Santa Clarita Valley History In Pictures
> WILLIAM S. HART PARK
Entrance to William S. Hart Park
Newhall, California


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Entrance to William S. Hart Park when it was new, circa 1958. Undated real photo postcard.

The silent screen star died in 1946 and left his Newhall ranch property to the county of Los Angeles for the enjoyment of his fans, but it took a long time to settle his estate. The property was finally dedicated as a county regional park Sept. 20, 1958.


William S. Hart
Biography by Friends of Hart Park

When William S. Hart began his film career in 1914, he initiated a fresh approach to Westerns that continues to influence the genre today. Although Western motion pictures were already very popular, for the most part they were exercises in mediocrity, filled with "impossibilities or libels on the West," according to Hart in his 1929 autobiography, My Life East and West. But in the course of appearing in or producing more than 60 movies over an eleven-year span, William S. Hart created a film style that revealed a more authentic vision of the Old West. At the same time, he made a major contribution to film history by developing and embodying the prototype of the frontier hero. Fame, artistic recognition, and wealth were Hart's rewards.

A Childhood in the West

William Surrey Hart was born in Newburgh, New York, probably in 1864. During his boyhood, his family traveled extensively in the Midwest as his father searched unsuccessfully for the ideal site to build a gristmill and make a permanent home for his family. Young Bill was raised in a pioneer atmosphere; he had contact with Indians, ranchers, and cowboys and learned Indian sign language and a little of the Sioux language from his playmates. He gained a respect for Indians and their cultures that he never lost.

Hart's First Career

The Hart family returned to New York while Bill was in his early teens, and it was there that he developed an interest in the stage. By 1900 he had appeared in productions from New York to San Francisco to Montreal. He received critical acclaim for his own production of The Man in the Iron Mask and his creation of the role of Messala in Ben Hur.

Hart's first Western role was also in a stage production: in 1905, he was cast as "Cash" Hawkins in The Squaw Man. His subsequent stage roles were primarily Western and included the lead in an enormously successful production of The Virginian.

Two Gun Bill

While touring with the company of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine in 1914, Hart decided to move to California to make Western films. In his autobiography, he wrote, "I was an actor and I know the West. ... I had to bend every endeavor to get a chance to make Western motion pictures." Hart obtained parts in several Westerns and collaborated in writing screenplays, and his film career was launched.

As a filmmaker, Hart drew on his childhood experiences, insisting on using realistic costumes, locales, and situation. The public loved "Two Gun Bill" and his movies, and he obliged the fans with one success after another. He became one of Hollywood's top actors and most successful directors.

La Loma del los Vientos

Some of Hart's Westerns were shot on and around a ranch in Newhall, California. In 1921[1] he purchased the property from Babcock Smith. After completing Tumbleweeds (1925), his final film and one of his finest, Hart commissioned Los Angeles architect Arthur Kelly to design a magnifient Spanish colonial-style mansion, which Hart christened La Loma de los Vientos (Hill of the Winds) and occupied in 1927.

Hart filled his home with treasure reflecting his interest in the West, including Navajo textiles, Indian costumes, guns and weapons, and Western paintings and sculptures. In his retirement, he became active in the operation of his ranch and deeply involved in Santa Clarita Valley community affairs.

He wrote more than a dozen novels and short stories as well as his fascinating autobiography, My Life East and West.

Hart's reputation as a Western figure put him in contact with other prominent personalities of the day. Western enthusiasts, such as Will Rogers and Wyatt Earp, and important artists, including Charles M. Russell, C. C. Crisadoro, and James Montgomery Flagg, visited the ranch or corresponded with Hart.

The Hart Legacy

True to the spirit of Western heroes he had portrayed on screen, Hart was humbly grateful to the fans who had supported his film career. "While I was making pictures, the people gave me their nickels, dimes, and quarters. When I am gone, I want them to have my home." When he died in 1946, he left the bulk of his estate to the County of Los Angeles, stipulating that his house and the ranch property were to be used as a museum and public park.

Today, the Parks and Recreation Department of Los Angeles County operates and maintains William S. Hart Park, which includes hiking and nature trails, a large picnic area, a campground, an exhibit of farm machinery, an assortment of live animals including a herd of bison, and approximately 110 acres set aside as a wilderness area.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angles County is responsible for the interpretation of the historical portion of Hart's bequest, which includes his home and its contents and several other buildings. The Friends of Hart Park and Museum, an active group of local citizens, provides volunteer support services.

La Loma de los Vientos stands today not only as a tribute to William S. Hart but as a valuable and edifying museum. Hart's personal effects and movie paraphernalia are displayed in his home along with Indian artifacts and Western American art that he amassed. These materials form a major resource for understanding the American West as it was perceived in the early part of the century.

1. Note: Original piece from Friends of Hart Park said 1925.

Hart biography ©Friends of Hart Park • Used by permission.


LW2748: 19200 dpi jpeg from RPPC.
HART CATEGORIES:
• Stage Career
• Hart Films
• Publicity Photos
• Hart as Author
• WWI War Bonds
• Hart Park/Museum
• Hart in Retirement
• Personal Life
• Hart in Artwork

WM. S. HART
PARK & MUSEUM
Newhall, Calif.

Park & Museum News


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Discovery Guide & Map 2017

Last Will & Testament of William S. Hart 1944


Real Estate Acquisitions 1921-Date


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Timeline: Operational Management of Museum, 1958/1988

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Master Inventory 1971

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Inventory: Missing Items 1963/1971

Ruling on Fundraising 1991


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Charles M. Russell Portrait 1908

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10 Millionth 'T' 1924

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Hart at Ranch ~1920s

Architect Correspondence 1926


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Const. 1926-27 x5

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Construction 1927

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Construction 1927

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Flagg Presents Portrait

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1930 x2

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RPPC ~1930s

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Amelia Earhart

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Robert Taylor Photo Shoot 1941: BTK Gun, Fritz's Grave (Mult.)

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Fire Threatens 1942

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With Dan White ~1945

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Letter from Hart to Flagg 1945

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RPPC ~1950s

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Frew Addition 1958

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Park Dedication 1958

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Dedication 1958

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Entrance ~1958

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Photo Gallery 1958/61

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1959 x3

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Bubnash Family Picnic 1959

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Brochure 1960s

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Visitor at Turret ~1960s

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RPPC ~1960s

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Times Story 1962

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Aerials 1963

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Brownie Playday Patch 1967

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Dogs' Graveyard, Turret, Fritz's Grave 1967

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Interiors 1968 x5

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Exteriors, Barnyard 1968 x5

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Picnic Grounds Cleanup 1973 (Mult.)

Friends of Hart Park: Initial Bylaws 1981


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Donor List: Friends of Hart Park & Museum

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Hart's Walk of Stars Plaques

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Resolution 1986:
FOHP Founders

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Pole Barn ~1998

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Let's Go L.A. Video 2013

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In Memoriam: Norman the Steer 2005-2017

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Reckless Driving Bench 2017

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NHMLA Volunteer Honors 2018

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