Norma Jeane’s Favorite Spot

A young man, living in Van Nuys with his mother, prepares himself for his overnight shift at Lockheed Aviation. As he heads out his mother stops him.

“Jimmy, I have a favor to ask. Poor little Norma Jeane, that sweet darlin’ young girl, may have to go back to the orphanage. Would you marry Norma Jeane?”

The conversation continued but as Jimmy traversed the San Fernando Valley on his way to work in his 1940 Ford Coupe, he contemplated her words. Norma Jeane had been his next-door neighbor and for a time he had given her rides home from school. She was only 15 at the time, a ward of the state, and her foster parent’s health was failing. She faced returning to an orphanage but if she were to marry at 16 the problem would be solved. He had always found her to be very sweet and extremely attractive, but because of their five-year age difference, marriage hadn’t crossed his mind. Now it did, and he warmed quickly to the idea. Soon they were spending time together and romance bloomed. The wedding was set after her next birthday but in the meantime, Jimmy was determined to court her properly.

Her favorite spot was here on the edge of the Crescenta Valley at Pop’s Willow Lake. They would rent a boat at sunset, take it down the ramp and paddle out as the moon rose. Speakers wafted the sounds of Glenn Miller across the water and spotlights lit the surface. They would find an alcove in the shadows and kiss. This was the spring of 1942 and within just years, Norma Jeane would transform into the famed actress and model we all know as Marilyn Monroe.

So, Marilyn was here but where exactly was Pop’s Willow Lake? I wanted to know so the history hunt was on.

First, I reached out with questions to all the old timers I knew. The lake disappeared forever shortly after Marilyn’s visits, so no one I could find had been there. I was able to get the general sense that it was along the Big Tujunga River between Hansen Dam and the 210 Freeway.

Next, I examined the dozen or so photos I had of the lake, paying special attention to the mountain ranges in the background. By determining where these mountain views intersect I was able to find an area of interest. After poring over current satellite imagery, I believed I had identified where the parking lot had been. Now for my favorite part: the search in the field.

The hunt began from Orcas Park. I had my overhead photo in one hand and a machete in the other. I knew where I wanted to get to – the only thing in my way was a thick wall of trees and heavy underbrush. I headed in on a straight line, hacking branches and climbing over fallen trees. The going was slow. After 30 minutes I came to a clearing where I could hear a gurgling brook. Soon I was at the edge of the Big Tujunga River, which wasn’t big and was more of a stream at the time.

After moving up the stream a short distance to the north, I saw it. There, in the midst of a forest of 50-foot trees, was the boat ramp of Pop’s Willow Lake. While there is no evidence, I believe with all my heart that Marilyn Monroe, or Norma Jeane if you prefer, stepped off this very ramp, perhaps many times.

Jimmy Dougherty, her first husband, said in his memoirs, “No man on earth but I knows the beauty of Marilyn Monroe by her moonlit reflection on the waters of Pop’s Willow Lake.”