History Of The Canyon Page 2
The Canyon was experiencing a land boom during the late 1880’s attracting tycoons (either actual or potential) of every industry. One such industrious man was Abbot Kinney who opened the first forestry station in Rustic Canyon in 1887. One of his objectives was to test trees, primarily eucalyptus, as cash crops. On 247 acres of land Kinney began planting trees. Despite the success of the trees, it was clear they were not an effective cash crop and Kinney soon sold the property. Notwithstanding a devastating fire in 1904, many of the trees survived creating the plentiful and beautiful eucalyptus groves in Rustic Canyon today. A plaque was dedicated on August 18, 1971, officially designating the eucalyptus groves as a California State Historical Landmark. In July 1893, Collis P. Huntington built a 4,700 foot wharf just north of The Canyon’s outlet to the Pacific Ocean.
He intended to create 'The Los Angeles Harbor' right here in Santa Monica. And although the wharf was used extensively for fifteen years, it was not to become the San Pedro of today, as Huntington had hoped it would be. * In order to accommodate the now permanent population, the first school was established in 1876 at the Presbyterian Church. On October 29, 1894, the Canyon School, as it is today, opened. The original site was on the 400 block of Sycamore Road. The school has remained the cornerstone of the community even after its move to Entrada Drive in 1956. A group of erst-while parents created the first Canyon School Fiesta and Art Fair in 1934, establishing an annual celebration of canyon history that continues today.

At the turn of the century, canyon life included croquet, bicycling, baseball, tennis matches, and polo. Evenings were still filled with dancing, live local music, and enjoying the evening breeze.
It was around this time that Robert C. Gillis and Robert P. Sherman, who were neighbors on Adelaide Ave near 4th Street, built an incline railway from Inspiration Point (101 Ocean Ave) down to the beach. Gillis had a family beach house located directly on the waterfront. All the neighboring families were given a key to both the railway and the beach house so all could enjoy the trip down The Canyon without the exhausting walk or ride back up the hill. Tract planning for residential homes began in 1912. Santa Monica Land Companies owned by Gillis, Sherman, and C.L. Bundy promoted one expensive new tract after another. At the place Where the Mountains meet the Sea (as The Canyon was advertised), the Bundy’s built a bath house with picnic area, refreshments, and dance pavilion. It became the favorite oasis of many until it burned down in 1927.