Nichols Canyon
Terry Canfield Schmidt
There’s a reason why people choose to live in cities. The same reason why the same set of people are willing to spend hundreds of hard-earned dollars for a weekend in the countryside.Too bad they didn’t think of Nichols Canyon, a place where the excitement of city life co-exists with the tranquility of the suburbs.
Nichols Canyon, located in the Hollywood Hills begins on Hollywood Boulevard and continues into the hills just below Mulholland Drive. Known to have Spring year round with a fed creek and water fall 100 feet high, it is the only place in Los Angeles to host natural water falls. Nichols Canyon became famous for attracting wild animals: raccoons, skunks, rabbits, coyotes, frogs and hawks are also seen visiting the area regularly. Aside from natural water falls, it also has small, man made water falls. It's become a favorite route for joggers and cyclists alike; Celebrity homeowners have kept the area growing in stature throughout the years.
Nichols Canyon was named after Angelino mayor,John G. Nichols. He served in Los Angeles between 1852 to 1853 and then another term from 1856 to 1859. Aside from being a public servant, Nichols was a businessman and a builder. He was the first to build and live in a brick house in Los Angeles. He was also the first mayor who made tangible efforts to expand the city. In 1851 John Gregg Nichols was born and was the first Anglo American born in Los Angeles. Back in the frontier days there was a small sales office resting almost ¾ mile up Nichols Canyon. It had an old, western porch and roof overhang giving shelter to children who would play in the stream; this came to be known as “Rick E Lake." It was named after Rick Ambrose who is its current owner. It is a large property and features four waterfalls and 150 ft. of waterfront that sets on a year - round running stream. Before it was converted into a residential area it was the Nichols Canyon Development’s real estate office. It has been remodeled numerous times and even landed in the pages of Beautiful Homes Remodeling Magazine in 1976. Fast forward to the present day, the house now consists of 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Inside we find an antique heart pine interior inspired by the Cabin in Lake Arrowhead of the movie star James Cagney! The house is believed to be the object of David Hockney’s artwork, “Nichols Canyon”. Only a few original bungalows have survived the test of time, most of them were either expanded or replaced entirely by new owners.
How Stories became Movies
Stories about the Canyon are plentiful. One of the most famous stories tells of an event that happened the evening of May 13, 1874. A Sheriff’s posse from Los Angeles decided to camp just a few meters from the mouth of Nichols Canyon, almost 2 miles northeast of Greek George’s ranch house. Come the next morning, the famed Mexican bandit, Tiburcio Vasquez was captured by Greek George’s Ranch. The present day County Park of Vasquez Rocks in Los Angeles was among his most frequented hideouts. One can see that with these stories of derring do, that Los Angeles became a magnet for the early filmmakers who were at the time outlaws themselves . They were trying to escape Pinketons Detective Agency which was trying to collect patent royalties on the early silent shorts. This is why the helmets thats the cops wore in shorts like "Keystone cops" were in fact the ones used at Pinkertons Agency. This is the first of many known insider jokes that movie makers have been making for decades. Another is the story of Father Yod. He was a former Marine and a self-styled guru dedicated to the lost and wayward youth. He also founded The Source, a famous restaurant circa 1970. His house was composed of three bedrooms. There came a time when the three-bedroom house provided shelter to almost a hundred people, everyone sleeping like sardines in a can. In 1974, Yod took all his followers to Hawaii to avoid any child endangerment charges. British artist David Hockney also once lived in the Hollywood Hills near Nichols Canyon. In 1980, he created an acrylic painting on canvas called “Nichols Canyon”. His work was dominated by bright colors giving life to the winding road, scenic views and landscape of the Hollywood Hills during the late 1970’s. Nichols Canyon can also be seen in Hockney’s painting, Mulhollond Drive.
Star Studded
The names of celebrities who have lived in Nichols Canyon continues to grow and we’re talking big Hollywood names! The list includes talk show icon, Ellen Degeneres, timeless favorites Bruce Willis, Kevin Costner,Wes Craven, Richard Dreyfus and Matthew McConnaughey. Also Nichols Canyon favorites such as Julia Roberts and Renée Zellweger. The impressive list also includes Hollywood heart throbs Ryan Seacrest, Ian Ziering, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and even the legendary Frank Sinatra himself. Other celebrities include Dan Aykroyd, Mama Cass, John Kay, John Cassavetes, Gower Champion, Marge Champion, Joe Cocker ,Steve McQueen, Alex Murray, Ricky Nelson, Larry Parks, Anthony Perkins, Chris Pontius, Henry Rollins, Melody Rogers, Telly Savalas, Doc Severinsen, Pauley Shore, Ringo Starr, Kiefer Sutherland, Rudy Vallee, Larry Storch, Cindy Williams, Guy Williams and the ledgendary Frank Zappa. Wow! What a Canyon!
