California has more horse-flesh and more horse people than any place in the country outside of Kentucky… And the holy ground, the mystic Mecca, the sanctified gathering place for the initiate is out Griffith Park way, north of Los Feliz Blvd., along the banks of that torrential stream known as the Los Angeles River. The temples of the cult are the riding academies. Follow the river from Los Feliz north and west as it curves around Griffith Park to Warner Bros. studio. The stables are thick as ticks and within rifle range of the river. The geographical center of this horsy holiness is Bette Davis’ home, situated where the river bends to the west beyond the Grand Central airport. Here the horse is supreme. Even the homes of the district are known as Riverside ranchos. And every one of them has a stable for a horse or two just as surely as a ship has a rudder.

When you think of the National Register of Historic Places, you usually think of significant buildings and great architecture. Think again! There is a new unique structure on the National Register, an equestrian bridge, specifically, the Mariposa Street Bridge. This mini Golden Gate Bridge is right on the northern edge of Griffith Park.

The Mariposa Street Bridge, built in 1939 by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, links the Equestrian Center and Burbank residential area to Griffith Park. Back in the day, horses simply walked across the shallow Los Angeles River to reach the trails in the Park, but after disastrous floods in the 1930s, the US Army Corps of Engineers, charged with reducing the risk of flooding, channelized the river in concrete. With no access to the miles of trails in Griffith Park, a group of local equestrians formed a committee to request an equestrian-pedestrian bridge be built.

In 1938, the Burbank City Council voted to ask the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Army Corps of Engineers to “construct a crossing which could be used by horsemen and pedestrians to gain entrance to Griffith Park.” Proponents read a letter of ­support from The Singing Cowboy himself, Gene Autry, and submitted a petition with thousands of names. The Board of Supervisors then instructed C.H. Howell, Chief Engineer of the County Flood Control District, to plan for a $13,000 steel suspension bridge.

The Mariposa Street Bridge links the Riverbottom, the special commercial-equestrian area that includes the cities of Burbank (Burbank Rancho), Glendale, and the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, to Griffith Park. The Riverbottom has long provided equestrian support services like stables, feed stores, horse rentals, restaurants, and riding academies. The popular bridge provides access to Griffith Park’s 53 miles of bridle trails without having to risk life and limb on streets full of cars.

The new bridge was soon completed and opened to fanfare in a dedication event on March 18, 1939. Several thousand people attended the ceremony led by Roger Jessup, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, when the bridge was presented to “outdoor-minded citizens of Los Angeles, Glendale and Burbank.” Paula Palmer and Helen Griffith, the granddaughter of Griffith J. Griffith who donated the land for Griffith Park, were among the first riders to cross.

Western Movies and Television Shows

The Mariposa Street Bridge has played an essential role in the making of Western-genre movies and television shows, which were commonly shot on nearby movie ranches, movie studios, and in Griffith Park – the most popular place to film in Los Angeles County. The bridge provided the connection between the Park, the Riverbottom, and ranches in the San Fernando Valley. The significance of this area for filming dates to 1911 when the first studio in Hollywood, the Nestor Film Company, was established. Nestor Film Company utilized the Providencia Ranch as its principal location for filming Westerns. This later became Lasky Studios, and is now Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

According to Hollywood historian Marc Wanamaker in Images of America: San Fernando Valley, “From then on, the Valley became Hollywood’s backlot.” There were numerous Westerns filmed in Griffith Park from the 1930s through the 1960s. Famed Western actor John Wayne “grew up across the river from Griffith Park in Glendale,” and could often be found filming in Griffith Park beginning in 1933.

The bridge has long been a central component of the local equestrian ecosystem. In a June 2, 1940 article, the Los Angeles Times announced: California has more horse-flesh and more horse people than any place in the country outside of Kentucky… And the holy ground, the mystic Mecca, the sanctified gathering place for the initiate is out Griffith Park way, north of Los Feliz Blvd., along the banks of that torrential stream known as the Los Angeles River. The temples of the cult are the riding academies. Follow the river from Los Feliz north and west as it curves around Griffith Park to Warner Bros. studio. The stables are thick as ticks and within rifle range of the river. The geographical center of this horsy holiness is Bette Davis’ home, situated where the river bends to the west beyond the Grand Central airport. Here the horse is supreme. Even the homes of the district are known as Riverside ranchos. And every one of them has a stable for a horse or two just as surely as a ship has a rudder.

Mike Eberts declared in Griffith Park: A Centennial History that by the 1920s, Griffith Park had become “a favored spot for equestrians,” and “spurred the development of equestrian land uses in surrounding areas” like the Riverbottom. In 1954, patronage of the Griffith Park bridle paths was 625,520.

After years of controversy, in 1955-1957, the I-5 Freeway was constructed in Griffith Park, alongside the channelized river. Even with that barrier in place, Griffith Park continues to be of central importance to neighboring equestrian communities, providing invaluable space for horses to exercise.

In Griffith Park’s application for Historic-Cultural Monument status, bridle trails are identified as one of the primary character-defining features of Griffith Park: “Throughout the wilderness, hiking and equestrian activity are the predominant activities.” Griffith Park was designated as HCM No. 942 in 2009.

The bridge is an essential, historic linkage between the two sides of the river. Friends of Griffith Park was delighted to submit a letter of support for the National Register nomination. Congratulations to the equestrian community for initiating the National Register of Historic Places designation for the Mariposa Street Bridge!

~Marian Dodge, FoGP Board Member

photos: top: Mariposa St. Bridge from north river bank, view southeast, circa 1960s (Burbank Public Library)
inset photo: Equestrian Bridge opens to Griffith Park Trails newspaper photo. Helen Griffith is on the right