Historical Malibu

In 1892, Fredrick Hastings Rindge and May Knight Rindge became the fourth and last owners of Rancho Malibu. Initially purchasing 13,330 acres for $10 per acre, they eventually expanded the ranch to 17,000 acres by purchasing adjacent properties.

Mr. Rindge built a large ranch house in Malibu Canyon (beneath the present day Serra Retreat) to serve as a headquarters for the ranch. It was a working cattle and grain ranch which became one of the most valuable large real estate holdings in the United States. In 1903, the Malibu Canyon home was destroyed in a disastrous brush fire. Two short years later Frederick died at the age of 48. Following his death, his wife May K. Rindge took over Malibu Ranch.

The Rindge family guarded their privacy by hiring guards to evict all trespassers and fought a very lengthy court battle to prevent the building of the Southern Pacific Railroad line. Few roads even entered the area before 1929. When the state won another court case they built what is now known as the Pacific Coast Highway. Initially May Rindge kept control of Malibu beach, but nearly a decade later was forced to subdivide her property and begin selling and leasing lots. In 1940 the entire Malibu property of May K. Rindge went up for sale, now broken and discouraged the “Queen of Malibu” died 2 months later. The Rindge house is now known as the Adamson House and is a part of the Malibu Creek State Park. It is situated between Malibu Lagoon State Beach & Surfrider beach, beside the Malibu Pier.

In 1991 most of the old Malibu land grant was incorporated as a city to allow local control of the area. Malibu changed fundamentally during the 1990s as new families with children moved in. This was a trend that changed the politics of Malibu in the decade after the city was achieved.

References:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malibu_california
malibucomplete.com