Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Ward (Joseph A.) Family Photographs
0162
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.
Title: Joseph A. Ward Family Photographs of Crags Country Club
Identifier/Call Number: 0162
Physical Description:
185.6 Megabytes
(79 digital images)
Date (bulk): 1941-1946
Abstract: From 1941 to 1946, the Ward family served as caretakers of the Crags Country Club, a private club for wealthy Angelenos located
in the Santa Monica Mountains. This digital collection features photography of the Ward family living and working on the Crags
ranch, as well as images of Hunt House and Las Virgenes School, and behind-the-scenes images of several movies, which were
frequently filmed on location at the ranch.
Physical Location: These digitized photographs are located on the Pepperdine Special Collections Digital Archive Drive.
This is a digital collection of photographs. The original photographs are still held by the donors. Access copies of digital
images are available as .JPG files. Please contact Pepperdine Special Collections for access.
This digital collection is arranged in the following four series: 1. Crags Ranch and Ward Family Home, 2. Hunt House, 3. Las
Virgenes School, 4. Movie Sets.
The Ward family were caretakers of Crags Country Club from 1941 to 1946. The Club was founded by wealthy Los Angeles businessmen in 1900 on 2,000 acres of what is today Malibu Creek State Park. Joseph A. Ward was hired by John G. Mott, a prominent Crags Country Club member, to care for the Crags farm, grounds, and various buildings, such as the clubhouse
and members' private homes. Joseph A. Ward lived in the ranch house on the floodplain with his wife Elvira (née Rowland, called
"Vida") and son Joseph W. Ward (Joe Ward Jr.). During the early 1940s, the Crags Country Club fell into decline, with membership rapidly shrinking due
to pressure from the Great Depression and World War II. During this time, the Club grounds were primarily used as shooting
locations for Hollywood movies. Many movie studios used the property, and 20th Century-Fox Film Corp even hired Joseph A. Ward as a caretaker to watch over the movie sets. At this time, property still belonged to Crags Land
Co (Crags Country Club), with the movie studios leasing the land from the club for filming purposes. When the remaining shareholders
of Crags Country Club sold out to 20th Century-Fox Film Corp in 1946, the Ward family left. Fox brought in their own caretakers,
the Torpin family, to take over the job as caretakers and perform routine maintenance at the new "Century Ranch." The Ward
family lived at Crags Country Club for only five years, but they bonded with the property in that time. Joe Ward Jr. attended
the one-room Las Virgenes schoolhouse during his time there. Young Joe Ward Jr. remembered those years with fondness throughout
the remainder of his life.
Adapted from information provided by Gary Liss.
[Box/folder# or item name], Joseph A. Ward Family Photographs of Crags Country Club, Collection no. 0162, Malibu Historical
Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, Pepperdine University.
This collection was a donation from Linda Ward-Skipworth, daughter of Joe Ward Jr. Gary Liss assisted with the donation, digitized
the images, and compiled Ward's notes for an index of images. The information from this index has been transcribed in the
corresponding photograph's Scope and Content note. Liss's original file names have been changed to comply with the institution's
file naming conventions.
This collection was arranged and described by Reilly Saint Amand, January 2019.
The collection consists of 79 digitized photographs of the Ward family, taken during their time as caretakers of the Crags
Country Club and ranch in the 1940s. Also included are photographs of Hunt House (now the Visitors' Center of Malibu Creek
State Park), the original Las Virgenes schoolhouse, and 20th Century Fox movie sets.
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Black-and-white photography
Family archives
Feature films -- United States
Malibu Creek State Park (Calif.)
Santa Monica Mountains (Calif.)