In 1946, the stone house and ranch comprised 30 acres, with four acres for apple trees and a quarter acre for tomatoes. The “huge kerosene chandeliers swing[ing] from the arched ceiling� had finally been modernized with electricity. Two generations of the same family moved onto the property. Lee (1905-1964) and Dora Conger (1908-1981) were the younger couple. Dora’s parents, John (1861-1961) and Iva Heron (1871-1948), will be discussed in the next chapter. Lee and his brother Marc had first moved to Old Topanga in 1925, when they were 20 and 19, probably drawn to the Bonnell Park development. Lee worked as a secretary for a “movie star,� perhaps cowboy actor Richard Dix (1893-1949), who also moved to Topanga in 1925. Marc worked as a “laborer� and later moved to Observation Dr. in Fernwood. In the 1930s, Lee married Dora, who grew up in Topanga. The couple moved to Fullerton, CA, where Lee became a fireman. When they returned in 1946, he got a job at William’s Topanga Hardware in Old Canyon. Lee involved himself in many civic projects. He supplied well water to Old Canyon’s newly formed Topanga Park Mutual Water Company, and became one of its directors. Water shortages would continue to be a major issue until Los Angeles’ pipeline finally delivered to Topanga in 1968. Lee spoke at one water meeting that “rapidly passed beyond the ‘talking’ stage to become a verbal free-for-all that was immensely enjoyed by nearly 100 persons in attendance....� On a bad day, tempers ran hotter. “Vandalism... was repeated in Topanga when the words VOTE NO in large letters on an 8-ft sign, placed on the Cy Wood property on Old Canyon Road, were painted over. In addition, Wood’s electric fence was torn down and a steel post bent almost double, allowing Wood’s horses to wander loose.� (“Vandalism Against Bond Opponents Again Marks Water Election,� Topanga Journal, 1960-06-30) Lee joined the Chamber of Commerce’s Fire Prevention Committee, but failed to prevent a fire in his own home in 1947. The fire started in the soot of his wood stove’s chimney. Firemen arrived quickly, and stopped the flames from spreading to the rest of the stone house. Several Old Canyon residents, including Lee, signed oil drilling leases on their properties, which meant that they would get a royalty if oil was ever found. Hopes were high, but thankfully oil fields were not in Topanga’s future. “It was said that the [Topanga Leasing Corp.] was paying $1 per month per acre on leases with the proviso that drilling must start within seven months.... Moreover, several reports are current that oil has been encountered in drilling water wells.... Although the situation has not caused anyone to order a Cadillac as yet....� (“Old Canyon Residents Sign Oil Leases,� Topanga Journal, 1951-04-20)