Originally built in 1923 to advertise a housing development, the Hollywood Sign (then Hollywoodland) soon became an icon of the entire city, a symbol of Los Angeles's growth into the filmmaking capital of the world. The years took a toll on the original sign and by 1978 it was in disarray, even after many attempts at repair. The sign was then entirely rebuilt, financed by a group of actors, musicians, and other investors led by Hugh Hefner.

This specimen consists of two samples from the original 1923 sign salvaged during the reconstruction: a piece of metal from the lettering, and a piece of wood from the support beams that held up the sign. The material was acquired from the private collection of a retired LA sound engineer. Together they stood alongside each other for over fifty years before being salvaged in the 1970s reconstruction effort.

On May 27th, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge opened to the public, fulfilling a decades-long dream of "Bridging the Gate.” Spanning 4,200 ft, the Golden Gate Bridge was then the longest suspension bridge in the world.

The Golden Gate Bridge consists of two types of metal ropes, the main support cables which move from tower to tower and the vertical suspenders that bind the bridge itself to main cables. While the main support cables can never be removed, the vertical suspenders are sometimes replaced for repair.

This specimen is one of the Golden Gate Bridge's original 250 vertical suspender ropes which was replaced in the mid-70s. The process took four years and was a major feat of engineering. The state of California sold some of this material to help pay for the repairs.

The San Andreas Fault is one of the most powerful tectonic boundaries in the world. It is here where the North American and Pacific plates collide against each other, grinding in opposite directions for 750 miles. For over 28 million years it has been the source of many earthquakes on the North American West Coast, which continue into the modern day.

This specimen is a pair of geologic samples from Tejon Pass in California, where the boundary is exposed to the surface. In this location, you can actually see the gray metamorphic rock from the ocean plate and the brown sedimentary rock from the land plate colliding with each other.

The material from either side of the boundary is encased in a resin sheet, with both pieces enclosed in a handsome, glass-topped riker box case.

At the La Brea Tar Pits in California, remains of ancient life are found in the bubbling oil which reveal new information about what the planet used to be. Beetles, foxes, wolves, sabercats, and more have all been discovered preserved in the tar which paints an incredible picture of the Pleistocene ecosystem.

40,000 years ago, the La Brea Tar Pits were a natural formation of oil seeps that were masked with dead leaves and plants. When prey animals got caught in these seeps, larger predators could be drawn in and also trapped. Over time, the tar would bury them and seal their bodies in preserving material for thousands of years.

Crafted here at Mini Museum, this resin-infused specimen was created using material from a selection of mined La Brea Tar Pit material which contained the remains of coyotes, dung beetles, rabbits, and even a bald eagle.