Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nichols Canyon
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| City | Los Angeles |
Nichols Canyon is a neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, California. It's a place where people live, located between Laurel Canyon and Runyon Canyon. To the south, it's bordered by Hollywood Boulevard, and to the north, by Mulholland Drive. This area was once called Miller Canyon.
Exploring Nichols Canyon's Past
Who Owned the Land?
Nichols Canyon got its name from John Gregg Nichols Jr.. He was known as the first child born in Los Angeles to American parents, in 1851. Nichols had a ranch in the canyon, which people sometimes called a "goat pasture."
Later, in 1879, Jacob Miller and his wife, Dorothy, bought 70 acres of land here. Jacob Miller was a pioneer in growing avocados. After they bought the land, the area became known as Miller Canyon.
Dorothy Miller shared her memories in 1926. She said life was hard, especially traveling through dust or mud to get supplies in Los Angeles. Hollywood was just a small ranch house back then. But she loved the hills and the canyon, and they were happy there.
Building the Roads
Nichols Canyon Road, which goes north from Hollywood Boulevard, was finished in 1925. In 1926, the Automobile Club of Southern California said Nichols Canyon had a "good dirt road."
By 1929, there were plans to make Nichols Canyon Road wider. The goal was for it to become a main route for traffic. This traffic would flow between North Hollywood, Burbank, other San Fernando Valley cities, Pasadena, and West Hollywood. The idea was to widen the road to 46 feet and pave it with asphalt.
This project would also add sewers, water pipes, gas lines, lights, and storm drains. Property owners had already paid for and completed the grading of the road. They had also installed water connections along the entire length of the road.
A report in 1930 said the canyon road would be renamed Genesee. It would be extended north to Mulholland Highway. It was planned to be the main west traffic lane through the hills, similar to Cahuenga Pass.
Planting Trees and Plants
The Start of New Growth
In 1914, the canyon had a "sparkling stream" that crossed the trail many times. This stream splashed over rocks 50 feet high, forming a pool below.
Dorothy Miller was responsible for the many unique trees and shrubs that grew in Nichols Canyon. She planted and cared for tropical seeds given to her by an uncle. These seeds wouldn't grow in his nursery in Downtown Los Angeles. However, they grew very well in the canyon's frost-free foothill area. The Millers used Chinese laborers to help with the planting.
The Los Angeles Times noted that it was Dorothy Miller's love for plants that led to most of the subtropical plantings in Nichols Canyon. This was at a time when gardening was not a common hobby for women.
A Lush Landscape
By the late 20th century, the canyon had become a beautiful, green area. James Sowell, an environmental manager, described it in 1997. He said it was "spectacular" and that parts of it looked like a rain forest.
The plants in the area included Western sycamore trees, acacia, laurel sumac, and California holly. The Los Angeles Times said the "lush canyon bottoms" created a "carpet of verdure." These green areas became "oases for wildlife."
Fires in the Canyon
Brush fires have happened in Nichols Canyon over the years. A fire in 1904 "utterly devastated" Nichols Canyon and Laurel Canyon. Many square miles lost all their trees and plants.
In September 1956, firefighters put out a fire on Astral Drive, near Nichols Canyon. Three years later, residents had to leave their homes during another large fire. This blaze swept through Laurel and Nichols canyons, destroying houses.
In August 2005, a fire threatened 40 to 60 homes. It was believed to have started in a homeless encampment or by a person cooking in the brush. Firefighters quickly put out the blaze.
Controlling Floods
In 1913, the canyon had a natural channel or wash that crossed Sunset Boulevard to the south. A storm on February 25 of that year washed out this crossing.
Homes in Nichols Canyon were badly damaged or swept away during a rainstorm on New Year's Day, 1931. The next August, the City Council set aside $46,000 for a large debris basin at the foot of the canyon. Residents had wanted this basin for many years.
In 1981, Nichols Canyon and other canyons faced possible heavy rain damage. The city did not have enough money to continue with flood control projects. The Los Angeles Times reported that funds had been available before. However, residents had opposed building a storm-drain system along Nichols Canyon Road. Because of this, the city used the money for other projects.
Explosive Factory and Quarries
Satanite Factory
In 1908, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a factory in the canyon. This factory would make an explosive called Satanite. Citizens and groups from Hollywood had protested this plan. However, company officials showed that the new product was safe, and the approval went through.
Dust from Quarries
In 1912, people complained about dust coming from the quarries in Nichols Canyon. The City Council ordered the road closed. But this was not a good solution. The quarry owners then agreed to provide and spread gravel and crushed rock on the street for free. In return, the city would oil the street.
Subway Water Diversion
In 1997, Nichols Canyon residents reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority. Residents said that building a subway through Hollywood was drying up the plants in the canyon. Pumping water from the tunnel under the Santa Monica Mountains was draining the Hollywood basin.
Resident John Chickering said it was "unbelievable." He looked out his window one morning, and the waterfalls were gone. The water had stopped, "like a curse."
Police Activities
In 1924, police officers from the Hollywood Station set up a shooting range in Nichols Canyon. They could shoot safely against a wall of earth.
On August 17, 1951, many police officers searched Nichols Canyon Road. They were looking for two revolvers used in a crime eleven days earlier. They searched beside the winding road, where a densely overgrown culvert ran. This culvert deepened into a 30-foot ditch in some places. Elsewhere, it widened into the large, unused Nichols Canyon Reservoir.
Boy Scout Camp
A Boy Scout camp was active in the canyon as early as 1918. That year, Arthur Letts bought property for a permanent camp. It cost $6,000.
People Who Lived Here
Many notable people have lived in Nichols Canyon, including:
- Charles Coburn — an actor
- Susan Cummings — an actor
- Kaz Kuzui — a film producer
- Stephen Merchant — an actor
- Mircea Monroe — an actor and model
- Luciana Paluzzi — an actor
- Jason Beghe — an actor
