Calabasas House
Calabasas, California is a small town in a big town
county. Los Angeles County is heavily populated, the most
populated county in the United States, and is home to the
second most populated city in the nation. Finding an area
that is peaceful and quiet can be difficult, but
throughout the years, Calabasas has managed to maintain
its rural feel. It's as though the congested areas around
Calabasas continue to grow around it, while it retains the
small town feel that make it unique.
The Chumash Indians were the first inhabitants of the area
that would become Calabasas. They lived on wild game, such
as rabbits, grain, and acorns mashed into a paste. Some of
the acorn trees living in the area today are believed to
be hundreds of years old, old enough to have supplied the
Chumash with sustenance at one point.
Spanish expeditions brought Miguel Costanso and Juan de
Anza to the Calabasas area, which they described in their
expedition diaries. When the settlers arrived, a large
tract of land was designated to three Chumash Indians. The
daughter of one of these Chumash, Espiritu, married Miguel
Leonis and since the land was left to her by her father,
Leonis became the landowner.
Leonis was known as the "King of Calabasas" and was
constantly conducting illegal business throughout the
area. He hired men to threaten settlers so that he could
expand his land and bribed witnesses to be quiet. Leonis
was always at odds with the law and didn't take kindly to
people "squatting" on his land.
