History of Temescal Canyon

History of Temescal Canyon. Temescal Gateway Park. , Native Americans have lived in Southern California for over 10,000 years. It is believed that Temescal Canyon was close to the boundaries of the Chumash and Gabrielino territories, and served as a place for peaceful gatherings, trade, and spiritual ceremonies. Later, in 1838, it was part of a land grant given by the Mexican government to Francisco Marquez and Ysidro Reyes. , Reverend Charles Holmes Scott developed what is now Temescal Gateway Park in 1922 as a West Coast center for the Chautauqua movement. Originated in 1874 on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, Chautauqua "assemblies" were aimed at challenging the minds and spirits of their participants by offering families seasonal programs of lectures, music, elocution (public speaking), and open discussion of public issues, literature and science. , A 1,600-seat auditorium, a cafeteria, thirty-five small cabins, or "casitas," and some two hundred framed tents were constructed in the "Assembly Camp" in Temescal Canyon. The first Chautauqua and Summer Assembly began on July 11, 1922. The two-week program began each morning with a welcome by Reverend Scott and offered a series of courses including religious studies, the educational value of play, decorative arts, pianologues, and story telling. Each evening ended with a final concert at 8:00 p.m. A tent for two cost $6 for seven days. A grocery store and meat market - where the camp store stands today - supplied provisions for the campers. , Thousands of assembly campers had flocked to Temescal Canyon to hear the best minds and the finest performers of their day before economic difficulties and the Great Depression virtually ended the Chautauqua movement. The property was sold to the Presbyterian Synod in 1943 and was used as a private retreat center until its purchase by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in 1994. , photo caption: , On January 14, 1922, Pacific Palisades officially came into being when a group of the Founders, led by the Association president, Reverend Charles H. Scott, gathered under the oaks in Temescal Canyon and drew lots for their choice of home sites.