The Documented History Of Malibu, California
In todays article, we will discuss the documented history of Malibu, California. Malibu, California is a city located along the coast of Southern California. It is famed for its beautiful beaches & it’s wide array of celebrities. Malibu is located in Los Angeles county, approximately 32.60 miles from Downtown Los Angeles. What is not well known about Malibu, is the fact that Malibu’s beaches are flooded by many different species of marine life. It is not often seen that Malibu offers a unique marine environment compared to other California coastal areas. For example, in Malibu Lagoon State Beach, many wading birds will swim around the lagoon & watch swimmers alike. Not only that, but Malibu is a prime area for Mussel hunting. Malibu has an abundance of Mussels so you may take them & eat them, however there are certain months of the year in which they are poisonous, so make sure to do research as to if they are safe to eat. Malibu is also a prime area to fish off of a pier, as the Malibu Sport Fishing pier is always open & extremely busy. On this pier, a fishing license is not required to fish. The majority of Malibu does require a fishing permit, so make sure to check the areas in which you are fishing. Malibu has a unique, & interesting history spanning the course of 3,000 years. The Chumash were the first people to inhabit the Malibu Coastal Region, & they were the only Native American tribe to inhabit Malibu. In fact, the word “Malibu” is a Chumash word. The Chumash inhabited the area of Malibu to Paso Robles & Morro Bay. Malibu’s largest elevation is currently 105 feet (32.004 meters) in the air, as Malibu is located along the coast, making it rather low laying. The current population of Malibu is surprisingly low, being at the mere number of 10,564 residents. It is 19.90 square miles (51.54076 square kilometers), giving it a population density of 540 residents per square mile (210 residents per square kilometer. It is in the time zone of Pacific Standard Time which covers parts of Mexico, Canada, & the United States. Their current city website, is malibucity.org, & it most likely will not change. In this article we will discuss the documented history of Malibu, California, the aboriginals of Malibu, California, the most destructive natural & man-caused disasters, & finally the economic state of Malibu. With that being said, let us delve into the place where the surf sounds loudly.
The Documented History Of Malibu, California
Before Colonization
History from 2,500 B.C
Before Colonization by the Mexicans, the Chumash Native Americans inhabited the area, & owned the land. They have inhabited the land since at minimum 2,500 B.C, which is 4,523 years from this current date. However, some evidence suggests they could have been in Malibu since 7,000 B.C, though this is not confirmed. The Chumash built a village in the place that is now Malibu, & they called this village Humaliwo. Humaliwo is a Chumash word that translates to “where the surf sounds loudly”. The exact place where this village was is on a hill, just across from Malibu Lagoon State Beach.
History From The 1500’s
In the year 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo led an expedition from Baja California to California. This was the first contact the Spanish had with California. During this time, Cabrillo ventured to Malibu Lagoon to obtain fresh water. Not much else happened in this century for Malibu, as it was not completely colonized by the Spanish yet.
After Colonization By The Spanish
History From The 1600’s
Nothing major happened during this century for the History of Malibu.
History From The 1700’s
During this time, Malibu became extremely important to the development of the Spanish system of missions. This system, established in 1769, was a system of 21 Catholic outposts founded by the Catholic priests of the Franciscan Order made to evangelize the Native Americans. It was important because the majority of the missions were on the land that Malibu currently resides on.
Spanish History From The 1800’s
In the year 1804, José Bartholomé Tapia was given a land grant from the Spanish Governor Jose Joaquin de Arrillaga. Malibu was part of this land grant, which was called “Rancho Topanga Malibu Seguit”. The land was used for predominantly Spanish Missions. This makes José Bartholomé Tapia the first historical land owner in Malibu. The Rancho Topanga Malibu Seguit was a Spanish grant consisting of 13,316 acres of Land. This land was in the Santa Monica Mountains, & the coast alongside them. In April of 1822, the land in which California is was made a Mexican territory following Mexicos Independence. All history in the century from beyond this point will be included in the subsection “After Colonization By The Mexicans”.
