O.C. History Roundup

Stan Cramer, 1925-2012

2012-02-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have spent much time working in Orange County history will undoubtedly know one of our best historians, Esther Cramer, and quite possibly her husband, Stan, who was also involved in a number of local historical organizations. Stan is seen in the photo above, sitting between Esther (left) and Margrit Kendrick (left) at a Hispanic heritage symposium in 2004.

I'm sad to report that Stan passed away last month. The following is his obituary, from the Register:

     Stanley Edward Cramer passed away Saturday, January 7, 2012 at the age of 86 with his wife of 63 years, Esther, at his side. A native of North Orange County he was born in Fullerton on July 29, 1925 to Hattie and George Cramer.
     Stan grew up in Fullerton and was captain of Fullerton High School's 1943 CIF Championship basketball team. He was also a star of the football team and the 220 runner on the track team.
     Drafted upon graduation, he joined the U.S. Army and was sent off to basic training in Mississippi. The Army sent him to the Ruhr in Germany as a sergeant and machine gun squad leader where he and his squad were involved in many intense battles.
     At the end of the war, the Army assigned him to play football and basketball for the 407th Infantry division known as the Ozarks. In 1945 he was named Football Player of the Year for the European Theater of Operation.
     After he was discharged from the Army, USC invited Stan to play football and basketball. He played freshman football and basketball and played left end on the varsity football squads of '47, '48, and '49 which included playing in the 1948 Rose Bowl Game. While at USC he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
     Stan graduated from USC in 1950 with a Bachelor's degree and went on to earn a Master of Arts degree. He coached with Bob Blackman at Pasadena City College and he taught and coached at Whittier High School, California High School and Cerritos College. Mount San Antonio College hired Stan as head football coach of the Mounties and he coached there for a number of years. Eventually Stan moved into the counseling department at Mt. SAC and became the Dean of Guidance and Counseling at the junior college.
     When not on the football field with his players or in the film room with his coaches preparing for a game, Stan could be found fishing in the Sierras or in Baja California. A committed Christian from his youth, he was very active in his church, La Habra Untied Methodist. He was involved in the La Habra Kiwanis as they raised funds to support local schools and students.
     Stan and his wife, Esther traveled to all corners of the world and to every continent, but they always returned home to La Habra, and the friends they had acquired since childhood.
     Stan is survived by his wife Esther, his daughters, Cynthia Freeman, Melinda (Ward) Ching, and Janet Buddle and their children, Bri and David Freeman, Christopher and Andrew Ching, Patrick Esguerra and Chanel Brooks.
     A private family burial has already taken place at Rose Hills Memorial Park. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m Saturday, February 25, at La Habra United Methodist Church.
     In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Stan's name to The La Habra Historical Museum or the La Habra United Methodist Church.

The Cramers have long been a very important part of our historical community in Orange County. Stan will be missed and Esther, of course, continues to be in our thoughts and prayers.

Tiki mystery solved!

2012-02-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

In 2008, I posted the above photo, asking if anyone could identify this tiki-themed Orange County apartment complex. All I knew was that the photo was taken by folks from the Orange County Planning Dept in November 1961.

Finally, four years after my post, we have an answer. Mike Skinner of the excellent Tiki Architecture blog wrote that it was probably the Hana Kiki Garden Apartments at 1147 W. Memory Lane, in Santa Ana (just east of Bristol Ave.).

I've been to the Hana Kiki before, and I took photos (which I'll share below). The complex is even featured in my Orange County Tiki presentation. But I never made a connection between the complex and our mystery photo. So I went back today, on my lunch break to prove it to myself and to take an "after" photo.

Sure enough. It's the right place. The tikis are gone from the landscaping and everything looks like a jungle now. It's actually quite an attractive place, but you can see how the buildings are obscured by the foliage.

The only tiki still to be found in the complex is the pole holding up the A-frame pool house. And even that is showing a lot of damage from either termites or wood rot. A detail is supplied below. (Also note the thatch on the rear wall.)

Mike writes that the complex was "constructed in 1960 and began renting apartments (adults only) in November 1960." In the newspapers of the day, ads for the Hana Kiki read, "New, deluxe,... bungalow apartments near Fashion Square in a big avocado grove with lush landscaping, private patios, Gold Medallion kitchens, real fireplaces, 1 1/2 bath, color plumbing fixtures, carpet, drapes, large recreation lanai and pool. 1 and 2 bedrooms, unfurnished."

Man, that sounds great! And a later ad pointed out that this "ultra modern" complex had its own private street, which "assures quiet seclusion." I'd move there myself, except that avocado grove is gone -- and in its place is,... well,... Santa Ana.

Additional Mid-Century, Polynesian-Pop remnants from 1960 include the Asian/Modern motif iron fencing, the textile cement block wall around the "lanai," the lava rock chimneys on each unit, and of course the 51-year-old subtropical plants.

Anyway, my thanks to Mike for finally solving this mystery. We "urban archaeologist" types make a lot more progress when we can work together on this stuff.

P.S.- Also be sure to see my post on the Islander Apartments -- another tiki paradise that's just about a block away from the Hana Kiki.

Louise Booth

2012-01-26T00:41:00.000-08:00

I heard today that local historian Louise Booth has died.

I don't have anything like an obituary put together, but I do know she was a longtime member and a past president of the Orange County Historical Society. She was also the general chair of the Orange County Centennial Committee, and wrote numerous books, including Villa Park : Then and Now, Fulfilling a Dream: The History of Chapman University, and One to Twenty-Eight : A History of Anaheim Union High School District. She was also a major contributor to the invaluable Centennial Bibliography of Orange County, California.

Services will be at the Chapman College Chapel, Feb. 25 at 10:30 (a.m., I presume). I will post more information later, but wanted to pass this sad news along.

Have a happy Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day!

2012-01-24T18:25:00.000-08:00

Hope you're having a great Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day! We certainly did at the Orange County Archives (a.k.a. my day job). Per tradition, grizzled prospector Adam "Badger" England stopped by to chew the fat over a cup of Arbuckle's and a plate of beans.

With a little help from Susan, even Archie, the flat magnetic cat on our library cart, got into the act.

On his "Knott's In Print" website, Allen Palovik posted about Virgil "Blackie" Dillon and other grizzled prospectors that once haunted the streets of Ghost Town. Also, Stacey Reid provided us with a fine pen-in-ink illustration of a grizzled prospector on her blog. And about a gazillion other websites mentioned that today was TLAGPD without going into too much additional detail.

We appreciate all the support, but we should remember that ultimately TLAGPD isn't about what happens online. It's about talking like a grizzled prospector. If you haven't done so yet, you still have the rest of the evening to set things right.

Fuzzy McGee on Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day

2012-01-23T23:29:00.000-08:00

Just for today, I turn the O.C. History Roundup over to guest blogger Fuzzy McGee and his trusty mule (who mainly just transcribed for Fuzzy):

"Another Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day (TLAGPD) done snuck up on us, dagnabbit! This Tuesday (Jan. 24th each year) is the day we celebrate the anniversary of the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill by talkin' like grizzled prospectors. Purt' near anyone can be part of TLAGPD -- 'Cause dang near every kinda person what there is came to the gold fields of Californee in 1849. There were Chinese prospectors, 'n' Irish prospectors, South American prospectors, 'n'... well, ye git the idea. And by lookin' at the pitchur above, it shore looks like there musta been some womenfolk what headed fer the Mother Lode too, by gum!

