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Blues Ryders band: Johnny B., Rick Ryder, and David Sear
The Blues Ryders band was made up of musicians including guitarist Johnny B., bassist Rick Ryder, guitarist David Sear, and singer Debbie Ryder (not pictured). Their song "Topanga Time" popularized the phrase "Livin' on Topanga time."
Sculptor Gordon Wagner
Artist Gordon Wagner used detritus from Topanga Creek to create his witty junk sculptures.
Topanga Dry Cleaners
The Topanga Dry Cleaners at 137 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. was run by Teddie Michand. It was originally a store called Topanga Mercantile, built in 1947 by Stella Stoker.
Kenneth and Louise York, and family
Seated: Edna York and Louise York. Standing: Peter York, Kenneth York, Bjorn Zetterberg, John York, Andrew York, and James York.
Jan and Bert Moore with their children
Jan and Bert Moore with their children Mike, James, Chuck, and David.
Karen Wood Moran, Nicole Elias, and Vera Wood
Karen Wood Moran, her daughter Nicole Elias, and her mother Vera Wood represent three generations.
Herta Ware, Woody Guthrie, and Will Geer
Herta Ware, Woody Guthrie, and Will Geer toured California's migrant camps together.
Herta Ware, baby Kate, and Will Geer
Herta Ware, baby Kate, and Will Geer, when he was a successful character actor.
Woody Guthrie's Shack
Will Geer and Herta Ware's first Topanga home later became "Woody Shack" when their famous musician friend took it over.
Actor Will Geer
Actor Will Geer moved to Topanga to escape the Hollywood blacklist. He supported himself by growing and selling vegetables and plants.
Kenneth and Elizabeth Douphner's wedding
Three Topanga families celebrate Kenneth and Elizabeth Douphner's wedding. Front row: Junice Douphner, Helen Douphner Cheney, Kenneth "Ken" Douphner, Elizabeth "Betty" Douphner, and the minister. Back row: Daniel Baker, Callan Cheney, Jean Baker,…
Virgil Just, aircraft engineer
Virgil Just, aircraft engineer, spent three years building his home, at the pace that he could afford materials in. He said, "No lending institution would lend you a dime to build in Topanga."
Bandit Tiburcio Vasquez
Tiburcio Vasquez, one of California's most notorious banditos, was hung for his crimes in 1875.
Topanga Highway descends into the Valley
The new Topanga Highway descends into the San Fernando Valley, as shown on the Acknowledgements page of The Topanga Story.
Dr. Gerard "Gerry" Haigh
Dr. Gerard "Gerry" Haigh, visionary President of the Topanga Historical Society, created a permanent home for its historical archives and offered his birding expertise to The Topanga Story.
Louise York, author and editor of The Topanga Story
Louise York was the author and editor of The Topanga Story's first edition.
The Rust family at Topanga Beach
The Rust family at Topanga Beach. Ella Rust sits in the center of sons Archie and Don Rust and their families. Granddaughter Thais Rust is at right.
"Boots Malone" film set at Topanga Post Office
A scene from "Boots Malone" was filmed at the Topanga Post Office and General Store in Pine Tree Circle.
"Boots Malone" is a 1952 American film noir drama film directed by William Dieterle. It stars William Holden as a down-on-his-luck sports…
"Boots Malone" is a 1952 American film noir drama film directed by William Dieterle. It stars William Holden as a down-on-his-luck sports…
Writer Al Martinez
Al Martinez (1929-2015) was a novelist, essayist, and Los Angeles Times columnist.
Topanga Rough Riders in Monument Valley, Arizona
Topanga Rough Riders Club on horseback in Monument Valley, Arizona
Arlis Wilhelim, Mary Hall, and the "GOP Smilemobile"
Arlis Wilhelim and Mary Hall at the West Hills Republican Women's mobile headquarters, known as the "GOP Smilemobile."
