Surviving L.A. – Takes a compound

And you, too, can have one. Tom Hanks is selling one of his in the Pacific Palisades just now for $5.522 million. Fortunately for him his property values were not affected by having Hitler as a neighbor.

(Wait, did she just invoke Hitler???)

What could have been…..a mere 5 miles from our current home. Today it’s just an interesting hike hidden in an otherwise unremarkable canyon. But in the 1930’s, it was a start of a compound for Nazi sympathizers and a possible American get-away for their leader. As the story goes, one Herr Schmidt (whose actual identity cannot be confirmed) convinced wealthy National Socialist Party pals Winona and Norman Stephens that when Hitler won the war the American government would fall into disarray and their like-minded compatriots would need a self-sustaining compound to hole up in until the Third Reich could rise in the US. Then it could be a vacation strong-hold-away-from-home for the mustached-man himself. The plans started with building a large power generation building, a machine shed and garage, and a water tower. These buildings still sit at the bottom of the chasm. On the steep slopes are the foundations for raised beds in which the organization was going to raise food. Keeping the world out is a still-standing gate, now easily circumvented through multiple holes in the property fence.

The intelligence and craftsmanship of this grand plan is epitomized by one of the entry ways to the compound, a series of 500+ concrete stairs created by someone possessing no real knowledge of how to build stairs. They are as crooked and imbalanced as the minds that hatched the scheme. By the time you reach the lower steps they are slanted decidedly upwards (perhaps a ‘Hail, Hitler” salute?). Makes for a rather precarious journey down and a hunt for an alternate (read: safer) way out.

Once you safely reach the bottom a road leads you around to the structure that once housed the power system, and for the modern hiker, most ominous ideas disappear at the site of the psychedelic graffiti covering what was probably once a grey and depressing structure. But in 1941, after Pearl Harbor was bombed, the compound was raided, and the owners abandoned their dream (and our nightmare). In the 1960s and 70s the location, named Murphy Ranch, became an artist colony until the new (more peaceful) residents were chased out by a devastating wild fire. The basic structure of the power building remains, though the machine garage did not fare as well. The largely metal structure has crumpled into a crippled pile of twisted trash (another fitting homage to the minds of the Stephens).

Check out the route and pictures here: http://www.hikespeak.com/trails/rustic-canyon-murphy-ranch-nazi-ruins/

In the sunshine of a Southern California day it’s a good place to go feel like a strong American – we will take their ugliness and make it something pretty and peaceful and helpful in encouraging people to get out and explore L.A.

So we continue to Survive L.A. – 20 well-built stairs (to our own bedroom hideaway) at a time.