"So nobody ain't got no excuse no-how fer not talkin' like a grizzled prospector on Tuesday, consarnit! And if'n ye got a hankerin' to ice the cake, ye can even dress like a grizzled prospector, dance like a grizzled prospector, or smell like a grizzled prospector. (Ed.: We cannot recommend the latter.) Heck, you could even invite yer friends over fer a big holiday doin's: Put on yer best bib and tucker, mix up an anti-fogmatic, an' have a hog-killin' time!

"But I reckon yer doin' fine if all ye do is jist talk like like a grizzled prospector. Fer a little while. Just fer the day.

"But fer now, I'd best skedaddle back to my claim afore some hornswogglin', bushwhackin' sidewinder jumps it. Have a good 'un!"

Mysterious knife and some local history classes

2012-01-15T20:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who brought artifacts to the OCHS "Show & Tell Night." I wasn't sure how well this program would work out when we revived it last year, but now I can't imagine not doing it annually. Such amazing stuff!

One of the objects brought on Thursday night was an old ivory-handled knife, brought by Phil Brigandi. Normally, Phil solves everyone else's historical mysteries -- But this time he has a mystery of his own. Nobody knows where the knife originally came from.

"My grandfather, Miner Whitford, found that knife in the 1950s, while preparing the foundation for a home he was building in San Clemente," says Phil. "The family lore was that it must have been from the rancho days. Of course it is not, but it was still one of his favorite keepsakes."

Note the initials "S.O.M." and some of the other fancy details. Do you know much about old knives? What can you tell us about this curious artifact? (Answer in the "Comments" section, below, or via email.)

Diane Ryan is again offering her History of Orange County class at the Oasis Senior Center in Corona del Mar. The class will be held Thursdays 1:30-3:30pm, from Jan. 26 to Mar. 1. The class is $50, plus a $2 material fee. To register, call 949 644-3244 or go to the "recreation classes" section on city's website, and reference class number 684011.

She's also offering a class on California Impressionism (612811) at the Oasis Senior Center, also beginning Jan. 26, and a class on California Regionalism, Art of 1930s to 1950s (085233) at the Huntington Beach Adult School District Office, beginning in April.

Diane is also teaching a class on California Missions (088122), to be held Wednesdays, l:30-3:30pm, Feb. 1 to Mar. 21, at the Fountain Valley Senior Center. The class is $54, with early bird registrants paying $48.

And finally, Diane is also offering a class on Historic Landmarks & Pioneers of Southern California (088133), Wednesdays, l:30-3:30pm, April 25 to June 13, at the Fountain Valley Senior Center. The class is $54. Early birds $48.

I'm not sure how she manages to keep teaching so many classes on such diverse topics, but more power to her! To contact her for more information, email her at dianeryan2010@yahoo.com.

Disneyland: Steps In Time - Carnation

2012-01-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

Today's images show what was once the Carnation Ice Cream Shoppe (now the Carnation Cafe) on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland. Even as we speak, it's being revamped/redesigned for the umpteenth time, providing more indoor dining space for what has become one of the few table-service restaurants in the park. The illustration above, courtesy Kevin Kidney, shows what the building was supposed to look like on opening day in 1955. The image below, courtesy Daveland, shows the building as it appeared in Dec. 1962.

Although the name has stayed a part of this building, the Carnation Company has evaporated -- just like its famous milk. Nestle purchased Carnation, and now uses the name on only a few products. It's a far cry from the days when Carnation was a well known name in dairy and its wholesome image was a perfect match for Disneyland.

Carnation also hosted Plaza Gardens -- a dance venue which just recently shut down to make way for a "Princess meet-and-greet" area. It's a loss for all those who enjoyed big band music.

The photo below shows the Carnation Cafe as it appears today.

Here's a list of links to some of the earlier installments of "Disneyland: Steps In Time":

Another look at the Mission

2012-01-06T22:52:00.000-08:00

After my short treatise on old graffiti, I thought I'd share some some images from the rest of my recent visit to Mission San Juan Capistrano. First of all, Sunday was the only time I can ever remember seeing people lined up outside, waiting to get in. The place was really busy, and people were actually waiting to pay their entrance fee. (Did you know they offer an annual pass? Just like Disneyland and Knott's!)

I saw the new exhibit of Mission treasures that have long be stored out of view. The room was too dark to have much success with photography (since I'd never want to use a flash around priceless documents and artifacts). However, I did get the blurry shot above, of enormous candle sticks that were salvaged from the Great Stone Church after the earthquake of 1812. Also memorable were documents signed by Fr. Junipero Serra and Abraham Lincoln, and silver candlesticks that Serra himself brought north from Mexico when he first set out to establish a chain of Missions through Alta California. The baptismal shell used in the early days of the Mission was also pretty amazing.

With thousand of burials on the Mission grounds, I wonder how they decided where to place some of the seemingly random white crosses and rings of stones that seem to mark specific graves. Of all the graves, I only saw two that were marked: Msgr. St. John O'Sullivan and Jose Antonio Yorba (seen above). I'd be curious to know how Yorba got such a modern looking stone, and how they figured out exactly where he was buried.

I thought you might also enjoy this photo of contrasting architectural styles. A girl named Katrina left her scratch-built adobe model atop the ruins of the Great Stone Church. (The bells in the background mark the spot where the bell tower stood, prior to the big earthquake.)

Taggers caught red-handed! (187 years late)

2012-01-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

I was at Mission San Juan Capistrano on Sunday, and as usual, I spotted historical details I've never noticed before. What stood out to me particularly were the many names scratched into the Mission's walls. I took a few photos, including the one above, and started checking into some of the names. Almost immediately, I hit paydirt. Paul J. Swayze (1889-1967) was, as a child, one of the first 39 members of the Alamitos Friends Church on Magnolia St. in Garden Grove when it held its first services in 1891. If the “Oct. 7, 1900” scribed below can also be attributed to him, Paul was 11 at the time he scrawled his name into the plaster of the Great Stone Church.

A lot of the Mission's graffiti seems to have been inscribed after the end of the mission system, but before Charles Fletcher Lummis' Landmarks Club started taking the first steps toward preservation.
That said, it wasn't uncommon, even during the earliest days of the Missions, for neophytes (Indians converted to Catholicism) to carve graffiti into the church walls. Those soft white walls seem to have invited vandalism from the beginning. That said, I think the "Nacho 1796" inscription in the photo above (by Sylvia A. of Laguna Beach) looks like a fake, as does an obvious gag where someone carved "Joaquin Murrieta 1865."

Other photos found online show graffiti at the Mission reading "“RP, Apr. 12, 1898,” (on the arm of a still-used bench), and an 1825 inscription of the names “A. Richardson" and "A. Salas.”

The photo above was taken in the early 1900s and shows graffiti on one of the Mission’s walls reading, "D.J. Hayman," " F.A. Birro," "A.W. Collum," "C.R. Moore," "A. Roe," and "Esstamapaucho July 5 1903."

