The Valley's Own Museum

Gerald Fecht operates a blog for the Museum of the San Fernando Valley. The museum's archives includes photos, postcards and artifacts. Images of these are often displayed on the website. This is also a good place to find announcements of upcoming events and exhibitions about the history and culture of the Los Angeles area.

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.

Red Tailed Hawk

Red-tailed hawks are found in the valley year-round. They are often seen soaring above open fields or brushy areas. They hunt small mammals, birds and reptiles. This one was perched in a favorite spot, a pine tree that overlooks my back yard.

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.