Canoga Park - Part of the City of Los Angeles
Canoga Park, North of Woodland Hills, has rebounded after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Savvy shoppers know Canoga Park for its thriving Antique row, where a number of old-fashioned stores sell everything from vintage jewelry to classic furniture. The Row, located along the 21500 block of Sherman Way, is also a terrific place to search for funky frocks from years gone by.
Canoga Park History
Canoga Park is located in the middle of one of the most historic areas in Southern California. From 1796-1822, it was a possession of Spain by right of discovery and conquest. Then, for 25 years, it was a prize of Mexico by right of revolution and, in the days just preceding California's gold rush, it was awarded to the United States by Mexico as reparation following the Mexican War of 1845.
The area was part of the old San Fernando Mission holdings and was inhabited by the Indians who watered the horses of Franciscan Padres and travelers as they headed north toward other missions or the capital of Monterey. It is said that the name "Canoga" originated from these watering troughs, or "Le Canoas," used by the Indians who populated the area. Others take a practical version that the name "Canoga" was given to a valley railway station in the 1880's by the Southern Pacific Railroad. Between 1912 and 1931, the area was known as Owensmouth, a name suggested because it was near the terminus of the Owens River Acqueduct.
Gold was discovered in the hills encircling the valley in 1842. Rumor had it that the first $20,000 gold piece coined in California was made from the ore taken from the surrounding mountains.
In March of 1912, with the founding of the farming community of Owensmouth, this territory became part of the West Valley's land boom. Two railroads came through the community and General H.G. Otis and M.H. Sherman joined the janss Investment Company backers to develop the area.
Canoga-Owensmouth Historical Society
On January 31, 1985, a meeting was held to establish an historical society for Canoga Park. On October 8, a Charter Day party was held for the Canoga-Owensmouth Historical society at Shadow Ranch Park, once the site of the headquarters for a wheat growing ranch of the Los Angeles Farm & Milling Co. of the late 1800's.
The Canoga-Owensmouth Historial Society was organised to indentify and preserve objects and landmarks of historical interest within the area originally known as Owensmouth. The Society maintains a museum, encourages research, honors citizens who have contributed to the history of Canoga Park/West Hills, and serves as a resource to the public on local history.
Membership is open to all who pursue the Society's goals. Contact the Canoga Park/West hills Chamber of Commerce for more information.
The Museum is open form 2 p.m. to 4 pm. on the second Sunday of the month.
Canoga-Owensmouth Museum
In 1987, the Canoga Park Women's Club voted to establish a "Museum of Canoga Park History" in the former Los Angeles City Firestation #72. This community landmark had been renovated for use as a Community Center and Chamber of Commerce office.
The Women's Club history scrapbooks, dating back to 1914, served as the foundation for this Museum. Other items were donated or loaned by individuals. On October 11, 1987, the Museum as dedicated, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of Owensmouth (renamed Canoga Park in 1931).
Canoga Mission
Francis Lederer is the Honorary Mayor Emeritius of Canoga Park/West Hills and initiated the sister-city between Canoga Park and Taxco, Mexico.
As if acting, writing and directing weren't enough to keep our Honorary Mayor busy, he designed and owns two of the 317 historic cultural monuments in the city of Los Angeles.
One, the Canoga Mission Gallery, is open to the public and houses an Antique Shop. The other, the actor's residence, remains private. Both are within a few miles of each other and exude an atmosphere reminiscent of the California of yesteryear.
He fashioned his Canoga Park ranch after an early California mission and accented it with undertones of Spanish and Italian art and furnishings from the 14th through 17th centuries.
Lederer's wife, Marion, said the Canoga Mission Gallery was once a stable that housed her horse, Gypsy.
In June 1967, Mrs. Lederer said the stable had outlived its validity, so she formed a corporation with Obdulio and Mary Galeana and Jody Hutchison, and they opened the Canoga Mission Gallery. The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission designated the site as a historic cultural monument on Dec. 4, 1974.
The monument has a Spanish-style roof and was built of stone quarried on the ranch. It is situated at 23130 Sherman Way In West Hills (the Western area of old Canoga Park.)
Those interested in the history of Canoga Park and its western neighbor, West Hills, can visit the Canoga-Owensmouth Historical Society at Shadow Ranch Park, once the site of the massive Los Angeles Farm & Milling Co., a late 1880s wheat ranch.
