Maureen Megowan's Blog

The fountain in the median strip of Palos Verdes Drive West in Lunada Bay was a gift in 1965 from funds raised by neighborhood children orgainized by Jeane Burke, a resident of Rocky Point in Lunada Bay, and a plaque at the fountain displays the fountain's name: "La Fuente de los Ninos" (the fountain of the children). When asked why she was inspired to create a fountain at the intersection with Yarmouth Road, Mrs. Burke replied, "I didn't want to say, "Turn at the gas station to get to my home'".(source:Peninsula News 6/1/2006).  The fountain is dedicated to G. Brooks Snelgrove, who was very active in Palos Verdes Estates community affairs for over 34 years, and the circle in front of Palos Verdes Estates City Hall is also dedicated to his memory (He died on November 22, 1962). Mr. Snelgrove was the original engineer for the Palos Verdes Project in 1923, and was responsible for the construction and engineering of the Malaga Cove Plaza Neptune Fountain.  In 2008, the fountain underwent a complete refurbishment incorporating elements that were in the original design of the fountain but not originally constructed.

         
Lunada Bay Fountain                                                         Plaque on Lunada Bay Fountain

For more secrets about the Palos Verdes Peninsula go to Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts

In 1947, Palos Verdes College, a small, private, independent junior college opened at the current site of Rancho del Mar High School in Rolling Hills. The college initially occupied barracks which were used in WWII. The college, at its peak, served approximately 100 students. Some of the college's students included Elizabeth Taylor's brother, and Leslie Caron, the film star. The college had plans to construct a permanent campus, however fund raising was never adequate to realize these dreams, and the campus closed in 1955. The barracks buildings were used as administrative offices for the Palos Verdes School district after the college's closing.


Palos Verdes College. Photo dated: September 12, 1947. (LA Times Photo)

For more secrets about the Palos Verdes Peninsula go to Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts

One interesting event that occurred in 1961, which people still talk about, was the running aground of the Greek freighter Dominator just off of Rocky Point. The freighter was heading south along the Palos Verdes coast line, and thinking they had reached the Los Angeles harbor, made an ill-fated left turn too early and ran aground. Only a small amount of remnants of the ship can still be seen at low tide.


The freighter Dominator getting pounded by surf (see video) after running aground at Rocky Point

For more secrets about the Palos Verdes Peninsula go to Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts

There is a small area at the northern part of the Palos Verdes Peninsula within the boundaries of the City of Rolling Hills Estates which is in an unincorporated area and is governed only by the County of Los Angeles. This area is the  residential area on either side of Crenshaw Boulevard,south of Palos Verdes Drive North, which is accessible only from Palos Verde Drive North, as well as a small area just south of the intersection of Rolling Hills Road and Crenshaw Boulevard.

For more secrets of the Palos Verde Peninsula go to Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts

The Palos Verdes Peninsula population grew rapidly after World War II. In 1946, construction began on several housing tracts in Hollywood Riviera. The best route for construction trucks at the time was up Hawthorne Boulevard, which at that time did not go all the way up the hill to the top of the Peninsula, but instead veered to the right at Via Valmonte (which at the time was Hawthorne Avenue) and ended at the Palos Verdes Country Club. The residents of the Valmonte area of Palos Verdes Estates were so irritated and inconvenienced by the large amount of traffic of dump trucks, bull dozers, etc. traveling to the Hollywood Riviera housing tracts that they prevailed upon the City Council of Palos Verdes Estates in 1948 to construct barriers in the middle of Via Alameda, Via Pasqual, and Via Colusa just inside the PVE city limits, and they've been there ever since.

For more Secrets about the Palos Verdes Peninsula go to Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts

This area beginning in 1944, before Hawthorne was extended past the current Via Valmonte, was a diatomaceous earth (dicalite) mine, that extended into the area now occupied by the Hillside Village shopping center. This mine at one time contained 300 acres and had been leased by the Great Lakes Carbon Corporation from the Vanderlip family, that still owned approx. 7,000 acres of the original 16,000 acres retained by Frank Vanderlip when he sold the land which made up the Palos Verdes Project. Another rich deposit was known to exist on a 165-acre tract near the crest of the Peninsula. For two years, the Great Lakes Carbon Corporation had been unsuccessfully attempting to purchase this property from the Vanderlip family. Finally, in July 1953, the Great Lakes Carbon Corporation purchased all 7,000 acres from the Palos Verdes Corporation, the Vanderlip family's corporation. The Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, realizing that this land would be more valuable if developed, then created a master plan for the acreage, which later became the cities of Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, and the unincorporated area known as Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Diatomaceous earth (dicalite) mine at corner of Hawthorne and Via Valmonte

1953 Open pit dicalite mine in Palos Verdes (LA Times photos)

For more secrets about the Palos Verdes Peninsula go to Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts 

The Miraleste area of Rancho Palos Verdes was part of the original Palos Verdes Project which was developed in the 1920's and 1930's, and was subject to the same deed restrictions that were recorded on the lots which later became part of the City of Palos Verdes Estates, which included architectural review authority by the Art Jury of the Palos Verdes Homes Association.

For more secrets of the Palos Verdes Peninsula go to Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts 

The two large round white buildings visible from Palos Verdes Drive East at the top of the hill house a radar facility that is still operational. It is run by the Federal Aviation Administration which continues to use the facility for long-range radar. The Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center uses the facility to control air traffic into and out of Los Angeles. The FAA took over the facility from the U.S. Air Force in 1960.

For more secrets of the Palos Verdes Peninsula go to Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts 

....And why is the road in such bad shape there? This area suffered a significant land slide in 1956, which continues to this day, which requires constant road maintenance and repair to the land movement. The landslide destroyed many homes in this area, and a prohibition against building in this area has existed since then. From 1945 to 1956, until the 1956 landslide,  the Livingston Quarry operated, mining such minerals as barite, quartz, dolomite, gypsum, as well as basalt that was mined for use as a railroad bed material, as well as rocks used in the Long Beach breakwater. The Livingston Quarry area can be viewed by turning on Forrestal Drive, across the street from Trump National Golf Club off of Palos Verdes Drive South, and driving past the Ladera Linda Community Center and past the gate. This area is part of the Forrestal Preserve area, which was purchased as a nature preserve in 1996.


Portuguese Bend Landslide area, with Livingston Quarry at Ladera Linda in upper center
Picture of Portuguese Bend landslide area

For more information on the History of Portuguese Bend go to HISTORY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES

Frank Vanderlip, the "Father of Palos Verdes" constructed his first residence on the Peninsula in 1916 in the Portuguese Bend area, the "Old Ranch Cottage", now known as the "Cottage". (See The History of Rancho Palos Verdes) Other buildings were added to the estate in the 1920's including a small guest house and garage called "La Casetta" and a larger guest house known as the "Villetta", now known as "Villa Narcissa". The Cottage is still owned by Suzanne Vanderlip, the widow of John Vanderlip, the youngest son of Frank Vanderlip, Sr., and Villa Narcissa is still owned by Elin Vanderlip, the widow of Frank Vanderlip Sr.'s third son, Kelvin.  A third structure, a barn and stables called the "Farmstead" later became the Portuguese Bend Riding Club.The Vanderlip properties are located at the end of Vanderlip Drive, near the end of Narcissa Drive, the road through a private gated community just south of the Wayfarers' chapel at the beginning of the Portuguese Bend area, and public access to visit the property is not available. You can see the original gatehouse to the property at the gated entrance of Narcissa Drive just off of Palos Verdes Drive South.

"The Cottage"