After nearly 100 years of existence, the Varney homestead, located in Agoura’s Lobo Canyon, is being dismantled by the National Park Service. The Varneys were originally from what is now North Hollywood, where they owned Lankershim Waterworks. When William Mulholland brought water the San Fernando Valley, the Varneys had to find another occupation. So, Edmund (Pop) Varney bought the Lobo Canyon property in 1913 and began keeping bees. Coming from North Hollywood, it would take him all day to get there in his Model A automobile. Edmund would tend the bees and extract honey with a hand-cranked extractor. Since then, there have been three generations of Varneys living in the old house and Edmund’s grandsons still keep bees in the Conejo Valley today.
In 1971, a developer wanted to divide the surrounding property into 10-acre lots. At that time, there was a nesting pair of Golden Eagles in the cliffs above the old homestead. A pair had nested there continually for over 50 years, which was recorded in a diary kept by the family. My husband, Robert Varney and I were living at the homestead, then. Because of the beauty of the canyon, I decided to see if anything could be done to stop the development. With the help of Margo Feuer, the State Fish and Wildlife and other agencies, we worked to persuade the National Park Service to buy the Varney land, and they did.
Unfortunately, the old house could not be easily protected from vandalism or fire, so NPS is in the process of dismantling it, but will preserve its history with photographs and artifacts. The canyon can now go back to its natural state, and perhaps the eagles will return again.
To read the article in the 5-9 Los Angeles Times by Bob Pool, go to: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0509-last-cabin-20100506,0,7211110.story To read more about Margot Feuer’s role in the creation of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area, go to: http://www.conejopost.com/?p=1511#more-1511
Post by Cynthia Maxwell, edited by Janna Orkney. Cynthia serves on the boards of Save Open Space, Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, and Cold Creek Community Council and is a Master Falconer.
Bob Coutts // May 11, 2010 at 2:03 AM
Visiting the Varney homestead in Lobo Canyon with Cynthia just before it was taken down was like taking a trip into California history. Being able to talk to both Cynthia and Bob Varney about their experiences with rattlesnakes and mountain lions as well as Margot about preserving the beauty of it all was a very special priviledge. The water falls, the eagles’ nests and the honey bees were so unique. What a sad thing that the old cabin has been taken away and this part of our local history is now gone. The fact that it lives in the memories of the Varneys is a lovely thing.