Trippet Ranch, the centerpiece of Topanga State Park, is about to undergo another metamorphosis. This historic property, owned since 1978 by the State of California, is scheduled for public use improvements on the ranch and new interpretive exhibits in the Skeet Lodge–known locally as the Nature Center–in Topanga State Park. This nature museum has been developed and staffed by the all-volunteer Topanga Canyon Docents for about 20 years.
On Thursday, October 19 at 5 p.m. there will be a Public Input Meeting regarding Topanga State Parks new exhibit plans for the Nature Center/Visitor Center/Skeet Lodge. Exhibit plans for the Hub Junction and Los Liones Canyon improvements will also be presented. State Parks has budgeted $565,000 for these interpretive exhibits, which are scheduled for construction in the winter and spring of 2007.
The Topanga Canyon Docents, who for 30 years have provided interpretive activities in Topanga State Park, have already provided some input on the Nature Center/Skeet Lodge improvements. On June 28 they met with State Parks officials from the Angeles District as well as representatives from Bang!Creative, San Marcos, CA, and IQ Magic, Santa Monica to discuss concerns about continuing the docents' philosophy that personal interaction and a direct experience of nature is at the heart of outdoor education. After the meeting, the docents felt encouraged by the willingness of State Parks and their exhibit contractors to listen to input and to recognize the docents as an integral part of this transitional process.
According to Interpretive Specialist from the Angeles District of California State Parks Karma Graham, "State Park's goals and expectations for this renovation are to improve the facilities in Topanga State Park for all visitors. This will be done by preserving and making safe the historic Trippet Skeet Lodge and by redesigning the exhibits to improve accessibility. Informational signage and facilities at Hub Junction will be upgraded, and the facilities at Los Liones will also be made more accessible."
PHOTO BY KATIE DALSEMER  Skeet Lodge, the Nature Center in Topanga State Park, is scheduled for a $565,000 upgrade of its interpretive exhibits. |
Through the years the land that is now Trippet Ranch has been used in many ways. "The Topanga Story" states that in the past century a beekeeper named McAtee once owned the land. In 1894 the land was bought and homesteaded by Joseph Robison who lived there with his wife–a Topanga schoolteacher–and their four children. Robison was Topanga's first regular mail carrier, and his mail wagon also functioned as a stage.
In 1917, several years after Robison sold out to Fred Olney, an 82-acre section of the property was bought by Cora Trippet, the young wife of lawyer and later U.S. District Judge Oscar Trippet, Sr. She named the ranch Rancho Las Lomas Celestiales or Heavenly Hills Ranch. In the 1920s Cora Trippet attended Sunday services of the Christian Science practitioner Mabel Lewis who rented a cabin in Topanga Canyon.
The Trippet's used their ranch on this land in Topanga as a country retreat to get away from the hectic life of Los Angeles. In the late '30s Oscar Trippet, Jr., took over maintenance of the ranch, and he developed plans for its renovation and the construction of buildings that are in the park today. Trippet's primary desire was for a skeet lodge with a huge fireplace and barbecue. Directly adjacent to the lodge, a skeet range with two white trap houses was built where Trippet and his guests enjoyed recreational shooting. It is thought that Oscar, Jr., an avid sportsman and prominent civic leader in Los Angeles, frequently hosted parties at the ranch. In addition to his many Los Angeles civic activities, Oscar Trippet, Jr., was elected in l950 to the three-member Board of Trustees of the Topanga Community House.
The heyday of the gentlemen's ranch and rustic clubs in the Santa Monica Mountains did not last long. After World War II population in Southern California soared, and there was a huge demand for land for increased housing. In the early 1960s the Trippet's sold portions of the ranch to several large development corporations. In the early '60s, however, citizens' groups in Topanga and on the west side of Los Angeles began advocating for the public preservation of land and for a regional park in Topanga. In 1964 California voters passed a large State Park bond issue, and soon the Director of State Parks convinced legislators to allocate $7.5 million for Topanga. In July 1967 the former Trippet Ranch was bought by State Parks.
Since l974 there have been many improvements to the Trippet Ranch area of Topanga State Park, including paved parking lots, restrooms, an information kiosk and picnic areas. Current plans call for an upgraded kiosk and long-needed seismic retrofitting of the historic Skeet Lodge. Immediately following the safety retrofit, the lodge will be transformed by completely redesigned exhibits and will be a Visitor Center better able to inform visitors about the area's natural and historic features.
However, "Don't worry about missing exhibits that are old favorites!" Graham assures those familiar with the current nature center. "Most of the new exhibits are planned to be fresh designs surrounding and supporting the natural history information and objects lovingly gathered by Topanga Canyon Docents over their years of service at this amazing park. By donating these items to State Parks to be used in the new exhibits, this dedicated group is once again showing their commitment to public education and natural preservation."
California State Parks welcomes the public's input about the development of the interpretive exhibits in Topanga State Park, so please attend the public meeting at Skeet Lodge at Trippet Ranch, 20825 Entrada Road on Thursday, October 19, with a greeting period at 5 p.m., and the formal meeting starting at 5:30 p.m.
For more information or for accessibility concerns, please contact K. Graham at (818) 880-0350 x111 or at kgraham@parks.ca.gov. For driving directions and general park information, please visit www.parks.ca.gov.
