Where to Hike, Explore and Find the Only World War II Nazi Camp in Los Angeles
Murphy's Ranch/
Nazi Camp
If you have a strong interest in
history and a special bent for World War II, you've probably thought you have
to go to Europe to see remnants of the Nazi regime. But for a brief period of
time, Hitler's followers did establish a tiny foothold near LA in a remote
location where they waited for a conquest that never happened. That hideout was
Murphy's Ranch.
The history of the ranch began during
World War I, when a mysterious alleged German spy known only as “Herr Schmidt”
convinced Winona and Norman Stephens to build a self-sustaining compound to
house Hitler supporters until the Germans arrived to take over the U.S.
They selected Murphy's Ranch, a
50-acre spread in a remote area of the Pacific Palisades, where they built an
extensive infrastructure in 1933 that included a diesel power plant and power
station, a fully irrigated hillside for growing food, a giant meat locker and a
375,000 gallon water tank.
The property was supposedly
protected by armed guards until the early days of US involvement in World War
II, when federal agents raided the compound the day after the Pearl Harbor
bombing and rounded up and arrested dozens of Nazi sympathizers.
The area is run down today, but it is
possible to explore the remnants of the compound, much of which are rusted over
and covered in graffiti. While the ruins may be stark and somewhat ugly for the
most part, the walk through Murphy's Ranch includes some of the best
attractions nature has to offer in the greater LA area.
To get to the ranch, you can enter
Topanga State Park via the Rustic Canyon entrance, which is located west of
Capri Drive on the Sullivan Fire Road. Ironically, the iron gate at the front
of the compound was designed by Paul Revere Williams, a famous African-American
architect. From there, you can walk a loop around the ranch area and take in
the remains of this bizarre compound.
The area has received considerable
publicity over the years while hikers and nature lovers wait for it to be
transformed into a rest and picnic area. Commenting on the iron gate during an
episode of “Off Limits,” Travel Channel historian Randy Young noted, “They may
have been Nazis, but they were Nazis with taste.
Indeed, Williams' architectural
sketches included plans for a huge four-story mansion that was to include 22
bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. The area became an artist's colony in the 60s and
70s, but it was abandoned after a fire in Mandeville Canyon in 1978.
The hike around the area is 3.85
miles long, and it includes a set of 500 stairs that led to the farming area,
where the Nazi supporters harvested nut, fruit and olive trees. You can also
see the machine shed, the garage, the power station and the gardens on the
hike, along with other detritus left behind by the Nazis. Parking can be found
near the entrance at Sullivan Ridge Fire Road or on Casale Road, which is
adjacent to the entrance.
Capri
Drive & Casale Road
Los
Angeles, CA 90272
The crowd was a good mix of both young and old. Singles and couples and groups. I saw folks waking in with their dogs as well! And a couple in their comfortable pj’s with a blanket spread out on the astroturf. I almost forgot to mention –trivia questions with prizes before the movie and raffles during intermission. A fun night out!