Ballard Mountain, a 2,039-foot summit in the Santa Monica Mountains near Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills, is tied to John Ballard, a Black pioneer who came to Los Angeles from Kentucky in 1859. After building a successful real estate business and helping found the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, Ballard moved his family into the mountains in 1880, bought 160 acres, and established a homestead. Despite theft, arson, and racial hostility, he remained there until his death in 1905. Renamed in 2009, the summit now honors Ballard’s endurance and highlights the overlooked role of Black pioneers in early Southern California.