Of those, I was only able to get any traction on Collum. In 1909 A.W. Collum of El Toro (now Lake Forest) ran an ad in the Los Angeles Times, reading, "For Sale - In a good, little country town on the Santa Fe Railroad. One-chair barber shop with one pool table, good cigar tobacco and soft-drink trade; only place of the kind here; large building with extra living rooms, garden, and room for chickens; free water; rent only $10. Fine place for barber with family. Reason for selling, I am alone and not a barber; will sell very cheap if taken by July 1. Better come quick for a bargain."

Two years later he had left the bucolic charm of El Toro behind and was selling brooms in L.A. Serves him right for defacing a church!

Also appearing in the photo above, and scrawled over the date “[19]01," were "J. Salaberri," "F.A. Salaberri," "G.L. Johnson," "J.B. Pitblado."

It didn't take much digging to find that Juanita Salaberri (1879-1964) was one of the daughters of Juan Salaberri, one of Capistrano’s wealthiest men. Don Juan raised sheep and had a hotel and a general store in town. He came to Capistrano about 1873, and died there in 1898.

“F.A.” was Juanita's sister, Felicitas "Felley" Salaberri (1881-1960).

And James Bruce Pitblado (1875-1934) was presumably Felley's boyfriend, because he went on to marry her in 1905.

In the photo of the Mission's Bell Wall, below, (courtesy the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society), Juanita appears on the far right, and Felley on the far left. (Had the photographer gotten there just seconds earlier, he no doubt would have caught the sisters in the act of vandalizing the building!) Standing between them are Lucana Forster McFadden and Ysidora Forster Echenique -- cousins of the Salaberri girls.

All this makes me want to go back to the Mission on a quieter day and see what other old graffiti I can find. Meanwhile, try your hand at deciphering these names from inside a niche in the Great Stone Church.

"Show & Tell" at Orange County Historical Society

2012-01-03T22:48:00.000-08:00

See what that guy's holding? It's called a "peat shoe." They were used to keep horses from sinking into the wet, marshy ground in areas like Westminster and parts of Huntington Beach. At least a few peat shoes still survive today, and they're what you'd call genuine Orange County historical artifacts.

Want to see more cool artifacts? Want to share some artifacts from your own garage or attic? Come be part of "Show & Tell Night" at the Orange County Historical Society, Thurs., Jan. 12, 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. Whether it's great-grandpa’s branding iron, a La Vida Soda bottle, a small piece of an important building, or a rare old photo, odds are you own at least one object that tells a story about Orange County's past. Come share it with others! Presenters will be called in the order they sign in on our roster at the door. The public is welcome and refreshments will be served.

I already know what I'm bringing, and it's pretty mind-boggling -- at least to my easily-boggled mind. And no, it's not something I have posted or will post on this blog. You'll just have to come see it for yourself.

O.C. in the Rose Parade, 91 years ago

2011-12-31T16:47:00.000-08:00

The City of Orange's float shown above was one of three units from Orange County in the 1921 Tournament of Roses Parade. The float's title was "Heart of Orange County," but the ribbons radiating out to small banners reading "Pasadena," "Los Angeles," "Newport/Balboa," "Riverside," and "Long Beach," hinted that Orange was also the heart of all Southern California. The float was decorated with lilies, ferns, carnations, and what appear to be red poinsettia petals outlining the heart.

The other two parade units from O.C. that year were the 26-piece Anaheim Elks Lodge marching band, and a float from the City of Anaheim. Anaheim's float also had a cardiovascular theme. In their case, the float was surmounted by a giant orange which was decorated with a white heart, indicating that Anaheim was the heart of the "orange district." According to the Los Angeles Times, "Four shepherd girls with crooks were on the float -- Helen and Marcella Webber, Lanette Rile and Helen Jordan."

What could be a better symbol of your citrus industry than a bevy of shepherd girls?

This second image is the cover of the 1921 Tournament of Roses issue of the Pasadena Evening Post. Inside, it describes the scene: "Early in the morning the crowds commenced to arrive and take positions along the line of march. Every road leading to Pasadena was thronged with automobiles and the great three-car trains of the Pacific Electric discharged their passengers every two minutes."

People didn't camp out to watch the parade back then, but even in 1921, an estimated quarter of a million people attended.

Although already famous, the Rose Parade's vetting process for entries still wasn't very refined by 1921. For instance, the Times reported, "One of the most conspicuous entries in the long procession was the three-wheeled cart of a misshapen dwarf attired in a high plug hat. Though helpless since birth, the happy dwarf was drawn through the streets by his faithful spotted pointer."

I don't think we'll be seeing that again Monday morning.

Thanks for another year of reading my blog, and for all your comments, emails, and contributions of photos and information. See you next year!

Citrus history on display in Fullerton

2011-12-29T21:09:00.000-08:00

The Fullerton Museum Center is hosting an exhibit now through March 25, entitled, Citrus: California's Golden Dream. Their promo material reads, "...This is the story of the second California Gold Rush, the quest for oranges, grapefruits, and lemons, the fruits that dominated the state's economy from the 1880s through the 1950s. Citrus: California's Golden Dream features a fascinating array of fruit labels, historical books, maps, postcards, farm machinery, packing crates, and memorabilia."

Better still, Gordon McClelland will present a program at the Museum entitled, "Citrus Crate Labels: An Artistic Overview," on Feb 9, at 7pm. Gordon, as you may know, is a leading crate label collector and expert and has written several excellent books on the subject.

The Fullerton Museum Center, shown above, is at 301 N. Pomona Ave. See their website for hours and more details.

Capistrano, Teri Delcamp, and Roads to Romance

2011-12-26T22:34:00.000-08:00

The photo above was taken by Walter Knott or a member of his immediate family on a visit to Mission San Juan Capistrano sometime around the 1940s. It comes out of the Knott's Berry Farm Collection at the Orange County Archives. (Some other images in this particular series show the Knotts posed in the Mission's gardens.) Note the great hat worn by the docent and the box brownie camera held by the tourist in the foreground.

Here's what I get for not paying attention: I just now learned that Teri Delcamp, the longtime historical officer for the city of San Juan Capistrano, has left and taken a similar post for the City of Riverside. The Register article about Teri leaving appeared in November. Frank Mickadeit's more recent article hits the nail on the head about the gap left by Teri and the need to replace her with another full-time historical professional. And if there were any doubts, Ilse Byrnes agrees with Frank -- And you can't ask for a better advocate for the community's well-being and history than Ilse.

I was always very impressed with the quality of Teri's historical research and her knowledge of San Juan's history. I wish every city in Orange County had a Teri Delcamp watching over them. She will certainly be missed. I wish her well in Riverside.

Also in San Juan Capistrano news, the folks who were running the Frank Forster Mansion (1910) as a special events venue have gone bankrupt and closed the place.

After two posts (here and here) featuring old "Roads to Romance" maps of Southern California, I've heard from more than a few of you who either own or fondly remember these maps. In fact, Claudia Horn, Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives at Chapman University had a couple extra copies of the 1960s version of the map, and sent one to me and one to the Orange County Archives. I'll post a version of it here sometime in the not-too-distant future. Many thanks, Claudia!

Frequent reader Ken Stack sent along a photo of his copy of the map, which I've posted below.

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

2011-12-24T14:59:00.000-08:00

Today's image is a postcard showing a nativity scene at Mission San Juan Capistrano. The photo was probably taken in the 1960s.

