Capo Beach, Camp Pendleton, anteaters & Knott's

Here are a couple old postcard images of Capistrano Beach (now part of Dana Point) from Tom Pulley's amazing collection. Both are undated, but I'm going to take a wild stab and guess they're from the 1940s.
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The San Juan Capistrano Historical Society's Christmas Tour of Camp Pendleton will take place on Dec. 9. The bus will leave the O’Neill Museum, 31831 Los Rios St., in San Juan Capistrano at 9am. Tour stops include the Ranch House and Bunk House, the Mechanized Museum, lunch at the South Mesa Club, and the LCAC hovercraft facility. The bus will return San Juan around 4:00 to 4:30. Reservations are mandatory. Call (949) 493-8444. Seats on the bus are going fast.
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Historian Phil Brigandi will speak on "Walter Knott and the Early Years of Knott's Berry Farm," at the San Dimas Historical Society’s Fall Dinner at the San Dimas Canyon golf course clubhouse, 2100 Terrebonne Ave. on Nov. 12 at 6pm. Click here for information on how to sign up. It’s $25 for non-members. Reservations must be made by Monday.
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UCI’s Special Collections & Archives now has it’s own blog: Anteater Antics. Their entries showcase random items from university collections you might not otherwise see. The items have been selected because they are "historic, nostalgic, or just plain made us smirk." Lots of good stuff!

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Ken at OutsideTheBerm has been outdoing himself lately. In his latest post he shared an update on Chris Merritt's forthcoming Knott's Preserved book, as well as some early artwork by Paul von Klieben.

Santa Ana, Fullerton, Irvine, natural history, more

This circa 1920s postcard shows a spot identified as "The Sphinx, Balboa Beach." Does anyone know more about this, or its exact location?
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Despite public protest, the City of Santa Ana will tear down over a dozen historic homes between the Civic Center and the train station as part of its proposed "Station District" redevelopment project. It sure wouldn't be hard to pick several dozen buildings near the train station that should be bulldozed,... but these aren't the them. Some of these homes predate the County itself. Luckily, at least a couple of them are scheduled to be saved, but I hate to think what kinds of threats the preservationists had to make to get that concession.
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A fire broke out in the historic Williams Building at 112 E. Commonwealth Ave. in downtown Fullerton this morning, causing a lot of damage. See the Register's website for more information.
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Disneyland Nomenclature has a new article about the development of the term "Cast Members" to describe Disneyland employees. Niche interest stuff, to be sure, but I think at least a few of my readers are in that niche.
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Dr. Jutta Burger of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy will address the California Native Plant Society on the subject of "Preserving the natural treasures of the historic Irvine Ranch" on Nov. 19, 7-9pm, at the historic Duck Club, on Riparian Way in Irvine, CA. She will describe the habitats, their regional importance, the vision and approach to managing them, and current projects. Highlights will include observations from recent grassland and sensitive species surveys, choice photos from wildlife camera operations, and plans for removal of invasive plants and restoration of certain areas.
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Speaking of natural history, these past couple weeks have been sad ones for those fighting to save Orange County's natural treasures. Joel Pasco, noted veterinarian, wildlife rehabilitator, and co-founder of the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach passed away on Oct. 24. (He was also the husband of Jean Pasco of the O.C. Archives.) And today I learned that environmental activist Dr. Jan Vandersloot, Director of the Ocean Outfall Group and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust (and my dermatologist during my pimply teenage years,) died yesterday. The State Coastal Commission adjourned in his memory.
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Both gentleman made great strides to ensure that our great-grandchildren will be able to appreciate the natural wonders that drew everyone to Southern California in the first place. The world needs more people like them.

1938 flood, wine, historical tours, Woodruff, etc.

Learn about the big flood of 1938 at the Orange County Historical Society's meeting on, Nov 12, 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. Our speaker, Eddie Castro, witnessed the flood first hand, and is a member of several north O.C. historical organizations. The flood killed over 50 people and destroyed or badly damaged thousands of homes. Castro's talk will include film footage of the flood. (Today's photo, above, shows Buena Park during the flood.)

