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California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, was a town founded in 1912 in the western part of the
San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
. Owensmouth joined the city of Los Angeles in 1917, and was renamed
Canoga Park Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and t ...
on March 1, 1931. Owensmouth was named for the 1913
Owens River The Owens River is a river in eastern California in the United States, approximately long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 17, 2011, It drains into and through the ...
aqueduct's terminus in current Canoga Park. The town was started by the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company as part of an extraordinary real estate development in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
."Pacific Electric and the Growth of the San Fernando Valley"; by David Coscia; Shade Tree Books; ©2011; . Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company was owned by a syndicate of rich Los Angeles investors, developers, and speculators: including Harrison Gray Otis,
Harry Chandler Harry Chandler (May 17, 1864 – September 23, 1944) was an American newspaper publisher and investor who became owner of the largest real estate empire in the U.S. Early life Harry Chandler was born in Landaff, New Hampshire, the eldest of four ...
,
Moses Sherman Moses Hazeltine Sherman (December 3, 1853 – September 9, 1932) was an American land developer who built the Phoenix Street Railway in Phoenix, Arizona and streetcar systems that would become the core of the Los Angeles Railway and part of th ...
,
Hobart Johnstone Whitley Hobart Johnstone Whitley (October 7, 1847 – June 3, 1931) was a Canadian-American businessman and real estate developer. Whitley is best known for helping create the Hollywood subdivision in Los Angeles. He is among those known as the "Father ...
, and others."The Owensmouth Baby"; by Catherine Mulholland; Santa Susana Press ( CSUN—California State University, Northridge); ©1987; . On April 2, 1915, H. J. Whitley purchased the Suburban Home Company so that he would have complete control for finishing the development. It anticipated possible connections to but was planned independent of the soon to be completed (1913)
Los Angeles Aqueduct The Los Angeles Aqueduct system, comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct (Owens Valley aqueduct) and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system, built and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The Owens Valley ...
from the Owens River watershed to the City of Los Angeles through the San Fernando Valley in
Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
.The newly built Sherman Way double drive and the
Pacific Electric The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway system ...
street cars, opened on December 7, 1912, gave new access to the town and to the other new towns in the valley
Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, t ...
(1911) and Marion (now Reseda); At the time the new road and streetcar seemed like route to an open agricultural fields at the end of the line — but was a necessity to promote development. Sherman Way was a paved boulevard with lush landscaping and no speed limit where one might get up to 35 mph, there was a separate dirt road for farm wagons/equipment, and telegraph lines. The new town had its problems, not till 1913 did electricity get installed. In 1916 there were only 200 residents. The town and orchards did not get any aqueduct water till 1917, when the City of Los Angeles annexed Owensmouth. The street, Owensmouth Avenue that runs north-south through the valley, is one of the few reminders of the 1910s. * The community's name was changed to
Canoga Park Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and t ...
in 1931. * Current
West Hills, Los Angeles West Hills is a suburban / residential community in the western San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. The percentage of residents aged 35 and older is among the highest in Los Angeles County. The neighborhood was for ...
, was part of Owensmouth from 1912 to 1931. In 1987 West Hills was formed from a part of Canoga Park, creating a new community. * Owensmouth Ave, a street running north and south through the San Fernando Valley just east of Topanga Canyon Blvd, from just south of the
CA 118 State Route 118 (SR 118) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs west to east through Ventura and Los Angeles counties. It travels from State Route 126 at the eastern edge of Ventura immediately northwest of Saticoy, th ...
to just north of
CA 101 U.S. Route 101 (US 101) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway, stretching from Los Angeles, California to Tumwater, Washington. The California portion of US 101 is one of the last remaining and longest U.S. Routes s ...
. *
Owensmouth Line The Owensmouth Line was a Pacific Electric interurban service that connected the San Fernando Valley to Downtown Los Angeles. The route was largely developed as the result of real estate speculation. History The Pacific Electric streetcar servi ...
Street car line to Owensmouth ran from 1911 to 1952. *
San Fernando Line The San Fernando Line was a part of the Pacific Electric Railway system in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California. It was designed to increase the reach of public transportation from the Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywo ...
Street car line to Owensmouth (1911 to 1952). Built by
Moses Sherman Moses Hazeltine Sherman (December 3, 1853 – September 9, 1932) was an American land developer who built the Phoenix Street Railway in Phoenix, Arizona and streetcar systems that would become the core of the Los Angeles Railway and part of th ...
's
Los Angeles Pacific Railroad The Los Angeles Pacific Railroad (1896−1911) (LAP) was an electric public transit and freight railway system in Los Angeles County, California. At its peak it had of track extending from Downtown Los Angeles to the Westside, Santa Monica, an ...
sold to PE. * Owensmouth
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
line and station opened in 1912. The 1912 station was at 21355 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA. The station was damaged by fire in 1995 and demolished. * Part of the old
Rancho El Escorpión Rancho El Escorpión was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to three Chumash Native Americans - Odón Chijulla, Urbano, and Mañuel.
was in Owensmouth. It was the original Mexican land grant.LoC-HABS: Escorpion (1937); p. 2
/ref>LoC-HABS: Leonis (1963); p.3
/ref>Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park (SSPSHP); Ethnohistory
; p. 46.
* Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company was in Owensmouth. The company built homes, owned by
Isaac Newton Van Nuys Isaac Newton Van Nuys (; November 20, 1836 – February 12, 1912) was an American businessman, farmer and rancher who owned the entire southern portion of the San Fernando Valley—an area 15 miles long and 6 miles wide. With the approach of ...
* State Bank of Owensmouth, was in Owensmouth. Its President was
H.J. Whitley Hobart Johnstone Whitley (October 7, 1847 – June 3, 1931) was a Canadian-American businessman and real estate developer. Whitley is best known for helping create the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood subdivision in Los Angeles. He is among th ...
. * Owensmouth High School in Canoga Park, California, opened October 4, 1914; it is now called Canoga Park High School, the oldest High School in the west San Fernando Valley. *Owensmouth
Continuation high school A continuation high school is an alternative to a comprehensive high school. In some countries it is primarily for students who are considered at risk of not graduating at the normal pace. The requirements to graduate are the same, but the sch ...
is in Canoga Park.education.com, Owensmouth Continuation High School
/ref>


See also

* State Water Project * Warner Center (Los Angeles Metro station) *
William Mulholland William Mulholland (September 11, 1855 – July 22, 1935) was an Irish Americans, Irish American self-taught civil engineer who was responsible for building the infrastructure to provide a water supply that allowed Los Angeles to grow into the la ...
* Glendale and Montrose Railway *
Bell Canyon Park Bell Canyon Park is a large open-space regional park located in the Simi Hills at the western end of the San Fernando Valley in West Hills, Los Angeles and Bell Canyon, California. Bell Creek, a primary tributary to the Los Angeles River, flows ...
*
Sherman Way station (G Line) Sherman Way station is a station on the G Line of the Los Angeles Metro Busway system located at Sherman Way in downtown Canoga Park — a community of Los Angeles in the western San Fernando Valley. The station is in service on the Metro G Li ...


References


External links


Canoga-Owensmouth Historical MuseumLADWP Los Angeles Aqueduct web siteLos Angeles Aqueduct Landscape AtlasMono Lake Committee WebsiteLADWP History page on William MulhollandLos Angeles Aqueduct SlideshowThe William Mulholland Memorial FountainLos Angeles Aqueduct Digital Platform
{{Los Angeles San Fernando Valley Former settlements in Los Angeles County, California West Hills, Los Angeles History of the San Fernando Valley Canoga Park, Los Angeles Communities in the San Fernando Valley History of Los Angeles