Simi Valley : Elephant Rock Gets Landmark Status

It has the head, ears and trunk of an elephant.

But Ventura County’s newest historical landmark isn’t an elephant. It’s a rock--or more accurately, a large mass of sandstone--shaped, in the view of some, like an elephant’s head.

And the Simi Valley City Council on Monday decided it was unusual enough to designate it an historical landmark.

Simi Valley Historian Pat Havens said she was pleased by the council’s action. “It’s kind of a crazy thing, but we just wanted to protect it,” Havens said.

The rock formation, she said, is a site of a former Chumash Indian camp. She said she hopes the landmark designation will make people more aware of its historical significance.

The Elephant Rock is on a parcel of land south of College Street and west of Ashford Street within city limits. The property is owned by Albert V. Lamonte of Tarzana. It will eventually be dedicated to the Rancho Simi Park and Recreation District.

The Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board recommended the site be declared a landmark. There are 25 designated historical landmarks and two points of historical interest in Simi Valley.

Landmark status does not mean that a site will be preserved. The purpose of the landmark designation is simply to make the public and property owner more aware of the historical significance of a particular site.

The designation also includes an agreement between the property owner and the Cultural Heritage Board that says the board will be given 180 days’ notice of any change the owner has planned for the site.