Browse Items (3726 total)
Sort by:
The Job cafe
The Job was the hippest cafe around. Owner Bob DeWitt sits with his back to the camera.
The Canyon Capers Jug Band
The Canyon Capers Jug Band: Virgil Just on washboard, Bill Sloan on comb, John Boldemann on gut bucket, Ken Douphner on jug, Don Martin [?] on saw, Einar Lanaro on shower pipes, and Harriet Swenson (not pictured) on piano.
Folk musicians Frank Miller and Rich Dehr
Frank Miller and Rich Dehr sing the latter's new folk song "Memories are Made of This." Dehr was known for his fine voice.
Mickey Miller and Rich Dehr at the Canyon Capers
Mickey Miller and Rich Dehr perform at the Canyon Capers. Mickey first motorcycled to Topanga in 1949 with husband Matt, a fellow folk musician.
Bob and Doi DeWitt with their children
Bob and Doi DeWitt with their children Eileen, Norah, and Bobby. The DeWitts were largely responsible for bringing folk music to the Topanga.
The Mermaid Tavern, a classical music club
The Mermaid Tavern was the name of the classical music club created by Mickey and Ann Nadel in the former Sylvia Park clubhouse.
Topanga Symphony Conductor Jerome Kessler
Topanga Symphony Conductor Jerome Kessler takes a bow from the Community House stage.
Roger Bobo directs the Topanga Philharmonic
Roger Bobo directs the Topanga Philharmonic at the Theatricum Botanicum.
The Topanga String Quartet
The Topanga String Quartet: Toni Marcus, Jeanne Mitchell, Hugh Neely, Miles Tackett.
Fran Roberts-Stehelin and her students at a recital
Piano and voice teacher Fran Roberts-Stehelin with her students at a recital. Megan Yednock, Sebastian Harris, Nadia Kent, Morgan McGee, Samantha Johnson, Fran Roberts-Stehelin, Suzanne Duket, Laurel Anderson, John Anderson.
Joseph Reilich and Aaron Copeland
Joseph Reilich and Aaron Copeland at the Ojai Music Festival. Reilich played violin with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini for 10 years, before moving to Topanga in 1945.
The Donovan House on Waveview Drive
The Donovan House on Waveview Drive, designed by architect Bob Bates.
House designed by Earl Wear on Sischo Drive
Architect Earl Wear designed this home on Sischo Drive to be "of" the land, not just "on" it. It was built for Bud and Joan Ware.
Topanga Arts Council at Earthworks studio
Topanga Arts Council members in front of Earthworks, Esther and Bud Bruder's studio. Standing: Esther Bruder Raucher aka Esther Terrestrial, Sue Weber aka Sky and Wonder Woman, Helena LeBrun, three unknown, Myra Schegloff, Kathy Kaminsky, unknown.…
Linda Bolhuis painting, "Mulholland Afternoon," c. 2000
"Mulholland Afternoon" by Linda Bolhuis, a painting made with dye on silk. Linda helped set up the Topanga Canyon Gallery in Pine Tree Circle in 2000.
Casa Pequeña gate
Tomas Braverman and his wife Kiyo spent many years crafting their home at 1135 Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Today the house is called Rosewood.
"Commons" by Jim and Sue Sullivan
"Commons" by ceramicists Jim and Sue Sullivan is an intricate mosaic table.
Jean Stehelin and Jon Raymond
Furniture craftsman Jean Stehelin and sculptor Jon Raymond wear berets outside the Topanga Post Office and General Store, at Pine Tree Circle.
The Job, a cafe and art studio
The Job was Bob DeWitt's cafe and art studio, located at 1855 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Pictured here, wife Doi and Bob are surprised by a rare snow.
William Fitch Wray painting, "Untitled," 1930s-40s
"Untitled (Topanga Scene)," a painting by British émigré William Fitch Wray.
George Henry Melcher painting, "Luse Ranch Home," 1935
"Luse Ranch Home," a painting by George Henry Melcher (1935). Alwyn Luse Sr.'s ranch was destroyed by fire on Easter Sunday, 1938.
The Fernwood Inn
The Fernwood Inn was the favorite place of the firemen who worked in the forestry station under the trees at right. It drew a lot of horse traffic.
Hidden Treasures clothing store
Hidden Treasures is an antique, vintage, and used clothing store. Darrell Hazen opened it at the site of the old Discovery Inn in 1993. It first opened across the street in Rainbow Village in 1989.
