A famous past

Inhabited by the Chumash for 9,000 years, the land that is now permanent public parkland in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains in Calabasas became home to adventurers, business giants, religious orders and even titans of Hollywood.

In 1776, with the Juan Batista de Anza expedition, José Bartolome Tapia traveled through the area that is now the King Gillette Ranch.

The pristine area got its name in 1926 when razor-blade tycoon King Gillette purchased the property.

Gillette commissioned leading architect Wallace Neff to build a "paradise on earth" at the property, including a sprawling mansion, according to history detailed at www.lamountains.com, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy website.

Following Gillette's death in 1930, MGM movie director Clarence Brown, of "Anna Karenina" and "National Velvet" fame, bought the property. A private airstrip was constructed to allow Hollywood's A-list movie stars easy access to the ranch and lavish parties.

Bob and Delores Hope purchased the property in 1952, but Hope immediately donated it to the Claretian Order of the Catholic Church, which operated a seminary on the grounds for 25 years.

Elizabeth Clare Prophet, founder of the Church Universal and Triumphant, purchased the property in 1978, and ran her New Age church at the site until 1986 when Soka University of America bought the land.

The ranch became "a haven for all living things in perpetuity," when it was purchased as public parkland in 2005. The land is home to a variety of wildlife, including eight sensitive species and numerous old valley oak trees. The name of the property reverted back to King Gillette Ranch in 2005.

- Stephanie Bertholdo