From the past and ongoing engineering brilliance of Aerojet Rocketdyne and Skunkworks produced the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle and Mars rovers rocket engines and conceived the Space Shuttle, among other incredible products. In addition to Hughes Aircraft Company with its Galileo spacecraft and AIM-4 Falcon guided missile and Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge (TRW) originally formed in Canoga Park, the valley's aerospace history will amaze!
From Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes H-1 breaking aviation and speed records, to the history of the Grand Central Terminal in Glendale, Lockheed Air Terminal in Burbank, Van Nuys Airport, Clay Lacy Aviation and private jet transportation and famed Hollywood Burbank Airport, the valley's aviation history will take you up, up, up into the sky!
Ar From peaches to olives to the Sunkist orange and lemon groves, the valley was one of the largest producers of fruit and citrus in the U.S.
With four major studios in the valley, Disney, Warner Bros., Comcast NBC Universal, Dreamworks plus a large Nickelodeon presence, in addition to a who's who of actors, dancers, musicians, makeup artists, set designers and more that have and continue to work and live in the valley...truly make this area the Entertainment Capital of the World!
Come explore and learn about the Tongva Indians, Saber-tooth tigers, Spanish Rule from approx. 1520s to 1821, Mexican Rule from 1821-1848, Gold Rush 1849, CA Statehood 1850, Campo de Cahuenga, S.F. Mission, land settlers, the Cascades in 1913 and much, much more - there is a wealth of history to digest.
From the Southern Pacific Railway, Pacific Electric, General Motors Van Nuys plant, cruising down Van Nuys Blvd. to some of the largest auto dealers in the world (Galpin Ford, Keyes Motors, Miller Automotive Group) and now the MTA Metro Red and Orange lines, the valley has a love affair with the automobile and transportation.
California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is a driving force for employment and commerce in the valley. The valley is supported by Pierce, Mission, Glendale and L.A. Valley Junior Colleges educating tens of thousands of students each year. The Museum works with student interns annually and welcomes opportunities to work with students from all five valley college campuses.
Major businesses of the valley include: Anheuser-Busch, Galpin Ford, Superior Industries, Hughes Aircraft, Aerojet Rocketdyne and much more to explore and discuss.
Hall of Famer's from the NFL (John Elway- Granada Hills HS); NBA (Gail Goodrich- Francis Polytechnic HS); MLB (Robin Yount- Taft HS); All-Americans (Anthony Davis and Charles White- San Fernando HS and USC) and Olympians (Allyson Felix-L.A. Baptist HS, Florence Griffith Joyner- CSUN), among many others, the valley has produced some of the greatest athletes of all-time. Come visit to learn more about these great athletes and share your stories too.
Pop Culture - come and learn about fun-filled restaurants and eateries of yesteryear through to today such as Baskin-Robbins, Bob's Big Boy, Casa Vega, Cupids, My Brother's BBQ, Zigs, crusin' Van Nuys Blvd. to the tract homes and swimming pools and valley lifestyle - come out and tell us about your favorite pop culture, youth and adult valley experiences.
With the entertainment industry firmly rooted in the valley, artists have lived and worked in this area for centuries. In modern times, The Museum promotes and salutes artists in forms of art including: painting, murals, sculpture, stained glass, visual arts and computer generated (CGI)-animation, among others. The Museum's public art initiative and alliance partners support all areas of art and promotes these areas via special events and artists speaker series.
On November 5, 1913, William Mulholland who gave the signal to turn on the water that would "cascade" into the San Fernando Valley, declared: "There it is. Take it." That event was witnessed by an estimated 30-40,000 people.
Crowds cheer as Owens River water raced down the channel into the Valley. Mulholland's efforts for the water project raised him to hero status in Los Angeles, but he was considered a villain at the water's source in Owens Valley.
The Museum of the San Fernando Valley is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax ID: 26-1292402
Contact us at themuseumsfv@gmail.com
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