Here's hoping you all have a wonderful holiday!

Disneyland: Steps In Time, Adventureland

2011-12-17T22:07:00.000-08:00

Today's "before, after and today" images show the entrance to Disneyland's Adventureland, looking out toward the center of the park. The image above was created before the park was complete, in about 1954. The photo below shows the same spot in 1963 -- largely unchanged from its appearance when Disneyland opened, in 1955. It seems the Polynesian roof lines didn't look quite as impressive in reality as they did on paper. The exotic masks and shields (supplied by the still-amazing Oceanic Arts of Whittier), also ended up a lot smaller than planned.

Originally planned as "True-Life Adventureland," this section of the park was to be based on Disney Studios' popular nature documentaries, shot in exotic locales. Adventureland included fantasy elements mixed with features from Africa, Asia, South America, Central America, the Middle East, and the South Seas. When the park opened, those places seemed exotic, mysterious, and otherworldly to most guests. Today, many of Disneyland's guests are actually from those places. Still, this mid-Century expression of the "exotic other" is a big part of Adventureland's charm.

The photo below was taken earlier this year from approximately the same angle as the 1963 image. The thatched roof has been improved significantly, the faux elephant tusks have been made to look like wood instead of ivory, (to make things more PC), and the nearby foliage has filled in to look a bit more green and jungle-like.

At its 1955 dedication, Walt Disney read, "Here is adventure. Here is romance. Here is mystery. Tropical rivers - silently flowing into the unknown. The unbelievable splendor of exotic flowers...the eerie sound of the jungle...with eyes that are always watching. This is Adventureland."

Compared to Disneyland's other realms, Adventureland has always been rather small. In the beginning, its only real attraction was the Jungle Cruise. It is also the only land not to have what Walt called a "weenie": That is, a highly visible and curiosity-inspiring object at the back of each land that drew people into the land from the entrance. Main Street's weenie was Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Tomorrowland had the Moonliner Rocket. Frontierland had the smokestacks of the Mark Twain Riverboat. And so forth. But guests approaching the Adventureland entrance couldn't see more than a short distance forward, which I suppose heightened the mystery of what might be hidden around that first bend.

Today, Adventureland features several additional attractions, including the Indiana Jones Adventure, the Tarzan Treehouse (formerly the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse), and the Enchanted Tiki Room. Of course, its best attraction is the opportunity to relax on the Tiki Room's lanai, sipping a Dole Whip float and watching the 1963 tikis do their thing.

The Sennett Bathing Beauties at Dana Point

2011-12-16T22:50:00.000-08:00

Here are Hollywood's once-famous Sennett Bathing Beauties at Dana Point, helping promote real estate sales at the behest of developer Sidney Woodruff.

Woodruff had also developed Hollywoodland, which ultimately provided the town of Hollywood with its iconic hillside sign. He also convinced many film industry bigwigs to invest in the new town he was going to develop on a stretch of scenic coastline called Dana Point. One of those backers was Mack Sennett.

Sennett was best known as a director of silent slapstick movies, but also worked as a screenwriter, actor, producer, cinematographer and composer. In 1912, he founded Keystone Studios, which launched the movie careers of such talents as Charlie Chaplin, Bing Crosby and W.C. Fields. And, as you may have guessed from the name, the studio also made the Keystone Kops comedies.

In 1915, Sennett introduced the popular Sennett Bathing Beauties, who appeared in humorous short films (including some shot in Orange County), wearing what were then considered revealing swimsuits.

The year after this photo was taken, the Sennett Bathing Beauties were disbanded. And a year after that the stock market collapsed, destroying Woodruff's plans for Dana Point. Ultimately, the town wouldn't "take off" until well after World War II. By then both Woodruff and his Hollywood pals were well out of the picture.

(This post's for you, Brent!)

The Original Christmas Store

2011-12-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

Today's photos come from The Original Christmas Store, which had shops in Orange and Newport Beach during the 1980s. (These postcard images are from the Newport location.) These stores carried all kinds of Christmas decor, but are best remembered for their large and elaborate animated displays, some of which cost as much as $50,000 (in 1980s dollars). Examples included life-sized elephants, storybook scenes, and an Alpine Village featuring 50 Steiff toy animals.

Opening its first shop in Dallas in 1972, the chain eventually grew to have stores in five cities throughout the American West. They were open during the holidays, and sometimes also from mid-July to mid-August for the tourist season.

The Original Christmas Store first came to Orange County in 1979, setting up shop at The City Shopping Center in Orange (now the site of The Block, or The Outlets At Orange, or whatever it's called this week). A few years later, they opened a second O.C. location at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

Orange Coast Magazine described the store as having, "All types of Christmas decorations, from 60 different countries... Creches, music boxes, nutcrackers, stockings, ornaments, wreaths, angels, garlands and beads line the walls. You can buy Christmas trees to decorate yourself or trees pre-decorated, delivered and set up for you. Whatever you need to prepare your home for the holidays is there..."

The store at The City stopped making its seasonal appearances in the early 1980s, leaving the Newport location to continue through 1986.

By 1987, the chain was having financial problems. Owner George R. Grubich hoped that taking the company public would save it. In an interesting move, he reached out to his customers. That Christmas season, about 55,000 customers signed cards indicating their willingness to purchase stock in the company.

But it was too little too late. The business filed for bankruptcy in early December 1988. Only the Houston store remained open through the end of that holiday season, and then it was gone.

I suspect, however, that many Orange County families still have favorite Christmas decorations that were purchased at The Original Christmas Store. I know our family does.

He called for his Fiddlers Three

2011-12-14T23:40:00.000-08:00

Reader "John Galt" wrote to me, asking what I could tell him about "a chain of coffee shops ... called Fiddlers Three" with locations scattered throughout Southern California. He remembers his dad, who he refers to as "a coffee shop nut," taking the family there numerous times.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any good photos of the place, which is why there's a random photo of the old Fashion Square Mall (one of many Fiddlers Three locations) in La Habra at the top of today's post. The only contemporary visual reference I could find for the chain is an ad, shown below, from the March 13, 1986 issue of the Los Angeles Times.

It appears Fiddlers Three arrived on the scene in the 1960s. It was comparable to the Marie Callender and Jolly Roger chains during the same time period -- a step up from places like Denny's and Tiny Naylor's. Think dark wood, fake plants and phony Tiffany lamps hanging over the tables.

The Fiddlers Three in La Habra was in operation in 1968 and was still open in the 1980s. I believe there's a Regal movie theater on that spot now.

Another Fiddlers Three opened next to Sears in the Laguna Hills Mall in late 1973 and was still operating as late as 1988.

Just last year, Tustin historian Juanita Louvre wrote about local restaurants in her newspaper column, and mentioned that the "Fiddlers Three Restaurant, which once occupied the Claim Jumper spot on Irvine Blvd. [in Tustin], is still remembered for making the best cheddar cheese soup ever tasted."

Classified ads in the mid-1980s claimed Fiddlers Three had locations in "the Orange County, Long Beach and San Fernando Valley areas." Further research produced references to Fiddlers Three branches in Fullerton, La Mirada, at the Puente Hills Mall, and at the Northridge Fashion Center. In Long Beach, they had a restaurant on Anaheim St. and possibly another one at PCH and Bellflower Blvd. The company's offices were on Signal Hill, and according to a 1986 Times article, the chain's owner was John Faber.

