“I wasn’t expecting to see this in a museum.”

Jonathan Gillett is assistant collections manager at the museum. He says the new exhibit, called “Becoming LA,” tells the history of Los Angeles in an unusual way.

“Not only are we interpreting natural history. We also as a part of our mission statement are interpreting cultural history as well. So it shows the way that the environment has influenced people and how people have influenced the environment.”

The collection includes a wooden cross from the 1700s, when Spain established Roman Catholic communities in California. There is also a car that was made locally in the early 1900s.

The history of Los Angeles would not be complete without some objects from Hollywood. So the exhibit includes a camera that was used to film silent movies and clothing worn by the famous silent movie actor Charlie Chaplin.

“Hollywood was incredibly close to a lot of other natural habitats that could stand in for other places around the world.”

Kristin Friedrich is the Director of Communications at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. She says “Becoming LA” tells not only about the city’s past but about the creatures that live there today.

“In the cracks of sidewalks or in the chimneys of buildings in Los Angeles, there’s incredible life. And a lot of these species that we explore here find ways to live in the city like we find ways to live in the city.”