Granada Hills

The area now known as Granada Hills was acquired in about 1881 by George K. Porter, a pioneer of the north San Fernando Valley and one of the founders of the city of San Fernando. The land was used principally for farming, beans and wheat being among the usual crops. In 1917 the land between Balboa and Zelzah Avenues, north from San Jose Street into the hills was bought by J.H. Moshier, a wealthy oil man from Oklahoma. Mr. Moshier built a large house, dairy barns, silos and other buildings at the foot of the hills and named his property the Sunshine Ranch. Most of the ranch buildings still remain, and several had been converted into residences. Between 1917 and 1924 over 2,000 acres of the ranch were planted with citrus of various kinds. In 1925 however, Mr. Moshier tired of his project, and the Sunshine Ranch was offered for sale.  It was bought by Suburban Estates, Inc. which was a holding company organized by Edwards and Wildey Company, prominent subdividers of that time, who already subdivided the town of Eagle Rock, part of Glendale, and several large districts in Los Angeles. The lower section of the ranch was subdivided into large lots as tract 9317 in 1926. The lots varied in size up to 7 acres, and the tract office was built at 17645 Chatsworth St which has been used continually as a tract and real estate office ever since. Since 1927 it has been the office of Thurlow S. Culley.  No, it never was a residence as many assume from its appearance.

The large lots did not sell as anticipated, so in 1927 about half of the original tract was subdivided into smaller residence and business lots as they exist today, and the present streets were laid out. A large pavilion was built just east of the tract office, and people by the bus load were given free trips from Los Angeles, complete with lunch, so that they might see and hear about the great opportunities that existed in Granada. As an added inducement Granada was promoted as a rabbit raising colony, and most of the eighty houses that were built for the first Granada residents in 1927 had barns suitable for rabbitries.

The first house in Granada Hills was built by Captain and Mrs. J.L. Miller on the corner of Kingsbury St. and White Oak Ave. Prior to coming to Granada, Capt. Butler was chief of Police in Los Angeles under Mayor Woodman. His house is at present the home of Mr. & Mrs. Walter Smith. The home of Mr. & Mrs. Klissner, next door to that of Capt. Butler, was coming along so slowly that they feared the baby would arrive before the house was finished. Mr. Wildey came to the rescue, however, and transferred workmen from the other houses so that the Klissner home could be finished in time. When the little girl arrived she was named Granada Klissner and was presented with $25 worth of stock in the Granada Mortgage Co. as a reward for being the first child born in Granada.