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Griffith J Griffith. The bulk of Griffith Park (which contains the Hollywood sign, the Greek Theatre, and the Griffith Observatory) was donated to the city in 1896 by Griffith J Griffith, a Welsh emigrant who earned a fortune in gold mining. Griffith owned land all around Los Angeles. In 1903, during a drunken rage, convinced that his wife was an agent for the pope, he shot her. She survived but he was sent to San Quentin prison for two years. At his death, the city had to consider whether they really wanted his donation. The money won. The Hollywood Forever cemetery is founded on his land and when the cemetery imposed an admission charge on tourists, Griffth's grandson threatened to take back the land so the charge was dropped. |