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Topango Radiant Springs truck
Distributor Harry "Sox" Kuhlmeyer stands with his Topango Radiant Springs truck. The company delivered water from a spring at the bottom of the S-turns. Joy Pierce was the manager.
A car and a horse at the Topanga Post Office
A car and a horse at the Topanga Post Office and General Store
Pine Tree Circle and the Post Office Tract
Pine Tree Circle and the Post Office Tract. The Topanga Post Office and General Store is on the left.
Katherine's Kitchen at Cheney Drive
Katherine's Kitchen was a restaurant at Cheney Dr. and Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Pine Tree Circle and S. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Pine Tree Circle and S. Topanga Canyon Blvd. The Topanga Post Office and General Store is on the left.
The Topanga Center
Families displaced by the 1948 fire wait at the Topanga Center. A sign for Lee's Hitching Post is visible in the background.
John Heron and his homestead in upper Hondo Canyon
John Heron at age 99 in 1960, and his homestead in upper Hondo Canyon circa 1908.
Bill Carter carries the Topanga Riders flag
Bill Carter, at the first Donkey Baseball game in Bonnell Park, carries the Topanga Riders flag in uniform (red shirt, blue jeans, and a gray hat).
Donkey Baseball in Bonnell Park
The Topanga Riders and the American Legion play Donkey Baseball in Bonnell Park to determine "who slickered who" after tying in the first game.
Jim Buerckel plays Donkey Baseball
Jim Buerckel got a big laugh by carrying his donkey around the bases in a game of Donkey Baseball in Bonnell Park.
Ron Bouseman plays Donkey Baseball
Ron Bouseman "found out that the terra was never more firma" when his donkey bucked him in a game of Donkey Baseball in Bonnell Park.
First Topanga Gymkhana, 1956
The first Topanga Gymkhana was a horse show at the Topanga Riders Club arena, near The Outside Inn.
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…
Topanga Canyon Road under construction
A chain gang works on rebuilding and widening Topanga Canyon Road in the S-Turns.
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, Christmas card
A Christmas card shows Charlie Potter and Eleanor Potter in front of Potter's Topanga Trading Post. The signed message says, "Holiday Greetings."
Pine Tree Circle and Barton School
Pine Tree Circle, with the post office. Barton School and 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 naked 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.
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!"…
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…
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.
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…
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…
Kedric Wolfe carries "The Button" to "The Bomb"
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.
Artist Bob DeWitt
Bob DeWitt was an artist and real estate agent who came to Topanga in 1941 with his wife Doi. He built a series of shacks on Topanga Canyon Blvd., where his family lived a free-spirited life. They all went barefoot and bathed each day in the ocean.…
Painter Linda Bolhuis in her studio
Painter Linda Bolhuis's medium is watercolor on paper or silk fabric. She is married to Rod, and has been part of Topanga's artist community for over 40 years.
Painter Arnold Schifrin
Painter Arnold Schifrin had art shows in LA's top galleries in the 1970s-1980s. He met Jack and Barbara Rice when they were students at Black Mountain College and followed them to Topanga. He taught art at UCLA. He died in 1994. His daughter…
Artist Megan Rice
Artist Megan Rice made this papier-mâché horse as a prototype for two sculptures that were commissioned by LA County for the Topanga Library's children's section. She is also a painter and has written and illustrated several books. She is the…
Stonemason Jack Rice visits Ireland
Stonemason Jack Rice visited Ireland with his son Aaron to get in touch with his Irish roots before his death in 2001. This photo was taken on the side of a country road, where they stopped to look at a dolmen, a megalithic tomb with a large flat…
Poet Barbara Rice sits in her study with her dog
Barbara Rice sits in her study with her dog. She was a poet interested in metaphysics, the wife of stonemason Jack Rice, and the mother of artist Megan Rice. She read widely and had a large book collection. She took daily walks around Old Topanga…
Jack Rice sits on the hearth of a fireplace he built
Stonemason Jack Rice sits on the hearth of a fireplace he built for Carl and Leta Malone on Amy Way in 1981. Jack and his wife Barbara moved to Topanga in 1959. They met while attending Black Mountain College in North Carolina, a progressive Liberal…
Musician Fred Tackett sings and plays guitar
Musician Fred Tackett sings and plays guitar. Fred led the band Little Feat, which was popular in the 1970s-80s. He and his wife Patricia moved to Topanga in 1967. They were generous and community-minded. Fred played The Corral, and pro bono at many…
Musician Wally High sings and plays guitar
Musician Wally High sings and plays guitar. He was a member of The Grateful Dads, the only group that played Topanga Days in the early years. He wrote the song "Highway 27."
Musician Spanky McFarlane with her daughter Dee Dee
Musician Spanky McFarlane with her daughter Dee Dee. Spanky headed the Chicago folk group Spanky and Our Gang. When she moved to Topanga, she sang at The Corral, sometimes with Bear Hite (Canned Heat) and Lowell George (Little Feat).
The Messenger newspaper, Issue #1
The first Messenger newspaper was published before a title had been found. Clockwise from top: Nico van den Heuval, Cornelius' Daddy, Intrepid Artist; Judee McBride, Ad Grabber; Jim Erickson, Friend; Mary Colvig, Typist, Moneybags, Saint; Mary…
The Nature Boys with Gypsy Boots and eben ahbez
The Nature Boys—shirtless and eating watermelon—lived outdoors, sleeping in trees and caves. They were the first generation of Americans to adopt the German "naturmensch" philosophy that would later influence the Hippie generation. At back left is…
Elmer Wachtel painting, "Winter in Topanga," c. 1925
Elmer Wachtel (1864-1929), "Winter in Topanga," oil on canvas, 30x40 in.
Elmer Wachtel painting, "Misty Sunlight, Topanga," c. 1925
Elmer Wachtel (1864-1929), "Misty Sunlight, Topanga," oil on canvas, 24x32 in.
Aerial view of Topanga Center with close-ups, 1962
Aerial photograph with close-ups of Fernwood, Pine Tree Circle, Trippet Ranch, and Hillside Drive.
Topanga Canyon Docents
Topanga Canyon Docents at Trippet Ranch Nature Center in Topanga State Park. KNEELING: Don Murchie, Lynne Haigh, Deborah Low, D. J. Nellis, Geri Kelly. STANDING: Gene Cheltenham, Patty Ward, Beverly Weil, Patty Hill, John Kuiper.
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