Map From Westlake Master-Planned Community Brochure from 1968

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In 1968, the American-Hawaiian Land Company, a division of American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, was developing the Westlake master-planned community, "the new city in the country."

At the time, 2,500 people lived in Westlake. The Ventura County sections of Westlake were annexed into the City of Thousand Oaks in 1968 and 1972. The Los Angeles County section of Westlake was incorporated as the City of Westlake Village in 1981. Some notable items from this 1968 map from a Westlake brochure:

1. "El Conejo Blvd." was later changed to Thousand Oaks Blvd.

2. Westlake Plaza did not exist at the time, though you can see "Future Town Center."

3. What is now Westlake Village Inn, Mediterraneo and Stonehaus back then was the Westlake Motor Hotel, Westlake Inn restaurant and Chauncey's Coffee House.

4. Last, but not least, there was no Costco in the original planned community map.

More information about the City of Westlake Village boundary lines at THIS LINK.

Evolution of the Conejo Grade in Ventura County Over the Last 100 Years

Horseshoe shaped section of the Conejo Grade in the 1920s.

The Conejo Grade is the section of Highway 101 that connects the Conejo Valley with Camarillo. It is a four mile stretch of freeway with a significant 7% grade.

Going down the Conejo Grade from Newbury Park to Camarillo today.

At 3:30 p.m. on the afternoon of May 1, 1937, a newly upgraded and realigned Conejo Grade premiered after a day of celebration commencing at the ranch of Adolfo Camarillo. Camarillo, the namesake of what in 1964 became the City of Camarillo, donated the right of way to enable the grade to be realigned. Actor Leo Carrillo entertained guests at Camarillo's ranch at the bottom of the grade.

Grand opening of the newly realigned Conejo Grade on May 1, 1937.

The old Conejo Grade was constructed by the California Highway Commission in 1914-1915. The previous route had 49 twists and turns, making it somewhat hazardous to drive (albeit somewhat less steep than the current grade). The newly aligned Conejo Grade cut the number of curves by 75%.

Another view of the Conejo Grade before it was realigned in 1937.

The new 1937 Conejo Grade cost a total of $570,000, which is less than the average cost of a house in the Conejo Valley today! Over a year and a half, the project employed about 100 workers who put in over 272,000 hours, excavating over 800,000 cubic yards of mostly hard rock. Talk about rock stars!

In the 1950s and 1960s, Caltrans further widened and improved Highway 101 over the Conejo Grade.

Several decades later, as Ventura County grew and the cities of Camarillo and Thousand Oaks incorporated in 1964, Caltrans continued to widen and improve the highway to what it is today.

Source for historical information: "California Highways and Public Works" (May 1937) - official journal of the State of California Division of Highways, Department of Public Works.

Special thanks to the Pleasant Valley Historical Society for providing historic photos.

Then and Now: The Dairy Farm at Camarillo State Hospital

In 1932, the State of California purchased 1,760 acres of the Lewis Ranch and built the Camarillo State Mental Hospital, which operated from 1936 to 1997 and at one point treated as many as 7,000 patients in the mid 1950s.

Located on the parcel was a dairy farm that produced crops and housed livestock that fed the hospital community. The farm was disbanded in the 1960s and has been left in a state of disrepair, falling prey over the decades to vandals and coined "Scary Dairy."

Here are some "then and now" photos of the most prominent elements of the dairy farm.

The hay barn at Camarillo State Hospital in the 1940s (CSUCI John Spoor Broome Library historic photo collection)

The hay barn today.

The dairy at Camarillo State Hospital in the mid-1950s. (CSUCI John Spoor Broome Library historic photo collection)

The dairy building today, fenced off, covered with graffiti. 

Inside the hay barn - undated photo. (CSUCI John Spoor Broome Library historic photo collection)

Inside of hay barn - more recently.

Northbound PCH Just South of Mugu Rock: 1950 and 2019

Mugu Rock came into existence in 1940 when a 200 foot cut was made into the mountain. Today it is an iconic scene that is often seen in auto commercials.

Taken on July 2, 1950, this is a view of Mugu Rock from the shoulder of northbound Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1). From a private collection. And below it is the same view, remarkably similar, 69 years later, on April 20, 2019. Thankfully, some things never change.

Lewis Road Pedestrian Overcrossing in Agoura Hills

This is the Lewis Road Pedestrian Overcrossing, Caltrans Bridge #53-998, in Agoura Hills. It connects Roadside Drive at Lewis Road on the south to Canwood Street at Lewis Road on the north side of the 101. It was built in 1963 and expanded in 1973.

This is the only pedestrian bridge going over a freeway in the Conejo Valley. There is another pedestrian bridge in Thousand Oaks - the Luedtke Bridge over Olsen Road that connects the CLU main campus to the northern campus.

Building Pacific Coast Highway Around Point Mugu in 1923-1924

Point Mugu before and after creation of a narrow road around it in 1924.

According to the California Highway Commission in the October 1924 issue of “California Highways,” perhaps the most dangerous and difficult piece of construction work on the California state highway system at that time was the 3800 feet of grading AROUND Point Mugu.

For those driving Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura County past Mugu Rock, there are clear signs of this old route that took automobiles on a precarious route around Point Mugu.

Peaking through the fence towards the old road around Mugu Rock.

The new and still existing route was created by blasting a massive hole through Point Mugu to create Mugu Rock in 1937 to 1940.

The work to complete this section of the Oxnard to San Juan Capistrano PCH route was authorized by a bond issue in 1919.

The project averaged 60 workers who moved 108,000 cubic yards or rock at a total cost of $108,500 (heck, that would be the cost of a pool addition and new kitchen remodel today). The cut around Point Mugu ranged from 40 feet on the ocean side to 115 feet on the high side in creating the narrow, short-lived roadway.

The California Highway Commission ended its article by stating “…along this piece of rugged coast line the Old Pacific is recognized as an arch enemy to whom we must trust as little as possible of our costly highway.”