Browse Items (3726 total)
Sort by:
Larry Payne pretends to shoot at cars on PCH
In a still from the film "Malibu Song," Larry Payne reenacts the crime he was wrongly arrested for in 1980. Police believed he was a sniper shooting at cars from the hill above the intersection of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and PCH. But someone else had…
April and Andrea Newman with two other children
Sisters April and Andrea Newman stand between two other children in the yard of a house on Topanga Lane (The Snake Pit). Behind them is a dog.
Surfboards hang on the bathroom at 3726 Rodeo Grounds
Surfboards and wetsuits hang on the wall of the bathroom shack at 3726 Rodeo Grounds. Handprints have been cut into the doorway.
James Mathers feeds his stove at 3726 Rodeo Grounds
James Mathers sits on the floor and feeds wood into the heating stove in his art studio at 3726 Rodeo Grounds. He is surrounded by his paintings, and paintings by Daisy Duck McCrackin, Norton Wisdom, and Io Free Jones.
Alejandro Junger sits in the studio at 3726 Rodeo Grounds
Alejandro Junger sits on the couch by the bedroom alcove in the art studio at 3726 Rodeo Grounds. He is surrounded by paintings by Daisy Duck McCrackin.
The last residents of The Rodeo Grounds take a group photo
During the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks, the last residents of The Rodeo Grounds take a group photo. They are sitting in the yard at 3726 Rodeo Grounds.
Pablo Capra, Ole Olofson and Dani Katz (sitting on a swing),…
Pablo Capra, Ole Olofson and Dani Katz (sitting on a swing),…
A Reel Inn sign points to Claude Bal: "Hippies Use Backdoor"
Claude Bal wears sunglasses and stands by a sign at The Reel Inn seafood restaurant that says, "Hippies Use Backdoor. No Exceptions."
Miki Dora carries Mary Hughes at Topanga Beach
Miki Dora stands on a surfboard and carries Mary Hughes on his shoulders at Topanga Beach. Behind them is The Point restaurant.
Norton Wisdom's Porsche is parked in the Snake Pit
Norton Wisdom's car (a Porsche) is parked in the Snake Pit.
Norton Wisdom drawing, "Blue Juice," 1980
Norton Wisdom depicts the Topanga Beach surf-rock band Blue Juice as African animals. A hippopotamus plays guitar (J. Murf), a crocodile plays drums (Jeff Ort), a flamingo plays bass (Don MacVicar), and a jackal leans on a guitar (George Trafton).
Norton Wisdom drawing, "SS Topanga," 1970s
Norton Wisdom drawing, "SS Topanga," shows the chef of "The State Café" cooking Topanga Beach in a frying pan. The meal includes amorous lions in swimsuits, palm trees, surfboards, a catamaran, a movie camera, and The Yellow House with lights on the…
An abstract painting hangs on Norton Wisdom's art studio
An abstract painting and trapezoidal sculptures decorate Norton Wisdom's art studio at 3948 Topanga Lane in The Snake Pit.
Gerry Gallant, Baretta, and Jim Dudman flood in Snake Pit
Gerry Gallant, Robert "Baretta" Overby, Jim Dudman, and an unknown neighbor drink Michelob beer after using shovels to protect The Snake Pit during a flood. Baretta wears a hat from Caesars Palace. Behind them is Norton Wisdom's truck camper.
Amy Fleetwood and James Mathers sit in The Snake Pit
Amy Fleetwood and James Mathers sit in armchairs by a sunflower on the dirt road in front of his house at 3948 Topanga Lane (in The Snake Pit).
Fire burns behind the Topanga Ranch Market
The 1993 Old Topanga Fire burns behind the Topanga Ranch Market at 18717 PCH. A fire truck and a car from the Costa Mesa Fire Department (Battalion 8) are parked in front.
Norton Wisdom painting, "Peeking Through Bamboo," 2020
Norton Wisdom painting shows blue faces peeking through arundo bamboo in Lower Topanga.
