Like many small towns surrounding Los Angeles, the sleepy area of Conejo Valley experienced a post-war boom, and by 1964 some of its older structures were in danger of being demolished. One such building was the Stagecoach Inn. The Stagecoach Inn was constructed in 1876 and opened as the Grand Union Hotel. After the original owner sold it, it changed hands and names several times before becoming an apartment building in 1904. In the first part of the 20th century it would go on to have many more roles, becoming a restaurant with illegal flowing hooch in the roaring 20s, followed by a brief stint as a military academy in the 30s before returning to its restaurant status. By the 50s it had turned into a high-end shop with the owners living above.
When 1964 arrived, so did the freeway, and the building was slated to make way for fast driving cars. Enter two men, cinematographer J. Michael Hagopin, and newspaper editor Guy Runnion. They, along with others, founded the Conejo Valley Historical Society. The following year the Stagecoach Inn was named a California historic landmark, moved, and turned into a museum.
The joy of the new museum was short lived. In April of 1970, a fire swept through and destroyed the Inn along with the items within. Reconstruction lasted several years with the first floor reopening in 1976 and the second in 1980. Inside visitors will see antiques of the turn of the century showcasing early life for families in the area. Additionally there are rooms dedicated to other artifacts, such as hair art, early washing tools, phonographs and other early musical items, and an entire room dedicated to Jungleland.
Some of you might remember Jungleland from my JayneMansfield Satanism post, but let’s dive a bit deeper, shall we?
After moving to California in either 1919 or the early 1920s (sources vary), Louis Goebel worked at Gay’s Lion Farm, followed by Universal Studios’ zoo. When the zoo shuttered, Goebel purchased his own lions, several acres out in the Conejo Valley, and started his own business, dubbing it Goebel’s Lion Farm. Louis and his wife, Kathleen, provided lions for the Tarzan films and MGM’s iconic opening. Like the Stagecoach Inn, the private zoo changed hands and names multiple times, landing on the name Jungleland in 1956. More animals, acts, and even rides were added, making Jungleland a full fledged theme park.
One act was Mabel Stark, billed as the only female tiger tamer. For decades she entertained the masses with the cats she loved so dearly. When the zoo changed hands in the late 60s she was let go. Shortly after being fired, one of the tigers escaped. Instead of being safely brought back, the tiger was shot and killed. Stark’s dismissal, limited mobility after decades of injuries, and the death of the tiger were all possible factors in her taking her own life in 1968.
By the late 1960s, Jungleland was struggling; the upkeep was high, stiff competition from other nearby amusement parks, as well as multiple escapes and maulings, including the well publicized one of Jayne Mansfield’s son, Zoltan. In 1969 Jungleland closed, with its 1,800 animals being sold at auction.
With the rebuilt Stagecoach Inn the museum also expanded, adding the Timber School, replica of a one room school house dating to 1888, the Newbury Pioneer House, Spanish adobe, Chumash ‘ap, a blacksmith shop, and a carriage house. Before the arrival of the Spanish or other white pioneers from the East Coast, the area was home to the Chumash people, and the museum features an area dedicated to them, including a replica of a home, or ‘ap, as it is called. The Spanish adobe, built in 1976, reflects the smaller homes of Californios from the time of Spanish colonization. The Newbury Pioneer House was built to give an example of what the home may have been like for the Newbury family. The Newburys were one of the first white families in the Conejo Valley, and the house is based on letters and a painting of their home.
The carriage house is home to various horse-drawn vehicles as well as “Queenie” the 1930 Model A Ford Pick up that belonged to Donna “Conejo” Fargo . A local character in her own right, with her colorful western wear, she helped create Conejo Valley Days, and was a stuntwoman, including doubling for Vivian Leigh in Gone with the Wind.
Sadly we couldn’t visit the Timber School, because as you might of spied, the museum was setting up for a wedding, and part of the wedding party was getting ready inside the school.
Explore the past of the Conejo Valley at the Stagecoach Inn Museum at 51 S Ventu Park Road, in Newbury Park. For further details, including hours and admission prices, please visit their website.
Sources
Informational plaques on site.
Multiple Pages. Stagecoach Inn Museum.
Maulhardt, Jeffery Wayne. Images of America: Jungleland. Arcadia Publishing, 2011. Print.