After Colonization By the Mexicans
Mexican-Californian History From The 1800’s
In the year 1848 after Tapia died, his wife now widow inherited the land. She then sold this home in the same year to grandson in law, Leon Victor Prudhome. Shortly after, on September 9th of 1850, California became the 31st state to be added to the United States of America. All history in the century from beyond this point will be included in the subsection “After Colonization By The United States”. to
After Colonization By The United States
American-Californian History From The 1800’s
In 1857, Prudhome sold the land to an Irishman known as Matthew Keller, or Don Mateo. The United States Surveyor General surveyed the land in 1857 to approve the land grant to Matthew Keller. The Surveyor approved the land to be given to Keller in 1872. After 1871, all real estate deeds are traceable to “The land of Matthew Keller”. In the year 1881 Matthew Keller unfortunately passed away, & his son Henry Keller inherited the land. He held onto this land until 1892, when he sold it to Frederick Hastings Rindge. At this point Frederick Hastings Rindge & May Rindge Became the owners of the land. They were the last private owners of the land, they managed to expand the land grant from 13,330 acres to 17,000 acres.
History From The 1900’s
When Fredrick unfortunately passed away in 1905, May Rindge took over the preservation of the property & management of the property. This earned her the prestigious & honourable title of “Queen Of Malibu”. She also began the famed “Malibu Potteries” business which made the Malibu tile that is sought after for homes modernly. When May eventually unfortunately passed away, the property was passed through the family to Rhoda Agatha Rindge, who married Merrit Huntley Adamson. The Rindge Family attempted to keep Malibu private property, however their efforts were futile. It was the last piece of land along the coast without a public road running through it in the early 1900’s. In the year 1921 on November the 3rd, after much legal struggle, it was decided that a county road would be built through the property. The Rindge’s built a beach home along Malibu Lagoon in the year 1929, which is still preserved to date, & brings in lots of tourism. In the year 1929, when the Roosevelt Highway, which is modernly the pacific highway, was built, it ended the long period of Malibu’s isolation. With a new public highway through Malibu, it began developing a flourishing economy. This development mainly started when the La Costa area was sold for 6 Million U.S.D in 1928. Malibu Colony was then leased to various movie stars, & famous singers. It then became an exclusive beach, & soon after that it became a popular hideout for Hollywood actors, hosts, singers, & directors. Movie Colony has henceforth been the playground for the business elite, & the Hollywood stars. May Rindge, who was still alive, wanted to live a private life on this land still. She ended up selling all of her land to go lead a private life elsewhere. The area continued to grow, with Hollywood becoming more & more popular along with the Los Angeles Area. On March 28th of 1991, Malibu was officially incorporated into a city. Malibu Currently has 21 miles of coastline.
The Aboriginals Of Malibu, California
The Chumash Native American Aboriginals
The Chumash were a group of Native Americans inhabiting the areas from Malibu all the way to Paso Robles & Morro Bay. They inhabited 3 of the channel islands, those being Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island, & Santa Miguel Island. They were most concentrated in the Santa Barbara Channel region. At its peak, their population was approximately 25,000. They spoke the Chumashan languages, of which there are 3 predominant ones. There are North Chumash, Central Chumash, & Island Chumash. The Island Chumash was primarily spoken by those on Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island, & Santa Miguel Island. These languages, are unfortunately classified as extinct & have been since the early 1960’s. They mainly consumed seafood, such as the black abalone, pacific littleneck clam, bent-nosed clam, Olympia oysters, angular unicorn snails, butternut clam & red abalone. They would get these by spear fishing, & by using nets to catch the fish. They also had a primitive kind of fishing rod. Acorns were also often found in their diets, in the form of being ground up & cooked in a soup. They would also feast on the fruits of the laurel sumac tree. They also would use the ocean for transport as they would make dug-out canoes, which no doubt helped them in their expansion to the various channel islands. This also helped them, make trade with other villages & populations of natives. At their peak, they had approximately 150 independent villages. The largest of these villages were located along the mainland coast in Santa Barbara. The smaller villages tended to be located in areas that did not have immediate access to a spring, lake, or ocean. Each village had access to the majority of the resources Southwest California has to offer, because they all traded with each other. In addition to being inventive, they were also extremely successful at basket weaving. They would weave baskets for various purposes such as holding food, or using them to catch animals. They would also make various beads, for jewelry, & to weave into the baskets. They are not on record to have attacked any other neighbouring natives. They all had individual houses in their respective villages, & each village would have a sweat-house. A sweat-house is a house is a place for cleansing. Each individual village would have something like a playground for the children. This playground would have a flat outdoor area used to play games such as Payas, Peon, & Shinny. There would also be other areas in the village used for dancing, because dance was important in the Chumash culture. This ceremonial dance ground would have a high fence of tule mats, as tule mats serve as a nice windbreak. Inside of the sacred dance ground, was a semi circular area in which shamans & preists would perform religious rituals. Little is known about their religion, however they were most certainly polytheistic. They were also extremely skilled at medicine, & using the local herbs & plants to produce medicines.
