Chronology of Hollywood Area, the Cahuenga Pass and the Cahuenga Pass Parkway
compiled by Florence Blecher for FerrisWehbe.org

1769

Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá crosses hills into San Fernando Valley and names it the "Valley de Santa Catalina de Bononia de los Encinos" or "Valley of the Oaks." Area is known as "Kawengna" meaning "little hills" in native Gabrieliño.

15 Jan 1775

Area including Hollywood granted to Señor Moreno (later known as Rancho La Brea) including La Nopalera at the south entrance to El Portozuelo (Cahuenga Pass).

1797

Mission San Fernando Rey de España is founded by Franciscan priests.

18th Century

Road is part of El Camino Réal de Rey linking the missions of Alta California together. It functions as a wagon road, herding trail and mail route.

1810

First water dispute between the San Fernando Valley and the pueblo of Los Angeles.

27 Sep 1821

Mexico declares independence from Spain.

6 Jun 1828

Señor Moreno dispossessed and his land grant is divided.

1831

First Battle of Cahuenga Pass -- problems with the Mexican governor.

1845

Second Battle of Cahuenga Pass.

Winter 1846

Mission San Fernando grant sold by Pico to de Celis.

13 Jan 1847

Treaty of Cahuenga signed near site of old Cahuenga Chapel and approved by Gen. John C. Fremont surrendering Alta California to the US ending the Mexican-American War in California.

1848

Butterfield Overland Mail Company initiates regular crossings twice a week transporting US mail from St. Louis to San Francisco.

1850

California enters the Union as a free state.

4 Apr 1850

City of Los Angeles incorporated.

1851

County of Los Angeles divided into six townships.

1853

First dwelling built in Cahuenga Valley, the adobe home of Thomas Urquidez -- the Outpost.

Mid 19th Century

Banditos and highwaymen constantly raid parties crossing the Pass.

Post Civil War

Greek George Caralambo and the Camel Freight Train experiment uses camels and dromedaries for transporting goods.

1869

San Fernando Farm Homestead Association, organized by Isaac Lankershim and Isaac Newton Van Nuys, is conveyed Andrés Pico's portion of the Valley, the former Rancho ex-Mission San Fernando.

1871

The SF Valley is divided with the southern half going to Lankershim and Van Nuys.

1870's

Pass Hotel/Eight Mile House -- toll station and store, eight miles from downtown LA.

1880's

The area is devoted to the cultivation of wheat, fruits, citrus, vegetables and livestock.

1886

HH Wilcox and wife Mrs. DH Wilcox come to Cahuenga Valley area, buy property some of which they farm and the balance of which they subdivide. They name their ranch Hollywood and give the community land for a new church, post office, public library, city hall, etc. They plant pepper trees lining the streets.

1886-87

Boom time in Los Angeles area.

Nov 1887

Post office officially established in Hollywood. Other towns south of the hills include: Colegrove, South Hollywood, Tropico and Prospect Park.

1887

Southern Pacific Railroad comes to Los Angeles.

1893

Hollywood residents start searching for a dependable source of water.

1896

Col. GJ Griffith donates 4,000 acres to City of LA for a park to be called Griffith Park. Southern Pacific Railway company builds its line across the valley via Toluca which is renamed Lankershim.

Late 19th Century

San Fernando Valley flourishing -- especially town of Lankershim. San Fernando Valley devoted largely to cultivation of deciduous fruits including apricots, peaches, and walnuts. LA begins its love affair with the automobile.

1902

"Hollywood Ocean View Tract" developed by HJ Whitley including the Hollywood Hotel, etc.

1903

Residential only building restrictions lifted on Hollywood Boulevard.

14 Nov 1903

Sanford Rich elected first mayor of Hollywood.

1905

Owens River water project started.

23 Sep 1909

Hill Street Tunnel opens reducing time of trip from downtown LA to Hollywood by twelve minutes.

19 Oct 1909

Colegrove, south of Hollywood, annexed to Los Angeles.

Feb 1910

Hollywood votes to be annexed to Los Angeles, largely because of Owens Valley water.

1910

Beginning of excavation for Pacific Electric rail line. Beginning of the motion picture industry in Hollywood.

1911

Bernheimer brothers build hilltop mansion/"Mountain Palace" 250' above Hollywood Blvd.

16 Dec 1911

Pacific Electric interurban line opens reducing trip over hill from a day to 45 min.

1912

Famous Players-Lasky Film Co. move to SE corner of Selma and Vine in Hollywood. Carl Laemmle and Universal Film Manufacturing Co. lease and eventually buy a former chicken ranch along newly illuminated Lankershim Boulevard.

1913

Opening of Owens Valley Aqueduct provides water to the area and increases the need for commercial traffic between the San Fernando Valley and downtown LA.

15 Mar 1915

Opening of Universal Studios by Carl Laemmle -- silent films, public tour and zoo.

