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History of Calabasas
By Mayor James R . Bozajian
Centuries ago , the Chumash Indians led a peaceful existence amidst the rolling hills of Calabasas . Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to arrive in the area . In 1770 , an expedition headed by Gaspar de Portola crossed through Calabasas on its return southward to Mexico after venturing into Northern California . In 1776 , another party of explorers led by Juan Bautista de Anza camped in Calabasas on their way northward from Mexico .
The earliest surviving written reference to Calabasas in a geographical context appears in a document found at the San Fernando Mission , dated August 19 , 1795 . Some legends suggest that the name Calabasas is derived from calabazas , the Spanish word for pumpkins or gourds — a tribute to the pumpkin patches that reputedly dotted the area long ago . Other sources contend that Calabasas comes from a Native American term meaning ,“ where the wild geese fly .”
Present-day Calabasas Road was once part of the historic El Camino Real ( The King ’ s Highway ), a pathway dating back to 1769 that linked Spanish settlements and missions up and down California . Bisecting Old Town Calabasas , this thoroughfare runs through the heart of the city today . Old Town has some of the region ’ s longest-surviving structures , the most prominent of which is the Leonis Adobe .
The Leonis Adobe stands frozen in time , a rustic reminder of a bygone era . It once served as a seat of a much larger parcel , Rancho El Escorpion , which covered around 1,100 acres of land in the southwest San Fernando Valley . The adobe was originally built c . 1844 and after passing through a series of owners was ultimately saved from demolition in the 1960s . It was then renovated , dedicated to the public , and designated as a historic cultural monument .
Calabasas remained a rural enclave well into the 20th Century , which a small population and limited interaction with outsiders . Tales both true and tall portray Calabasas as a rugged outpost of the American West , complete with an ominous hanging tree in the middle of town . All of this was to change as California entered a period of explosive growth .
The first planned housing subdivision in Calabasas was Park Moderne , originally settled by artists , craftsmen , and writers . Dating from the 1920s , many of its original units are still intact and reflect some of the most intriguing residential architecture in California . The topography in and around Calabasas is breathtaking ; as testament to this fact , it has been a favorite location for filming motion pictures since the early 20th Century .
To date , 43 percent of the land within Calabasas is protected open space , a figure that dwarfs most other cities in the area . Perpetual preservation of open space and resources , along with severe restrictions on future development , as specifically enshrined in the Calabasas Municipal Code .
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