MONTE HALE WORKED TO MAKE THE AUTRY CENTER A REALITY

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY   2012

Monte Hale was one of the many young country and western singers who migrated to the San Fernando Valley to be "discovered" in the 1940s.  His good looks and warm personality won him a job doing "cowboy movies" at Republic Pictures. In 1946, Monte was a star in the successful film, "Home on the Range."  He was among those insightful people who helped found the Autry National Center in Griffith Park.  Monte Hale died in Studio City in 2009. 

Detail from vintage postcard - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2012. (click on image to enlarge it.)

MONTIE MONTANA - BELOVED SAN FERNANDO VALLEY COWBOY

2010 THE YEAR OF VALLEY ADVENTURES Northridge100

Montie Montana - Beloved Valley Cowboy Star - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2010

Among the major celebrities who have lived and worked in the San Fernando Valley was Owen Harlen Mickel, better known as America's beloved Montie Montana. From his ranch home in Northridge, Montie worked at the world famous Republic Studios in Studio City and many other film studios in the Valley and Los Angeles.

Montie Montana was born on the 21st of June 1910, appropriately in Montana. He died on the 15th of December 2009 and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Chatsworth. Montana's amazing riding and roping skills not only won him many roles in film but also caused him to be elected to the Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Always willing to lend his name and presence to Northridge charity events, Montie Montana is perhaps best known for his surprise, with the new president's permission, of roping Dwight D. Eisenhower during the inaugural parade.

VETS JOB FAIR OCT. 29TH

2009 - The Year of Valley History

HONOR A HERO -- HIRE A VET
Job and Resource Fair
A job and resource fair for Veterans, National Guard, and Reservists returning from active duty.
Thursday, October 29, 2009, 11 am to 3 pm
Warner Center Marriott Hotel
21850 Oxnard Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367


Returning Soldiers Gather in Pershing Square - Magazine Photo from La Reina - Los Angeles in 3 Centuries - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2008

There were great festivities when soldiers returned to Southern California in 1918. "The War to End All Wars" was over. Soon these new veterans would see large crowds cheering them as heroes on Broadway. Valley "boys" would return to sleepy agricultural villages and resume their lives. America was yet experience protracted conflicts, where soldiers returned alone or in small groups.

The War is Over" Magazine Photo from La Reina - Los Angeles in 3 Centuries - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2008

Those of us who were little children in 1945 can remember vividly when the wars with Germany and Japan were over. Those dramatic conclusions, with bells ringing and people dancing, left indelible imprints. But, service personnel today who return to the United States from fierce tragedies of combat, are seldom recognized. All too soon, trying to make a-living in the civilian world becomes a reality.

Victory Bond Rally 1918 - Magazine Photo from La Reina - Los Angeles in 3 Centuries - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2008

From the onset of the American Republic, how to pay for wars has been of a matter of historical importance. In a more patriotic time, civilians were asked to do their part for the war effort, by buying war bonds. In 1918 great rallies were held in downtown Los Angeles. Whole families from the San Fernando Valley drove in their "new fangled" automobiles to participate in war bond rallies.

"STATION" FIRE IN LOS ANGELES

2009 - The Year of Valley History

Phyllis Hansen says:
"Photographed Saturday afternoon. Those are not clouds over the Hollywood Hills. It's smoke. La Canada/Flintridge fire originated to the far right--as it got dark we saw the flames on the ridges. Not Hollywood sign, Griffith Observatory below. I live at the bottom of that cluster of homes in the Hollywood Hills on the left."

Photograph of Mount Hollywood by Phyllis Hansen - August 2009 - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley.


When Juan Cabrillo first entered Santa Monica Bay in 1542 , he and his crew observed great clouds of smoke over our part of Southern California. He referred to it as the "Baya de los Fumos" or "Bay of Smokes". It is said that Native Americans actually set fires periodically to control the overgrowth of vegetation.
The chaparral that covers the mountains surrounding the San Fernando Valley and indeed all of Southern California, when dry and overheated almost explodes when set afire.

OPENING DAY AT DODGER STADIUM

Opening Day at Dodger Stadium April 2009 - Photo by Jerry Fecht for the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley (click on image to enlarge)
Opening fireworks greet fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers on opening day.
In the words of the great Tom LaBonge, "Enjoy and love the great city of Los Angeles!"


The San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Center of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.

Interested in being a sports historian or collector for your Museum? Give us a telephone call at 1 (818) 347-9665.