The Great Wall of Los Angeles

This huge mural project, depicting various aspects of California history from prehistoric times to the 1950's, was created in five stages between 1978 and 1983, with the participation of over 400 young people. It decorates a half-mile section of flood control channel along Coldwater Canyon Blvd. between Oxnard St. and Burbank Blvd. The mural can be viewed from a path through a grassy mini-park that follows the channel on its east side.

Then and Now

I just got a copy of Then and Now: San Fernando Valley, a fun collection of photos showing the valley as it was once upon a time, compared to what it's like now. In many cases the editor has found photos taken from the same viewpoint, and on rare occasions the same landmarks are still standing. You won't get a very deep history lesson here; most photos are captioned with only a couple of sentences. But it does provide a great sense of how much things have changed, often within the memory of those who still live here.

Old Trapper's Lodge

This is California Registered Historical Landmark No. 939. These folk art sculptures were created by John Ehn, who was born in 1897, over a 30-year period that ended with his death in 1981. The oversized figures and humorous tombstones were intended to create a vision of the mythological Old West.

Originally located at a motel in Sunland Sun Valley, the collection had to be relocated in the late 1980's to make room for development. It now resides on the Pierce College campus, in an out-of-the-way spot near a cow pasture and some agricultural buildings.

A plaque dated 1969 identifies this as Alvin Cleveland Park. Most people on campus (including employees) don't even know it exists. It's a cute, quiet mini-park, well shaded, with picnic tables, paved paths, and a water fountain. The day I visited, one table was occupied by a young woman peacefully studying.

A Landmark Tour

Since 2007, Floyd B. Bariscale has been finding, photographing, and writing about the official historical landmarks of Los Angeles. I like his pictures ( he has a talent for being out and about on clear, blue-sky days). His commentary is both informative and entertaining. Lately I've been searching for some of the Valley's landmarks, and Floyd's entries have been helpful on more than one occasion when I just couldn't figure out where the darn thing was. The blog is called Big Orange Landmarks.