The Steel Helmet

Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers 4,310 acres of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. It is the second-largest city park in California, after... Mission Trails Preserve in San Diego, and the tenth largest municipally owned park in the United States. It has also been referred to as the Central Park of Los Angeles, but it is much larger and with a much more untamed, rugged character than its New York City counterpart. After successfully investing in mining, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith purchased Rancho Los Feliz in 1882 and started an ostrich farm there. Although ostrich feathers were commonly used in making women's hats in the late-19th century, Griffith's purpose was primarily to lure residents of Los Angeles to his nearby property developments. After the property rush peaked, and supposedly spooked by the ghost of Antonio Feliz he donated 3,015 acres to the city of Los Angeles on December 16, 1896.
more