Elysium Fields nudist camp
Elysium Fields, the nudist camp of the Elysium Institute, opened in 1968 on 7.2 acres of the former Dutton Ranch on Robinson Road. It closed in 2001.
Elysium Fields nudist camp brochure
Elysium Fields, the nudist camp of the Elysium Institute, opened in 1968 on 7.2 acres of the former Dutton Ranch on Robinson Road. It closed in 2001.
Ed Lange (center) at Elysium Fields
Ed Lange (center) at Elysium Fields. The nudist camp of the Elysium Institute opened in 1968 on 7.2 acres of the former Dutton Ranch on Robinson Road. It closed in 2001.
Betty Lee Morales
Betty Lee Morales established a national food supplement operation out of Eden Ranch, the former Barton School property in Old Topanga Canyon.
Walter "Buck" Buchanan
Walter "Buck" Buchanan, a businessman and minister, ran for 14 major political offices from 1934-1984, including President of the United States. He never won.
Jay Fernandez and Dick Sherman
Contractor Jay Fernandez and "Septic King" Dick Sherman cleared damaged roads and slides caused by heavy rains.
Coast and Canyon Realtors Halloween ad
Halloween ad for Coast and Canyon Realtors, a real estate company. Teresa Penner, Barbara Campbell, Karen Dannenbaum, Chryssa Lightheart, Sheri Hagemeister, Sarah Sutton. (Tracy Corbett behind the pumpkin.)
Bob DeWitt in his art gallery
Bob DeWitt in his art gallery. He was a realtor, artist, and club owner. He famously greeted his real estate clients barefoot.
Merrick Davidson
Publisher Merrick Davidson was the inspiration behind the Messenger, established in 1976.
Topanga Journal, September 30, 1954 issue
Headline: "Malibu Citizens Committee Asks 10 Questions on Water District Annexation."
Nancy Walkey and daughter Cory Walkey
Nancy Walkey and daughter Cory Walkey at the Open House of Mill Creek Equestrian Center. The office was built early in the century and rebuilt by the Hiltbrandt family in 1935.
Standard gas station at Topanga Forks
George Ortiz's Standard gas station at Topanga Forks, aka Pine Tree Circle.
Wally High and Pat Burke
Wally High and Pat Burke at Pat's Topanga Grill in Coulson Center soon after it opened.
Ken's Pleasant Inn
Ken's Pleasant Inn. Whitey Marjenhoff, Ray McClure, owner Pleasant Buerge, unknown, owner Ken Buerge, Harry Long, Bob Ballentine, Chuck Russell, Jack Davis, Frank Romero. (Seated: Dewey Kemp.)
King's Charcoal Bar-B-Q restaurant
King's Charcoal Bar-B-Q restaurant on a rare snow day at Topanga Summit.
Fernwood Market, 1949
Fernwood Market, 1949. Evelyn Russell, Paul Gripp, Joe Baker, Bill Smith, Mr. Crawford, Paula Crawford, Jim Lucas, and Mike Evans.
Topanga Shopping Center, 1966
Topanga Shopping Center featured the Best Food Center and Topanga Cleaners.
The Outside Inn
After the Hansens bought Jim Fletcher's Outside Inn store, they added a restaurant and it became a local favorite.
Alyn Ranson, Rosagua Trujillo, Eddie Gripp, and Pat Rasbury
Alyn Ranson, Rosagua Trujillo (Rose Wiley), Eddie Gripp, and Pat Rasbury at Lee's Hitching Post in Fred Solomon's shopping center, a hangout for teenagers.
Fred Solomon
Fred Solomon built the first real shopping center in Topanga in 1946, using Quonset huts left over from World War II.
Topanga General Store and Post Office
Topanga General Store owner Irvin "Smitty" Smith chats with customers on the porch.
Topanga General Store and Post Office
Topanga General Store and Post Office operated out of a pioneer's frame house, where Pine Tree Circle is today.
Topanga Creek floods, 1992
The creek behind the market at flood stage in 1992. Due to tenants' demands, a wall was built to hold back flood waters.
S-Turns Closed for Many Months
The S-Turns were open only to pedestrians and bike traffic for many months after 1980's "storm of the century" and flood.
Car crosses 1980 Floodwaters
This sports car's owner was actually lucky; many cars were lost to the creek in 1980.
Home of Ral Curren suffers flood damage
Ral Curren, owner of The Corral, lost precious rock n' roll memorabilia when the creek scoured his home in the flood.
Landslide at Topanga Summit, 1927
A landslide at Topanga Summit caused by rains in 1922 continued to obstruct Highway 27 in 1927. Men are shown drilling holes for dynamite, to blow off the projection.
