Before movies, there were lemons. Hollywood at the turn of the 20th century was a place of religious zeal; a town founded by an ardent Prohibitionist and a devout Episcopalian; a community that abhorred gambling, liquor, and popular entertainment. But above all else, Hollywood was a decidedly rural settlement, a small country hamlet located a few miles to Los Angeles northwest.
Hollywood at the turn of the 20th century was a decidedly rural settlement, a small country hamlet located a few miles to Los Angeles northwest.
Hollywood's rustic charm - and its agricultural potential - helped it weather the bust that inevitably followed the regional real estate boom of 1887, the year Harvey and Daeida Wilcox subdivided 160 acres of the Cahuenga Valley and named it Hollywood. The land had long been famous for its frost-free belt, a narrow strip of land along present-day Hollywood Boulevard where all manner of exotic fruits and vegetables would ripen: bananas, tomatoes, peppers, even pineapples. And so in the early 1890s, even as real estate values slumped, the prospect of a refined ranching life lured wealthy migrants to Hollywood, where they planted citrus orchards and sumptuous gardens around baronial mansions.
Panoramic view of Hollywood, circa 1905. Hollywood Blvd., then named Prospect Ave., runs horizontally through the middle of the photograph, and Orange Drive runs vertically at the photos right. The white building at top-center is Hollywood High School. Courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.
This map, published by the H.H. Wilcox and Company in October 1887 to advertise the new Hollywood tract, emphasized the communitys rustic setting. Map courtesy of the Huntington Rare Book Maps collection at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Related
L.A.'s Lost Valley: When Hollywood Was the Pride of the Cahuenga Valley
How Did Hollywood End Up in Hollywood?
When L.A. Was Empty: Wide-Open SoCal Landscapes
The idyllic retreat pictured here seems worlds apart from the Hollywood of popular imagination - the Hollywood that has become metonymous with filmed entertainment; the Hollywood of exotic movie palaces, and also of cheap souvenir shops and panhandlers costumed as superheroes.
But those worlds are more closely linked than you might think.
On an open-air stage perfumed by the surrounding lemon grove, Cecil B. De Mille shot Hollywoods first feature-length film, The Squaw Man.
In December 1913, a fledgling motion picture director named Cecil B. De Mille arrived in Hollywood and leased part of Jacob Stern's lemon ranch at the southeast corner of Selma and Vine. Inside a shingle-roofed barn - still occupied by Stern's horse and carriage - De Mille set up dressing rooms and offices for the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company. Outside, on an open-air stage perfumed by the surrounding lemon grove, he shot a western epic, The Squaw Man. Released in February 1914, The Squaw Man was the first feature-length film shot in Hollywood. It was also a commercial success.
Hollywoods conservative residents were skeptical - even openly disdainful - of the newly arrived movie people. But the movies were here to stay. The Nestor Film Company had been shooting in Hollywood since 1911, and the towns rustic scenery, as well as the wilder countryside on the towns outskirts, offered filmmakers a variety of backdrops for their moving picture stories. Within 18 months, the Lasky Company purchased an entire block of Stern's ranch to expand its operations. Lemon trees gave way to studio facilities, signaling that Hollywood's days as a small country town had come to an end.
Rustic Ranches and Baronial Estates
Charles Harper built his house at the mouth of Laurel Canyon and used canyon water sources to irrigate his lemon orchard. Photo dated 1898, courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.
Harpers estate offered commanding views of the Hollywood countryside and, in the distance, the Pacific Ocean. Circa 1909/05 photo courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.
Before the movie stars came, Paul de Longpre - a French painter of flowers - was Hollywoods most celebrated artist. Circa 1900 postcard courtesy of the California State Library.
De Longpre in his Hollywood garden with his daughter, circa 1900. Postcard courtesy of the California State Library.
Henry Clausens citrus ranch at the mouth of Beachwood Canyon in 1910. Photo courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.
Sweeping Panoramic Views
Two men stand high above the Hollywood countryside on Olive Hill, the present-day location of the Hollyhock House and Barnsdall Art Park. Circa 1905 photograph courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.
A panoramic view of Hollywood, looking south from Krotona Hill in 1900. Photo courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.
Panoramic view of Hollywood, looking from Gower Street and Temple Hill Drive. Photo, dated 1900, courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.
Panoramic view of Hollywood, looking west from Laughlin Park in 1903. Filmmaker Cecil B. De Mille would later build his estate atop Laughlin Parks hill. Photo courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.
A panoramic town view of Hollywood, looking southwest at the intersection of Franklin and Highland. In 1900, H.J. Whitley began developing the land north of Hollywood Boulevard (then Prospect) exclusively for residence as the Ocean View Tract, which explains the lack of orchards in the foreground. Circa 1905 photo courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.
Another panoramic view of Whitleys Ocean View Tract, i
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Before movies, there were lemons. Hollywood at the turn of the 20th century was a place of religious zeal; a town founded by an ardent Prohibitionist and a devout Episcopalian; a community that abhorred gambling, liquor, and popular entertainment. But above all else, Hollywood was a decidedly rural settlement, a small country hamlet located a few miles to Los Angeles northwest.