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The Old Towne Preservation Society will hold its biennial Historic Home Tour of Orange, Nov. 7 & 8, 10am-4pm. The self-guided walking tour of five homes and one commercial building starts at the Woman’s Club of Orange, 121 S. Center St. (at Chapman). Tickets are $20. Visit OTPA's website for information.

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The Dana Point Historical Society is hosting a bus trip to L.A. on Nov. 10th. Leaving the Selva Beach parking lot at 8:30am (returning at 4pm) the tour will start with a visit to Hollywoodland to see Sidney Woodruff's original real estate office (before he came south to develop Dana Point), complete with Woodruff memorabilia, and some nearby original Woodruff homes, plus other related shops and attractions. The tour will also stop at the Los Angeles Museum/Memorial (honoring L.A. firefighters who have died in the line of service since 1886) and the original historic firehouse. Lunch will be served in the former firehouse dormitory. The cost is $40. To reserve a spot, call (949) 248-8121.

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The Anaheim Historical Society will present a short program on the history of wine making in Anaheim by Jane Newell (Heritage Services Manager for the Anaheim Public Library), followed by wine tasting and tapas. This event will be held Nov. 13, 6:30-8:30 pm at Orange County Custom Wine, 1211 N. Las Brisas St., Anaheim. The cost is $15 for AHS members, $20 per person for non-members, and as a special enticement to join, $25 per person for those becoming members (includes 1 year AHS membership). Please RSVP to Susan Faessel.

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The Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society will hold a guided Architectural Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Santa Ana, Nov 7, 2:30pm, beginning at the Waffle House Museum, 120 Civic Center Dr. Tours are $8 and last 1 1/2 to 2 hours. To RSVP, call (714) 547-9645.

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An architectural walking tour of historic San Juan Capistrano will be held Nov. 7, 10am, beginning at the old train depot on Verdugo St. The walk includes adobes, Spanish-era dwellings and streamlined modern buildings, covers about a mile on level ground, and lasts 90 minutes. This event is held every Saturday. A $5 donation to the Friends of the Library is requested. RSVP to (949) 489-0736.

Infamous crimes of Orange County

Larry Welborn is doing a series for the Register on the "50 most notorious crimes in Orange County history." Today is day two, featuring the story of burgler and serial killer Mose Gibson. Yesterday's entry was about lynched ax murderer Francisco Torres.
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Another case I'm guessing will eventually be covered is the 1951 murder of 10-year-old Peggy Hull by Henry Ford McCraken. The photo above shows McCracken being led back to his jail cell from the Old Courthouse in Santa Ana. The photo below shows Sheriff Jim Musick, Ranger Joe Scherman and others gathered around Hull's body after it was found in Live Oak Canyon. Some say McCracken's trial was the first major instance of a sensational legal case being exploited by television. In a sense, you can draw a direct line from the McCracken coverage to the voyeurism of the O. J. Simpson trial or the shock value of "reality television."
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McCracken's first trial ended in deadlock and a mistrial. The jury at a second trial found him guilty of murder. He was executed in 1954.

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Writer Nathan Callahan has posted a fascinating essay about this trial and its effects on television and media today.

Casino, H.B., new books, Capistrano & Anaheim

Today's photo shows Huntington Beach in November 1934. I'd guess our vantage point is from the end of today's Goldenwest Ave. The photographer is looking down the coast toward Downtown H.B. The pier is just visible.
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LAB Holding Co. has received approval to operate the landmark Casino San Clemente (1937) as a restaurant and special events venue. Frankly, I was getting a little worried about this place, so this seems like a big step in the right direction. It's harder to bulldoze a place when people are inside eating dinner.

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Architect Richard Dodd has written a new book about historic styles of residential architecture throughout Orange County. Right now, you can only get copies through the author. I'll let you know as it becomes available elsewhere. You probably remember Dodd from his talks to many local historical organizations.

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Rev. William F. Krekelberg has written a new history book entitled, Mission San Juan Capistrano. He says it features information about the Mission "that was unknown in earlier works." I'm always pleased to see someone break new ground! The book is available at the mission for $20. The author will sign books at the Soldiers Barracks (on the Mission grounds) Nov. 14, noon-1pm, and Nov. 19, 1-1:30pm. Light refreshments will be served.

