Malibou Lake | |
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![]() Malibou Lake in Los Angeles | |
Location | Los Angeles County, California, United States |
Coordinates | 34°06′25″N118°45′25″W / 34.107°N 118.757°W |
Lake type | reservoir |
Primary inflows | From the Medea and the Triunfo creeks |
Primary outflows | Outlet from dam into Malibu Creek |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 350 acres (140 ha) |
Max. depth | 27 feet (8.2 m) |
Shore length1 | 1.9 mi (3 km) |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Malibou Lake is a small reservoir surrounded by a residential development in the Santa Monica Mountains near Agoura Hills, California. [1] Adjacent to Malibu Creek State Park and within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, [2] it is situated between Malibu Beach and the Conejo Valley. It was created in 1922 after the Malibu Lake Club Dam was built at the confluence of two creeks. [3] The lake, and community of 250 residents [2] are private. [4]
The 350 acres (140 ha) site includes rugged mountain terrain, exclusive ranch houses, cabins and a club, It has been a popular venue for filming due to its proximity to the Hollywood studios. About 100 Hollywood movies have been filmed since the silent film period.
The territory of the Chumash, Native Americans, extended loosely from the San Joaquin Valley to San Luis Obispo to Malibu, as well as several islands off the southern coast of California. They named this region "Humaliwo" [5] or "the surf sounds loudly." This name was included within the name of Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit. The "o" was added to avoid confusion with Malibu Lagoon. [1] [6]
In 1922, George Wilson and Bertram Lackey bought 350 acres (140 ha) of land near Cornell with the vision of creating a remote residential community surrounding a lake. In 1922, they formed the Malibou Lake Club (later the Malibou Lake Mountain Club). [7] For nearly four years Malibou "Lake" remained dry. Because of this, the Malibou Lake Mountain Club received criticism from early cabin owners, who had purchased properties for up to $700 along roads such as "Lakeside Drive". [2] [8] Finally on April 5, 1926, a storm produced nearly five inches (130 mm) of rain. The hillsides nearby drained millions of gallons of water into Medea and Triunfo creeks and Malibou Lake was filled for the first time. The founding members threw a party that lasted for days. [8] [9] The club land is rich with live oak and Sycamore trees, and the trees of the riparian woodland. [2]
Built in 1924, the Malibou Lake Clubhouse had 24 bedrooms, a lounge, a dining room, a stage, locker rooms, a trading post, a tennis court, rowboats, and swimming/changing facilities. [9] It was replaced with a smaller structure after the clubhouse burned down in 1936. [1] [6] [10]
The 1936 clubhouse by early Los Angeles architectural firm Russell and Alpaugh stands today. The Malibou Lake Mountain Club clubhouse has a 2100 sq ft ballroom and a 475 sqft receiving room, a 1500 sqft patio, immediately adjacent gardens, a swimming pool and a tennis court and 18 ensuite 10' x 13' club member guest rooms (guest rooms not in use).[ citation needed ]
Winter rains were expected to refill the lake in late 1959 when state safety officials had the lake partially drained so the dam could be inspected. [1] Attempts by a rainmaker to resurrect it were initially unsuccessful. [2] The rains finally poured down in 1961 and refilled the lake. [1] The community of Malibu Lake has proved successful in preserving the lake area and resisting various proposals for mass development in the area. [2] [11]
The 2018 Woolsey Fire burned through the area, destroying more than 30 homes. [12]
Malibou Lake is located in the Santa Monica Mountains, half a mile south of Mulholland Highway, and over the hill, north of Malibu. The Ventura (101) Freeway is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north. [2] [13] The Malibou Lake area includes parts of Point Dume and Thousand Oaks. [14] The lake sits at the bottom of a sharp defile where the confluence of Medea and Triunfo Creeks forms Malibu Creek. [15] Here, the canyon floor widens into a valley that includes the lake, which occasionally dries out. [2]
The lake is situated in the midst of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area. The lake periphery measures 1.9 mi (3 km) with homes along the shore. The depth of water in the lake ranges to 25 ft.
The Santa Monica mountains and the Agoura hills, which form the catchment of the lake, and the creeks which drain into the lake are adjacent to Malibu Creek State Park. These locations were part of the CBS-TV series M*A*S*H and a ranch where Ronald Reagan came to relax. [16]
A gated dam-bridge is located at the lake's southern end. [17] When the area receives 4 inches (100 mm) or more of rain, the lake often overflows. [18] The water flows down Malibu Creek to the ocean at the Malibu Lagoon.
Malibou Lake has been used as a location or setting for many films and television programs. [19] This location is within the thirty miles (48 km) studio zone and has been a popular location since the silent movie era for films. [4] [6] The lake was used in the 1931 version of Frankenstein, Frankenstein's monster accidentally drowns a little girl, Maria, in a lake in the Bavarian Alps in Europe. [20] [21] Other Hollywood movies include The Ring, a 2002 American psychological horror film, and the 1956 Oscar-nominated film The Bad Seed. Two actresses who shot movies at Malibou Lake were Claudette Colbert in The Man from Yesterday and Betty Grable in Thrill of a Lifetime . The heroes of the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid jumped from the top of a cliff into the lake. A similar stunt act of jumping into the lake was performed by James Coburn for the film Our Man Flint . [4] [16] [22] Other notable films and programs include:
Malibou Lake holds more than 100 film credits. [1]
Agoura Hills is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. It is in the eastern Conejo Valley between the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. The city is in western Los Angeles County and is bordered to the north by Bell Canyon and Ventura County. It is 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and less than 10 miles (16 km) west of the Los Angeles city limits at Woodland Hills. Agoura Hills and unincorporated Agoura sit next to Calabasas, Oak Park, and Westlake Village.
