Malibu's first residents, the native American Chumash Indians, named the stretch of beach at the mouth of Malibu Creek "Humaliwo," or "the surf sounds loudly." It was here in 1542 that Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo may have stopped to get fresh water on his journey north. Cabrillo saw a large Indian village at the foot of the canyon, where the Malibu city offices stand today.
The first legal claim to land in Malibu was made in 1802 by Spanish settler Jose Bartoleme Tapia. Tapia established a ranch and built a large adobe in Malibu Canyon. These property holdings became known as the "Rancho Topanga Malibu Simi Sequit."Passed down through family inheritance, the rancho was eventually sold by Henry Keller to Frederick Hastings Rindge in 1891 for the reputed figure of $300,000.
This cultured and wealthy New Englander was seeking an ideal country home for his family. Their private domain was guarded fiercely. Rindge's widow, May, fought off an effort to route the Southern Pacific Railroad through Malibu by establishing her own private railroad. Later, the State of California succeeded in obtaining a right of way to build the Pacific Coast Highway through the property. This final court battle in the late 1920's forced May Rindge to begin leasing, then selling property at the mouth of Malibu Creek to movie stars, becoming the "Malibu Movie Colony." Whenever mudslides close the Pacific Coast Highway today, locals call it simply, "Rindge's revenge".
The Adamson House, a National Historic Site located in Malibu Lagoon State Park, is a showplace of Malibu historical artifacts. Completed in 1929 by the Rindge's daughter, Rhoda Adamson, the Spanish-Moor revival residence features tile from the renowned Malibu Potteries and sits on a spectacular overlook of the Malibu Pier and Surfrider Beach.
The adjacent Malibu Lagoon Museum allows visitors to walk through the history of the area from the days of the native American Chumash, to the gentlemen ranchers, and finally to the birth of the surfing era. Museum docents give delightful tours filled with local legends and anecdotes.
Today, visitors to Malibu are offered the opportunity to enjoy its beaches, water sports, and to explore one of its secluded canyons, enjoying the beauty of this treasured land. The beaches and mountains of Malibu inevitably look familiar to first-time visitors. In part, this is due to the fact that large tracts of the Malibu Rancho were sold in the 30's and 40's to movie studios. Most "Westerns" were shot in the Santa Monica Mountains, as was "Mash" in the 70's, while the "Gidget" films of the 50's used Malibu's scenic beaches as their .
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