Solstice Canyon is a park within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Malibu, California. Located off Corral Canyon Road from Pacific Coast Highway, the canyon runs north-to-south about a mile east of Point Dume. Solstice Canyon opened on June 20, 1988 and was created out of land owned by Fred and Florence Roberts.[1] Before becoming a park the land was known as Roberts Ranch from 1932 to 1988.
| Solstice Canyon | |
|---|---|
 The entrance to Solstice Canyon as of May 2021. | |
  | |
| Location | Los Angeles County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Malibu, California |
| Coordinates | 34°02′21″N 118°45′17″W / 34.0391°N 118.7548°W |
| Created | June 20, 1988 |
| Operated by | National Park Service |
| Open | 8 AM to Sunset |
Roberts Ranch hosted 25 acres to space technology laboratories to conduct research for the Pioneer Series for NASA.[2]
In 2003, during excavation for the parking lot, a Chumash grave site was discovered.[3]
Notable structures
editKeller
editAround 1865, Matthew Keller built a stone cottage in the canyon as part of his Rancho Malibu.[1] The structure is believed to be the oldest existing stone building in Malibu.[1] After surviving countless wildfires, the structure was finally left in ruins by the 2007 Corral Canyon Fire.[4]
Swinney
editCordelia and Henry Swinney built a wooden cabin in the 1880s inside the Malibu land grant. Swinney was told that he was on the wrong side of the boundary line, so he disassembled the cabin and moved it a few hundred feet north, across the Rancho Boundary. That is where Keller's stone house was built to replace the old wooden cabin. The stone house is still there today, and it marks the spot where Swinney moved his cabin to (just outside the property line).[5]
Roberts
editFred and Florence Roberts[6][7] founders of Roberts Public Markets[8][9] chain based in Santa Monica[10] and owners of Roberts Ranch which was over 1,000 acres. They decided to replace their rustic home in Solstice Canyon featured in The Los Angeles Times Home Magazine in 1947. The Roberts hired renowned architect Paul Williams[11] in 1950 to design a sprawling California ranch house [12] later featured in Architectural Digest. The family moved in 1952, interiors being designed by prominent firm Cannell and Chaffin of Westwood.
Their home was ravaged by wildfire in 1982, after Fred Roberts had passed away. This event precipitated the sale of Roberts Ranch[13] to the State of California and the Trust for Public Land. In 1996, the land was transferred to the National Park Service[14][15][16] to be a part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The Roberts home ruins[17][18][19] along with the waterfall[20][21] have become a popular hiking destination since the park opened.
References
edit- ^ a b c McKinney, John (December 23, 1989). "New Sunny Trail to Explore in Solstice Canyon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Quick Guide to Solstice Canyon Trails" (PDF). Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Solstice Canyon shaded by oaks, rooted in Malibu's history ‹ Pepperdine Graphic". pepperdine-graphic.com. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Solstice Canyon". National Park Service. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Local historian digs up stories of 'forgotten' settlers". The Malibu Times. September 15, 2004.
- ^ "Fred Roberts wearing a cowboy hat and sitting on a horse in Malibu, California". Huntington Library. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Fred, Flo, Jack and Jim Roberts in Malibu". Huntington Library. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Roberts Public Markets". calisphere. 1941. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Roberts Public Markets Advertisement". Santa Monica History Museum. 1932. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Party for kids put on by Fred Roberts". calisphere. 1945. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "The Paul Williams designed Roberts' House". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Roberts Ranch House - Los Angeles". paulrwilliamsproject.org. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Paradise Found : Acquisition Will Preserve 556-Acre Roberts Ranch in Malibu". Los Angeles Times. 7 February 1988. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Solstice Canyon" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Solstice Canyon". U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "NPS Rangers and Former Residents Share Some of Solstice Canyon's Secrets". Malibu Surfside News. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "The not-so-hidden mansion ruins of Malibu's Solstice Canyon". Perpetual Adventure. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Kudler, Adrian Glick (7 April 2010). "A Look at Paul Williams' Ranch House Ruins, Without the Hike". Curbed LA. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "The Not-So-Hidden Mansion Ruins of Malibu's Solstice Canyon". THE NATIVE L.A. TOURIST. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Solstice Canyon in Malibu Has a Perennial Waterfall and Much More". Conejo Valley Guide. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Solstice Canyon Falls - Family-friendly Waterfall in Malibu". World of Waterfalls. Retrieved 14 February 2022.