Among the list of movies that were filmed in Nichols Canyon are Unknown World and Lethal Weapon II . Authors have also used Nichols Canyon as a location in their stories. Examples include Robert Crais, Carol Wolper, David Freeman, Jackie Collins, Michael Connelly and Harley Jane Kozak. Buddy Miles also wrote a song titled Nichols Canyon Funk. Recently, Nichols Canyon became part of the TV series " Taken", where it is identified as a murder victim’s residence. With all of this being said the area was recently named one of the safest in the country.
Terry Canfield Schmidt
There’s a reason why people choose to live in cities. The same reason why the same set of people are willing to spend hundreds of hard-earned dollars for a weekend in the countryside.Too bad they didn’t think of Nichols Canyon, a place where the excitement of city life co-exists with the tranquility of the suburbs.
Nichols Canyon, located in the Hollywood Hills begins on Hollywood Boulevard and continues into the hills just below Mulholland Drive. Known to have Spring year round with a fed creek and water fall 100 feet high, it is the only place in Los Angeles to host natural water falls. Nichols Canyon became famous for attracting wild animals: raccoons, skunks, rabbits, coyotes, frogs and hawks are also seen visiting the area regularly. Aside from natural water falls, it also has small, man made water falls. It's become a favorite route for joggers and cyclists alike; Celebrity homeowners have kept the area growing in stature throughout the years.
There’s a reason why people choose to live in cities. The same reason why the same set of people are willing to spend hundreds of hard-earned dollars for a weekend in the countryside.Too bad they didn’t think of Nichols Canyon, a place where the excitement of city life co-exists with the tranquility of the suburbs.
Nichols Canyon, located in the Hollywood Hills begins on Hollywood Boulevard and continues into the hills just below Mulholland Drive. Known to have Spring year round with a fed creek and water fall 100 feet high, it is the only place in Los Angeles to host natural water falls. Nichols Canyon became famous for attracting wild animals: raccoons, skunks, rabbits, coyotes, frogs and hawks are also seen visiting the area regularly. Aside from natural water falls, it also has small, man made water falls. It's become a favorite route for joggers and cyclists alike; Celebrity homeowners have kept the area growing in stature throughout the years.
Nichols Canyon was named after Angelino mayor,John G. Nichols. He served in Los Angeles between 1852 to 1853 and then another term from 1856 to 1859. Aside from being a public servant, Nichols was a businessman and a builder. He was the first to build and live in a brick house in Los Angeles. He was also the first mayor who made tangible efforts to expand the city. In 1851 John Gregg Nichols was born and was the first Anglo American born in Los Angeles. Back in the frontier days there was a small sales office resting almost ¾ mile up Nichols Canyon. It had an old, western porch and roof overhang giving shelter to children who would play in the stream; this came to be known as “Rick E Lake." It was named after Rick Ambrose who is its current owner. It is a large property and features four waterfalls and 150 ft. of waterfront that sets on a year - round running stream. Before it was converted into a residential area it was the Nichols Canyon Development’s real estate office. It has been remodeled numerous times and even landed in the pages of Beautiful Homes Remodeling Magazine in 1976. Fast forward to the present day, the house now consists of 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Inside we find an antique heart pine interior inspired by the Cabin in Lake Arrowhead of the movie star James Cagney! The house is believed to be the object of David Hockney’s artwork, “Nichols Canyon”. Only a few original bungalows have survived the test of time, most of them were either expanded or replaced entirely by new owners.
