STORIES

Ruth was a resident
of El Nido Lodge in
the late 1930’s and
spent her mornings
in classes and her
afternoon doing arts
and crafts, hiking and
enjoying nature.
SUCCESS STORY
RUTH ZEITZEW
YEAR:
1930s
Ruth Zeitzew, 87 years old, remembers hearing
children shouting, “Here come the Lodge girls,”
as the wood-paneled station wagon came up
Laurel Canyon and stopped at Wonderland
Avenue Elementary School. Ruth was a resident
of El Nido Lodge in the late 1930s and spent her
mornings in classes and her afternoons doing
arts and crafts, hiking and enjoying nature. She
lived at El Nido Lodge for one year starting
in 6th grade, at a time during the depression
era when her parents moved around a lot, and
she was a self-described “skinny street kid.”
“The El Nido Lodge was an oasis nestled in
the hills of Laurel Canyon surrounded by
tall pine trees and fragrant eucalyptus. It
was home to the carefree warbling of song
birds celebrating life in a pollution-free
environment. Sponsored by the National
Council of Jewish Women at the time, the
El Nido Lodge housed two dozen girls from
underprivileged homes whose families lived
in the asphalt city of Los Angeles. The Lodge
was the most fun and greatest opportunity
a kid could have,” Ruth explained.
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