Norton Wisdom painting, "Pablo Capra's House, 1," 2002
Norton Wisdom's painting shows Pablo Capra holding his house in The Rodeo Grounds during the eviction of Lower Topanga by State Parks.
Norton Wisdom painting, "Pablo Capra's House 2," 2003
Norton Wisdom's painting shows Pablo Capra holding his house in The Rodeo Grounds during the eviction of Lower Topanga by State Parks.
Something's Fishy sushi restaurant T-shirt
A T-shirt for Something's Fishy sushi restaurant at 18753 PCH features a drawing of a samurai riding a fish by Norton Wisdom.
Never-Ending Costume Party at 3726 Rodeo Grounds, 6/6
James Mathers and Erin Loggins ("Log) create performance art with a band at a "Never-Ending Costume Party" in their yard at 3726 Rodeo Grounds. James Mathers wears a silver space suit, a clown hat, and has black eye makeup. Erin Loggins ("Log")…
Olivia Dornsife painting, "Stairway to Topanga," 2025
Olivia Dornsife's painting shows the stairs that lead to the Topanga Beach parking lot.
Olivia Dornsife painting, "Topanga June Gloom," 2024
Olivia Dornsife's painting "Topanga June Gloom" shows the rocks at low tide at Topanga Beach.
Olivia Dornsife painting, "Mornings like This," 2025
Olivia Dornsife's painting "Mornings like This" shows the rocks at low tide at Topanga Beach.
Olivia Dornsife painting, "Topanga Ranch Motel," 2025
Olivia Dornsife's painting shows a cabin of the Topanga Ranch Motel beneath a eucalyptus tree.
A 1930 map marks Lower Topanga as a future park
A 1930 map ("Diagram of Beach Frontage") marks Lower Topanga as the site of a future park, and the Santa Monica / Venice coastline as a future harbor.
A Don Quixote statue stands by the Topanga Beach stairs
A statue, with a hat and beard resembling Don Quixote, stands by the Topanga Beach stairs.
Guy Bodman and Donny Hirlinger on the Topanga Beach Bus
Surfers Guy Bodman and Donny Hirlinger ride the Topanga Beach Bus to catch some waves.
The former Las Tunas Isle Motel has a stained-glass window
A stained-glass window shows an underwater scene with fish, seaweed, and a mermaid at the former Las Tunas Isle Motel at 18904 PCH.
The bathroom of the former Las Tunas Isle Motel is green
The bathroom wall and ceiling have a tropical-plant decor, with green palm leaves painted around a lamp, at the former Las Tunas Isle Motel at 18904 PCH.
The former Las Tunas Isle Motel has a bamboo wall
The Tiki Room has an arundo bamboo wall at the former Las Tunas Isle Motel at 18904 PCH.
The former Las Tunas Isle Motel has a check-in window
Arundo bamboo walls surround the check-in window, doorbell, and light at the former Las Tunas Isle Motel at 18904 PCH.
The former Las Tunas Isle Motel door has room doorbells
Arundo bamboo surrounds the room doorbells at the front door of the former Las Tunas Isle Motel at 18904 PCH.
Bamboo covers the entry at the former Las Tunas Isle Motel
Arundo bamboo covers the arched doorway and doorbells at the former Las Tunas Isle Motel at 18904 PCH.
La Esperanza has an address plaque at Las Tunas Beach
A ceramic address plaque at the Las Tunas Beach house, La Esperanza, reads, "18862 Malibu" (18862 PCH). The house's name means, "The Hope," and formerly belonged to actors Greta Garbo, June Havoc, Fred MacMurray, and screenwriter Frank Pierson.
Woody's Shack at the Theatricum Botanicum
Artist James Mathers stands on the doorstep of Woody's Shack at the Theatricum Botanicum. Folk singer Woody Guthrie lived here in 1952.
Gold rings by Cy and Vera Wood
Gold rings by Cy and Vera Wood (CYVRA) depict a mask, a horse, and an Indian.
