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Ballona Wetland History
The Ballona Wetlands were formed over the last several thousand years through the deposition of silt, mud and clay by the Los Angeles River. At the site, a fertile estuary developed, a mix of fresh and salt water. The Gabrielino people of native Americans inhabited this region during its recent prehistory. They lived in villages on the local bluffs, using the abundant wetlands and coastal resources for food, shelter and clothing. In the 18th century, Spanish settlers arrived in the Los Angeles area. They wrested control from the native Americans. Later, the area came under Mexican and United States control. The Ballona area was ceded to José Agustín Machado in an 1822 land grant and became known as Rancho La Ballona. This rancho survived until the 1870's and was eventually broken up among Machado's heirs and others. The 20th Century The total area of the Ballona Wetlands was gradually reduced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by filling and draining. The development of the town of Venice in the later 19th century caused the filling and canalization of the northwestern portion of the wetlands. Through the 1930's and 1940's, oil drilling proliferated throughout the west side of the L.A. Basin, including the Ballona Wetlands. Photographs of the area from that period display a high density of oil rigs. In the late 1930's the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers channelized Ballona Creek and diked its banks. The salt water flow into the tidelands was greatly reduced by this action. The late 1950's and early 1960's saw the development of Marina del Rey by the County of Los Angeles. This was the single most damaging blow to the Ballona Wetlands, destroying over two-thirds of the existing wetland habitat. Today, the Ballona Wetlands operate at about a fourth of their natural capacity. Yet they still function as an important haven for migratory birds and other wildlife, and serve as a critical link between coastal land areas and the Santa Monica Bay. Home
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