Topanga Lions Club
Topanga Lions Club members: Archie Lennan, Sy Prewitt, Dick Olsen, Albert Hoyt, Harry Rose, Tim Vickers, Melvin Penny, and Dean Penny.
Topanga Strawberry Festival News Release, 1977
14th Annual Topanga Strawberry Festival News Release, June 29, 1977.
The Topanga Community Improvement Association (TCIA) was formed in 1959 with Cyril C. Wood as provisional president. They helped create the Resource Conservation District of the…
The Topanga Community Improvement Association (TCIA) was formed in 1959 with Cyril C. Wood as provisional president. They helped create the Resource Conservation District of the…
Mohana and David Shapiro at Pyramid Center
Hare Krishna devotees Mohana and David Shapiro at Pyramid Center.
Topanga Community Church group
Topanga Community Church group. Pastor John Utterback (white shirt) and wife Florence are at center, Camp Wildwood owner Julia Stewart is at right.
Christian Science Society
The Christian Science Society, the first denomination to build a church in Topanga, meets at Adelaide Gibbon's home. FRONT: Mrs. Tremullen, May Kneen, Cecilia Johnston, four unknowns, Adelaide Gibbon, Cora Trippet, Mrs. Cilker. BACK: Mr. Cilker,…
Christian Science Church
Members park their car on Topanga Highway for Christian Science Church services.
Roberta Kirby and Ami Kirby at Earth Day
Roberta Kirby and Topanga Historical Society Librarian Ami Kirby at the Community House's Earth Day celebration.
Kathryn Penny receives Lifetime Achievement Award
For her "unwavering" help in establishing the Community House, Kathryn Penny receives Lifetime Achievement Award at the Topanga Community Woman's Club 1992 Friendship Luncheon.
Topanga Community House Ball Field Committee
The Topanga Community House Ball Field Committee admires their handiwork: John Morrison, Richard and Lee Kelly, Joe Valente, Arthur Nissman, Ole Gunst, Andy Wallace, Ellen Mills.
Woman's Club installations, 1950s
Topanga Community Woman's Club installations: Kay Olson, Betty Niklas, Mary Griffith, Mary Belle Alexander, Julia Butler, Georgia Collamer, unknown, Dorothy Boehme, Mildred Buerckel, unknown, Maxine Carnes, Hazel Talbot, Helene Pervine, May Lewis.
T-CEP founders Pat and Jack Mac Neil
Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness founders Pat and Jack Mac Neil in their hard-won Emergency Operations Center.
Town Council President Gary Davis and founder Jan Moore
First official Topanga Canyon Town Council President Gary Davis and founder Jan Moore square dance at Topanga Days.
TASC leader Bob Bates
Topanga Association for a Scenic Community (TASC) leader Bob Bates bares his congratulatory T-shirt at the Summit Valley Park dedication.
Topanga School Booster Club President Lynne Haigh
Since Lynne Haigh became its first president in 1983, the Topanga School Booster Club (later Topanga Enrichment Program, TEP) has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for enrichment programs.
Past PTA presidents at Canyon Capers
Past presidents of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) at Canyon Capers variety show: Hetty Haeggquist, Nelle Upham, Kathryn Penny, Carol Marshburn, Pearl Sloan, Julia Stewart (who organized the first Topanga PTA in 1937), and Jean Methven.
Topanga Labor Exchange
People Assisting Topanga Canyon with Helping Hands (PATCH) co-chairs Michele Johnson (right) and Maryana Kuretski (second from left with her twins Devon and Kia) opened Topanga Labor Exchange in the early 1990s, on a site donated by Steve and Leslie…
Ruth Gerson, Wild Bill Speer, and Joe Edmiston
Wild Bill Speer, flanked by activist Ruth Gerson and Joe Edmiston of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, is the first to ride over the bridge on Viewridge Trail, sponsored by Viewridge Owners Involved in the Community and the Environment (VOICE).