The Most Destructive Natural & Man-Caused Disasters To Ever Affect Malibu
Disaster No. 1: The 1996 Calabasas Fire
On October 21st of 1996, a major fire broke out in the Calabasas-Malibu area. It raged for 5 days & burned approximately 13,010 acres of land in both Malibu & Calabasas. It damaged approximately 6 structures. The fire was not contained until October 26th of 1996. Thankfully, no fatalities were reported.
Disaster No. 2: The 1993 Old Topanga Fire
On November 3rd of 1993, a flame sparked in the Malibu area. This fire would go on to mercilessly burn for 10 days. It scorched 18,000 acres of land in the Malibu area. In its path, it left 359 houses in ruin & 3 fatalities. It also burnt Mulholland Highway & the Pacific Coastal Highway. Unfortunately, some parents could not make it back to Malibu in time to get their children, so they were sheltered at the Point Dume Malibu Community Center. The Red Cross sheltered approximately 80 people at the center, 30 of which were school aged children. The flames raged on for 10 more days, until it was contained on November 11th of 1993.
The Economic State Of Malibu
The economic state of Malibu is stable, however it largely depends on Tourism. The job market in Malibu has increased by 0.7% in the year 2022, & it is predicted to increase by 33.7% over the next decade. The average salary for a person living in Malibu is 95,212$ a year. The Median Household income is 130,432$ a year. Currently, Malibu has an unemployment rate of 10.9%. The average home in Malibu, currently costs $3,326,388. The average rent for a studio apartment in Malibu is 2,295 U.S.D per month, & the average rent for a 2 bedroom apartment is 6,948 U.S.D per month.
Directories / Credits
“History Of Malibu” Written By Unknown. Published by the Malibu • Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved May 11th 2023. https://www.malibu.org/history-of-malibu
“Welcome to Malibu” Written By Unknown. Published by All Things Malibu. Retrieved May 11th 2023. https://www.allthingsmalibu.com/city-of-malibu/
“The Story Of Malibu” Written By Thomas W. Doyle, Toni Doyle, Charlotte H. Laubach, Frederick C. May, Judge John J. Merrick, Luanne Pfeifer, Ronald L. Rindge, & Juanita B. Ringer, then edited by Luanne Pfeifer. Published by the Malibu Lagoon Museum. Retrieved May 11th 2023. https://www.malibucity.org/106/History-of-Malibu
“Chumash Life” Written By Unknown. Published By The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Retrieved May 11th 2023. https://www.sbnature.org/collections-research/anthropology/chumash-life/
“Calabasas-Malibu Fire Declared Contained” Written By Hugo Martin Published, October 28th 1996 12:00 AM PST. Published by the Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11th 2023. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-28-me-58721-story.html
“Fire burns behind the Rockwell Towers Residence Hall” Taken By Unknown, October 21st-26th 1996. Published by Pepperdine University, Retrieved May 11th 2023. https://pepperdine.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15730coll27/id/1145/
“20 Years Later: The Old Topanga Fire” Written by 13StarsManager, Published November 6th 2023. Published by the Malibu Times, Retrieved May 11th 2023. https://malibutimes.com/article_bff8ba0a-46b1-11e3-b60c-001a4bcf887a
“Economy in Malibu, California” Written by Unknown. Published by Bestplaces.net, & retrieved on May 11th 2023. https://www.bestplaces.net/economy/city/california/malibu
“Malibu, CA Rent Prices” Written By Unknown. Published by zumper.com, retrieved on May 11th 2023. https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/malibu-ca
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