Shadow Ranch LbNA #50402 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Old Roar
 |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Sep 15, 2009 |
| Location: | |
| City: | West Hills |
| County: | Los Angeles |
| State: | California |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | snowmen |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Oct 7, 2009 |
| Status: | FF |
| Last edited: | Sep 15, 2009 |
This box is missing. I'll wait a while to see if it magically reappears before officially retiring the box.
(Note: This is the second of a series of letterboxes at historical locations in West Hills and its environs. This letterbox also commemorates the second anniversary of the Cinema Heritage Project’s public outdoor screening of “The Children’s Hour” at the site where it was filmed.)
The Western San Fernando Valley has a rich and colorful history, but if you want to find it, you’ll have to know where to look. A great place to start is the beautiful old house at 22633 Vanowen St., just east of Fallbrook Avenue in West Hills. The 137-year-old structure is the centerpiece of Shadow Ranch Park.
A park staff led by Facility Director Adria Deliberto coordinates more than 30 programs for the public, including sporting events, day camps and holiday gatherings. Community groups use the facility’s two meeting rooms. Outside, the park’s play equipment and picnic tables are popular attractions for local families.
Once a campground for the Chumash Indians, the property was sold in 1854 by General Andres Pico to the Los Angeles Farm and Mining Company. The syndicate, led by Isaac Lankershim and Isaac Van Nuys, planted wheat under the supervision of an English immigrant named Alfred Workman.
The ranch prospered. On its 13,000 acres were 70 barns and a thousand head of cattle. Horse-drawn wagons took the wheat on a three-day journey to Los Angeles.
In 1869, Workman obtained permission to build a house for himself and his fiancee, Henrietta Feliz, the daughter of a prominent Los Angeles family. When it was finished in 1872, the building’s size and grandeur surprised all who saw it.
On his wedding day, Workman planted eucalyptus trees that he had shipped in from Australia. These are said to be the parent trees of all the “blue gum” eucalyptus trees in California. In 1880, his bride’s Aunt Maria de Los Angeles Feliz de Burrows deeded the property to Workman.
Willard and Bessie Paull purchased the land, now called Workman Ranch, in the early 1900s and raised a large family there.
The property eventually fell into disrepair, but when Hollywood screenwriters Colin and Florence Clements bought the house in 1933, they made it a beautiful home again. Florence Clements named her home Shadow Ranch because of the shade cast by the eucalyptus trees that were planted by Alfred Workman.
Scenes from the MGM musical The Wizard of Oz probably were written by Florence Clements at the ranch. The house also was the location for filming The Children’s Hour, a 1961 drama starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley McLain and James Garner.
In 1957, the City of Los Angeles acquired the property for a park and community center, and in 1962 it dedicated Shadow Ranch as Cultural-Historical Monument #9.
When Florence Clements learned that her former home was to become a park she said, “It is now as it should be, a joy to the entire community for many years to come.”
On Sept. 15, 2007, the Cinema Heritage Project presented “The Children’s Hour” to the public on a giant screen in front of the house where it was filmed.
(Credit goes to Darlene Estes, who wrote most of the above history of Shadow Ranch!)
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That was the history lesson. Now for your directions to the Shadow Ranch letterbox!
Go to the western end of the main building. Just south of the basketball court are two small storage structures, one made of metal and the other made of wood. Underneath the wooden structure is a gap between its floor and the ground. The letterbox is shoved about a foot into this gap, under the southwest corner. After stamping in, please replace the letterbox as you found it, so it is out of sight.
After placing the box, I realized this location is swarming with soccer players on weekends. You might want to wait until after dark or go any time on a weekday. The location is easily accessible 24/7.
About the stamp: I took the image from the 1963 invitation to Shadow Ranch’s opening as a community center. In it you can see the original eucalyptus trees that towered over the house. The stumps of some of those trees are still in place and portions of the trunks are on display as well.
Please bring your own stamp pad.
Enjoy your time at Shadow Ranch!
(Note: This is the second of a series of letterboxes at historical locations in West Hills and its environs. This letterbox also commemorates the second anniversary of the Cinema Heritage Project’s public outdoor screening of “The Children’s Hour” at the site where it was filmed.)
The Western San Fernando Valley has a rich and colorful history, but if you want to find it, you’ll have to know where to look. A great place to start is the beautiful old house at 22633 Vanowen St., just east of Fallbrook Avenue in West Hills. The 137-year-old structure is the centerpiece of Shadow Ranch Park.
A park staff led by Facility Director Adria Deliberto coordinates more than 30 programs for the public, including sporting events, day camps and holiday gatherings. Community groups use the facility’s two meeting rooms. Outside, the park’s play equipment and picnic tables are popular attractions for local families.
Once a campground for the Chumash Indians, the property was sold in 1854 by General Andres Pico to the Los Angeles Farm and Mining Company. The syndicate, led by Isaac Lankershim and Isaac Van Nuys, planted wheat under the supervision of an English immigrant named Alfred Workman.
The ranch prospered. On its 13,000 acres were 70 barns and a thousand head of cattle. Horse-drawn wagons took the wheat on a three-day journey to Los Angeles.
In 1869, Workman obtained permission to build a house for himself and his fiancee, Henrietta Feliz, the daughter of a prominent Los Angeles family. When it was finished in 1872, the building’s size and grandeur surprised all who saw it.
On his wedding day, Workman planted eucalyptus trees that he had shipped in from Australia. These are said to be the parent trees of all the “blue gum” eucalyptus trees in California. In 1880, his bride’s Aunt Maria de Los Angeles Feliz de Burrows deeded the property to Workman.
Willard and Bessie Paull purchased the land, now called Workman Ranch, in the early 1900s and raised a large family there.
The property eventually fell into disrepair, but when Hollywood screenwriters Colin and Florence Clements bought the house in 1933, they made it a beautiful home again. Florence Clements named her home Shadow Ranch because of the shade cast by the eucalyptus trees that were planted by Alfred Workman.
Scenes from the MGM musical The Wizard of Oz probably were written by Florence Clements at the ranch. The house also was the location for filming The Children’s Hour, a 1961 drama starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley McLain and James Garner.
In 1957, the City of Los Angeles acquired the property for a park and community center, and in 1962 it dedicated Shadow Ranch as Cultural-Historical Monument #9.
When Florence Clements learned that her former home was to become a park she said, “It is now as it should be, a joy to the entire community for many years to come.”
On Sept. 15, 2007, the Cinema Heritage Project presented “The Children’s Hour” to the public on a giant screen in front of the house where it was filmed.
(Credit goes to Darlene Estes, who wrote most of the above history of Shadow Ranch!)
-----------------------------------------------------------
That was the history lesson. Now for your directions to the Shadow Ranch letterbox!
Go to the western end of the main building. Just south of the basketball court are two small storage structures, one made of metal and the other made of wood. Underneath the wooden structure is a gap between its floor and the ground. The letterbox is shoved about a foot into this gap, under the southwest corner. After stamping in, please replace the letterbox as you found it, so it is out of sight.
After placing the box, I realized this location is swarming with soccer players on weekends. You might want to wait until after dark or go any time on a weekday. The location is easily accessible 24/7.
About the stamp: I took the image from the 1963 invitation to Shadow Ranch’s opening as a community center. In it you can see the original eucalyptus trees that towered over the house. The stumps of some of those trees are still in place and portions of the trunks are on display as well.
Please bring your own stamp pad.
Enjoy your time at Shadow Ranch!