Jungleland of Thousand Oaks
Click
on picture above to view a considerably larger image.
Jungleland started as a small six lion farm.
Eventually occupying 170 acres, Thousand Oaks residents would come to
enjoy the distant evening roars of lions waiting for their dinner.
The Stagecoach Inn Museum pays tribute to Jungleland with donated and loaned artifacts.
History of Jungleland.....
The lion farm, known as Goebel's Lion Farm, was started in 1926 with
six lions purchased from a discontinued zoo owned by Universal Studios.
Founder, Louis Goebel, unable to find land suitable in LA County to keep
his animals, travelled north to a small open area known as the Conejo
Valley. He purchased the land and eventually opened his farm to the
public in the late1920's.
Mabel Stark,
famed Lady Lion Tamer, was indeed a main attraction at the park. Her tigers
always received much appreciative applause by the audience
during the shows held within massive steel cages. This image of Mabel and
Mae West was taken on location when Mabel doubled for Mae in "I'm No
Angel" filmed in 1933.
Elephant rides, tortoise rides, and even mechanical rides became past time favorites of visiting children from all over California.
Water fountains shaped as lions and hippos inviting you to lower your head within their gaping jaws for a refreshing drink of water.
A train ride
for children was also popular.
Guests
would board the tram bus for a guided wild
safari throughout the park while the driver shared all the assorted
stories of the animals he passed. In later years a Sky-Tram was also
introduced for guests to ride above the animal enclosures for
"bird's-eye" view of the grandeurs of Jungleland.
Over the years Jungleland had acquired many more animals than just
lions. Elephants, lions, tigers, hippos, camels, llamas, orangutans,
chimpanzees, and whole assortment of other animals, were all on display
to entertain the
crowds.
Many of the animals at Jungleland were best known through their acting careers in Hollywood.
This image shows Louis Goebel with Leo the Lion.
Some
of the Jungleland animals that were well known include Leo,
the MGM Lion, Mr. Ed, the talking horse, and Bimbo, the elephant from
popular Circus Boy television show.
This image shows trainer Mel Koontz with Jackie the lion - MGM's
first Lion.
"Jungle Jim" starring Tamba (Peggy) the Chimpanzee. was also a popular show of the time utilizing the acting talents of Jungleland's family of furry and not so furry inhabitants.
A great assortment of the animals were also used in the 1968 movie "Doctor Doolittle" starring Rex Harrison.
Many Hollywood producers also used Jungleland for the filming
backdrops of many movies.
Goebel being an importer and exporter of wild animals, helped to provide many other zoos with animals, including the first zoo in Hawaii.
Louis Goebel leased animals to circuses, and providing winter quarters for circus performers and their animals over the years.
The
business was sold in 1946 to Trader Horne and Billy Richards, who
renamed the establishment "World Jungle Compound".
In
1956 the business was sold again, this time to two executives of 20th
Century Fox Studio, James Ruman and Sid Rogel, and they renamed the park
"Jungleland" in hopes of creating a "Disneyland with live animals".
With ownership changing many times over the years, Louis Goebel once
again regained possession of the business in foreclosure actions in
1961. He retained the name of Jungleland and kept the park open with the
help of Gerda and Heinz Ruhe.
Four
years later in, 1965, the Goebels sold their interests in Jungleland to
partners Roy Kabat and T.M. Scarbrough.
In
1968 it became evident that the end was near. The park was having
difficulties keeping the visitor count high enough to survive with the
heavy competition brought on by new amusement parks such as Disneyland,
Knott's Berry Farm, and Universal Studios. They were all offering bigger
and more exciting rides and entertainment.
It
closed in October, 1969 and the 1800 animals were sold at auction. A
hippo sold for $450, a llama $195, a macaw $1800, a tortoise $2500, a
tiger $750, a lion $600, and an orangutan and his mate for $20,000. It
was the end of a great era of wild animals in the Conejo Valley.
For
many years the Jungleland property sat unoccupied, still owned by Louis
and Kathleen Goebel. The property, however, was far from being
abandoned.
It
became a popular skate board park for the children of Thousand Oaks,
utilizing all of the empty pools for skate board pits. It also became a
venue for informal concerts labeled "Jungleland Jamborees".
The new inhabitants of the former animal park renamed the property (appropriately) "Jungleland Wastelands". You can visit the "Jungleland Skates" website for more on the skate board era.
In
1979, Louis Goebel sold the remaining 20 acres of Jungleland property to
others who wished to develop the site. They were unsuccessful. It was
eventually purchased by the City of Thousand Oaks for the construction
the Civic Arts Plaza which opened in 1994.
A 1968 music video, back then referred to as a TV Music Show, was filmed at Jungleland. The performer was "Keith" and his song "98.6". Found at "YouTube", the video shows a sweeping panoramic shot of the Jungleland Park. This is one of the few known remaining films of Jungleland.
Little remains of the physical remnants of Jungleland, but the memories imbedded in many residents of Thousand Oaks and the many visitors to the park will continue on through stories and family photographs, as well as remaining in the history of Thousand Oaks and the Conejo Valley forever.
Please visit our Information Links page for links to more information on Jungleland.