Bomber drops retardant during the 1993 Old Topanga Fire
A bomber drops fire retardant during the 1993 Old Topanga Fire.
Fireman sets a backfire, 1993
A fireman sets a backfire to save Old Topanga Canyon homes on the first day of the 1993 Old Topanga Canyon Fire.
Flames Cross Topanga Canyon Boulevard, 1973
Flames cross Topanga Canyon Boulevard in the Twin Poles area on October 31, 1973
Arson Fire of 1961
On November 6, 1961, folks gather near Pine Tree Circle watching smoke from an arson fire curl in the distance.
Forestry Crew Prepares to Reseed Hills, 1958 Fire
In the aftermath of the 1958 fire, a Los Angeles Fire Department forestry crew prepares to take off in a helicopter from the Speer Ranch to reseed the hills.
Hugh Harlan's Home Lost to New Year's Eve Fire, 1958
The gracious Hugh Harlan home, built by William T. Gibbon on School Road, burned overnight in the New Year's Eve Fire of 1958. The new school nearby was spared.
Mr and Mrs. James Merrin Lose Home, 1948 Fire
Mr and Mrs. James Merrin and son Joel at the site of their Sylvia Park home lost in the fire of 1948. Merrin taught English at UCLA.
Oscar E. Hiltbrand surveys wreckage from the Fire of 1943
Oscar E. Hiltbrand surveys wreckage from the Fire of 1943 at Earl Garber's house in the Bonnell Tract.
Evelyn McGovern Surveys Fire Damage, 1958
Evelyn McGovern, her son Michael and daughter Patricia survey the ruins of their home after the fire of 1958.
New Year's Eve Fire, 1958
The New Year's Eve Fire approaches the home of Evelyn McGovern on Saddle Peak in 1958.
Mrs. Leona Soderstrom Homeless after The Fire of 1943
Homeless, Mrs. Leona Soderstrom and baby son Starr sit among what little was left after flames of the 1943 fire.
Fire of 1943, Old Topanga Canyon
Flames in the 1943 fire were halted 100 yards from the Defense Headquarters, situated at the junction of Old and New Topanga Canyons.
Topanga Journal 1943 Fire Coverage
The Fire of November, 1943 pictured from the Post Office Tract looking west. Circles mark homes lost. Arrow points to dwellings on Valley View Drive behind the Fire Station.
Oka Stewart, Camp Wildwood Owner, Ham Radio Operator
Camp Wildwood owner Oka Stewart sits at his ham radio, used by local journalist Hugh Harlan during the 1938 fire to issue national reports covering the incident.
"Mose" Cheney inaugurates the first electrical pole
Columbus Callan "Mose" Cheney turns symbolic shovel of dirt while children sing, commemorating the installation of the first electrical pole at junction of Old Topanga and Topanga Roads in 1928, which finally brought electricity to the Canyon.
Dean Perry, Judge John Merrick, Greg Venturi
Judge John Merrick, with Chamber officers Dean Perry (left) and Greg Venturi chaired a committee in the 1970s charged with developing solutions to the water crisis.
Art Marshburn and family
Art Marshburn, an Old Topanga Canyon leader involved in the water controversy, with his family in the 1950s.
From left back row: Robert, David, Arthur, Carol.
Front row: Jean, Tom.
From left back row: Robert, David, Arthur, Carol.
Front row: Jean, Tom.
Topanga Permanent Water Committee
The Topanga Permanent Water Committee was formed by the Chamber to push for a reliable water supply. Elected in 1956, from left: Sherman Haeggquist, Dan McGovern, Tom McDougall, Peter Stimac, and Virgil Just.
6 cartoons lambasting the Water Committee
6 cartoons lambasting the foibles of the Water Committee, in the Topanga Businessmen's Association pamphlet.
Lee Conger, Bill Sloan, and Jerry Harold
Lee Conger, Bill Sloan, and Jerry Harold lay water line in the 1940s near the junction of Old Topanga Canyon.
Outhouse on Robinson Road
Due primarily to lack of water, outhouses were common through the 1940s, such as this one listing to its side on Robinson Road.
Topanga firemen in front of Forestry Station
Topanga firemen in front of Forestry Station. SEATED: Jack Albright, Albert Carroll, Bill Santa Maria, Jack Connors, Bud Currier, Floyd Cunningham, Slim Pressler, Bob Butler. STANDING: Al Weinart, Cecil Gehr, Art Bishop, Freddy Stevenson, Jack…
Featured Item
No featured items are available.