Welcome...

I recently found a copy of a 1962 Los Angeles Times that had a petition for equal oppportunity in housing in the San Fernando Valley. My mother signed this petition, alone, while she was married to my father, and that took courage.

The photo to the left is a window in Unit 34 of the abandoned Camarillo State Mental Hospital. This unit was built in 1937 and housed/treated psychiatric patients. (Photo: K. Anderberg, January 22, 2010)

Camarillo State Mental Hospital was opened in the 1930's in the Santa Monica Mountain foothills, and at its peak capacity in the 1950's, it held 7,000 patients within its compound. The hospital was closed in 1997, and recently some of the abandoned hospital buildings have been renovated into a college campus. Camarillo was the largest mental institution west of the Mississippi for decades, and their mental experimentation affected the entire psychiatric field. UCLA had a research building at Camarillo, in Unit 45, for the entirety of its existence. Although there is a rich history to Camarillo State, one that includes the institutionalization of Charlie Parker, jazz legend, and Marilyn Monroe's mother, an unusual architecture, a controversial past, and more, little is published about it. So, this research and these webpages are the beginning of my own documentation of Camarillo's history. I am hoping to secure funding for more in depth study of this topic in the future.

To the right: Anacapa Island is one of the Channel Islands located off the coast of California. (Photo: K. Anderberg, Aug 25, 2009)

The Channel Islands are located off of the CA coast. I can see Anacapa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa Islands from the beach in Ventura where I live. Some days I can see the canyons on Santa Cruz Island clearly, other days it is so cloudy you cannot see any of the islands. The islands have
a fascinating history. In the mid-1800's, a woman was left alone on San Nicolas Island for 18 years, and on Anacapa Island, a cove is named after a character named Frenchy, who was known to raid anchored ships' liquor supplies. Most of the islands are parks and conservation areas now,
a few are military bases...these islands have been used by different populations for varied uses for thousands of years. Sheep were raised on some of the islands, during Prohibition, alcohol was sold on the islands, thus the name "Smugglers Cove" on Santa Cruz Island. I am documenting things I learn about the Channel Islands as I live near them, and find them intriguing and beautiful.

To the left: A letter addressed to K. Anderberg in MacLaren Hall in 1969, from her cousin

MacLaren Hall was a child protection institution for non-delinquent children run by Los Angeles County from the 1940's until 2003. In 1964, 4,000 children were living annually at MacLaren Hall, and over the decades, tens of thousands of children passed through its halls. There is no book written thus far on the history of MacLaren Hall and I am hoping to be able to fill that void with research in archives, interviews with ex-employees and adults who were children in MacLaren Hall, etc. I have spent several years researching some of MacLaren Hall's past in Los Angeles Times Archives and intend to do more research as time allows.

To the right: Ridge Route winds along ridge tops with deadly curves, and spectacular views...(Photo: K.Anderberg, Jan. 2008)

Ridge Route, above Castaic, CA winds along quiet faultines and cliff edges, to the sound of wind and birds. Views of the San Gabriel and Tehachapi Mountains to the east, north and south, as well as the transverse ranges in Ventura County to the west, make this route a pleasure on a sunny day. I would not recommend driving it at night, it is too dangerous. Ridge Route was opened in the early 1900's and was quite a popular route for recreation and commerce until the I-5 passage now in use was established. It turned out it was easier to follow the valley floor than the ridge peaks due to so many cars plunging off the edges up on Ridge Route. Little is written about Ridge Route, and I am hoping to do more work on this topic in the future as well. Ridge Route is part of what I call my "Urban Adventures" and I am making web pages and even a book of recommended Urban Adventures in Southern CA shortly.