{"id":5,"date":"2013-07-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/the-black-palm-springs-a-little-california-cali-history\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T18:17:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:17:41","slug":"the-black-palm-springs-a-little-california-cali-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/the-black-palm-springs-a-little-california-cali-history\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018Black Palm Springs\u2019 \u2013 A Little California \u201cCALI\u201d History"},"content":{"rendered":"

California & Jim Crow -Val Verde, The \u2018Black Palm Springs\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Val Verde (\u201cgreen valley\u201d) was opened up to LA\u2019s African-American population<\/span> in the early 1900s by \u201ca wealthy white woman in Pasadena\u201d who was angered by<\/span> the city\u2019s Jim Crow laws <<\/span>> , and<\/span> the area soon \u201cbecame a \u2018weekend picnic spot\u2019 for Afro-Angelenos\u201d (Flamming<\/span>
\n348). <\/span><\/p>\n

In 1924 the land was purchased by Sidney Dones, who partnered with Joe Bass<\/span> on the project. The pair shared a vision for the area as a resort community<\/span> for African-Americans who were not permitted to own land or gather for<\/span> recreation elsewhere in the city. They marketed their town as \u201cEureka Villa\u201d<\/span> and began to sell parcels to interested parties. \u201cIn 1928 the development<\/span> became an independent township and residents changed the name back to Val<\/span>
\nVerde\u201d (Flamming 348). By the 1930s the area was wildly popular, mainly<\/span> because \u201cit was one of only a few places blacks could go for recreation,<\/span> others being Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, a section of Venice Beach<\/span> and a park in Pasadena that was open to blacks one day a year\u201d (Nielsen V6).<\/span><\/p>\n

The thirties saw a whirl of activity in Val Verde because WPA<\/span>
\n<<\/span>>\u00a0 funds were<\/span> granted for development of a swimming pool, \u201cfunded by a federal grant of<\/span> thirty-nine thousand dollars\u201d and celebrated with a gala opening that<\/span>
\n\u201cbrought out a veritable who\u2019s who of black Los Angeles, including film<\/span> stars Louise Beavers <<\/span>>\u00a0 […] and Hattie<\/span>
\nMcDaniels <<\/span>> , who was then shooting Gone<\/span>
\nWith the Wind and would shortly make history by becoming the first African<\/span>
\nAmerican to win an Oscar\u201d (Flamming 349). The town boasted picnic tables,<\/span> fields for ball playing, barbecue spots, and theaters where all-black<\/span> productions and performers took to the stages. Hundreds, sometimes thousands<\/span> of people would go to Val Verde, particularly in the summer months. <\/span><\/p>\n

The need for a community like Val Verde touches on a time in our city\u2019s past<\/span> that was, to say the least, bittersweet for a portion of the population.<\/span>
\n\u201cThe first half of [the 20th] century was a sad time for many Angelenos,\u201d<\/span> recalls Leon Worden, a local historian. \u201cBlack-owned businesses were<\/span> torched. Blacks couldn\u2019t use most beaches or public swimming pools, let<\/span> alone compete with whites for high-paying jobs. It wasn\u2019t until the<\/span> mid-1950s that the courts struck down restrictive covenants that prevented<\/span> blacks from owning real estate in certain areas of Los Angeles.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Val Verde was a respite and a safe haven, it also represented the fact<\/span> that not everyone was able to fully enjoy Los Angeles as the Eden-like land<\/span> of plenty as it was advertised and reputed to be. Curiously enough, many of<\/span>
\nVal Verde\u2019s most prominent supporters were those who were the strongest<\/span> voices in opposition of segregation, like Charlotta Bass<\/span>
\n<<\/span>>\u00a0 and other leaders of the<\/span>
\nRace organization, \u201cwho consistently denounced segregated projects but<\/span> apparently viewed Val Verde as a matter of separation, not segregation\u201d<\/span>
\n(Flamming 349).<\/span><\/p>\n