Tom Cheney and Topanga Chamber of Commerce
Tom Cheney gives a presentation to the Topanga Chamber of Commerce. FROM RIGHT: longtime leaders Art Piner, Hal Rolfe, and Jim Buerckel.
Officers being sworn into American Legion Post 796
Officers being sworn into American Legion Post 796: Wally Blaufus, David "Blackie" Lamoreaux, Norman Karlin, Judy Bell, Bill Rhodes, and Commander Jon Swenson.
Snow on Prier Hall, home of American Legion Post 796
Snow on Prier Hall, home of American Legion Post 796. Walter Prier deeded the building to the American Legion on August 2, 1954.
Mariner Scouts from Topanga and Malibu
Mariner Scouts from Topanga and Malibu.
Front: Jean Thompson, Carol Esparza, Candy Clark, Lea Armstrong, unknown, Connie Clark, Judy Piner.
Middle: Toni Loudon, Diane Foster, unknown, Judy Tucker, Lynn Haines, unknown, unknown, Marge…
Front: Jean Thompson, Carol Esparza, Candy Clark, Lea Armstrong, unknown, Connie Clark, Judy Piner.
Middle: Toni Loudon, Diane Foster, unknown, Judy Tucker, Lynn Haines, unknown, unknown, Marge…
Mariner Scouts head for Catalina Island
Mariner Scouts head for Catalina Island on the boat Resolute.
Topanga Brownie Scout Troop 74
Topanga Brownie Scout Troop 74. SEATED: Janice Fitzgerald, Florine Smith, Karin Fester, Jolene Thomson, Barbara Hard. STANDING: Wise Owl Mrs. Worley, Norma Dowding, Judy Charlton, Marion Mannelion, Carol Worley, Kay Hansen.
Building Camp Adelaide for Girl Scout overnights
Building Camp Adelaide for Girl Scout overnights, across from School Road.
Topanga Explorers, Kelp Devils at Topanga Beach
Topanga Scout Post 220: Topanga Explorers, Kelp Devils (Sea Scouts), go skin diving in homemade wetsuits at Topanga Beach. STANDING: Bill Sloan (post committee member), George Schreder, Jon Sloan, Rick Hass, Tom Lennan, Star Soderstrom, Mark Squiers,…
Topanga Sea Scouts
In 1947, Topanga Sea Scouts were awarded the ship "Pelete" for winning the scout regatta. Co-skippers Chuck Russell, Fireman Robert Etz, and Fire Captain Desmond Barton stand uniformed in foreground.
Lannis Wood and her horse Sunday
Lannis Wood and her horse Sunday in Hondo Canyon. Sunday was on the small side and crazy wild. Lannis was the only one who could ride her.
Topanga Canyon Boulevard gets washed out
Topanga Canyon Boulevard gets washed out in a flood near the AmeriGas office. This photo appears to be shot from the patio of the Topanga Fish Market.
Fred Tackett and Little Feat
Fred Tackett and Little Feat play rock and roll music at a TASC fundraiser at the Theatricum Botanicum.
Carolyn See, John Espey, and Lisa See Kendall are honored
Carolyn See, John Espey, and Lisa See Kendall receive commendations from Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley for "outstanding achievements in the writing of 'Lotus Land,' detailing the history of L.A."
The historic property at 154-156 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
The historic property at 154-156 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd. was developed in the 1930s by druggist Henry L. Wilson and his novelist wife Louise Stinetorf. In the 1960s, it was home to folk musician Rich Dehr, his wife Marge, and their Discovery Inn…
Journalist Louise Larsen
Journalist Louise Larsen was probably the first Chinese-American woman to report for a major newspaper in the USA. She worked at the "Los Angeles Record," "San Francisco Times," "Chicago Times," "Los Angeles Daily News," and "Evening Outlook." Her…
Vance Hoyt and his gray fox
Vance Hoyt wrote his popular novel "Silver Boy" about the wild gray fox that learned to sleep by the hearth of his Bonnell Park home.
