4th of July, Irvine Park and Downtown Orange

Here are three Independence Day photos from the collection of the Orange Public Library. The first (above) shows the Hardy family's Fourth of July picnic at Orange County Park (now Irvine Park) in 1900.

This next photo shows the Guzman family on July 4, 1925. I wouldn't be surprised if this was also taken at Orange County Park -- a popular place to spend the holiday.

And finally, we have an image from Independence Day 1888 of the Plaza in Downtown Orange (a year from the creation of Orange County). Note the parade approaching in the distance and the fact that the original fountain was still in the center of the Plaza.

4th of July, Huntington Beach & the USS Juneau

Here's the crew of the U.S.S. Juneau marching in the 1951 Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade. The Juneau (CL/CLAA-119) was an Atlanta-class light cruiser, commissioned in 1946. It was nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost of the Korean Coast" and received five battle stars for service in the Korean War. In May 1951, the ship returned from Korea to Long Beach for an overhaul. After a brief period on the Pacific Coast and Hawaii, the ship returned to Korea to conduct strikes along the coast. It was decommissioned in 1955.
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In researching the Juneau, I discovered the image below, which was taken on July 1, 1951; just a few days before the parade seen above. Notice that the whole crew is out on the deck in their whites. I also discovered a short historical document about one of the crewmembers, Vern Meemken, who is more than likely one of the sailors marching in the parade.
The photo below is another scene from the 1951 H.B. 4th of July Parade. This time, it's the local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. You can tell it was still very much a hometown parade.

Although this annual event is now one of the largest in the country and is often televised, "people-dumped-onto-a-flatbed-truck" continues to be a popular theme for parade entries. At least they're better than the units where kids (from other cities) walk down the street while someone carries a blaring "boom box" behind them. Oy.

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However you end up celebrating, have a great Independence Day.

Costa Mesa Fish Fry and forthcoming books

The traditional Costa Mesa Fish Fry began as the Scarecrow Festival in 1941. In 1945 the local Lions Club began frying and serving fish at the event, which proved to be a big hit. The batter recipe -- which is still used today -- came from Lion and Orange County Supervisor Heinz Kaiser. He is shown above serving fish at the 1947 Fish Fry. (The brown stains on the table indicate freshness.)
The image above shows some of the Fish Fry crowd on June 7, 1952. I've included a detail from the same photo below, which should provide you with a better view of the background when you click on it. Note the signs for local businesses like Tewinkle Hardware.
Recently, I’ve mentioned a number of local history books that are in progress or on their way to press. Here are a few more…
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Guy Ball is compiling photos for an Arcadia Publishing book about the history of Tustin. The book is due this coming Spring.
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Don Ballard is compiling a series of magazine-format follow-ups to his book about the history of the Disneyland Hotel.
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Gordon Bricken is working on a follow-up to his Civil War Legacy in Santa Ana, which will discuss the importance of immigrants from the North and South to Orange County in the years after the war.
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Phil Brigandi is wrapping up work on his history of the Boy Scouts in Orange County.
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Christopher Merritt’s long-awaited book about the history of Knott’s Berry Farm, Knott's Preserved, is going through its last round of edits and should be out this Fall.
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Rob Richardson is working on an Arcadia book entitled Orange County Railroads. I’m sure this will be a big seller and provide many images that few of us have seen before.

Disneyland, monorails, Fox Fullerton, 1930s, etc.

Here's a view of the snazzy new Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim on June 1, 1956. On the right is the spot where the monorail station would later be built. On the left is the coffee shop that would later be known as the Monorail Cafe. The sign above reads, "Disneyland Hotel Restaurants by Gourmet." I've zoomed in on part of the image below to show off some of the outstanding landscaping, signage, and other Space Age design elements. I'd take this place over Downtown Disney any day!

Today's "Daily Read" in the Register is about the 50th anniversary of the Disneyland Monorail, and features an interview with the monorail's designer, Bob Gurr. It's an interesting article, but take it with a grain of salt. For instance, Walt Disney clearly was not "the most famous guy in America" in 1928 (nor in 1929, nor...) . And the monorail opened in 1959, after a surprisingly short design-build process.

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The Fox Fullerton Theatre Foundation is asking all its supporters to attend a meeting tomorrow night, concerning the development of the area adjacent to the historic theatre. The meeting will be held Wed., July 1, 6:30pm., in the Venetian Room at Angelo's & Vinci's, 550 N. Harbor Blvd., in Fullerton. The project's history and planning process will be discussed, the developer and architectural team will be introduced, and the community will be able to provide feedback on the initial concept.

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Phil Brigandi will discuss "The Great Depression in Orange County" at the Anaheim Historical Society's annual banquet on July 11. For more information or to RSVP, contact Cynthia Ward.

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A bunch of us local history folk celebrated Phil's 50th birthday on Sunday at Disneyland. (See photo below.) Read about it on Cynthia's Anaheim Life blog.

Strange drawings at the Old Courthouse

The Old Courthouse Museum in Santa Ana has a small but very interesting new exhibit on the 1st floor. They're now displaying two of architect Charles L. Strange's original 1900 drawings of the Courthouse building itself. The drawings are loaded with detail. For us architecture geeks, it's fun to look for ways the building changed between the planning stage and completion.