1915

Area later known as Studio City is annexed to City of LA.

1913-1919

Hollywood thrives. Neighboring towns exploit her fame by renaming themselves -- Toluca and Lankershim become North Hollywood, Ivanhoe and Prospect Park become East Hollywood, Colegrove becomes South Hollywood, Sherman becomes West Hollywood.

1920

LA 10th largest city in US. Property purchased for Pilgrimage Play Theater.

1922

25 street cars and 17,000 autos cross the Cahuenga Pass daily -- "traffic in Cahuenga Pass became intolerable." Grauman's Egyptian Theater opens.

Aug 1923

Construction starts on the Mulholland Dam and Lower Hollywood Reservoir in spite of concerns expressed by Hollywood residents.

1924

Olmsted Bartholomew and Cheney's Major Traffic Street Plan proposes major improvements to the road over the Pass.

29 Sep 1924

Hollywood Bowl property deeded to the County of Los Angeles and money is made available for the construction of permanent facilities.

4 Nov 1924

Major Traffic Street Plan is adopted.

Dec 1924

Mulholland Dam and Lower Hollywood Reservoir, designed by Chief Engineer William Mulholland, is completed and put into service in Weid Canyon. Dam is of a concrete arched gravity type with a radius of 550 feet at the upstream face. It is constructed as a monolith (without construction joints) to a crest elevation of 755.8 feet and a maximum height of 195 feet above bedrock. Its original capacity as constructed is 7,437 acre-feet.

27 Dec 1924

Mulholland Highway opened running from Calabassas east to Mulholland Dam. Originally intended to extend further east to Griffith Park.

17 Mar 1925

Mulholland Dam dedicated. "Built with such solidity and massiveness, the Weid Canyon Dam will forever stand as an imperishable monument to the wonderful development and expansion of Los Angeles" -- William Mulholland.

1925

Report and Recommendations on a Comprehensive Rapid Transit Plan for the City and County of Los Angeles by Kelker, De Leuw & Co. is rejected by voters of Los Angeles.

1 Jul 26

New 10-inch deep concrete roadway over Cahuenga Pass completed according to Street Plan.

1926

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, El Capitan and Grauman's Chinese Theaters open.

1927

Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences organized in Hollywood.

12 Mar 1928

Failure of St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon, sister dam to Mulholland Dam, results in major loss of life. Leaves Mulholland Dam as only remaining concrete dam in Los Angeles county.

1933

Old Sennett Studios in nearby Studio City bought by Republic Studios.

May 1933-Apr 1934

New buttress fill constructed against the downstream face of the Mulholland Dam, spillway is lowered, size of outlet line is increased, all pipes and drains under the fill are encased in concrete and recommended capacity is reduced to 4,036 acre-feet (54% of original capacity).

1936

2 1/2' high concrete wall constructed around Hollywood Reservoir (Lake Hollywood) to prevent storm water from polluting the reservoir.

1937

Auto Club's Traffic Survey, Los Angeles Metropolitan Area proposes further improvements to the Cahuenga Pass roadway.

1938

Major flooding in the area causes extensive damage and loss of life. Citizens' Transportation Survey Committee organized by City Engineer Lloyd Aldrich to study transit/transportation issues in the region.

1939

A Transit Program for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Region issued by City of LA Engineering Transportation Board specifically calls for the immediate construction of a freeway through the Cahuenga Pass connecting to downtown LA as a first priority. Construction of Cahuenga Pass Parkway (State Highway #2) is undertaken by a team of engineers under direction of Merrill Butler, Deputy Engineer in charge of design, and LA City Engineer Lloyd Aldrich jointly financed by PWA (45%), State of California and City of LA (using gas tax and other monies). Butler and Aldrich had been in charge of the Arroyo Seco Parkway and the Cahuenga Pass Freeway represents an improvement on their earlier design. Prior to the start of construction, the existing road carries between 45,000-50,000 cars/day. Project phased to accommodate PWA funding deadline of 7/1/40.

16 Jun 1940

Phase I completed ahead of schedule -- from south of the Hollywood Bowl near the intersection of Highland Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard, north to about Hollycrest including the Pilgrimage Play Bridge and the Mulholland Highway Bridge.

Dec 1940

Phase II completed -- specifically from 440 feet south of the Mulholland Highway Bridge to 940 feet north of Barham Boulevard, including the Barham Bridge and all ramps, retaining walls and structures in connection with it. PWA funding extended to cover construction of this phase of the project.

Dec 1952

Pacific Electric (PE) Red Cars removed from operation.

1957-1958

PE tracks removed from center of roadway and converted to two additional lanes for vehicular traffic.

1957

Final leg of State Highway #2 extended to Vineland. Final phase and connections started -- the age of freeway building.

1960

Ventura Freeway opens to the Valley.