Peter Strauss Ranch

The Peter Strauss Ranch is a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area operated by the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains near Agoura Hills, California in the United States. The property is named after the actor Peter Strauss, who was the last private owner-resident of the property.

The property is noted for its oak woodlands laced with hiking trails. Other recreational facilities include a swimming pool and the Lake Enchanto Dam. It also contains a stone ranch house with a terrazzo patio available for outdoor social events, including concerts, weddings, picnics, and art exhibits.

History

The area was inhabited by the Chumash people for several thousand years. After Spanish colonization of California, it became part of Rancho Las Virgenes. After California became part of the United States, the area was surveyed in 1881. A California live oak used as a marker in the survey still stands, just west of the swimming pool, with an upside-down letter "T" still visible in the bark. In the early 20th century, the automobile manufacturer Harry Miller (inventor), famous for his patented master carburetor featured at the Indianapolis 500, purchased the ranch as a weekend retreat from his factory and residence in Los Angeles. In 1926, Miller built the current stone ranch house, the look-out tower, and the aviary. During the Great Depression, Miller suffered financial ruin after attempting to build aircraft engines, forcing him to sell the property.

In the mid 1930s, the property was purchases by Warren Shobert and Arthur Edeson, who renamed the property "Shoson" and transformed it into a recreational fairyland resort for children and adults. The Lake Encanto Dam, creating Lake Encanto, was constructed on Triunfo Creek. The resort was later renamed "Lake Enchanto." Competition from other, larger amusement parks and resorts led to the decline of Lake Enchanto, which fell into disrepair and closed around 1960.

In 1976, the Peter Strauss purchased the property after being moved by the area's natural beauty while filming the mini-series "Rich Man, Poor Man" at nearby Malibu Lake. Strauss restored the property to a more natural look and lived there until 1983, when he sold it to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The National Park Service purchased the ranch in 1987.

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/samo/maps/peter.htm National Park Service Site]