These drawings were borrowed from the County by the L.A. architectural firm of Parkinson and Parkinson in the 1920s, when they were approached to design a proposed (but never realized) expansion and remodeling of the courthouse. A former historical commissioner tells me that Parkinson didn't get around to returning the plans until 1992, but then asked to be recognized for their contribution. (Using the same logic, perhaps my neighbor will give me a plaque if I finally return the weed-whacker I borrowed from him twenty years ago.)

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While you're at the Old Courthouse, you might also want to check out their new photographic exhibit of the route of Lewis and Clark. And of course, stop by the County Archives and say hello to me too.

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A late happy birthday to Cynthia Ward and an early happy birthday to Phil Brigandi. See you both tomorrow at Disneyland!

5 Fwy, citrus labels, Dreger Clock, slides, etc.

This late 1950s Kodachrome image shows the 5 Freeway at First St. in Santa Ana. It certainly looks different today!
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I wondered how SoCal pop-culture maven Charles Phoenix would react to the news about Kodachrome's passing. He posted a piece about it today on his website, which begins, "Kodachrome slides changed my life." Indeed, he makes his living doing slide shows and creating books based on his amazing slide collection. (Click here to read his comments.)
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The Citrus Label Society's next meeting will be held Aug. 17th, 7pm, at the Orange Public Library & History Center. Reader Daralee writes, "It's an informal event in which you walk in and see the [vintage citrus crate] labels on sale at each of the various tables... Anyone who is not a member is welcomed to attend and purchase these labels."
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Those of you following the saga of the "Dreger Clock" (which once stood at Knott's Berry Farm) should check out the recent news updates on Glenn Frank's website. Restoration of the clock is nearing completion and it should be unveiled at its new home, near the Whitaker/Jaynes House Museum in Buena Park, in late July or early August.

Jacko in Orange County

So you thought you'd escape the 24-7 barrage of Michael Jackson coverage by coming here and reading about Orange County history? Sadly, you were wrong. I've had this weird picture - taken at Knott's Berry Farm in April 1984 - for a while now, and this may be the only excuse I ever get to post it. (Note that the sign on the Good Time Theatre marquee behind them reads, "Flash Beagle" - a show based on arguably the worst animated "Peanuts" special of all time.)
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You probably don't associate Jackson with Knott's. But you probably remember his connections to Disneyland.
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In a move I'm sure Disney executives later regretted, Captain EO - a 3-D movie starring Jackson - opened at Disneyland's Magic Eye Theatre on Sept. 18, 1986. (It actually debuted six days earlier at Epcot Center.) The special effects extravaganza was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with George Lucas as executive producer. They are seen on the set with Jackson in the photo below.
Captain EO was 17 minutes long and cost 17 million dollars to make. That's five million less than Jackson paid in 1994 to settle one of the molestation cases against him.
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The short film was technically and visually impressive, but the glow faded over the years as Jackson's creepy personal life (e.g. sleeping with little boys) became public. The show closed in 1997 to no fanfare whatsoever.
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I'm told Jackson was a regular at Disneyland at various points in his career, going from ride to ride with his entourage - sometimes wearing a disguise. He was so enamoured of the park that he built a half-baked version of it on his Neverland Ranch near Santa Barbara.
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And speaking of Disney connections,... Did anyone else notice that Jackson died in a rented mansion on Carolwood Dr. - the same street Walt Disney lived on when he was developing Disneyland?

Kodachrome, Orange County Plaza, Knott's, etc.

"They give us those nice bright colors.
They give us the greens of summers.
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah!
I got a Nikon camera.
I love to take a photograph.
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away."
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Paul Simon, Kodachrome

Sorry, Paul. Kodak has announced it is retiring Kodachrome slide film after a 74-year run. For good or ill, digital now officially rules the high-end photography world. Yes, there is much to love about the new-fangled "ones and zeros," but the change is bittersweet for those of us who cut our teeth "shooting silver."
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But don't worry -- we'll all be scanning and sharing Kodachrome slides online for a long time to come, including the image above. Today's photo shows Orange County Plaza, on the 9700 block of Chapman Ave. near Brookhurst St. in Garden Grove in 1957.
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Yes, this is post number three featuring this particular shopping center, but the other two (here and here) were among the most popular O.C. History Roundup posts ever. Go figure!
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If that weren't strange enough, it turns out that the photo I'm posting today is also the most frequently viewed image in the Orange County Archives' photoset on Flickr. (Over 1,627 views in less than eight months online!)
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Don't get me wrong,... I think these are great images of typical 1950s Orange County, or I wouldn't have posted them. But the level of public interest fascinates me.
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In response to an earlier post about the O.C. Plaza, reader "MCAS El Toro" wrote:

"...Off the top of my head, the anchor [stores] were JC Penney, Thriftimart, Economart and Grant's. The center declined after 15 years and the plaza was remodeled during Garden Grove's 'City Redevelopment' phase in the mid-1970s. It was reconfigured and re-branded as the 'Garden Grove Mall' and given another facelift in the late '80s as the 'Garden Promenade'. About ten years ago the JC Penney building was razed to make way for the current Regal movie theater."

On an unrelated note, Jay Jennings will discuss his new Arcadia photo book about Knott's Berry Farm on Real Orange on KOCE-TV tomorrow (Wed.), at 6:30pm. (Repeated at 11pm, and on Thurs. at 8am.) About half the images in the book are from the O.C. Archives' collection, so I'm especially curious to see how he organized them with his other material to tell the story.