Historical Tidbit About The City Of Rolling Hills

The City of Rolling Hills shares its geological history with that of neighboring Palos Verdes Peninsula communities. The rocky ridge of the Peninsula lay twice beneath the sea. When it first emerged, deep canyons were eroded. One of these is Agua Negra Canyon which Crenshaw Boulevard follows between Crest Road and Pacific Coast Highway. After the Peninsula had submerged again, the ocean seemed reluctant to give up its prize. There are thirteen marine terraces carved by the grinding of the ocean waves. Sandstone imbedded with marine fossils is frequently turned up when sites for new homes a bulldozed. Indians roamed the hills of this area searching for seeds and small game to supplement the fish they brought in from the Pacific. Bowls of arrowheads left by these Indians have been unearthed at the Gordon Shultz property on Johns Canyon Road. It was the camp fires of these Indians that Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sighted in 1542 as he sailed into what we now call San Pedro Bay.