Downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Sandstone Trough

Photographed by Craig Baker, June 1, 2021

1. Sandstone Trough Marker

Inscription.
Sandstone trough used for feeding crushed acorns to livestock, hewn in 1897 by the Schweikand family on their San Fernando Valley ranch.

Presented in 1930 by the Department of Water and Power of the City of Los Angeles.

Erected 1930 by City of Los Angeles.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.

Location. 34° 3.482′ N, 118° 14.249′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Downtown Los Angeles. It is on Olvera Street just south of Cesar Chavez Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: E-23 Olvera St, Los Angeles CA 90012, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid (within shouting distance of this marker); 1932 Olympic Village Cottage (within shouting distance of this marker); Italian Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Italian Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Zanja Madre (within shouting distance of this marker); Pure Water from Many Sources (within shouting distance of this marker); Hammel Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Pelanconi House (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Regarding Sandstone Trough. In 1897, a drought caused the Schweikhard family to search for extra food for the horses on their 37-acre ranch in Chatsworth. They noticed that the pigs liked the acorns under the oak trees, so August Schweikhard suggested that the horses would eat them too if the shells were broken. The family used a dull hatchet to cut out a trough in a sandstone boulder located in the horse corral. The kids would gather acorns and put them in the trough and mash them up.

In

Sandstone Trough and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, June 1, 2021

2. Sandstone Trough and Marker

1912, when the City bought the ranch for the Chatsworth Reservoir, the DWP moved the trough to Olvera Street. The original plaque had incorrect information. It read:
“Water trough hewn by the Mission Indians in the year eighteen hundred and twenty. Presented by the Department of Water and Power of the City of Los Angeles, 1930.”

Today’s marker has the name Schweikhard misspelled as Schweikand.
Part of their original ranch is now Chatsworth Oaks Park, located at 9301 Valley Circle Blvd.

Additional keywords. Schweikhard, Chatsworth

Photographed by Craig Baker, June 1, 2021

3. Sandstone Trough and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 519 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 2, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.