Renegade Craft Fair December 10th and 11th

What beats holiday shopping in the park?

Ofrenda Viewing

2011 Ofrenda

Flowers that have been placed on the ground

Skull Candles on The "Altar"

2011 Ofrenda @ LASHP

From November 2nd- November 7th The Anabolic Monument will be host to a public viewing of the Ofrenda that they built in the park. The word Ofrenda translates to offering and it is set up to celebrate and honor ancestors. For those interested please stop by to celebrate and view the Ofrenda of the Day Of The Dead, or Dia De Los Muertos. We have stopped by a few times and it is absolutely stunning. Above you can see our images from our viewings this year, and below we have one image of last years Ofrenda. For more information you can email Olivia- chumacero13@gmail.com

2010 Ofrenda

Your Weekly Park Polaroid

Ofrenda Marigolds

Native Plant Tour

Anabolic Monument

Tongva

This Friday, October 28th 2011, The Anabolic Monument will host a Native Plant Tour throughout the Los Angeles State Historic Park. Following the tour, a few people from the Tongva tribe will be giving a presentation. The tour will be led by Olivia Chumacero and will begin at 6:00pm. We would suggest arriving a few minutes early to gather with the group before it begins. If you have any questions please contact Olivia at chumacero13@gmail.com.

Candle Making Workshop

Candles

The Metabolic Studio (a.k.a. Farmlab) will be hosting a candle making workshop tomorrow, Saturday October 15th. If you are interested in participating in the workshop please email Olivia at chumacero13@gmail.com.

Here is a link to The Metabolic Studios website.

City Parks Alliance- Sustainable Urban Parks Workshop

City Parks Alliance

City Parks Alliance and California State Parks Foundation are teaming up to host a workshop highlighting the importance of sustainable urban parks. To register contact: info@cityparksalliance.org

Summer Sunset Campfire Recap

Saturday marked the last of our campfires for this season and we went out with a bang. We were joined by The Children’s Nature Institute. The Children’s Nature Institute was kind enough to bring critters, plants and skeletons along with them. We learned about milk snakes, lizards, cockroaches and more. We also roasted marshmallows and watched the sunset. We would like to thank all those who came out to the park to help us have a fantastic campfire. We would also like to give a special thank you to Kate Heller from the Children’s Nature Institute and her group of wonderful volunteers from Pepperdine! To donate to The Children’s Nature Institute please click here.

Here are some of our photos from the fun night:

Thank you to The Children's Nature Institute

A Milk Snake

Madagascar Cockroach

Madagascar Cockroach

Passing Out The Marshmallows

A Gecko

A Scorpion

Learning About Los Angeles Wildlife

Your Weekly Park Polaroid

Running

Uncovering The Past

Beginning to Uncover the Past

Visitors to Los Angeles State Historic Park (LASHP) often wonder what exactly makes our park historical. This is due to the fact that most of our material history is underground. This past week, State Park archaeologists have been at LASHP uncovering some of that history.

The Dig Begins

In 1875, the Southern Pacific Railroad made its way into what is now downtown Los Angeles, connecting the city to the transcontinental railroad in the north. The property chosen for the new passenger depot and yard was located in what is now the middle section of the park and was considered far from the existing town center at the time. 4 years later, in 1879, passenger traffic had increased to the extent that a hotel was constructed next to the depot, offering weary travelers a respite with a “parlor sitting room” and restaurant serving quick “25 minute meals.”

The Entrance of the Hotel

This past week State archaeologists uncovered the foundation of the hotel and what was once the ice house for the rail yard. Based on their current excavation, we now know that the ice house walls went much further down than originally thought. It appears the ice was kept cool below ground in something much like a basement. They also located what they believe to be a hotel water closet, based on terra cotta and metal piping that was found.

The Hotel

Here are a few photos documenting the dig and illustrating how the layers of history within our park continue to reveal hidden stories about the park and the city’s past.

Foundations of Rooms at the Hotel

The Hotel

The Ice House

Dog Of The Week

Wolfie and Kozmo

Meet Wolfie and Kozmo. These two standard poodle siblings are frequent park visitors. We often spot them enjoying cool morning walks. It’s nice to finally meet you! Thanks for being our dogs of the week and for always wearing your leashes!