Malibu, California

Malibu is a city located in Western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 12,575.

History

Malibu was a part of the territory of the Chumash tribe of Native American Indians. It was named "Humaliwo" or "the surf sounds loudly."

Related Topics:
Chumash - Native American

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Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo is believed to have moored at Malibu Lagoon, at the mouth of Malibu Creek, to obtain fresh water in 1542. Spanish presence returned with the California mission system, and the area was part of a 13,000 acre (120 km²) land grant in 1802. That ranch passed intact to Frederick Hastings Rindge in 1891. He and his widow, Rhoda May Rindge, guarded their privacy zealously by hiring guards to evict all trespassers and fighting a lengthy court battle to prevent the building of a Southern Pacific railroad line. Few roads even entered the area before 1929, when the state won another court case and built what is now known as the Pacific Coast Highway. By then May Rindge was forced to subdivide her property and begin selling and leasing lots. The Rindge house, known as the Adamson House, is now part of Malibu Creek State Park and is situated between Malibu Lagoon and Surfrider Beach, beside the Malibu Pier that was originally built for the family yacht. The Malibu Colony was one of the first areas settled, and is on the opposite shore of the lagoon.

Related Topics:
Spanish - Juan Cabrillo - 1542 - California mission - Land grant - 1802 - Frederick Hastings Rindge - 1891 - Rhoda May Rindge - Southern Pacific - Pacific Coast Highway - Adamson House - Surfrider Beach

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In 1926, in an effort to avoid selling land to stave off insolvency, Rhoda May Rindge created a small ceramic tile factory. At its height, the Malibu Potteries employed over 100 workers, and produced decorative tiles which furnish many Los Angeles-area public buildings and Beverly Hills residences. The factory, located one-half mile east of the pier, was ravaged by a fire in 1931. Although the factory partially reopened in 1932, it could not recover from the effects of the Great Depression and a steep downturn in Southern California construction projects. A distinct hybrid of Moorish and Arts and Crafts designs, Malibu tile is considered highly collectible. Fine examples of the tiles may be seen at the Adamson House and Serra Retreat, a fifty-room mansion that was started in the 1920s as the main Rindge home on a hill overlooking the lagoon. The unfinished building was sold to the Franciscan Order in 1942 and is operated as a retreat facility. It burned in the 1970 fire and was rebuilt using many of the original tiles.

Related Topics:
1926 - Malibu Potteries - Los Angeles - Beverly Hills - 1931 - 1932 - Great Depression - Moorish - Arts and Crafts - Serra Retreat - 1920s - Franciscan - 1942 - Retreat - 1970

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In 1991 Malibu, long an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, achieved cityhood in order to allow for exercise of local control. Prior to incorporation the local residents had fought proposed developments including a freeway, a nuclear power plant, and several sewerline plans. Actor Martin Sheen once served on the Malibu City Council.

Related Topics:
Freeway - Nuclear power plant - Sewer - Martin Sheen

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