So what became of Val Verde? By the 1960s and 1970s, segregation laws were<\/span> reversed and Afro-Angelenos filtered into the city itself and made homes and<\/span> lives for themselves without restriction. The need for an escape and a<\/span> separate community was gone, and with it went much of the town\u2019s legacy.<\/span>
\nSoon Val Verde was seeing an influx of non-black residents, namely<\/span>
\nHispanics, who were happy to find a quiet place to settle and raise<\/span> families. The town is now home to \u201cmostly working class Latinos, a bevy of<\/span>
\nCal Arts alums and others who sought to escape the hustle-bustle of Los<\/span>
\nAngeles for their own reasons\u201d (Worden).<\/span><\/p>\n

There is little evidence of the resort community once hailed as the \u201cBlack<\/span>
\nPalm Springs\u201d left in Val Verde. Elderly residents who were part of the<\/span> town\u2019s heyday have passed away, or have their own memories on their walls or<\/span> packed in boxes. The 1994 Northridge earthquake wreaked tremendous havoc on<\/span> the town, damaging most of the original structures. In 1996 the celebrated<\/span> pool was replaced with a new one, although in the same location, adjacent to<\/span> the same picnic-table studded park and populated ball fields. The town\u2019s<\/span> residents live in a mix of homes; some smaller ones that appear to be from<\/span> the 20s and 30s are interspersed with modern stucco family dwellings<\/span> equipped with satellite dishes and new cars in the driveway. The population<\/span> is now 86% Latino, according to one resident, whose family was the fourth<\/span>
\nLatino family to move into town in the late 1960s. <\/span><\/p>\n

At that time the town \u201centered a new phase in its history\u201d and former<\/span> hot-spots like \u201cthe nightclubs and restaurants were closed and boarded up\u201d<\/span>
\n(Nielsen V6). The area is no longer emblematic of racial divide, but rather<\/span> about what life is like for most people these days, which is making ends<\/span> meet and having a safe place to raise kids. The community still uses the<\/span> park as a hub, where meetings take place and celebrations, like the annual<\/span>
\nCinco de Mayo festivities, take place. Inside the Recreation Center, one of<\/span> the few original buildings left, the walls are covered with collages of<\/span> photos of residents past and present in a patchwork of colors representative<\/span> of Val Verde\u2019s ironically diverse history. There\u2019s one store in town, the<\/span>
\nFast Stop #2 (#1 is in Sun Valley)\u2013but it\u2019s the original building. In<\/span>
\nOctober 2003 Val Verde was in the news because a wildfire that was<\/span> deliberately set <\/span>raged through its hills. It is difficult to say whether Val<\/span>
\nVerde\u2019s importance rests in what it was, what it is, or what it will be.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1996 Santa Clarita historian Worden said he thought Val Verde was ready<\/span> for its \u201crenaissance\u201d but it is debatable if that has, indeed, taken place.<\/span>
\nThose who call Val Verde home have a small, diverse, and close-knit<\/span> community, but both its current incarnation and its origins remain unknown<\/span> to most Angelenos. Worden said, twelve years ago: \u201cVal Verde is all set to<\/span> become a \u2018happening\u2019 place again.\u201d Only time will tell.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0I remember going to this park as a young child totally unaware. Anyone else??<\/span><\/p>\n

Regards and God bless you,<\/em><\/strong><\/span>
\nJack McLaughlin<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/small><\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

P.S.<\/strong><\/span>
\nA<\/span> wealth of information is available here to assist you in your <\/span> attraction marketing, online home based business and business <\/span> opportunity efforts. Visit us today!<\/span><\/p>\n


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California & Jim Crow -Val Verde, The \u2018Black Palm Springs\u2019 Val Verde (\u201cgreen valley\u201d) was opened up to LA\u2019s African-American population in the early 1900s by \u201ca wealthy white woman in Pasadena\u201d who was angered by the city\u2019s Jim Crow laws <> , and the area soon \u201cbecame a \u2018weekend picnic spot\u2019 for Afro-Angelenos\u201d (Flamming […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":948,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,10,11,12],"class_list":["post-5","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-empower-network","tag-california-jim-crow-laws","tag-history-of-california","tag-history-of-californias-val-verde-park","tag-racism-in-californias-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/948"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions\/34"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/empowerjmac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}