Stand at the intersection of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and PCH. Behind them is a flatbed truck.

A man in a leather jacket buys fruit at The Fruit Stand, 2/2

A man wearing a leather jacket, sunglasses, and a peace-symbol necklace pays cash at The Fruit Stand at the intersection of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and PCH. Behind them is a flatbed truck. He gives the peace sign.

Paul Hackett skateboards at the Topanga Beach gas station

Paul Hackett skateboards off the back of a car at the Gulf gas station at Topanga Beach. Behind him are his brother David Hackett and Steve Sherman (in yellow). They all belonged to the G&S Skateboard Team.

Rose Wiley on the Trujillo Ranch

The Corral's marquee says, "All speeders are assholes"

The marquee at the former Corral nightclub says, "All speeders are assholes." Amusing phrases by an unknown author appeared here for years.

Garapatos School Children

1953 Topanga Journal Newspaper Clipping: "Topanga School 25 Years Ago..., 1923 or 1924"
(But annotated "1910s (photo)")
14 childern of "Canyon pioneers" are named. Histories of some are provided.
Teacher: Miss Alma Seaton
"Photo courtesy Jimmy…

Sissy Voriotis and Daniel Faircloth Jr. ride Sea Star

Sissy Voriotis and Daniel Faircloth Jr. ride the horse Sea Star by 3707 Rodeo Grounds.

Peter Smith's house at 18642 Topanga Beach Rd., 1/2

Peter Smith's beach house was at 18642 Topanga Beach Rd.

Peter Smith's house at 18642 Topanga Beach Rd., 2/2

Peter Smith's beach house was at 18642 Topanga Beach Rd. A catamaran is parked in front.

Ella Kvacz holds baby Daniel Faircloth Jr. at Topanga Beach

Ella Kvacz holds baby Daniel Faircloth Jr. by 18642 Topanga Beach Rd.

Bonnie and Amber Vincent walk in The Rodeo Grounds

Bonnie Vincent and daughter Amber Vincent walk dogs and a horse in The Rodeo Grounds.

Amber Vincent and Ramona Handel-Bajema eat ice cream

An unknown boy, Amber Vincent, and Ramona Handel-Bajema eat ice-cream cones in The Rodeo Grounds. The boy and Amber hold hands.

Mae Boren Axton visits the Vincent family

Bonnie Vincent, Mae Boren Axton (the "Queen Mother of Nashville"), Amber Vincent (on her lap), and Jan-Michael Vincent sit below a unicorn painting in the Vincent home at 3719 Rodeo Grounds.

View from the hill shows Topanga Canyon Blvd. and PCH

The view from the hill above Topanga Lane shows the gas station at the intersection of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and PCH.

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.

Big money encroaches on Topanga, Jody Roberts, 1992

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

Ed and Ann Stalcup row away from their flooding house

Ed and Ann Stalcup, with their pets, row away in the rain on a floating bed from their flooding house at 3767 Rodeo Grounds, in a cartoon from the article "Baptism by Fire and Flood" by Ann Stalcup.

"In January ’69, the weather was so bad, it was…

A flood engulfs Robert Varnum's house on Brookside Dr.

The Topanga Creek flood engulfs Robert Varnum's house and a panel truck (or van) on Brookside Dr.

Wes Armand is rescued from the flood, 4/9

Teacher Wes Armand and his daughter Thea, 3833 Topanga Lane, are rescued from the flood by being pulled over Topanga Creek on a stretcher.

Deputy sheriffs rescue two children from the flood

Deputy sheriffs rescue two children, living in either Topanga Lane or The Rodeo Grounds, from the flood by pulling them over Topanga Creek on a stretcher.

Paul Lovas and Harriet Lane stand by their damaged house

Paul Lovas, Harriet Lane, and their dog, Dog Biscuit, stand in front of their boarded-up house in The Snake Pit after a flood damaged houses and buried the neighborhood in mud.

The flood damages a car in The Snake Pit, 1/7

The flood damages a car in The Snake Pit, burying it in mud.

The flood damages a car in The Snake Pit, 2/7

The flood damages a pickup truck in The Snake Pit, turning it upside down.

