SANTA SUSANA CORNER

Santa Susana was named for the railroad depot that was built near the crossroads of Los Angeles Avenue and Tapo Street in 1903. Soon several store buildings were erected nearby. The objects in the exhibit remind us of the Santa Susana area.

Heritage Oak: This huge slice of oak tree was retrieved when the ancient Coast Live Oak tree (Quercuc agrifolia) succumbed at last in 2007. It was 90 feet tall, and had a canopy of more than 100 feet. The trunk, as you can observe here, measured 9 feet by 6 feet. It was several hundred years old (difficult to estimate because of damage to the trunk from fire and other causes). Its former location was Heritage Oak Court off South Tapo Canyon Drive.

The Santa Susana School bell called children to class at the first Santa Susana School, a block south of Los Angeles Avenue on Tapo Street. The school was built in 1902, soon after Santa Susana formed its own school district, separate from the Simi district.

The Crinklaw Building was constructed from stone that was quarried at a site in Susana Knolls. This huge stone was at the top center of the two-story building. It was used for many different businesses through the years, and finally was damaged too much to survive in the 1971 earthquake. The building had a stage upstairs that was used for various plays and performances.

The Mexican Casino cornerstone was laid on Cinco de Mayo 1930. Film star Dolores del Rio was present for the dedication, but the building was never completed. It was located across the arroyo, south of Santa Susana.