The Totem Pole

Every Leggers knows how far three miles is: it’s just, “...to the Totem Pole and Back.” In fact, when you hit a tough moment in a road race (Mile 23 in the Marathon, for example) a veteran Legger is likely to say, “It’s just Totem Pole and Back!” Truly the best-known (and loved) Legger Landmark aside from 1450 Ocean itself, that totem pole raises some questions. How did it get there? Who made it? And who the heck is J. Walter Todd?

From 1905 until his retirement in 1945, J. Walter Todd was perhaps Santa Monica’s preeminent mortician (which almost makes his last name sound like a joke, since “tod” is German for death). More than that he was a major civic leader in Santa Monica until his death in 1962. Back in 1925, Todd vacationed in Alaska and obtained the totem pole from either the Chilkat Tlingit or the Haida people near Sitka (stories differ). Although it’s represented as a “gift” given to Todd, it seems likely that he paid a native group for the 17+ foot totem and then paid the Hudson Bay Company to transport his massive souvenir home to Santa Monica.

The city agreed to place the totem pole at “Inspiration Point,” the northern end of the new Palisades Park, in 1926. Runners round the pole and tap the wolf on the nose either for good luck or out of habit. Some of us even say, “Thank you, J. Walter Todd!” as we make the turn.