26 ARCHITECT | DESIGN | BUILD 12.19.2014
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PUBLISHER
Warren J Dow
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Debbie Glasscock
MANAGING EDITOR
Pamela Corante-Hansen
SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Paul Jonason
DIGITAL MEDIA
SPECIALIST
Kieron McKay
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Dianne Garcia
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Kyle Patten
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Carol Skeldon
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Rachel Dotson
BY MAUREEN MEGOWAN / THE RE/MAX COLLECTION
During the early 1900's the Dicalite Company began mining
diatomaceous earth (also known as dicalite) in the area now occupied by
the South Coast Botanical Gardens off of Crenshaw Blvd, the former Palos
Verdes Landfill site between Hawthorne and Crenshaw, and Ernie Howlett
Park off of Hawthorne Blvd.,but at this time it was mostly surface mining. By
1929, open-pit mining was being pursued. In 1944 the mine operation was
sold to the Great Lakes Carbon Company ("Great Lakes") and mining began
in earnest.
By 1956, production of the mine
declined and the site was sold to the
County of Los Angeles, which then
converted the site to a Sanitary Landfill
in 1957. On Dec. 31, 1980, the Palos
Verdes landfill officially closed after
having accepted a total of 24 million
tons of trash since its opening. Partial restoration of the 291 acre site began
with the opening of the 83 acre South Coast Botanic Garden on the eastern
end of the site in April 1961, and the construction of the 35 acre Ernie
Howlett Park on the site's western side, a project fully completed in 1982.
The remaining 173 acre site between Hawthorne and Crenshaw, however, still
remains unimproved except for some horse stables. Recently, the County
had considered constructing a golf course, however local opposition killed
the project.
The area known as Butcher Hill at the southwest corner of Hawthorne
Blvd and Via Valmonte , beginning in 1944, before Hawthorne was extended
past the current Via Valmonte in 1965, was part of the dicalite earth mine,
and extended into the area now occupied by the Hillside Village shopping
center. This is the last remnants of the dicalite open pit mining that had
taken place on the north side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
This land had been leased by Great Lakes from the Vanderlip family, that
still owned approx.6,800 acres of the original 16,000 acres retained by Frank
Vanderlip, Sr. when he sold the land which made up the Palos Verdes Project
in the early 1920's, which later became the City of Palos Verdes Estates.
Another rich dicalite deposit was known to exist on a 165-acre tract near the
crest of the Peninsula. For two years, Great Lakes had been unsuccessfully
attempting to purchase this property from the Vanderlip family. Finally, in
July 1953, Great Lakes in a stock transaction purchased all 6,800 acres from
the Palos Verdes Corporation, the Vanderlip family's corporation. The Great
Lakes Carbon Corporation, subsequently realizing that this land would be
more valuable if developed, then created a master plan for the acreage,
which later became the cities of Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills Estates,
and the unincorporated area known as Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The above is an excerpt from my book "Historic Tales of Palos Verdes
and the South Bay" which can be purchased at www.southbayhistory.com.
310.541.6416
MMegowan@cox.net
(QSC, PV Specialist, SRES, SDPE)
Remax Hall of Fame, Remax Platinum Club
SOUTH BAY HISTORY TIDBITS
PALOS VERDES LANDFILL
