Placerita Canyon State Park

Placerita Canyon State Park

The restored Walker Cabin at Placerita Canyon State Park
Map showing the location of Placerita Canyon State Park
Location Los Angeles County, California, USA
Coordinates 34°22′33″N 118°26′45″W / 34.37583°N 118.44583°W / 34.37583; -118.44583Coordinates: 34°22′33″N 118°26′45″W / 34.37583°N 118.44583°W / 34.37583; -118.44583
Established 1950
Governing body California Department of Parks and Recreation

Placerita Canyon State Park is a California State Park in the San Gabriel Mountains, in an unincorporated rural area of Los Angeles County, north of Los Angeles near Santa Clarita, California.

Cultural History

The area of Placerita Canyon was at one time occupied by the Tataviam Native American people and was part included in the 1842 Mexican land grant issued for Rancho San Francisco. The park preserves the site of the first documented discovery of gold in California, in 1842, in wild onion roots pulled from under the "Oak of the Golden Dream".[1]

The canyon is home to several movie ranches, all historic and active now: the Monogram Movie Ranch—Melody Ranch and the Disney—Golden Oak Ranch.[2][3][4]

Natural history

Located in the transition zone between the San Gabriel Mountains' California chaparral and woodlands Ecosystem, and the Mojave's Deserts and xeric shrublands Biome in the California Floristic Province, the Placerita Canyon Flora is complex. Placerita Canyon State Park is in the east-west trending Placerita Canyon, containing sandstone formations, seasonal streams and riparian Coast live oak woodlands, along with willows, cottonwoods and native California sycamore trees.[6]

The park is also notable for a seepage of 'white' oil - unknown anywhere else in the world. This late 19th century discovery of oil surprised the prospectors because it is naturally filtered so that it is not black but transparent. A small pool of it continues to be active by the trailside leading up from the nature centre to the Walker Ranch.

The Park

Placerita Canyon State Park is located at 19152 Placerita Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, California. The Park contains a Nature Center, the Walker Cabin (a restored and furnished cabin of the 1920s lived in at times by the Walker family and their twelve children), and hiking and nature trails.[1][7]

Placerita Canyon State Park is currently managed by the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Placerita Canyon State Park". Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  2. ↑ www.melodyranchstudio. 'Melody Ranch Studio Museum.' Retrieved 5/15/2010.
  3. ↑ oxy.edu Monogram-Melody Ranch. Retrieved 5/15/2010
  4. ↑ Leon Worden. "'Melody Ranch: Movie Magic in Placerita Canyon'". Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society. Retrieved 2003-03-29.
  5. ↑ "Oak of the Golden Dream". California Department of Parks and Recreation. State of California. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
  6. ↑ http://www.placerita.org/ www.placerita.org "Placerita Canyon Nature Center." Retrieved 5/11/2010.
  7. ↑ "Placerita Canyon Natural Area and Nature Center". Retrieved 31 May 2009.

External links

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