THEN »Onandarka Ranch was built at the base of the Verdugos by Col. Homer Baldridge near the turn of the last century. It operated as a fruit orchard and vineyard, and later as horse boarding and rental stables. The big show ring in the flats at the entrance to the Ranch off La Crescenta Avenue was the scene of several very popular yearly rodeos after WWII. Here are some local boys – wannabe cowboys – racing across the ring before packed bleachers.
Courtesy of The Historical Society of CV
NOW »This is that same view today, looking southeast at the intersection of Shirleyjean and Dolorita. In 1950 the land was sold to a developer and Onandarka Ranch became the residential neighborhood of Oakmont Woods, accessed at the intersection of La Crescenta and Shirleyjean. This quiet neighborhood no longer reverberates with the thundering hooves of galloping horses, but instead hums with the sound of lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Local lore has it that the street names (Shirleyjean, Dolorita, and Eilinita) are derivations of the names of the developer’s daughters.
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