tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post6775797509220250749..comments2024-03-22T14:59:09.847-07:00Comments on O.C. History Roundup: Spies in Centennial ParkChris Jepsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207321906121901004noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-70796416780789551682020-04-21T17:17:40.965-07:002020-04-21T17:17:40.965-07:00There was an RCA Global Communications antenna far...There was an RCA Global Communications antenna farm in Cerritos, I believe. They transmitted telegraph messages on 475 kHz, to locations overseas. My educated guess is that this 'monitoring station' was intercepting messages from overseas to the Cerritos site. The basement was probably filled with teletype machines.Watson aNamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05401450358035283373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-89231877055075780852020-04-21T17:12:54.701-07:002020-04-21T17:12:54.701-07:00There was also an antenna farm in the mountains up...There was also an antenna farm in the mountains up by Santiago Peak. I think this was also a government facility.Watson aNamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05401450358035283373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-25490736167694158372020-04-21T17:11:20.280-07:002020-04-21T17:11:20.280-07:00I guarantee that they are totally gone. I worked ...I guarantee that they are totally gone. I worked there for Santa Ana College, and I've been in all the buildings where Centennial Education Center is, and I have never seen anything underground.Watson aNamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05401450358035283373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-24325192085801524192020-04-21T17:09:13.179-07:002020-04-21T17:09:13.179-07:00The FCC called it a monitoring station. The monit...The FCC called it a monitoring station. The monitoring stations were used to make sure the commercial broadcasters were complying with the broadcasting regulations. But the antennas were much more sophisticated than what they needed to do that. So 'spy' station is probably more appropriate.Watson aNamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05401450358035283373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-52672640382824756502018-08-06T15:17:16.799-07:002018-08-06T15:17:16.799-07:00Historic aerials says that at first it was an &quo...Historic aerials says that at first it was an "FCC" site, then later became an "FAA" site. Of course, that is the story for public consumption. A truly secret government site isn't going to come right out and SAY "we are a secret government site," right? Look how long the government said "Area 51? What Area 51?" and "Groom lake? We don't have anything at Groom lake!"Revert Cancer Survivorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01438797219357259496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-6604487313380412642011-12-08T16:44:53.348-08:002011-12-08T16:44:53.348-08:00This was a great post Chris. Thanks for your diggi...This was a great post Chris. Thanks for your digging efforts.<br />Had a friend check for an EIR, etc..nothing was ever filed as far as we could find.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14849125942236758633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-9573804937978723732010-10-20T09:00:35.136-07:002010-10-20T09:00:35.136-07:00I grew up in the area from 1953 to 1963. I was tol...I grew up in the area from 1953 to 1963. I was told by my father, a federal employee, that the site was an FCC monitoring station, the largest on the west coast. It was guarded because of the "threat of war and possibility of communications takeovers" and remember, this was when people were putting bomb shelters in their back yards.Rich S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-16458699706903281902010-10-19T09:30:07.291-07:002010-10-19T09:30:07.291-07:00I wonder if the three underground stories are fill...I wonder if the three underground stories are filled in or still under there!Trapped in a boxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05068770125040571714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-1475822537128628942010-10-16T11:18:26.324-07:002010-10-16T11:18:26.324-07:00Wow... I had never thought about that plot of land...Wow... I had never thought about that plot of land where the park and the museum is... but it makes sense. Most of the parks in OC seem to have been former military property. Loved the post! Always fascinating!ItsNotAPlacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15022168524885257834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-77705497061916641122010-10-16T11:06:14.039-07:002010-10-16T11:06:14.039-07:00Growing up in Santa Ana (we lived in the 1400 bloc...Growing up in Santa Ana (we lived in the 1400 block of Olive, just off Edinger and Flower) we would ride our bikes out west on Edinger (past Lukin's Dairly) to the Santa Ana river, to the notorious Edinger dip. This was about 1955. One time we decided to take out pellet guns out to the river and hunt mice and rats. We parked our bikes at the bottom of the dip in the sand and proceeded to walk west down the river to see what we could find. This placed us parallel with the antennas. Then, suddenly, we were confronted with a couple of men with guns and badges, and were told that we were not to be in that area, and that it would be best if we left. They said they were government guards, not police, and we would not be reported if we didn't return. We never did.CoxPilothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16284076551547506117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-25892441317130908552010-10-15T20:27:20.190-07:002010-10-15T20:27:20.190-07:00I don't know about an EIR, but pretty much eve...I don't know about an EIR, but pretty much everyone I talk to remembers that there was a "secret government facility" there or a "radar installation" or something like that. Finding someone with more details was the trickier bit. My thanks (again) to Adam England.Chris Jepsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00207321906121901004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-80944019927202762992010-10-15T19:00:33.100-07:002010-10-15T19:00:33.100-07:00Thank you Chris for your diligent research. You ha...Thank you Chris for your diligent research. You have shed light on a childhood curiosity. My how OC has changed. I too remember this complex sitting out in the "middle of now where".<br />Wonder if there is an EIR for the park that describes the historic uses of the site?<br />Would be cool to see a historic street view of the old complex.Doug MacIntoshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835367.post-51612811495901525112010-10-15T17:58:42.224-07:002010-10-15T17:58:42.224-07:00I remember that site very well. As a young newly ...I remember that site very well. As a young newly licensed ham radio operator in 1967 I allways had an interest in the antennas. A couple of my friends went up to the gate one day to see if they could take a tour but were told (not in friendly terms either) to leave. When we first moved to OC in 1964 it seemed like it was out in the middle of nowhere.Jim Bnoreply@blogger.com