Yelp contributor "T.R." (we loved his review of San Juan Hill!) described the Fiddler Burger as "probably the greatest burger ever made. [It was] served on a long onion bun, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and don't forget to add your favorite cheese. It would come with a salad and they would serve it with [a] three bean salad on top of that."

Today, the chain is gone. However, those with a serious jones for a Fiddler Burger are directed to 12721 Glenoaks Blvd., in Sylmar -- An old Fiddlers Three that has changed hands and partially changed names (it's now just "Fiddler's Restaurant"). At least some of the old menu items are still available there, although opinions seem to vary on whether they're as good as they used to be.

Do you have any memories of Fiddlers Three? I have none. But I do miss the golden era of good coffee shops. Bob's Big Boy was a favorite of mine before they started their downward spiral -- I'm guessing somewhere around the late 1980s. But those kinds of restaurants were aimed squarely at the middle class, which has clearly been marked for extinction.

News from Capistrano and Tustin

2011-12-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a great old postcard image of poinsettias growing along the bell wall at Mission San Juan Capistrano. See what happens if you plant them instead of putting them out by the garbage on Dec. 26th?

It seems the County of Orange now has a plan to save the historic North Hangar at the old MCAS Tustin Lighter-Than-Air Base. See the Register's recent article for details. Tustin resident a historical jack-of-all-trades Guy Ball writes, "The blimp hangers [are] not only historical landmarks but they 'say' Orange County as much as the Golden Gate bridge says San Francisco and the Empire State Building says New York City. They played an amazing role in the county's effort to defend against the enemy during World War II, the Korean War and Operation Desert Storm. To many of the servicemen and women who came to Naval Air Station Santa Ana/Marine Corps Air Station Tustin, this base was their first taste of Orange County and the place that made them decide to settle here and raise families."

Speaking of Tustin, the Tustin Area Historical Society is hosting a second signing event for Juanita Lovret's new book, Tustin As It Once Was, on Dec. 17, 10am-2pm. The book is $20, with all funds going to TAHS.

The historic Cook Barn (1898) on Del Obispo St. in San Juan Capistrano burned down earlier this month. The O.C. Fire Authority deemed the fire's cause accidental.

Christmas in Laguna Beach

2011-12-12T00:01:00.001-08:00

The caption under this photo from the Oct. 22, 1957 edition of Laguna Beach's South Coast News reads, "Strange Cult Makes Ritual Sacrifice of Coffee and Cookies to Mysterious Hovering Santa Claus Head."

I know we've come to expect that kind of strangeness from Laguna,... But I'm only kidding.

The caption actually reads, "[The] first sign of Santa Claus each year is the formation of a 'Christmas Spirit Committee' by the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce. Last week, that item was attended to and the community begins its Christmas spirit early."

Disneyland: Steps In Time, Frontierland (2)

2011-12-10T22:48:00.001-08:00

As a follow-up to my Dec. 1 post about Disneyland's Frontierland, here's another series of before-and-after images. This time, we're standing inside Frontierland, across from the Trading Post and the current site of the Shooting Gallery. The image above is a detail from a circa 1954 concept illustration by Disney artist Sam McKim. The entrance to Frontierland would be just to the right of this image.

The second image (above) shows the same location as it appeared just months after Disneyland opened, in December 1955. The perspective is slightly different, but you can see that everything was pretty much built as planned. Note that a Miniature Horse Corral is in roughly the same spot where the Shooting Gallery stands today. The corral lasted for only two years.

Today's final photo was taken this year. The Trading Post is still in place, but it now sells Disney cloisonne pins rather than Old West-themed souvenirs. What I'll call the "Entrance Fort" is still standing, but much of it is obscured behind those big trees. The desert landscaping in the foreground, while nicely done, doesn't really blend with the lush greenery nearby.

In the comments section of my previous post about Frontierland in the 1950s, someone wrote, "Times have changed, ... educated people no longer view the Old West with such golden-hued nostalgia, and people feel less connected with history in general."

I always appreciate comments, and this is no exception. But I must repectfully disagree with this one.

First of all, I don't think educated people in the 1950s viewed the Old West with "golden-hued nostalgia." People knew the westward expansion, like any large-scale human endeavor, was full of good and evil, hope and despair, fellowship and violence. And as in science fiction, these stories of human nature played out in a setting that was still dangerously unpredictable. People didn't find these stories interesting because they were about lollipops and sunshine. When it comes to fiction, only trouble is interesting.

Secondly, the fact that people now feel less connected with history just shows that damn few people are actually educated. Schools today often teach what to think rather than how to think. And when it comes to American history, that indoctrination is generally slanted toward the negatives. Even when I was in school, concepts like rugged individualists moving west to find freedom and opportunity got short shrift, while topics like political scandals or riots were given much more weight. And we've had many more years of political correctness pile up since then. I can only imagine how strong the anti-American vibe must run in social studies programs today. It's hard to get kids or adults excited about history that seems entirely negative.

Writing or teaching history requires a strong effort to check our biases at the door, and tell the good, the bad and the ugly. Or, as Phil Brigandi likes to say, it requires perspective. Sadly, many people seem to write history the way they write fiction, only focusing on all that interesting trouble.

Shamelessly promoting both myself and TLAGPD

2011-12-04T14:44:00.001-08:00

Do you have a question about Orange County, past or present? Beginning in the December issue of Orange Coast magazine -- which is already on your local newsstand -- I'm serving as the new "Orange County Answer Man." This month, I answered questions about gold mines, Disneyland, and some frequently mispronounced O.C. city names. Next month's column will discuss crazy weather, the Boy Scout Jamboree, and a long-standing argument in Downtown Orange. Send me an email, and your question (and my answer) about Orange County may appear in a future issue.

I know it's only early December, but the ongoing attempt to make Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day (Jan 24th) our next national holiday marches on. We recently created a Flickr group for TLAGPD, which includes not only great photos of grizzled prospectors, mines, etc., but also includes more information about the holiday than anyone actually needs. Stop by for a visit, and don't forget to mark Jan. 24th on your calendar.

Ride the Roads to Romance (1950)

2011-12-03T20:44:00.001-08:00

Last month I posted a series of Newport Harbor maps by Claude G. Putnam, and also mentioned the 1946 map he created for the "Roads to Romance" campaign. Well, one of our regular readers, Douglas S. McIntosh, scanned selected portions of a1950 Roads to Romance map (also by Putnam) in his collection for inclusion in today's Roundup post.

"The map measures 35" x 22"," writes Doug, "so you only get bets & pieces at a time. ...I focused on O.C. for you." (Click to enlarge any of these images.) Note the "Bolsa Chica Dev[elopment]", "Knott's Ghost Town," and, as Doug puts it, "Look, Ma! No Disneyland!"

Speaking of what isn't on the map, it's kind of surprising how few attractions are promoted on a promotional piece like this. A lot of tourist spots that could have been represented here, like the art colony at Laguna Beach or the casino on Catalina, just aren't there. Odd.

The image below is pasted together from the various parts of the map Doug sent. I'd love to see the whole thing framed and up on the wall someday.