The Geer sisters: Melora, Ellen, and Kate
The Geer sisters: Melora, Ellen (standing), and Kate in Anton Chekhov's play "Three Sisters," performed at the Theatricum Botanicum.
Will Geer and Ellen Geer in "The Tempest"
Actors Will Geer and Ellen Geer as Prospero and Miranda in William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest," performed at the Theatricum Botanicum.
The Theatricum Botanicum company
The Theatricum Botanicum company. Actor and founder Will Geer stands at center.
The Geer family
The Geer family: Melora Marshall, Herta Ware, Ellen's baby Megan Geer-Alsop, Kate's daughter Kelly, Ellen, Kate, and Will Geer.
Norm Karlin rents out his place for film shoots
Norm Karlin rents out his place for film shoots. (He often lets students use it for free.)
Billy Portman, Sara Baur, and Urs Baur
Emcee Billy Portman, Sara Baur, and Urs Baur. The Baurs founded the Topanga Film Festival in 2004.
Director of photography John Penner
Director of photography John Penner holds a clapperboard on the set of the mystery/medical drama TV show "Quincy." Penner probably worked longer in film and TV than any other Topangan.
Filmmakers Barbara Trent and David Kasper
Oscar-winning documentarian Barbara Trent and director David Kasper.
Kedric Wolfe wears angel wings
Performance artist Kedric Wolfe, wearing angel wings, took a leading role in Topanga, on and offstage.
Frank Lloyd's house on Colina Drive
Director/producer Frank Lloyd's house and property on Colina Drive, part of the old Joe Robison homestead.
Charlie Chaplin with Topanga cameraman Roland Totheroh
Charlie Chaplin with Topanga cinematographer Roland Totheroh (far right) and assistant cameraman Jack Wilson on the set of the silent film Gold Rush in Truckee, CA.
Roland Totheroh, Charlie Chaplin's cameraman
Cinematographer Roland Totheroh built a two-room cabin next to the creek on South Topanga Canyon Blvd. in 1923, while working on silent films with actor Charlie Chaplin.
Western Saloon movie set at Topanga Summit
A father and son pose in front of the Western Saloon movie set at Topanga Summit.
Actors read Ziff's Magazine at the Topanga Post Office
Cowboy actors, from Westwood Pictures, pose in an apparent advertisement for Ziff's Magazine (March 1925 issue) at the Topanga Post Office and General Store, at Pine Tree Circle. Ziff's Magazine was an irreverent joke book published in Chicago, IL…
Richard Dix's house on Saddle Peak
Western movie star Richard Dix's house, a 15-room mansion with an ocean view built in 1929.
Sugar Plum Fairies in "The Nutcracker"
Sugar Plum Fairies dance in the 20th anniversary performance of the "Topanga Nutcracker" ballet.
Sherry and Bob Jason dancing in "The Nutcracker"
Sherry and Bob Jason, founders of the "Topanga Nutcracker" ballet.
Mystic Journey
The Mystic Journey band: Gary Coleman, Suzanne Teng, Aziz Paige, Michael Dwyer, dancer Katyia, Howard.
The Grateful Dads
The Grateful Dads band, composed of local dads: unknown, Herb Engelhardt, Tom Mitchell, Wally High.
Linda Ronstadt stands by a stone house
Linda Ronstadt stands by the stone house used by Vera Wood as her art studio in Hondo Canyon.
Bob "Bear" Hite and Spanky McFarlane at The Corral
Canned Heat singer Bob "Bear" Hite and Spanky McFarlane at The Corral nightclub.
Peter Alsop plays Pied Piper
Children's music star Peter Alsop plays Pied Piper at the Theatricum Botanicum.
Will Geer and his family
Will Geer and his family at the Theatricum Botanicum: Herta Ware, Peter Alsop, Melora Marshall, Will Geer, Ellen Geer
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