A non-native tree is sprayed with blue herbicide Roundup
A non-native arundo tree is sprayed with the blue herbicide Roundup by State Parks in the lower Topanga Creek bed. The health impacts of the glyphosate-based Roundup, as well as its effects on the environment, have been at the center of substantial…
Non-natives plants are sprayed with blue herbicide Roundup
A non-native arundo patch is sprayed with the blue herbicide Roundup by State Parks in the lower Topanga Creek bed. The health impacts of the glyphosate-based Roundup, as well as its effects on the environment, have been at the center of substantial…
Non-native arundo is sprayed with blue herbicide Roundup
A non-native arundo stalk is sprayed with the blue herbicide Roundup by State Parks in the lower Topanga Creek bed. The health impacts of the glyphosate-based Roundup, as well as its effects on the environment, have been at the center of substantial…
Odie sits by Michael Greene's house at 3726 Rodeo Grounds
Odie (the Capra family's dog) sits by Michael Greene's house at 3726 Rodeo Grounds
Kay 'n' Dave's Cantina opened in 1991
Dave Licht and his wife Kay opened their first Mexican restaurant, Kay 'n' Dave's Cantina, at 18763 PCH in 1991 (across from Topanga Beach). In front was a phone booth.
There's a puddle on the Rodeo Grounds dirt road by the tree
A cottonwood tree grows on the dirt road at the entrance to The Rodeo Grounds. There is a puddle in the foreground.
Arundo grows along the dirt road in The Rodeo Grounds
Arundo bamboo grows along the dirt road in The Rodeo Grounds.
James Mathers looks at Norton Wisdom's art studio
James Mathers looks at the paintings in Norton Wisdom's art studio at 3948 Topanga Lane (in The Snake Pit).
"Rodeo Grounds Forever" sign protests the evictions
A rubber snake coils around a sign that says, "Rodeo Grounds Forever," at the entrance to that neighborhood, The "Forever" part was added later to protest the evictions by State Parks.
Baretta sits by his shack at 3681 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Robert "Baretta" Overby sits by his shack in the backyard of 3681 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga Creek flows under the Rodeo Grounds bridge, 3/3
Topanga Creek flows under the Rodeo Grounds bridge after the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks.
A dirt road ascends from The Rodeo Grounds
A dirt road ascends from The Rodeo Grounds after the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks.
Street signs show Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Rodeo Grounds
Street signs show the intersection of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Rodeo Grounds (private).
Baretta stands by a tree stump in The Rodeo Grounds
Robert "Baretta" Overby stands on a dirt road by the stump of the cottonwood tree at the entrance to The Rodeo Grounds after the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks. Non-native plants like this tree were also uprooted.
Pablo Capra publishes "Idlers of the Bamboo Grove"
Publisher Pablo Capra sits on the floor and holds an ankh in his greenhouse at 3712 Rodeo Grounds. He assembles multiple copies of his chapbook, "Idlers of the Bamboo Grove: Poetry from Lower Topanga" (Brass Tacks Press, 2002). On the wall is a…
A dirt road descends into the trees of The Rodeo Grounds
A dirt road descends into The Rodeo Grounds. The cottonwood tree at the entrance is at center. The Moonfire Temple is on top of the hill.
Baretta points to Paul Neill's truck, stuck in Topanga Creek
Robert Overby ("Baretta") points to Paul Neill's truck, which is stuck in Topanga Creek in The Rodeo Grounds. At left is the sign "Rodeo Grounds Forever."
James Mathers's Cadillac was carried downstream, 1/2
James Mathers's Cadillac got stuck as Topanga Creek rose. The car was carried 100 feet downstream to Topanga Lane before the water receded.
Pablo Capra stands in his greenhouse in The Rodeo Grounds
Pablo Capra stands in his greenhouse at 3712 Rodeo Grounds.