Heapin' helpin' of O.C. history

2011-12-02T17:55:00.001-08:00

Blog posts are necessarily brief and generally not as in-depth as you might hope. Happily, there's more to life than blogs. I recently contributed a lengthy article entitled, "The Rise & Fiery Fall of the Pacific Beach Club" to the latest Orange Countiana (Vol. 7) historical journal, from the Orange County Historical Society. It's a tale of the early civil rights movement in Southern California. It's also a mystery involving Roaring '20s con-men, the KKK, towering Egyptian architecture, bathing beauties, and arson. And shucks,... It's got footnotes and everything.

I will be joining the other contributors to this journal to speak and sign copies at this coming Thursday's meeting of the Orange County Historical Society: Dec. 8, 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. All members of the society get a free copy of the journal, and additional copies are available for $20 each.

Other articles in Vol. 7 include "The Silent Canon: The Spanish-American War Memorial at Irvine Park," by Jim Sleeper; "Sacred Encounters: The History of Holy Cross Cemetery," by Stephanie George; "The History and Humanity of Charles C. Chapman," by Brett Fisher & Randolph Boyd; and "Fools Rush In: Politics & Gambling In 1930s Orange County," by Phil Brigandi. (Once again, huge thanks to Brigandi, who again served as editor.)

Hope to see you on Thursday!

Disneyland: Steps In Time, Frontierland

2011-12-01T18:35:00.001-08:00

Here's another "before and after, and way after" series of images of Disneyland, beginning with the early 1950s concept art for the entrance to Frontierland, shown above. The 1958 photo of the completed entrance, below, shows a more elaborate version of the "fort" walls and towers, but no Indian village at the entrance. The Indian village ended up where Critter Country is today.

With the trees covering much of the fort, and modern metal railings keeping folks out of the pond, a modern view of the Frontierland entrance (shown below) doesn't seem quite as well themed. Somehow the grey concrete doesn't seem quite right either. Look back at that concept art again, and note the warmer tones and more natural look.

While new attractions have been added or updated in each of Disneyland's "lands", it seems Frontierland has gotten the mucky end of the stick. The last addition was Big Thunder Mountain (an outstanding ride) way back in 1979. But since then, Frontierland has lost the Mike Fink Keelboats, Fort Wilderness, The Golden Horseshoe Revue, and shops that sold Western merchandise, like the Pendleton Woolen Mills Dry Goods Store and the Indian Trading Post. And of course, Tom Sawyer's Island was re-themed with pirate stuff, making it more a part of New Orleans Square than Frontierland.

Having been sick at home for a week and a half, I've had the chance to watch a lot of Westerns on the new digital side-band channels. They range from poor to excellent, but they're all better than the "reality shows" and endless police procedurals produced today. Anyway, I can't help thinking that America is way overdue for a resurgence of interest in the Old West. All it would take would be one blockbuster movie or a couple major TV hits. If and when that happens, perhaps Disney will take another look at Frontierland.

By the way, Disneyland history fans will be interested to read Imagineering Disney's post about the Frito Kid, and Kevin Kidney's sad news about the mural at Plaza Pavilion. Both are worth reading.

A glimpse of Southern California, circa 1940

2011-11-29T21:36:00.001-08:00

Last summer, the Anaheim Historical Society posted an image of the front of an old brochure from the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. (Image shown below.) I mentioned to one of their officers that I had a photo of the interior of that brochure somewhere, and they suggested I post it. Let's just call this post a delayed reaction.

I've photographed several of these over the years, trying to get a good image of the interior map. I can't remember which source finally produced this one. (Possibly Don Ballard?) I've scrubbed image up quite a bit, and dropped out some overlay graphics that detracted from the image. But I still can't correct for the fact that the original "camera ready artwork" wasn't all that ready for the camera. Another sheet of paper encroached along the upper half of the left side of the image, leaving us to wonder what the "ee Aircraft Plant" was.

Still, this is a pretty nifty bit of artwork, and definitely seemed worth sharing. I've posted a higher resolution version of the map on Flickr as well, which will allow you to zoom in for a better look at the details.

It's interesting to see what is and isn't on the map. First, note that freeways aren't shown, and Manchester Ave. is still the main drag to Los Angeles. (And yet a freeway appears on the brochure's cover. Was that page updated in a later printing?) Also note the Norconian Club, which closed in 1940, and the Anaheim Airport, which stood about a mile west of Knott's Berry Farm prior to the war. Speaking of which... why isn't Knott's on this map? Probably because their "Ghost Town" (which really,... ahem,... "put them on the map,") didn't find its feet until 1941.

What other interesting tidbits can you pull out of this map?

Thanksgiving, golf, book signings, and Christmas

2011-11-23T15:29:00.001-08:00

At the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims would have starved if not for the help of the Indians. However, "Chief Pushmataha" here (not to be confused with the actual Chief Pushmataha of the Choctaw) seems less gifted in the culinary arts. Although he's already warming his hands, he's forgotten to actually light the camp fire. Luckily, he's at the Buffalo Ranch in Newport Beach, and it's 1954, so there are plenty of burger stands and "to go" windows to serve his tribe. (Note the paper coffee cup hanging on the fence in the background.)

Werner Weiss recently posted an article about golfing at the Disneyland Hotel, based on a new book by Don Ballard. It's amazing how much of the place was once given over to the time-honored tradition of hitting things with sticks.

Juanita Lovret, who writes the "Remember When" column for the Tustin News, has completed her second book, Tustin As It Once Was. Following a style similar to her column, the book covers people and events in Tustin from its founding to its Centennial celebration in 1986. The author will hold a book-signing on Dec. 3, from 10am to 2pm, at the Tustin Area Historical Society Museum, at 395 El Camino Real.

Author Chris Epting, who's done several local Arcadia books and also some fun books on the history of baseball and pop culture, will also hold a book-signing that day, but at Barnes & Noble at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach (that's Huntington Center for those who remember), beginning at noon.

And if that doesn't give you enough to do on Dec. 3, you can head over to the Victorian Christmas Open House at the Dr. Howe-Waffle House Museum in Santa Ana, hosted by the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society. Admission is free. However the optional "seasonal" walking tour is $8. (They are also looking for volunteers to help decorate on Nov. 26, starting at 10am.)

Orange, Don Meadows, Phil Brigandi, Irvine, books

2011-11-17T22:26:00.001-08:00

Please note the fountain seen here behind Alfred Chapman and his unidentified associate in this 1887 photo of the Plaza in Downtown Orange. The fountain was later moved to the city's plunge at Hart Park, then was moved in front of City Hall, and today stands next to the Orange Public Library.

A couple great bits of video recently showed up on YouTube, one of which shows the re-dedication of this fountain when it was moved to City Hall in the 1980s. That doesn't sound all that great. But it is. Why? Because it's primarily a film of the late great Orange County historian Don Meadows, giving a talk about the history of the fountain and the early days of Orange. (Click here to see the video of Meadows.)

Sadly, Don Meadows was gone before I had the chance to meet him, but his presence is still very strongly felt throughout O.C.'s historical community, and his influence on generations of our local historians can't be overstated. As such, it's a great and very unexpected pleasure to have the opportunity to see and hear him talk about the history of the town he knew best.