How Stories became Movies
Stories about the Canyon are plentiful. One of the most famous stories tells of an event that happened the evening of May 13, 1874. A Sheriff’s posse from Los Angeles decided to camp just a few meters from the mouth of Nichols Canyon, almost 2 miles northeast of Greek George’s ranch house. Come the next morning, the famed Mexican bandit, Tiburcio Vasquez was captured by Greek George’s Ranch. The present day County Park of Vasquez Rocks in Los Angeles was among his most frequented hideouts. One can see that with these stories of derring do, that Los Angeles became a magnet for the early filmmakers who were at the time outlaws themselves . They were trying to escape Pinketons Detective Agency which was trying to collect patent royalties on the early silent shorts. This is why the helmets thats the cops wore in shorts like "Keystone cops" were in fact the ones used at Pinkertons Agency. This is the first of many known insider jokes that movie makers have been making for decades. Another is the story of Father Yod. He was a former Marine and a self-styled guru dedicated to the lost and wayward youth. He also founded The Source, a famous restaurant circa 1970. His house was composed of three bedrooms. There came a time when the three-bedroom house provided shelter to almost a hundred people, everyone sleeping like sardines in a can. In 1974, Yod took all his followers to Hawaii to avoid any child endangerment charges. British artist David Hockney also once lived in the Hollywood Hills near Nichols Canyon. In 1980, he created an acrylic painting on canvas called “Nichols Canyon”. His work was dominated by bright colors giving life to the winding road, scenic views and landscape of the Hollywood Hills during the late 1970’s. Nichols Canyon can also be seen in Hockney’s painting, Mulhollond Drive.
How Stories became Movies
Stories about the Canyon are plentiful. One of the most famous stories tells of an event that happened the evening of May 13, 1874. A Sheriff’s posse from Los Angeles decided to camp just a few meters from the mouth of Nichols Canyon, almost 2 miles northeast of Greek George’s ranch house. Come the next morning, the famed Mexican bandit, Tiburcio Vasquez was captured by Greek George’s Ranch. The present day County Park of Vasquez Rocks in Los Angeles was among his most frequented hideouts. One can see that with these stories of derring do, that Los Angeles became a magnet for the early filmmakers who were at the time outlaws themselves . They were trying to escape Pinketons Detective Agency which was trying to collect patent royalties on the early silent shorts. This is why the helmets thats the cops wore in shorts like "Keystone cops" were in fact the ones used at Pinkertons Agency. This is the first of many known insider jokes that movie makers have been making for decades. Another is the story of Father Yod. He was a former Marine and a self-styled guru dedicated to the lost and wayward youth. He also founded The Source, a famous restaurant circa 1970. His house was composed of three bedrooms. There came a time when the three-bedroom house provided shelter to almost a hundred people, everyone sleeping like sardines in a can. In 1974, Yod took all his followers to Hawaii to avoid any child endangerment charges. British artist David Hockney also once lived in the Hollywood Hills near Nichols Canyon. In 1980, he created an acrylic painting on canvas called “Nichols Canyon”. His work was dominated by bright colors giving life to the winding road, scenic views and landscape of the Hollywood Hills during the late 1970’s. Nichols Canyon can also be seen in Hockney’s painting, Mulhollond Drive.
Star Studded
The names of celebrities who have lived in Nichols Canyon continues to grow and we’re talking big Hollywood names! The list includes talk show icon, Ellen Degeneres, timeless favorites Bruce Willis, Kevin Costner,Wes Craven, Richard Dreyfus and Matthew McConnaughey. Also Nichols Canyon favorites such as Julia Roberts and Renée Zellweger. The impressive list also includes Hollywood heart throbs Ryan Seacrest, Ian Ziering, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and even the legendary Frank Sinatra himself. Other celebrities include Dan Aykroyd, Mama Cass, John Kay, John Cassavetes, Gower Champion, Marge Champion, Joe Cocker ,Steve McQueen, Alex Murray, Ricky Nelson, Larry Parks, Anthony Perkins, Chris Pontius, Henry Rollins, Melody Rogers, Telly Savalas, Doc Severinsen, Pauley Shore, Ringo Starr, Kiefer Sutherland, Rudy Vallee, Larry Storch, Cindy Williams, Guy Williams and the ledgendary Frank Zappa. Wow! What a Canyon!Among the list of movies that were filmed in Nichols Canyon are Unknown World and Lethal Weapon II . Authors have also used Nichols Canyon as a location in their stories. Examples include Robert Crais, Carol Wolper, David Freeman, Jackie Collins, Michael Connelly and Harley Jane Kozak. Buddy Miles also wrote a song titled Nichols Canyon Funk. Recently, Nichols Canyon became part of the TV series " Taken", where it is identified as a murder victim’s residence. With all of this being said the area was recently named one of the safest in the country.