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Stoney Point, also known as the Stoney Point Outcroppings or Chatsworth Formation, is a Los Angeles City park near the north end of Topanga Canyon Boulevard ( State Route 27) in
Chatsworth, Los Angeles Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. The area was home to Native Americans, some of whom left caves containing rock art. Chatsworth was explored and colonized by the Spanis ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, part of the city of
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
. Stoney Point is a popular destination for hikers, equestrians and also with
rock climber Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...
s because of its large boulders, which afford many opportunities to practice the sport of
bouldering Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help sec ...
. The top of the rock formation offers excellent views of Chatsworth, the
Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in Southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west, separating the San Fernando and Simi valleys on its south from the Santa ...
, Coyote Pass, and the entire San Fernando Valley. Wildlife including
coyotes The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...
,
rattlesnakes Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera '' Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small ani ...
,
red-tailed hawks The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members with ...
,
golden eagles The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds o ...
,
turkey vultures The turkey vulture (''Cathartes aura'') is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus '' Cathartes'' of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of Sout ...
,
rabbits Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit spe ...
, and
skunks Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...
can all be found at Stoney Point. When visiting the park, dogs should be kept on a leash for their own safety and a watchful eye should be kept for africanized "killer" bees.


Geology

Geologists know Stoney Point as the
Chatsworth Formation The Chatsworth Formation is a Cretaceous period sandstone geologic formation in the Simi Hills and western Santa Susana Mountains of southern California. It is found in western Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County. The formation's th ...
, which are the giant rock outcroppings in
Simi Hills The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States. Geography The Simi Hills are aligned east-west and run for , and average ar ...
. They are
Upper Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', ...
outcroppings, which means they are more than 65 million years old. They originated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, possibly on the continental shelf near Central America, or even near Baja California. They were formed by
turbidity current A turbidity current is most typically an underwater current of usually rapidly moving, sediment-laden water moving down a slope; although current research (2018) indicates that water-saturated sediment may be the primary actor in the process. T ...
s, giant “gravity slides” that deposited sand in the ocean at the depth of 4,000 to 5,000 feet. These turbidity currents were often “tens of miles in length and a half a mile or more in width” which explains the size of the mountains around the Chatsworth Formation, and makes them
turbidites A turbidite is the geologic deposit of a turbidity current, which is a type of amalgamation of fluidal and sediment gravity flow responsible for distributing vast amounts of clastic sediment into the deep ocean. Sequencing Turbidites were ...
. In between this activity, in quiet times, silt from the ocean would settle on the formation, and because silt erodes more quickly, the different turbidity currents that formed the rock are visible. The Chatsworth formation is part of the
Pacific Plate The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At , it is the largest tectonic plate. The plate first came into existence 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and I ...
, which grinds against the
North American Plate The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Cuba, the Bahamas, extreme northeastern Asia, and parts of Iceland and the Azores. With an area of , it is the Earth's second largest tectonic plate, behind the Pacifi ...
, and therefore is continuously pushed northwest at a rate of 2.5 inches per year. The Chatsworth Formation was pushed out of the ocean, and, as part of Simi Hills, created part of the
Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within San ...
. Because any fossils left in the ocean were ground up on the journey up, there are very few fossils to be found in the area. The sandstone is a medium-grained variety, and was originally light gray; however, the mica and clay in the rock oxidizes and turns a tan color. Not all of Chatsworth Formation has oxidized yet, and some is still light gray.


History

Stoney Point was the site of a
Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . Some descendants of the people prefer Kizh as an endonym that, they argue, is more historica ...
Indian rancheria until the arrival of the Spanish during the late 18th century. It is believed that the village of Momonga was located at Stoney Point. It was used as a marker by the Southern Pacific Railroad during construction of the railroad through the
Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in Southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west, separating the San Fernando and Simi valleys on its south from the Santa ...
. The formation is believed to have been used as a hideout by the outlaw
Tiburcio Vasquez Tiburcio, the Spanish form of Tiburtius, may refer to: * Tiburcio Carías Andino (1876–1969), Honduran military strongman * Tiburcio de León, Filipino general (the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War) * José Tiburcio Serrizuela ( ...
in the 1870s.


Historic Site

It was designated a historical Los Angeles Historic and Cultural Monument in 1974, because of its historic and cultural value as well as being deemed one of the "most picturesque places in Los Angeles." The facility features 81 acres of land, including a five-acre equestrian center which was purchased by the City in 2007 and is home to the Annual Chatsworth Day of the Horse Festival hosted by the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council each Spring. During the land grab that resulted from the McKinley Act, Stoney Point was claimed by the Charlton Family of New York. Stoney Point was the site of the Charlton Quarry, one of three Chatsworth Quarries that was operated by the Bannon Mining Company. "Dimension Stone" was quarried for the nearby train tunnel. Remnants of the quarry can still be found on the eastern side of Stoney Point along the Santa Susana Creek.


