In my own backyard

The San Fernando Valley, or as we call it THE VALLEY, gets a bad rap. It’s just boring suburbia with no historical value whatsoever.

True, it is suburbia, some of us like the ability to have a nice house and garden. Traffic and parking can be problematic, but nothing like over the hill in the actual city of Los Angeles.

But that part about not having any history, that is the case anywhere, if you aren’t willing to look.  Right in the middle of Encino, literally on the busiest main thoroughfare, Ventura Blvd is  Los Encinos  State  Historic park.Portions of the communities of Sherman Oaks and Encino were part of Rancho Encino – which btw, means oak in Spanish, Live Oaks dot the property and the valley. When the Mexicans took control of California from the Spanish, they dissolved the Mission system and created Rancheros – large tracts of farming land.  The De La Ossa family built this traditional adobe hacienda in 1849. A series of room runs the length of the building, connected by the exterior covered walk- way. Today the rooms connect to one another and are filled with items from the families that once lived here.

Ask Encino residents about Amestoy estates, and they  will point to a lovely neighborhood of large homes between Ventura Blvd. and the 101 freeway.  Most won’t know that the Amestoy family owned the whole rancho for  almost 50 years, until 1944, when they started selling off the land for those large homes as well as the post war housing tracts. From the time of the De La Ossa’s  until 1889, the property changed hands many times.  The two story  limestone house was built by the Garnier brothers, Basques who tried sheep ranching here. The Amestoys were Basque as well, today we have forgotten about the Basque migration to California in the mid 19th century.

The Garniers  also created a lake in the shape of a Spanish guitar.  There is a natural spring that feeds this lake, they lined it with stone.  The aerating fountains are a modern addition of course. Btw, for fiber lovers, they raised Merino sheep and had the finest wool in southern CA. Which is not saying much, the sheep venture didn’t succeed. The Amestoys followed the farmers in the eastern part of the valley and grew wheat and barley.  Behind the trees you can see an office building on Ventura Blvd.People come to feed the ducks and geese. I was here the other day with my grandson, he made the mistake of feeding the pigeons, they surrounded him and then all flew up at the same time – giving him quite a fright. An old Arby’s was recently turned into Lakeside cafe, they did a lovely job. You can either eat inside looking out at the lake or under the oak tree in the yard.  I haven’t eaten there yet, but definitely will do so soon.Agaves, prickly pear cactus, oaks and  Pepper trees. This is the Flora of California before the Palm tree was brought in.Fruit of the Prickly Pear.  One needs thick gloves to cut these open, and then there are many seeds inside, but it is a very sweet fruit. Btw, the cochineal bug grows on these plants. (not here in the park, in general). That is a source of a wonderful red/pink dye that most textile dyers are familiar with.These days the park is used as a park. Nannies with their charges, people feeding the ducks, others sitting and enjoying a respite from the busy street close by.The old sheepherders shed and paddock. To the left, an apartment building, right behind, a new fire station that blends right in with the large Encino homes next to it.

When the Amestoys were dividing and selling off the land, the original long adobe became a real estate office. A local woman, Mary Stewart was able to mobilize the community and even get the State involved in saving this one small parcel of what was once a large agricultural ranch.  It usually takes one strong person to make a difference.

It’s not only the beautiful buildings downtown that tell the story of Los Angeles, it is places like this as well.