It is often said that Los Angeles has buried much of its history. It has suppressed inconvenient reports, recast the plight of Mission Indians as a Spanish Romance, written entire cultures and communities out of its official historical narratives. But some of Lost L.A. literally lies buried beneath our feet, hidden long ago.

Long before Sandy Koufax threw Dodger Stadium's first pitch, and even before the first residents moved into Chavez Ravine, there were the Elysian Hills. Raised up by tectonic forces, and carved into deep ravines by the ancient precursor of the Los Angeles River, these hills have meant many things to many people.

The city of Los Angeles has a complicated relationship with its natural environment, including the weather phenomenon known as the Santa Ana winds and the grizzly bear, an animal once revered by peoples indigenous to Southern California but later targeted by Europeans as a threat to safety and security.