Say the two magical words, “Rodeo Drive,” nowadays, and what comes to mind? Most likely, images of tall palm trees paralleling high-end boutiques, rays of sunlight reflecting off the bumpers of luxury cars, and people meandering about with handfuls of designer shopping bags. It is not long ago that Rodeo Drive, along with Beverly Hills, was once quite different from its glamourous reputation. In fact, Rodeo Drive’s beginnings are established on humble grounds. 

The first Europeans known to arrive in the area came as part of the Portolà Expedition in 1769, headed by Don José Gaspar de Portolà, the first governor of provincial California. The expedition traversed through Indian territory, from present-day Wilshire Boulevard to present day La Cienega Park, named for a large swamp, “ciénega,” in Spanish. The Tongva (“Gabrieleño”) people who lived in this area considered it to be a holy site due to its precious commodities of water and abundant food. They named the site, “El Rodeo de las Aguas,” translating in English as, “The Gathering of the Waters.” In his discovered journal, the expedition’s chaplain, Friar Juan Crespí, documented sights of “a large vineyard of wild grapes and an infinity of rose bushes.” He went on to describe, “after traveling about half a league we came to a village of this region. People came into the road, greeted us, and offered seeds.”...