Also posted on YouTube is a clip of video from a 1981 cable access TV show, featuring historian Phil Brigandi, still in his early 20s, but already comfortable giving a talk about the history of the Orange Street Fair. Unfortunately, we don't get to hear much of Phil's story, but we do get to appreciate just how little he has changed, except his hair style, which really has improved since 1981. (Click here to watch Retro Phil.)

(Speaking of Orange, the amazing photo below shows the Plaza, including the old fountain, in 1892. The camera was pointing northeast. Click the photo to embiggen.)

You say you don't even know Phil Brigandi? We can fix that. Phil will be selling and signing his brand new book, "A Brief History of Orange California," from Noon to 2pm, on Nov. 19th, at A & P Collectibles, 146 N. Glassell St., in Orange.

After you've bought a copy for yourself and some for Christmas presents, also shop around A&P and check a few more people off your holiday shopping list. If you want to support a local family business instead of Walmart this season, Downtown Orange is a good place to do it, and A&P is a great place to start.

Ellen Bell, who's book Images of America: Irvine just became available, will also be signing books soon. She'll be at Martha's Bookstore, 308 Marine Ave., on Balboa Island, 11am-1pm, and then later at Britta's Cafe, 4237 Campus Dr., Irvine, 4-6pm -- both on Nov. 20th. Also, she'll be signing her book at Barnes & Noble, 4600 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, 5-7pm, Nov. 22nd.

Disneyland: Steps In Time, Sleeping Beauty's Castle

2011-11-15T21:56:00.001-08:00

Today's images show Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim. The first (above) is a concept sketch from the early 1950s by Disney artist Herb Ryman. The second image (courtesy of Daveland) shows the castle as it appeared in the 1950s.

The third image (below) was taken just last year. The castle's design draws from several sources, but most heavily from the spectacular Castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. The Disneyland version, however, is only 77 feet high, using forced perspective to appear taller. It is also Orange County's best known building.

For more Disneyland "then and now" photos, see the Nov. 10th post on the Imagineering Disney blog.

In other Disneyland historical news, the long-awaited Jason's Disneyland Almanac is now available for sale. For the curious, Jason Schultz has posted the preface of his almanac on his Disneyland Nomenclature blog. You may also be interested to know that Jason works for the National Archives & Records Administration at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda. (He recently posted about how his work on the Disneyland almanac led to a new labeling system for the papers of President Richard Nixon.)

Also of interest to Disneyland history fans, the Register recently reported that Ward Kimball's grandson, Nate Lord, is now working as an engineer on the Disneyland Railroad. Kimball was one of Disney's most talented animators, (among many other talents), and was also the man who got Walt Disney hooked on model and backyard railroads. Walt's passion for having progressively better and larger toy railroads led to a theme park for the trains to run around. As it happens, the newest of the trains on that railroad is called the Ward Kimball.

Newport Harbor and Claude G. Putnam

2011-11-13T16:13:00.001-08:00

I recently noticed a handful of very similar but slightly different postcards in Tom Pulley's amazing Orange County postcard collection. Each image was an elaborate map of the Newport Harbor area. (The one shown above is from about 1931, and the one immediately below is probably from 1939. Click any image to enlarge it.) The maps are detailed enough that even the landmark Arches gas station is shown. Another detail I noticed was the name "Putnam," signed in the corner of one card.

Claude George Putnam was an illustrator who lived in Glendale and worked in Los Angeles. Born in Michigan in 1884, he attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. He did advertisements, book plates, model-making, engraving, printing, and cartography. He was locally well-known and was the founder and first president of the Advertising Art Association of Southern California.

He was also a longtime member and officer of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, which is how he came to create a promotional map for the Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce. The postcards are just photographs of one portion of the 18" x 16" map/poster, which also included detailed text and a smaller map on the back. These posters were updated every so often. An image of the 1944 version of the poster is shown below. Notice how many more streets are shown.

Putnam did a similarly detailed map for the developers of Beverly Hills in 1912 and later created various maps of California history and the Old West.

The 1944 Newport Harbor map, appropriated by local Howard Doss for his own postcards (shown below,) also includes a plug for the Orange County Harbor District. Newport Bay was developed into a more functional harbor in the 1930s, and was officially dedicated in 1936.

The Sport Fishing Association of Newport Harbor also produced a line-art version of the 1944 map, which mainly differed in the number of giant fish and fishing boats shown in the water.

The color map below is from about 1950, and shows the spot where Hoag Memorial Hospital will soon be built. Notice that not only our current airport, but also the short-lived Costa Mesa airport is depicted. Also notice the 23-foot "sea serpent," seen in 1904 (which turned out to be an oarfish, by the way).

But Putnam's most famous map was probably the colorful map he did in 1946 (shown below) as part of the "Roads to Romance" campaign to promote travel in Southern California.

In 1925 and 1926, Putnam illustrated Western humorist Dick Wick Hall's mimeographed newspaper, The Salome Sun, in Salome, Arizona. He and Hall also patented an incense burner shaped like a frog with a canteen on its back, in honor of Hall's best known poem, "That Salome Frog."

Putnam died at Hoag Hospital in 1955, but we're still enjoying his work today.

Thank you, veterans!

2011-11-11T21:23:00.001-08:00

Here's an image from an early 1920s Armistice Day parade in Fullerton. This was the float from the Daughters of Veterans, Sarah Round Tent No. 10. Albert Chapman, dressed as Lincoln, symoblically frees a slave (in blackface), while multiple incarnations of "lady liberty" look on. The float's driver was Frank Chapman.

Armistice Day, which marked the anniversary of the end of World War I, became Veterans Day, honoring all veterans, in 1954.

This is a time to think about all those who have defended our freedoms, including the millions who have been killed or wounded in the process. It's also a good time to consider how easily we civilians let idiot politicians erode those freedoms. But who cares, so long as we have our celebrity news, sports, and "reality television," right?

Dana Point's Doris Walker

2011-11-09T22:59:00.000-08:00

I try not to post multiple memorials to any one person (even friends) on this blog. But Brent Walker, one of Doris Walker's two sons, has been posting such great photos of his mom on FaceBook, that I asked if I could repost some of them here. There will be a celebration of Doris' life on Nov. 26, at 6pm, at the Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo St. -- where so many Dana Point Historical Society events have been held over the years. Click here to read her obituary in the L.A. Times.

The photo above shows Brent and Doris at a joint mother-and-son book signing. Brent is a film historian.

The photo above shows Doris in the late 1950s, as editor of Chalk Talk, the in-house publication for the Brunswick Bowling Equipment Co. in Chicago. In the photo below, we see her working as a journalist in the 1970s.

The Walkers moved to Dana Point in the 1960s. It's a good place to raise children.

In the photo above, Blair and Brent pose with their parents on John Wayne's yacht, "The Wild Goose." It was taken around 1968 on a press event related to the building of Dana Point Harbor.

An excellent writer, placed in a town that was just starting to go through massive change and expansion,... How could she not have recorded Dana Point's story for posterity? She was the right person, in the right place, at the right time.

The photo above shows Doris taking the first book out of the first box of Dana Point/Capistrano Bay: Home Port for Romance. Among many good books, this is still probably her signature volume. Certainly, it was this book that introduced much of Orange County to her work.

And finally, here's one of Doris's favorite moments: Coming eye-to-eye with an elephant seal on a trip to Baja California. Short of professional marine biologists, I've never met anyone with a greater interest in the Pacific and the animals who live in and around it. It was just one more of the many enthusiasms she shared with anyone who would listen, or read.