Railroad History

Stoney Point functions as mile marker on the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was ...
, which links much of Southern California to Northern California. Stoney Point is located at the base of the Simi/Santa Susana Grade. Stone that was quarried at Stoney Point was used in Chatsworth's train tunnels. When inhabited by the Gabrielino-Tongva tribe and the missionaries in the early years, the land was prime for agriculture including fruit, vegetables, wheat, and barley. However, once the railroad was in place, the heavy iron from the tracks and constant land disruption altered the availability of wilderness. Forests and vegetation had to be eliminated in order to lay the track and Native Americans had to be relocated from their homelands. Natives were forced to lose all that they had worked on when they had to leave their fertile soil and efficient irrigation. After the turn of the Century, dry farming resumed and most of the land surrounding Stoney Point was planted with citrus and olives. Today, it is surrounded by horse boarding stables and equestrian homes. Because of a blind curve caused by Stoney Points rock formations, train operators would sound the whistle as they approached the bend. Residents complained and today's engineers sound the whistle either from the Chatsworth train depot or as they exit the tunnel at the top of the grade. The easement that connects Rinaldi Street to Andora Avenue by crossing the railroad tracks was once the "Old Mission Trail" and was the primary route to the San Fernando Mission from Chatsworth and later became known as North Andora Avenue. Later, the street name was changed to Rinaldi, but an equestrian easement remains. In 1998, Councilmember Hal Bernson included the easement in his "Guide to Equestrian Trails" and stood behind the community by keeping the easement open when the MTA tried to restrict access. In 2001, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority cut down the ancient Eucalyptus trees that lined the railroad tracks in Stoney Point out of concern for the safety of park visitors should one of the trees fall on the tracks. On September 12, 2008 at 16:22PST, a Metrolink Commuter Train collided with a cargo train resulting in 25 fatalities in what was declared the worst train wreck in U.S. History in over 40 years. The crash site is on the Northeast side of the park and is accessible through the park. In September 2009, then-Councilmember Mitchell Englander hosted a memorial at Stoney Point and a marker was placed in memory of the victims. Civilian first responders from the local community and passengers who survived the crash were in attendance.


Gabrielino-Tongva Indians Occupy the Land

Stoney Point was occupied by Gabrielino-Tongva (Gabrielino) Indians beginning in 6000 BC. The Gabrielino homeland offers an area rich in natural resources as well as an effective system of trade. This tribe was widely known as skilled hunter-gatherers. Faunal and floral resources were abundant and offered a wide variety based on location and season. Food sources were available year round, including rabbits, roots/bulbs, and shellfish. Some crops sprung up only once a year, such as acorns, and were collected in large numbers. Winter was the only time of the year that brought up food stresses in inland communities due to lack of fresh vegetation. The communities closer to the coast, however, fared just fine with the marine food resources. The diversity of resources for the Gabrielino Indians was mainly due to the wide range of biotic zones in their territory. These included beach and coastal regions, fresh and salt water regions, chaparral and grassland zones, and even woodland and mountain regions. Faunal resources included land mammals, fish, insects, reptiles, and sea-mammals. Floral resources included trees, plants, seeds, bulbs, and sea grasses. Mineral resources included obsidian,
chert Chert () is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a ...
, and other types of stones to make tools and caulking or adhesive compounds. These three resource categories satisfied all the material needs of the Gabrielino Indians. The Gabrielinos developed sustainable diets by using the resources available to them at different times of the year. They were excellent hunters that effectively used their weapons and technology to develop strategies to utilize available resources. Meat hunting was prominent during the winter when fresh plant food wasn’t available. Fishing and sea-mammal hunting took place in the spring and summer seasons and was avoided during the fall and winter when the fish retreated to the south. At a ritual called the Mourning Ceremony, food and manufactured items were destroyed to restrict the amount of goods available. This Ceremony took place in hopes to maintain the demand for the services as well as skills of the craftsmen of the village. Gabrielino Indians believed that greediness and food hoarding were reprehensible traits and thus the proper management of food resources was evident in their culture. Fishermen and hunters were prohibited from consuming their own kill in order to discourage hoarding. At certain times of the year, large populations of people would get together to collect seasonal crops or collaborate in large-scale hunts. It was important to the Gabrielino Indians that the entire village population participated in harvesting seeds in the plain. The Gabrielinos made sure to minimize their
ecological footprint The ecological footprint is a method promoted by the Global Footprint Network to measure human demand on natural capital, i.e. the quantity of nature it takes to support people or an economy. It tracks this demand through an ecological accounti ...
as much as possible to follow their beliefs. These Indians were very interested in the spiritual world, and members of the communities called shamans would interpret the environment. They believed that the universe was always in a state of flux, which explains their desire to maintain the preservation of the environment and the resources it provides them with. They turned to these shamans to continue the proper alignment of forces in the universe as well as tap into heavenly bodies to perform sacred rituals. The only main way they left a significant impact on the land was through rock art, which was harmless to the environment. They used two different techniques:
petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other description ...
(rock carving) and
pictographs A pictogram, also called a pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto, and in computer usage an icon, is a graphic symbol that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and gr ...
(rock paintings). Pictured here is a petroglyph of a rabbit or squirrel, it can be found to the left of the "X" that is carved into the face of the rock that is at the center of the photo. Most art was created during ceremonies as elaborate rituals. Following generations have preserved the remaining artwork in museums around the region, but some ancient rock art sites of the Gabrielino Indians can still be visited in the area throughout Stoney Point. Water catch basins and mortars used for grinding nuts and seeds can still be found on the uppermost boulders at Stoney Point. It wasn’t until the creation of the California Missions, built by the Spaniards beginning in 1769, stripped the Indians of their land and turned it into an urban dwellers’ area. The creek bed on the West side of Stoney Point was the western boundary of the San Fernando Mission. By 1834,
Ranchos of California The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement fo ...
were also being created on Indian land. It was actually the construction of
railroads Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
and other forms of
industrialization Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econ ...
by settlers other than the Indians that created the greatest amount of harmful change to the land around Stoney Point.


