13 Aug Peter Strauss Ranch

The image above is of an aviary which was in use during the Harry Miller period at Peter Strauss Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains. “Peter Strauss Ranch is a historic site eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A (association with historic events or trends) and B (association with persons significant in our past). The site is significant at the state level under Criterion A for its association with the emergence and popularity of regional amusement and recreation parks in the years following World War II. The site is significant at the state level under criterion B for its association with Harry Miller, a pioneering automotive engineer whose many innovations contributed profoundly to the early development of automotive technology” (NPS Cultural Landscape Inventory). The field visit to Peter Strauss Ranch was to collect data on the historic sites. Aaron Davis, an archeological technician, and myself spent the day using a Trimble GPS device to input the measurements and UTM coordinates of the historic sites in order to create GIS maps. After our first field visit here, we downloaded the data and created a map we will use the next time we go out and collect more data. This was a very beautiful location and I learned a lot about the process of data collection and analysis.

The empty pool which was once a popular destination on warm, sunny days during the Lake Enchanto Period between 1939 and 1965 (NPS Cultural Landscape Inventory).

A pedestrian bridge once crossed over the pool and allowed access to the center platform.

This amphitheater was used during the Lake Enchanto period (NPS Cultural Landscape Inventory).

This was a fairy tale wall used during the Lake Enchanto period during 1939 and 1965 (NPS Cultural Landscape Inventory).

The two structures shown here are remnants of the Harry Miller period between 1923 and 1933. The purpose of the front structure is unknown but the back structure was a radio house used by Miller to play cards and listen to the radio (NPS Cultural Landscape Inventory).