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Toluca Lake History

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Celebrate 85 Years of the Toluca Lake Chamber! 🎉

Celebrate 85 Years of the Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce!

Be Part of Toluca Lake’s Legacy

Join us in celebrating the Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce’s 85th Anniversary with our special Banner Campaign! This is a unique opportunity to honor our community’s rich history while supporting the Chamber’s ongoing efforts to enhance, expand, and upgrade our community initiatives, networking mixers, programs, and online presence. Your sponsorship helps us continue to build and strengthen Toluca Lake.

Your Banner Sponsorship

Our beautifully designed banners capture the essence of Toluca Lake with iconic imagery that reflects our community’s vibrant history. Banners will be displayed throughout the area for a full year starting November 1st, providing ongoing visibility and recognition for your business or family name.

Please Note: Exact design or placement within a selected Zone is NOT guaranteed and both are randomly assigned within the chosen zone.

Why Sponsor a Banner?

    • One Year Free Membership: Enjoy a full year of Chamber membership with your sponsorship. If your membership isn’t due for renewal yet, we’ll apply the credit upon your next renewal.
    • Exclusive Event Access: Gain invitations to special social events tied to the banner campaign.
    • Community Recognition: Increase visibility and showcase your support for the community for an entire year!

How to Get Started

    • Choose Your Zone: View the map below and decide on your preferred Zone for sponsorship.

Zone Pricing

    • Zone A: $500 (business) / $500 (resident)
    • Zone B: $1,000 (business) / $600 (resident)
    • Zone C: $1,500 (business)
    • Zone D: $1,000 (business) / $600 (resident)

Mark Your Calendar!

    • Sponsorship Deadline: October 7, 2024
    • Banner Installation: November 1, 2024

Questions? We’re Here to Help!

Reach out to Taylor Montana at president@tolucalakechamber.com or Shannon Hartman at cfo@tolucalakechamber.com for any questions or additional information.

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Congress – Toluca Lake 100 Year Anniversary

Congressman Tony Cardenas’ Congressional Record Speech for Toluca Lake’s 100-Year Anniversary.

This speech will be etched in the United States Congressional Records for posterity. Future generations will have the opportunity to delve into history and discover the magnificence of this centennial celebration.

 

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Celebrating the Life of Richard Bogy

On August 24, 2023, Richard Krum Bogy passed away after a brief illness at the age of 62. He was larger than life in every way. A man of limitless energy and passion, he was unfailingly generous, and possessed an immense heart and a huge infectious laugh. He was the greatest of friends, a tireless civic, community and business leader, and a relentless advocate for Los Angeles, especially Toluca Lake. He will be sorely missed by all whose lives he touched.

A sixth generation Californian, Richard was a life-long resident of Toluca Lake. His family owns the Toluca Lake Company, which began developing Toluca Lake in 1923. Richard grew up in Toluca Lake and at the family ranch in California’s Central Valley, where he spent summers with his grandfather and uncles, becoming an expert rider, roper, and wrangler. Richard was a proud honors graduate, with a major in California history, of the University of Southern California. He was a lifelong supporter of USC and attended every USC home football game for more than forty years.
Continue reading “Celebrating the Life of Richard Bogy”

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Toluca Lake 100 Year Anniversary

By 1923 Toluca Lake was blooming with walnut, apple and peach orchards. Charles Forman had died and his ranch was sold as part of his estate. A group of investors purchased the Forman Toluca Ranch with the idea of creating a residential subdivision named Toluca Lake Park. Regardless of whether they believed Forman was the originator of the name Toluca, the name was well established by this time. Though the nearby Southern Pacific Railroad station was known as Lankershim Station, they had named the line the Toluca Flyer for its better known destination. Forman claimed the word Toluca was a Paiute Indian word he selected meaning fertile valley. The Toluca Lake Park venture was abandoned as quickly as it had been created, but then resurrected by a new group formed under the name, The Toluca Lake Company, dropping the word Park from the name.

Continue reading “Toluca Lake 100 Year Anniversary”

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General Charles Forman, Toluca Lake’s Founding Father

by Richard Bogy

One of the most popular television shows of the 1960’s was Bonanza, which told the story of a fictional character named Ben Cartwright. But was that character really fictional? Well, perhaps not entirely. There was a real person whose life greatly mirrored that of the television character, and that person is Toluca Lake’s founding father General Charles Forman. Continue reading “General Charles Forman, Toluca Lake’s Founding Father”

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When North Hollywood Was a Town Named Toluca

Toluca Lake birdseyeby Nathan Masters

Some of Southern California’s “lost towns” never actually vanished; they simply assumed new identities. That’s what happened to one small San Fernando Valley farming village that sprang up in the late 1880s — a village we know today as North Hollywood.

The town’s name was born unstable; in its early years, residents feuded over what to call their home.

Some preferred Lankershim — a name that honored James B. Lankershim and his father Isaac. In 1888, Lankershim subdivided the easternmost 12,000 acres of his father’s old wheat ranch, carving the vast tract into farms of 10 to 80 acres each. On the map advertising the new venture, the Lankershim Ranch Land and Water Company identified a prospective townsite where the old road to the San Fernando Mission crossed a newly graded road, Central Avenue. The map identified the townsite as Lankershim.

Many of the residents who settled there disregarded the map’s suggestion. Instead, they called their town Toluca. The name’s origins are… Read more at KCET.org

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A Tale of Four Toluca Lakes

by Richard Bogy

Toluca Lake Park Sign
Toluca Lake Park Sign

Beginning in 1922, as construction of Lakeside Golf Club of Hollywood moved forward, a group of land investors began to buy the farms to the north of the Club. They had an idea to build what would become the first “bedroom” community for Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. Initially the project was to be called Toluca Lake Park. By 1923 the project was stalled. Investors from nearby Hollywood joined the project and formed The Toluca Lake Company. With new capital and fresh ideas the project moved forward. The community name was shortened to Toluca Lake, and a community plan was created that included an architectural vision and four distinct areas within Toluca Lake. Throughout the Toluca Lake community signs were installed that featured the Toluca Lake Company logo; a swan over rippled water. Some of those original community signs remained as late as the 1970’s. Continue reading “A Tale of Four Toluca Lakes”

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