Jungleland Legend and Lore

The following are random facts, stories and legends of Jungleland, recalled by OG Tribe members:

Animal Legends
  • "Leo" the MGM Lion is buried on the former Jungleland property, where the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza now stands.
  • During the 1960s, a black panther escaped from Jungleland and fled into the surrounding hills and open space of Thousand Oaks. Long-time residents of Newbury Park can remember hearing the panther's roars from the Los Robles Hills. The Newbury Park High School "Panthers" took their name and moniker from this escaped cat. Neither the panther, nor it's remains were ever found.

    OG Tribe member, Frank Still recalls: When I was a little kid, we lived on Montgomery Road in Thousand Oaks. I used to play in the large field which still borders this neighborhood, between Janss Road, Avenida de Los Flores and the 23 Freeway. When the cat escaped, I was not allowed to play in this field for quite awhile.

Legends of Taco Bell
  • The Legendary Taco BellOne day while taking a Taco Bell break from skateboarding, OG Tribe members Frank Still, Jason Atherton and others came upon the recently deceased body of an old man, who had a heart attack while mowing his property which bordered Jungleland. When we found him, the mower was still running, and he was on his back, with his cowboy hat a few inches from the top of his head. We went to get help at the auto repair shops which used to also border the Jungleland property, but the guy was already dead.
  • OG Tribe member, Mike Hagopian held the record for straight shots of Taco Bell hot sauce. I think it was sixteen.
  • Taco Bell hot sauce will remove tarnish from pennies.
  • Taco Bell used to serve a sandwich -- kind of a Mexican Sloppy Joe -- called "The Bellbeefer." It was muy delicioso!
  • The amount of Taco Bell quisine and soda consumed by OG Tribe members from 1975 through 1980 is unknown.
  • NOTE: If you click on the Taco Bell image above (taken at the time) you will see a larger image. Look close to the left of the picture and you will see the tree-line which marked the right hand side of the Jungleland property.
Jamboree Legends
  • A big part of weekends at the Jungleland Wasteland were informal, outdoor concerts called "Jungleland Jamborees." These concerts actually featured some fairly big name (for the time) acts, like *Steppenwolf and Canned Heat. The concerts drew a diverse crowd, including members of The Hells Angels. During the Jamborees, Hells Angels would often dangle dollar bills, beers and joints above the Blue Bowl while we skated. If we could air high enough, we would grab the loot out of their hands.



Side Notes
  • *The Steppenwolf that played the Jungleland Jamborees may have not been the "authentic" Steppenwolf, but 2 former members claiming to be Steppenwolf. From the Steppenwolf website:

    .....before calling it a day once again in 1976. Kay (Steppenwolf founder) then signed with Mercury Records and relaunched his solo career in 1978. It was around this time that Kay learned that two of his former bandmates were touring with a bogus "Steppenwolf." The notion of the fake band playing low-rent club gigs-and tarnishing the legacy he'd spent nearly a decade building-aroused Kay's fighting spirit, motivating him and Steppenwolf co-founder Jerry Edmonton (who by then had retired from music in favor of a career in photography) to take steps to establish their legal claim to the band name. In 1980 Kay launched an all-new lineup...

    So, the time-frame was right (between 1976 and 1980) and Jungleland was certainly a low-rent gig, IE a vacated wasteland. It would seem quite likely that the bogus Steppenwolf was the band that frequently played the extremely un-official Jamorborees.

  • In November of 2008 Jungleland Skates held the first "Jungleland Jamboree Revival". Since that time there have been more revival's and we will continue to keep the Jungleland Tradition alive as long as possible.

***The Taco Bell photo is used with permission from the News Chronicle Collection, Thousand Oaks Library