The flood damages a car in The Snake Pit, 3/7

The flood damages a van in The Snake Pit, turning it on its side in the mud.

The flood damages a house in The Snake Pit

The flood damages a house in The Snake Pit, knocking it off its foundation.

The flood damages a car in The Snake Pit, 4/7

The flood damages a car in The Snake Pit, burying it in mud by Topanga Creek.

The lifeguard tower at Topanga Beach flies an American flag

The lifeguard tower was Paul Randall's former Topanga Beach house. An American flag blows in the wind.

A bulldozer demolishes the first lifeguard tower, 1/3

A bulldozer demolishes the first lifeguard tower, Paul Randall's former Topanga Beach house. A dump truck waits in the background.

A sign after the flood says, "Keep out. Looters are shot."

Mike Bundy, Tom DeWitt ("Dewey"), and Thea Armand stand by Topanga Creek in The Rodeo Grounds. A sign posted by residents after the flood says, "Keep out. Looters are shot. This is not Disneyland. Sightseers beware."

Dave Sykes poses with his redwood "Topanga" surfboard

Dave Sykes poses with his redwood "Topanga" surfboard at San Onofre Beach in San Diego County.

Surf pioneer Joe Quigg said:
"[Dave] Sykes was the best surfer I had seen at that time because he lived there [at Topanga Beach] and surfed all day,…

Dave Sykes surfs at Topanga Beach

Dave Sykes surfs a balsa-redwood surfboard at Topanga Beach.

Surf pioneer Joe Quigg said:
"[Dave] Sykes was the best surfer I had seen at that time because he lived there [at Topanga Beach] and surfed all day, every day. He could just glide and…

Jim Talmadge stands beside a "Topanga" surfboard at Malibu

Surfer Jim Talmadge at Malibu's Surfrider Beach stands beside a redwood surfboard that has the word "Topanga" written on it. Jim was the son of actor Buster Keaton. The board probably belonged to Dave Sykes.

Bob Feigel and Celeste Mills's hippie wedding, 1/4

Bob Feigel and Celeste Mills's hippie wedding was held in front of Dr. Schweiger's house, by The Yellow House, on Topanga Beach on Easter 1971.

David H. Stern, the pastor, holds Kahlil Gibran's book "The Eye of the Prophet" at right.
Jim…

People dance at a Topanga Beach party, 1/10

Naked people dance at a Topanga Beach house party.

"Beer Can Larry" Wright stands shirtless by the naked man at center. Matt Lasky (the blond boy) stands in front of the man in glasses, 3 heads from the right.

People dance at a Topanga Beach party, 2/10

Naked people dance at a Topanga Beach house party.

Jan-Michael Vincent and Bonnie Poorman Vincent are three heads above the naked man at center.
John Fowler wears a sports coat at right.
Both "Beer Can Larry" Wright and the woman he is dancing…

An actor poses as a surfer on Topanga Beach, 1/2

An actor holds a surfboard on Topanga Beach. Topanga Lane stuntman Darrell Giddens rides his horse Halifu (Swahili for "disobedient," or close to that) . The Point restaurant is in the distance.

People dance at a Topanga Beach party, 3/10

A band plays music on the roof while people dance at a Topanga Beach house party.

People dance at a Topanga Beach party, 4/10

Half-naked people dance at a Topanga Beach party by The Yellow House and a volleyball court.

Topanga Creek floods Lower Topanga, 1969, 1/9

Topanga Creek floods the Rodeo Grounds.

Topanga Creek floods Lower Topanga, 1969, 2/9

Topanga Creek floods beach houses with driftwood. A Volkswagen van lies half buried at the point. The Gulf gas station sign is visible along PCH.

Topanga Creek floods Lower Topanga, 1969, 3/9

Topanga Creek floods Topanga Lane.

Topanga Creek floods Lower Topanga, 1969, 4/9

Topanga Creek floods behind a gas station and the Malibu Feed Bin

Topanga Creek floods Lower Topanga, 1969, 5/9

Topanga Creek floods the crossing of Topanga Lane, Shady Lane, and The Rodeo Grounds.

Norman Ollestad surfs with his son strapped to his back, 1/5

Norman Ollestad surfs with his baby son strapped to his back at Topanga Beach.