Carole Winter and Michael Morales's house is boarded up
The house of Carole Winter and Michael Morales, at 3681 Topanga Canyon Blvd., is boarded up during the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks. Graffiti says, "Idlers of the Bamboo Grove." A faded historic sign on the side advertises,…
Christoph Marquardsen finds his Mercedes in the creek
Friends tried to drive Christoph Marquardsen's Mercedes-Benz across Topanga Creek as the water rose. The car got stuck and then was carried several hundred feet downstream.
Baretta and James Mathers hug by James's art studio
Robert Overby ("Baretta") wears a hat that says, "Malibu." James Mathers wears a straw hat and a fur coat. They hug in front of James's art studio at 3726 Rodeo Grounds. Graffiti shows the anarchy symbol.
Surf cam: Sunset turns Topanga Beach pink, 2018
Swell Magnet's surf cam shows sunset turning the water pink by the Topanga Beach lifeguard tower.
Topanga Sue's Makaha skateboard has stickers
"Topanga Sue" Lilley's Makaha skateboard is displayed from the top and bottom, revealing her name, a patch of grip tape, and several stickers, including one that says, "Makaha Surf Skateboard, 2601 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, California," and…
George Trafton holds his Skateboarding Hall of Fame trophy
George Trafton holds his award trophy at the 2025 Skateboarding Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Vans Headquarters in Costa Mesa, CA. He wears a lei.
George was a member of the Makaha skateboard team and the Hobie / Vita-Pakt Super Surfer…
George was a member of the Makaha skateboard team and the Hobie / Vita-Pakt Super Surfer…
Paul Lovas sits on the bench at Topanga Beach
Surfer Paul Lovas sits on the bench in the Topanga Beach parking lot. The lifeguard tower is in the background.
Surf cam: Mounds of sand are piled by the lifeguard tower
Surf cam: Mounds are piled by the Topanga Beach lifeguard tower for a sand replenishment project.
Tony Knox plays music at La Esperanza at Las Tunas Beach
Tony Knox sings and plays guitar with his punk rock band Fallujah 71 at La Esperanza (18862 PCH), a Las Tunas Beach house. Robert Overby ("Baretta") watches from a chair. Billy Zane watches from behind a gate.
Sam Bertolet holds a surfboard that says, "Topanga"
Lifeguard Sam Bertolet holds a buoy and a rescue surfboard that says, "Topanga," by the Topanga Beach lifeguard tower.
Reel Inn dining room panorama, 2009
Panorama shows the Reel Inn seafood restaurant at 18661 PCH. Long picnic tables fill the dining room. The menu is written on chalkboards. Surfboards hang from the ceiling.
Michele Capra and Natalie Zeri watch the sunset
Michele Capra and Natalie Zeri watch the sunset from the overlook in the Post Office Tract.
Billy panhandles with an electric guitar at PCH and Topanga
Billy [SURNAME?] panhandles with an electric guitar by his bicycle at the intersection of PCH and Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga Beach graffiti tells surfers to "Go to Sunset"
Graffiti on the stairs tells beginning surfers to "Go to Sunset." Mounds are piled by the Topanga Beach lifeguard tower for a sand replenishment project. The rocks are out at low tide.
Graffiti says, "Topanga," on a ruined Topanga Beach wall
Graffiti says, "Topanga," on a ruined concrete wall from the 1923 Topanga Lagoon bridge. In the background are the Topanga Beach lifeguard tower and a beach access mat.
Native American artifacts that were found in Lower Topanga
Native American artifacts found in Lower Topanga by Shane McMahon include a metate, arrowheads, hollowed rocks, rounded rocks, a long bead, and a wand that may be a "paviut."
Blue Juice stands under the Malibu Inn sign at their reunion
The surf-rock band Blue Juice takes a group photo under the sign announcing their reunion show at the Malibu Inn. They are John Albert, J. Murf, Jeff Ort, and Sammy Cammack.
