The former Uplifter Ranch House (clubhouse) was designed by architect and Uplifters Club member William Dodd in 1923.  Today, it is the Rustic Canyon Recreation Center .

The first European settlers arrived in 1839, when the Spanish King bestowed the land grant of to Francisco Marquez and Ysidro Reyes. The Marquez family settled and farmed Santa Monica Canyon . The rich and romantic pictorial history of Santa Monica Canyon can be further explored through the archives at the Pacific Palisades Historical Society (www.pacificpalisadeshistory.org) and the collection donated to the main library in Santa Monica (and the Special Collections library at UCLA). To experience the charm of a 1920's era residence renowned for its musical and historical events, visit the La Senora Research Institute in Santa Monica Canyon. www.LaSenora.org

Betty Lou and Randy Young, have written extensively about the provenance of the coastal canyons and their inhabitants. According to Street Names of Pacific Palisades " by Randy Young, “..after World War I, the land grant properties came up for sale. The Methodists (led by Rev. Charles H. Scott) made the first offer, and actually held a camp meeting there in 1921 before moving west to build the community of Pacific Palisades. They were succeeded by the Uplifters, a group of business and professional men who had founded a club of their own within the Los Angeles Athletic Club and were looking for a site for a country home. They bought the Methodist holdings and several other pieces of property and used the Edmond Home as their first clubhouse."

Members were permitted to lease land and to build rustic-style vacation homes on a limited number of the lots. Harry Haldeman (grandfather of H.R. “Bob” Haldeman), “one of the founders of the club and its revered "Grand Muscle," constructed one of the larger homes and was placed in charge of the building program. Another dedicated member, Howard Latimer, was appointed "a committee of one to engage help to immediately clear the land acquired of brush and provide paths and roadways throughout the property. By 1925, the club had spent thousands of dollars for roads, landscaping, terraces, and retaining walls made of stream cobbles, and the two roadways bore the names Haldeman and Latimer."

According to Betty Lou and Randy Young's recently published Santa Monica Canyon (A Walk Through History), "in December 1923, the structure [referring to the Uplifter's (Edmond House) clubhouse] burned to the ground and was replaced by the spacious Spanish Colonial Revival structure (designed by William Dodd) that is today part of Rustic Canyon Park. For the next thirty years, the Uplifters held sway in the groves along the stream, where they were known for their musical and dramatic presentations, equestrian and polo facilities and annual all-male summer outings." During prohibition, the Uplifters were referred to as "the cuplifters" by some. Their "all-male” summer outings are a subject of local lore.

From Street Names of Pacific Palisades, by Randy Young, “In 1924, an additional property was purchased on the west band of the stream to make room for equestrian sports and eventually a polo field. The resulting indebtedness, combined with the Depression of the 1930's, led to severe retrenchment, in which leaseholders had to purchase their own properties through the club's lawyer, Joseph Musgrove, or lose possession.

The demise of the club was accelerated during World War II with the sub rosa sale of the Uplifter's property in 1943 to Musgrove and his associates. Two years later, in l945, the polo field was sold for development to Read and Wright, a Beverly Hills real-estate firm. George Read, a partner in the firm and a resident of the ranch, personally planned the polo field subdivision and chose street names inspired by the canyon's natural beauty. In 1947, the clubhouse and surrounding acreage were sold to Leonidas Embiracos, a Greek shipping magnate. He retained Read and Wright to subdivide the land and again, George Read used the "tree" theme in naming the new streets. ( Brooktree, Greentree, Hightree, etc.)”

Today, Rustic Canyon Park (see map) is an idyllic setting, renowned for its preschool, art and craft classes, a gym/auditorium for fitness classes and Ping-Pong. There is a public pool, open in summer, 6 public tennis courts, a basketball court, baseball diamonds and picnic and jungle gym area.
On summer evenings, many local residents attend a weekly neighborhood pot-luck supper, under Sycamore and Oak trees, in the park grounds.

Homes located on a spring fed creek command prices of up to $13Mil. Several of the original and utterly charming log cabins built in the Uplifters Club era are still in evidence. Their river rock fireplaces are a hallmark. During the winter months one can drive through the area, and see wood smoke spiraling from the chimneys and imagine festive holiday gatherings.

Today, excellent examples of Craftsman style homes, new and old, 1950s contemporary to contemporary Cape Cod , Spanish Colonial, Adobe, and High-tech may be viewed on a tour of the coastal canyons. The eclectic mix of architectural styles in Rustic and Santa Monica Canyons attests to the varied tastes and distinctive personalities of the inhabitants. All of Santa Monica Canyon and Rustic Canyon are part of the city of Los Angeles, but retain the use of a Santa Monica Zip Code, 90402.