The caption on this photo read simply “Ventura Blvd, circa 1930.” I assume it’s accurate but it’s hard to know because there are no landmarks to orient us. These days, Ventura Boulevard is one of the longest thoroughfares of contiguous business – from Calabasas at the western end to Studio City at the eastern – 18 miles of shoulder-to-shoulder business, restaurants, gas stations, mini malls, and office blocks. To see it with only four cars on the road and barely a building in sight is pretty wild. By 1930, the eastern end of Ventura Blvd would have started to become a lot more built than this, so I’m guessing this photo was taken somewhere down the western end.
A largely empty Ventura Blvd, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, circa 1930
Judging by the map, my money is between Winnetka and Canoga Aves. facing westbound (the telephone pole shadow points north).
Roughly around here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1667177,-118.5845087,3a,75y,79.01h,90.6t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sO6-CxzgTtNg6P9stSHKgUg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DO6-CxzgTtNg6P9stSHKgUg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D5.5509987%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
Thanks MMM. I so that embankment on the left was completely leveled?
That would be my guess, yes. I know the hills south of Ventura Blvd. do slope up steeply, but I reckon the land to either side of the road was leveled for development at some point, probably around WWII.
I hadn’t heard of that before but it makes sense, doesn’t it.
Here we go:
https://cdn2.lamag.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/01/MAP_0015.gif
Your twisty is at the lower left quadrant, between Reseda and Canoga Aves.
🙂
That would make sense explaining the low level of development. Do you know what date that map is?
1925, I believe.