Lake Sherwood – The Beginning

Today, life on Lake Sherwood is filled with tranquility. All that one would expect from a beautiful setting on a beautiful lake. It was not always this way. The lifestyle was in jeopardy many times throughout the past 200 years.

This is, in fact, the only constant in its history. If not for many passion-filled residents and Mr David Howard Murdock, Potrero Road might well have been lined with “high-density” housing and shopping malls.

The fight to keep Lake Sherwood’s beauty and agrarian lifestyle is the legacy of the many hard fought political battles between residents and numerous committes.

From the hunter-gatherer Chumash Native American Indians to current residents, the Lake is deeply rooted in history and folklore, not the least of which is the legendary Douglas Fairbanks’ Robin Hood motion picture.

The tale begins with Joe Russell’s livery ride to “Triumfo” — or “triumph”—which was not fully realized until the mid 1980’s.