Editing Val Verde, California (section)

=== Eureka Villa and Val Verde ===
In 1924, the modern settlement was founded by [[Sidney P. Dones]] and his group of investors.<ref>Val Verde, California</ref> It was named '''Eureka Villa'''.<ref name="Val Verde Park Guide, 1960">Val Verde Park California 1960</ref> That settlement was designed as a resort community for [[African Americans]], as in that period, African Americans were frequently barred from public beaches and swimming pools.<ref>(Jul 26, 1966) [https://archive.today/20120713222441/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/djreprints/access/117667616.html?dids=117667616:117667616&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+26,+1966&author=&pub=Wall+Street+Journal&desc=Resort+Color+Bar&pqatl=google "Resort Color Bar"] ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''</ref> The town became known as the "Black Palm Springs". By the 1930s, the area was wildly popular, mainly because it was one of only a few places blacks could go for recreation.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-08-12 |title=California dreamin': scenes of Black joy and leisure in the Jim Crow era – in pictures |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2023/aug/12/california-african-american-museum-black-joy-beach-photo-exhibit-los-angeles |access-date=2023-08-12 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Other Southern California destinations included [[Lake Elsinore]] reservoir in [[Riverside County, California|Riverside County]], a section of [[Venice, Los Angeles#Venice Beach|Venice Beach]], [[Bruce's Beach]] in the South Bay, and a park in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]] only open to blacks one day a year.<ref>Nielsen,  John (October 8, 1984) "Anglo Influx Renews Town Settled by Blacks." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref><ref>Stewart, Jocelyn Y. (March 02, 1994) [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-02-mn-28975-story.html "Forgotten Oasis of Freedom : Val Verde, the 'black Palm Springs,' provided an escape from racism--if only for a weekend. For years, families swam, socialized and celebrated their culture in a town they built themselves"]; ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref>

Two land tracts were being sold, one was the Eureka Villa Tract and the other was the Val Verde Tract. Eureka Villa was the land running north-south along the east side of Chiquito Canyon Road while Val Verde covered the east-west area of land. Newspaper promotions focused on Black Angelenos and encouraged them to invest in these properties to build vacation homes. {{convert|50| by |80| feet}} and larger sites were offered starting at $75, including the full deed and title and a paid lifetime membership to the community club. Eventually, Dones and his group along with Janes discontinued their management of sales for the Val Verde Tract, focusing only on Eureka Villa and Harry M. Waterman, another white landowner who was instrumental in the development and management of the lots, took charge of Val Verde.<ref name=":1" />

In 1927, a {{convert|53|acre||adj=mid| property}} was donated to the county by white landowners led by Harry M. Waterman which later became Val Verde Park. By this time, the area was known simply as ''Val Verde'' and Waterman continued to be an important developer of the community.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Val Verde {{!}} Compilation: History of Val Verde |url=https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/hs_valverde_history_1960.htm |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=scvhistory.com |language=en}}</ref> Cafés, restaurants, and nightclubs were opened along with motels, lodges, and campgrounds. Entertainers like [[Ella Fitzgerald]] and [[Lena Horne]] made appearances in the town.<ref name=":1" />

By 1939, prices for the lots ranged from $99 to $400 and more than fifty homes had been built. The park continued to be the site of gatherings. In 1939, the cornerstone for the Olympic swimming pool was laid<ref name="Val Verde Park Guide, 1960" /> in a ceremony attended by the community and thousands of others and presided over by actress [[Hattie McDaniel]].<ref name=":1" /> The 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged the original pool. Advertising for the area continued in the 1940s. Leon Perdue began to serve as Val Verde Park's director in 1942, becoming the first African American to have this permanent position for the [[Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation]]. Perdue worked with the Chamber of Commerce to orchestrate various programs including the Bathing Beauty Pageant, the Musclemen Shows, Fourth of July Dances, Christmas programs among others.<ref name=":2" /> In 1945 [[William S. Hart High School]] was built and students no longer had to travel {{convert|20| miles}} to [[San Fernando High School]]. Elementary school-aged kids traveled to Castaic Elementary.<ref name=":1" />

In the 1950s and 60s, the main employers in the community were Thatcher Glass in Saugus, Burmite Powder Company, and Kaiser Manufacturing. African Americans continued to compose the majority of the population in the 50s. A Baptist church opened in 1953 which is now the Castaic Community African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1951, the Val Verde Improvement Association initiated a water and lighting district to improve the poor water supply system in the community.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Forgotten Oasis of Freedom: ''Black Palm Springs'' Provided Escape from Racism (1994) |url=https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lat19940302valverde.htm |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=scvhistory.com |language=en}}</ref>

The Val Verde Chamber of Commerce appointed Marguerite Carr as president in 1960 after James Barksdale resigned due to declining health. She had promoted the park's first ''Goodwill Relationship Day'' to bring together members of different racial groups in the area starting in 1952. She was instrumental in the establishment of a post office branch in the community in June 1956.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

Despite the community having been built as a safe-haven for African Americans, residents still faced difficulties. In 1964, a home owned by Frank D. Godden, an African American World War II veteran and community developer, was burned down by members of the Klan who had a "nucleus" in the area at that time.<ref name=":3" />