Ed and Mary Shafer Family Photographs

The Shafer family owned and lived on Cloverleaf Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains from 1946 to 1964. The property now forms part of Malibu Creek State Park. Edgar Shafer and his wife, Mary Jane, purchased their 60-acre ranch to run horses and cattle, including the first registered herd of Brangus beef cattle in California. The Shafers leased additional land from their neighbor and friend, Ronald Reagan. When the price of beef fell in the early 1950s, the family found an ingenious new use for their land. Ed, Mary Jane, and their sons Mike, Dave, and Steve all worked to dredge up two large lakes on the ranch, close to the intersection of Mulholland Highway and Las Virgenes Road. The Shafers purchased trout and other fish from local fisheries to fill their new lakes, and opened them to the public. The Trout Lakes proved immediately popular among Angelenos looking for an escape from the city, as well as with commuters passing through the canyon on their way to the beach. The Shafers lived in the historic Sepulveda Adobe house for ten years before building a new home on their property in the late 1950s. In 1964, the family sold their ranch to Fox Realty Corp.

Adapted from information provided by Gary Liss.