"I am harnessed in a canvas papoose strapped to my dad’s back. It’s my first birthday. I peer over his shoulder as we glide the sea. Sun glare and blue ripple together.…

Norman Ollestad surfs with his son strapped to his back, 2/5

Norman Ollestad surfs with his baby son strapped to his back at Topanga Beach.

"I am harnessed in a canvas papoose strapped to my dad’s back. It’s my first birthday. I peer over his shoulder as we glide the sea. Sun glare and blue ripple together.…

Topanga Creek floods Lower Topanga, 1969, 6/9

Topanga Creek floods. A rescue helicopter lands in The Rodeo Grounds.

Topanga Creek floods Lower Topanga, 1969, 7/9

Topanga Creek floods Topanga Lane. The Topanga Ranch Motel is visible in the upper left.

Topanga Creek floods Lower Topanga, 1969, 8/9

Topanga Creek floods behind Malibu Feed Bin, including Shady Lane and Topanga Lane. The Topanga Ranch Motel is visible in the upper right.

People dance at a Topanga Beach party, 5/10

A band plays music on the roof while people dance at a Topanga Beach house party.

People dance at a Topanga Beach party, 6/10

A band plays music on the roof while people dance at a Topanga Beach house party.

People dance at a Topanga Beach party, 7/10

A band plays music on the roof while people dance at a Topanga Beach house party.

People dance at a Topanga Beach party, 8/10

Naked people dance at a Topanga Beach house party.

People dance at a Topanga Beach party, 9/10

Naked people dance at a Topanga Beach house party.

George Trafton's head appears above the woman in the pattern dress at left.
Herb Thacker is to the right of the sheep.
Steve Spina is at left in white jeans with no belt.

"Beer Can Larry" Wright wears a Rainer Ale costume

"Beer Can Larry" Wright, in drag, wears a wig and a Rainer Ale costume. He was known for always carrying a beer and calling everyone "Balls," including women. He walks by Victoria Andersen and an unknown man (maybe Miki Dora) at Topanga Beach.

A man with a guitar walks with a woman at Topanga Beach

A shirtless man carrying a guitar walks with a woman at Topanga Beach.

Bunny holds a cigarette, a camera, and a cat

Surfer Anne Fuchs ("Bunny"), wearing a bikini, holds a cigarette, a camera, and a white cat. Behind her, arundo grows around the outdoor shower of a Topanga Beach.

A boy and a man walk six dogs while watching surfers

A boy and a man walk six dogs at Topanga Beach. Skip Smith rides a wave.

Skip Smith walks by beach houses and Gulf gas station, 1/2

Skip Smith, carrying a surfboard, walks by Topanga Beach houses and the Gulf gas station.

Skip Smith walks by beach houses and Gulf gas station, 2/2

Skip Smith, carrying a surfboard, walks by Topanga Beach houses and the Gulf gas station.

Two surfers catch the waves in a set at Topanga Beach

A surfer stands backwards on the nose at Topanga Beach

A surfer in a springsuit rides backwards on his surfboard, hanging heels on the nose, at Topanga Beach. It looks like a Saenz brother.

Three surfers share a wave at Topanga Beach

Norman Ollestad surfs with his son strapped to his back, 5/5

Norman Ollestad surfs with his baby son strapped to his back at Topanga Beach. Christian Andersen catches a wave.

"I am harnessed in a canvas papoose strapped to my dad’s back. It’s my first birthday. I peer over his shoulder as we glide the sea.…

Paul Lovas does a Quasimodo at Topanga Beach

Surfer Paul Lovas rides in a Quasimodo stance at Topanga Beach.

A lost surfboard hits the rocks at Topanga Beach

A lost surfboard hits the rocks as three surfers take off on a wave at Topanga Beach.

Bob Levy, in swim trunks and sunglasses, holds a football

Bob Levy in swim trunks and sunglasses holds a football by Topanga Beach houses.

Kim Lester rides a bicycle on wet sand with four dogs, 1/2

Kim Lester rides a bicycle on the wet sand with four dogs at Topanga Beach. The dogs closest to him are Schroeder (belonged to John Clemens) and Pat (belonged to Jim Fitzpatrick).