Publisher's note:
Steve of the Jungle prefers the comfort and security of his Jungle neighborhood, but occasionally travels to the uncharted backwaters in search of history.
Last week I was driving through Pasadena near the Bear Creek Gateway when I was forced to take a detour. The signage was confusing and soon I was hopelessly lost. I found myself at the intersection of Brookwood Drive and Brookwood Court. The neighborhood had plenty of trees and shade, the streets were narrow. There were small, charming cottages with rooflines so low that you could reach up and touch them. Some of the homes were well-kept while others looked worn and dumpy.
I wondered where I was (or if this was just a wonderful dream). Then I remembered that my friend and fellow historian, James of South Pasadena, had told me of a mysterious hidden enclave called Munchkinland. It cannot be found on any map. James said there were rumors that the area was originally populated by little people from the Ringling circus. They chose to settle here to be near the railroad tracks and close to the circus' winter home in Sarasota.
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| Photo: Estately.com |
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| Early morning fog on Bear Creek in Munchkinland. Photo by David Gruskin on Tookapic. |
I wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with an enthusiastic welcoming committee so I slumped down in the driver's seat, hoping I wouldn't be noticed. I was able to take some pictures.
I continued to circle the neighborhood looking for an exit route and hoping I wouldn't be noticed and ridiculed for my freakish height. Finally, I found a street that led back to the brown brick roads of the real world. I made it back to the Jungle and thought to myself "there's no place like home."
Still, every now and then I have wistful thoughts about the little hidden village of whimsical cottages, the pleasant and unexpected oasis in the middle of a bustling metropolitan area. I would like to visit again some day ‒ if I can find it.
Publisher's Note: tacochic@tacochic.com wrote: "I just read your article on Munchkinland. Your article show real insensitivity. You make it out like those people were scary. Especially when you have your facts wrong."
So I wondered what was insensitive and what facts I had wrong. I wrote "there were rumors that the area was originally populated by little people from the Ringling circus. They chose to settle here to be near the railroad tracks and close to the circus' winter home in Sarasota." That is a true statement, there are rumors like this. I don't happen to believe those rumors are true and I didn't say that I did. In fact, the rumor doesn't make any sense since Munchkinland is quite some distance from Sarasota.
Then I wondered if the use of "little people" was insensitive. The organization Little People of America (https://www.lpaonline.org/) doesn't seem think so.
It should be obvious to all but the humor impaired that the remarks I made about avoiding contact with the Munchkins were a reference to the Wizard of Oz whose author, L. Frank Baum, invented Munchkinland. Tacochic, I hope you realize that Oz and the original Munchkinland are fictitious, otherwise you have some serious issues to deal with. But just to be safe, my apologies to any Munchkins who were offended by this article.