Panorama of The Rodeo Grounds, 2017
Panorama of The Rodeo Grounds shows the former sites of the Capra family house (3712 Rodeo Grounds) and Dittrich family house (3707 Rodeo Grounds) after the eviction of Lower Topanga by State Parks. Topanga Creek is at left.
Graffiti says, "Topangry Locals," at Topanga Beach
Graffiti says, "Topangry Locals," on a lamppost in the Topanga Beach parking lot.
Peeling stickers spell out, "Topanga Surf Club"
Peeling letters stuck to the back of a street sign spell out, "Topanga Surf Club," marking an area where surfers used to hangout at Topanga Beach.
A car drives by The Chart House in "Grand Theft Auto V"
The video game "Grand Theft Auto V" shows a fantasy version of a car driving by The Chart House and the intersection of PCH and Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Unknown artist painting, "Girl with Balloons," 1990s?
The Reel Inn is decorated with string lights at 18661 PCH. In the rafters hangs a surfboard with a painting of a girl holding balloons. She rides a shark that swims through the clouds.
Surf cam: Topanga Beach is empty during COVID-19
Surf cam: Topanga Beach is empty during the COVID-19 pandemic's beach closure. Parking is blocked and PCH is deserted.
Surf cam: Empty waves break during COVID-19
Surf cam: Empty waves break at Topanga Beach during the COVID-19 pandemic's beach closure.
Surf cam: Surfers crowd Topanga Beach
Surfers crowd the water two and half weeks after Los Angeles County partially ended their COVID-19 beach closure on May 13, 2020. A sailboat sails by. The number of new surfers notably increased during the pandemic. (Lying or sitting on the sand was…
Wing surfers ride hydrofoil boards at Topanga Beach
Wing surfers ride hydrofoil boards by surfers at Topanga Beach. Santa Monica is in the background.
The Wisdoms' house at 3948 Topanga Lane is gone, 2/2
Cactus, palm trees, and bushes grow at the site of the Wisdom family's former house at 3948 Topanga Lane (The Snake Pit ) after the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks.
A tree branch grows horizontal over a path in Topanga Lane
A tree branch grows horizontal over a path through the grass in Topanga Lane.
Marlies Armand's house at 3833 Topanga Lane is gone
Nasturtium flowers grow by a sycamore tree hollow at the former site of Marlies Armand's house at 3833 Topanga Lane after the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks.
Rusted car parts lie in the grass in Topanga Lane, 2/3
Rusted car parts lie in the grass in Topanga Lane during the pandemic. Graffiti says, "COVID-19" and "The harsh reality 2020."
Rusted car parts lie in the grass in Topanga Lane, 3/3
Rusted car parts and a street sign lie in the grass in Topanga Lane. Graffiti says, "Full-time meltdown."
Cynthia Dial's house at 3948 Topanga Lane is gone
Cactus and a palm tree grow by a concrete picnic bench. Cynthia Dial's house at 3948 Topanga Lane (The Snake Pit) is gone after the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks.
Bill Flaxman stands under a big tree in Brookside
Bill Flaxman stands with a walking stick under a big tree in Brookside.
Grass grows over an abandoned Jacuzzi at Brookside
Grass grows over an abandoned Jacuzzi at Brookside after the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks. The dirty water is brown and full of debris.
Bill Flaxman stands in the creek bed at Brookside
Bill Flaxman stands with a walking stick in the Topanga Creek bed at Brookside.
A sign found in The Rodeo Grounds says, "Rancho Rodeo"
An old sign with a horseshoe says, "Rancho Rodeo." It hung on the Casser family's house at 3703 Rodeo Grounds. Before that, it hung on the Pascal family's house at 3707 Rodeo Grounds. It may date back to the rodeos that were held there in the 1920s.
A yellow gate bars the entrance to The Rodeo Grounds
A yellow gate on Topanga Canyon Blvd. bars the dirt road and entrance to The Rodeo Grounds after the eviction of the Lower Topanga community by State Parks. The 7-Eleven gas station is in the background.
Featured Item
No featured items are available.