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.

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.