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Also in Mission news, Anthony Moiso is stepping down as president of the Mission Preservation Foundation after 12 years. He will still be on the board, but the president positional will be filled by George O'Connell. Moiso, President and CEO of Rancho Mission Viejo, was a founding member of the Foundation, which raises money for Mission San Juan Capistrano.
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I'm a bit late reporting it, but Cynthia Ward had a good entry on her Anaheim Life blog about the origins of Anaheim's Halloween Parade. (Stuff I definitely did not know.) Meanwhile, Ken at OutsideTheBerm posted some wonderful "haunted ephemera" from Knott's and Disneyland.

Happy Halloween!

The photo above shows the Excelsior Creamery float in the Anaheim Halloween Parade, probably sometime in the 1940s. The map below is from one of the earliest Halloween Haunts at Knott's Berry Farm, in 1976.

Duck hunting at Bolsa Chica

I recently stumbled across this image in U.S. Geological Survey's online photo library. It shows the Bolsa Chica Gun Club in Huntington Beach, just after the big earthquake of 1933. (Note the huge crack long the road.) Until yesterday, I didn't know the USGS even had a historic photo collection like this, but man do they have some cool stuff!
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While we're on the subject of the Bolsa Chica Gun Club, here's an odd excerpt from J. A. Graves' 1928 book, My Seventy Years in California,...

“The Bolsa Chica, a very aristocratic duck club, which bought a large body of land in the Bolsa Chica Rancho, near the present town of Huntington Beach, always had most excellent shooting until quite recently. The Westminster Club was near there. I was one of the organizers of the latter, and shot there many years. The Blue Wing [Club] adjoined the Westminster. I was at the Westminster one day, heard a shot on the Blue Wing, followed by a yell from various members, and looking up, saw the sky raining ducks. Mr. J. E. Fishburn, for many years president of the Merchants National Bank, wanted one duck to complete his limit. He picked out a big sprig [a.k.a. a pintail duck] and fired at it. A flock of sprig were circling in, ready to light. They came in range of his gun, as he fired, and he killed, with one shot, fourteen sprig. This seems like a hard story to ask any sane person to believe, but Mr. Fishburn is alive, and he and several members of his club will verify it.”

And what makes for a more charming anecdote than rich Angelenos slaughtering waterfowl? In fact, there were something like 13 gun clubs (a.k.a "duck clubs") in the Bolsa Chica area alone, to say nothing of all those near Irvine or in the marshes between Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. Most members were rich businessmen from Los Angeles.
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Graves also gives an account of an standard outing to a gun club, circa 1911. He's awfully wordy, so I will paraphrase:
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After work on Friday, he would take the Pacific Electric or hitch a ride in a friend's "machine" down to Bolsa Chica. Taking an automobile let him avoid a dark, two-mile ride from the P.E. stop to the Club in a mule-pulled wagon. On the other hand, it meant sharing the unpaved roads with innumerable slow wagons hauling sugar beets to the Alamitos sugar factory.
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Once at the Club, he met with other members who would be shooting the next day. They had a hearty dinner together and selected blinds for the following morning. After dinner, members spent the evening chatting, reading, playing card games and relaxing before going to sleep.
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The keeper awakened each of them with a rap on their doors at 5:00 a.m. They put on their hunting gear, ate breakfast, and headed out into the darkness toward their blinds. Thirty minutes before sunrise, a bell rang, letting everyone know they could begin blazing away. Initially, they might see no game, but would hear a few guns popping in the distance -- sometimes at neighboring clubs.
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At this point that Graves regales us with a depiction of the slaughter and maiming of innumerable waterfowl -- All against the backdrop of the great outdoors and a glorious sunrise.
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By noon, most of our mighty Nimrods had bagged their limit. Having once again defended democracy against a potential duck incursion, they retired to Bourbon and cold showers at the Club. This was followed by a "good hot lunch" before making the drive back to Los Angeles.

First American goes digital

Good news! First American Corp. -- which has one of the best collections of early Orange County photos anywhere -- is beginning to put some of their images online. Their website lacks captions, but it includes some great old photos. I'm posting two of them here today. Above is an image of employees of the Yorba Linda Citrus Association. Below is a circa 1960s image of the monorail leaving the Disneyland Hotel.

They've also posted a short video about the history of First American, which is worth a look. Let's hope this is just the beginning!