Movies and Television

Stoney Point has been the backdrop in many movies and television shows since the silent film era. ''Dollhouse'', ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...
'', and '' CSI: Las Vegas'' have all used Stoney Point as a location.


Rock climbing

Climbing development began at Stoney Point in the 1930s when it was discovered by young climbers then active in the
Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, w ...
. In the '50s and '60s pioneering rock-climbers
Royal Robbins Royal Robbins (February 3, 1935 – March 14, 2017) was one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz Rock, he went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite. As an early proponent of b ...
and
Yvon Chouinard Yvon Chouinard (born November 9, 1938) is an American rock climber, environmentalist, philanthropist and outdoor industry businessman. His company, Patagonia, is known for its commitment to protecting the environment. Chouinard is also a surf ...
learned to climb at Stoney Point. Other famous climbers such as
Bob Kamps Bob Kamps (1931 – 2 March 2005) was an American rock climber whose climbing career spanned five decades. Born in Wisconsin, he began climbing in California in 1955, and was a member of that cadre of Yosemite pioneers who first ascended many of ...
,
Ron Kauk Ron Kauk (born 23 September 1957) is an American rock climber. Kauk is associated with Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley, where he lived for decades, now a resident of El Portal, California. In 1975, he made the first free ascent of the east face of W ...
, John Long,
John Bachar John Bachar (March 23, 1957 – July 5, 2009) was an American rock climber. Noted for his skill at free soloing, he ultimately died during a free solo climb. A fitness fanatic, he was the creator of the climbing training device known as the Bach ...
also started to climb at Stoney Point. From 1959 to 1995 one of Americas most accomplished climbers Bob Kamps was a regular, as was free-solo climber Michael Reardon. The rock is
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
, which makes it less painful on the hands while bouldering, allowing climbers to boulder for long periods of time without worrying about the pain. But after it has rained, and soaked the rock, parts of the rocks are prone to break away. Because of this, it is recommended to wait for a minimum of 48 hours after a light rain and between 5-7 full days after a heavy rain before returning to climbing Otherwise, the climbing season at Stoney Point lasts all year. Some people have taken advantage of the easiness of the rock to chip, and have created their own chips by breaking off pieces. Climbers look down upon this practice. There is a great variety of bouldering routes to choose from, ranging from easy to hard, based on the
Yosemite Decimal System The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is a three-part system used for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs, primarily used by mountaineers in the United States and Canada. It was first devised by members of the Sierra Club in Southern C ...
for rock climbing, and the Hueco scale for bouldering. Beginners and advanced climbers will find something for them from among more than 150 routes.


See also

* Tongva settlements *
History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915 The history of the San Fernando Valley from its exploration by the 1769 Portola expedition to the annexation of much of it by the City of Los Angeles in 1915 is a story of booms and busts, as cattle ranching, sheep ranching, large-scale wheat farm ...
*
List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the San Fernando Valley This is a list of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the San Fernando Valley, California. It includes Historic-Cultural Monuments in the San Fernando Valley as well as the adjacent Crescenta Valley. In total, there are more than 70 His ...
*
Browns Creek Bike Path Browns Creek Bike Path is a Class I bike path that is “tucked away from the surrounding hustle and bustle” of the San Fernando Valley, “hugging the side” of the Browns Canyon Wash. The path begins at Lassen Street, just east of Chatsw ...


References


Notes

*''Note: need placement above as citations after text in reference to'':


Sources


External links


Stoney Point website

Stoney Point Documentary
{{Clear Parks in the San Fernando Valley Rock formations of California Climbing areas of California Geography of the San Fernando Valley Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Parks in Los Angeles Native American history of California Railroad tunnels in California Santa Susana Mountains Chatsworth, Los Angeles Landforms of Los Angeles County, California