Malibu is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about 30 miles (48 km) west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching 21 miles along the Pacific Ocean coast, and for its longtime status as the home of numerous affluent Hollywood celebrities and executives. Although a high proportion of its residents are entertainment industry figures with million-dollar mansions, Malibu also features several middle- and upper-middle-class neighborhoods. The Pacific Coast Highway traverses the city and has led most residents to settle anywhere from half a mile to within a few hundred yards of it, with some residents living up to one mile away from the beach in areas featuring narrow canyons. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,654.
Oak Park is an unincorporated community in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. When developed in the Simi Hills in the late 1960s, a single road provided the only access to the community from Agoura Hills, California, in neighboring Los Angeles County. As of the 2010 census, Oak Park had a population of 14,266, down from 14,625 at the 2000 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Oak Park as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name.
Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County, California on its western border with Ventura County. It incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County. The population of the city was 8,029 at the 2020 census, down from 8,270 at the 2010 census.
The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in California.
The Peter Strauss Ranch is a regional park unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area - and operated by the National Park Service as Peter Strauss Ranch Park. It is located in the central Santa Monica Mountains — on Mulholland Highway near Agoura Hills, Southern California, in the Western United States. The ranch is named after the actor Peter Strauss, who was the last private owner-resident of the property. Much of the ranch was destroyed during the Woolsey Fire in November 2018.
Malibu Creek State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving the Malibu Creek canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains. The 8,215-acre (3,324 ha) park was established in 1974. Opened to the public in 1976, the park is also a component of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It is located in the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Topanga is an unincorporated community in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow southern portion of Topanga at the coast is between the city of Malibu and the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. As of the 2020 census the population of the Topanga CDP was 8,560. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Topanga as a census-designated place (CDP). The ZIP code is 90290 and the area code is primarily 310, with 818 only at the north end of the canyon. It is in the 3rd County Supervisorial district.
Rancho del Cielo is a ranch located atop the Santa Ynez Mountain range northwest of Santa Barbara, California. For more than 20 years, it was the vacation home of Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a United States national recreation area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. The SMMNRA is in the greater Los Angeles region, with two thirds of the parklands in northwest Los Angeles County, and the remaining third, including a Simi Hills extension, in southeastern Ventura County.
Rindge Dam is a 100-foot-tall (30 m) dam on Malibu Creek in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. Located in Malibu Creek State Park, it sits just northeast of Malibu Canyon Road, and is partially visible from the turnouts south of the tunnel. The dam, a major obstacle to river wildlife, is due to be removed with demolition work beginning in 2025 and finishing in 2035.
Malibu Creek is a year-round stream in western Los Angeles County, California. It drains the southern Conejo Valley and Simi Hills, flowing south through the Santa Monica Mountains, and enters Santa Monica Bay in Malibu. The Malibu Creek watershed drains 109 square miles (280 km2) and its tributary creeks reach as high as 3,000 feet (910 m) into Ventura County. The creek's mainstem begins south of Westlake Village at the confluence of Triunfo Creek and Lobo Canyon Creek, and flows 13.4 miles (21.6 km) to Malibu Lagoon.
Rustic Canyon is a residential neighborhood and canyon in eastern Pacific Palisades, on the west side of Los Angeles, California. It is along Rustic Creek, in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Cornell is an unincorporated community in the Santa Monica Mountains, within western Los Angeles County, California. It is located 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Agoura Hills and around 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Malibu. Cornell's heyday was the 1910s to the 1950s, and the settlement is now essentially a ghost town but a handful of buildings and one functioning restaurant persisted circa 2007.
Sherwood Dam, known also as Lake Sherwood Dam, Alturas Dam, and Potrero Dam, is a 270-foot-long (82 m) concrete arch dam in the Santa Monica Mountains near Thousand Oaks, California. Completed in 1904, its construction led to the creation of the 165-acre (67 ha) Potrero Lake over the following winter. It was the first reservoir of its size in the area, and remains one of the oldest standing dams in California.
Rancho Sierra Vista is one of the last intact ranches from the first half of the twentieth century in the Santa Monica Mountains. The majority of the landscape is much as it was 100 years ago. The area is now owned by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park System.
Circle X Ranch is a park unit located in the Triunfo Pass within the southwestern Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, in Ventura County, California. It is located in the western Santa Monica Mountains.
Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve, also known as UCLA Stunt Ranch, is a 121-hectare (310-acre) University of California Natural Reserve System reserve and biological field station located in Los Angeles County. The reserve protects habitat surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The address is 1201 Stunt Road, Calabasas, California.
The Woolsey Fire was a wildfire that burned in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties of the U.S. state of California. The fire ignited on November 8, 2018, and burned 96,949 acres of land. The fire destroyed 1,643 structures, killed three people, and prompted the evacuation of more than 295,000 people. It was one of several fires in California that ignited on the same day, along with the nearby Hill Fire and the destructive Camp Fire in Northern California.