Thanks again, Doris.

Early Veterans Day program at OCHS

2011-11-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today's photos show Coastline Post 3536, Veterans of Foreign Wars of Costa Mesa, placing a plaque at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro on Veteran's Day 1954.

This year, you can start Veterans Day a day early. On Nov. 10th, broadcaster, journalist and historian Jeff Rowe will give an illustrated lecture entitled "Orange County's Armed Forces Through the Years" at the Orange County Historical Society's monthly meeting. The program will begin at 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. Learn about O.C.'s military heroes, bases and museums, and how local civilian attitudes toward our veterans have changed over the decades.

Charles Beal will also be on hand with a display of memorabilia from Orange County's Civil War veterans.

The photo below is a closeup of the plaque shown above. I wonder if this memorial is still standing or if this spot is going to be one of the "Great Park's" condo complexes, housing tracts, industrial buildings, or commercial structures.

On a related note, I ran across this headline in the Register yesterday: "Yorba Linda Honoring WASPs." No, it's not what you think. It turns out it's a program honoring the Women Air Services Pilots (WASPs) on Thursday at 6:30pm at Brea Olinda High School's stadium.

Newport Bay, Anaheim, and OCHS

2011-11-07T22:20:00.000-08:00

Today's images show Newport Bay around 1910 and come from the Keech Family Collection at the Orange County Archives. The photo above is obviously Upper Newport Bay, but just look how pristine it is! And the image below shows the main channel and the Balboa Peninsula, with the Balboa Pavilion in the dead center. (Click on either image to see details.)

For some scenes of Newport Beach 40-some years later, see the recent Newport post at Viewliner Ltd.

Interesting news from Anaheim: Restoration work is being done on the old Sunkist packing house near what's left of downtown. See the Anaheim Historical Society's blog for photos and more.

Heads up to Orange County Historical Society members: There's a new Flickr group set up where you can submit your photos of OCHS events and activities. Join and share! I can't wait to see what people post after the first OCHS History Hike! (And in case you were wondering, OCHS does indeed have its own Flickr account also.)

Wintersburg, architectural salvage, & History Hikes

2011-11-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

At the end of September, a group of historical preservationists, historians, church members and journalists from all over Orange County and from as far away as San Luis Obispo went out to see the remaining buildings of the historic Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Church and adjoining Furuta family property in Huntington Beach. The idea is to save these buildings by moving them to another site, and this was sort of an exploratory field trip. Those less familiar with restoration/preservation work were a bit daunted by graffiti and broken windows, but those who have worked on restoration projects were impressed by the overall integrity of the buildings. The image above shows the Furuta house.

This second image (above) shows the 1908 church complex, along with part of the 1930s church from the back side of the building. The image below shows before and after images of the Furuta House. The older photo shows the Furutas out front, while the new photo shows Chris and Charlie Epting in their place. (Click any image to enlarge it.) Chris' article about this field trip is posted on the Huntington Beach Independent's website. (Thanks to Dann Gibb and Chris Epting for these photos.)

Speaking of historical preservation and restoration: Do you have a project or two of your own? Then you'll probably kick yourself if you miss the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society's Architectural Salvage Sale, Nov. 11 & 12, 11am-5pm, at All-Aboard Mini Storage, 1030 E. 4th St., in Santa Ana.

They're offering, "a wide selection of architectural elements salvaged from Victorian-through-1930s structures, including doors, windows, molding, picture rail, kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Some hardware, claw foot tubs, sinks, a unique fireplace,and a full staircase, circa 1900." They want all this cool stuff OUT of their storage unit and INTO your historic home, so it's very reasonably priced. (Cash or check only.) For more information email them at salvage@sahps.org.

The 25 spaces available for the first History Hike sponsored by the Orange County Historical Society have been filled. But fear not! If enough people continue to have their names added to the list, they'll start looking into a second hike to San Juan Hot Springs. So get in touch with them anyway and put your name and contact info on the standby list.

Doris I. Walker-Smith (1933-2011) & Jack P. Smith (1930-2011)

2011-11-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

Carlos Olvera sent me the following email Halloween night:

"It is with deep regret that I must inform you that Doris I. Walker succumbed of her injuries received in the fire of her home early Sunday morning. She passed away at 4:48 pm this evening with all of her family at her side. Private funeral arrangements are being made. A celebration of her life will take place at a later date."

Her family followed up later with a short statement:

“At 4:48 pm ...(October 31, 2011), our beloved Doris Walker-Smith gently passed. Our family is deeply touched by the outpouring of well wishes from the community. Doris was a resident of Dana Point for 48 years, and loved the city and the entire community. She had a particularly strong devotion to the Dana Point Historical Society. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Dana Point Historical Society in her memory is suggested”.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a fire tore through the home of our friend, local historian Doris Walker-Smith (who some of you know as Doris Walker) and her husband, Jack Smith. With great difficulty, firemen pulled both of them from the burning building, but Jack died shortly thereafter. Doris was taken first to Mission Hospital and then to UC Irvine's Burn Center. News articles about the horrible fire and the aftermath are posted online:

Orange County Register (about the fire)
Orange County Register (about Doris)
Dana Point Times
Los Angeles Daily News
Laguna Niguel Patch (includes an earlier interview with Doris)

(Doris and Jack are shown above at a meeting of the Orange County Historical Society in 2009.)

I must admit that while I've talked with Jack a few times I didn't know him terribly well. I know he was a very friendly man, a "straight shooter," and a proud Marine and spoke of his time in the Corps often. I will leave it to others to tell his story.

But I wanted to share some information about Doris that hasn't made it into all the newspaper accounts,...

For at least thirty years, Doris was the go-to historical author for South Orange County. A resident of Dana Point since 1963, she was co-founder of that city's historical society. She has served as an Orange County Historical Commissioner since 1994, and served as a director of the Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, and Orange County Historical Societies. Doris taught California history at Saddleback College for seven years and was named the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year in 2007.

But for all that, Doris is best known for her writing. In addition to her countless newspaper articles and her public relations work, she also wrote at least twelve books, including:

Orange County Then & Now (2006)
Dana Point Harbor / Capistrano Bay: Home Port for Romance (four editions)
Dana Point, Images of America (2007)
Orange County: A Natural History (2009)
Adventurer’s Guide to Dana Point (1992)
Orange County Adventures With Children
Mission Viejo: The Ageless Land (2005)
Coastal Reflections: The History of Coastal Municipal Water District (2001)
Orange County: A Centennial Celebration – Sections of Orange (1989)
The Whales of Capistrano Bay (1982)
The Heritage of San Clemente (2000)
The Test of a Nest (a children’s book) (2010)

A number of these books, particularly the local community histories, are the first and/or most important books on their respective subjects. Any Orange County historian worth their salt will have at least a handful of her books on their shelves.

Aside from good writing, we came to expect at least two things in Doris' books that aren't always common in local histories. First, she usually started the story with the natural history of the land -- centuries before written records began. To her, understanding the land itself and the natural environment was crucial to understanding the events that took place there.

Also, we came to expect photos of her children and grandchildren to appear in her books. Doris photographed many historic sites to illustrate her books, and she apparently took her family along on her photo safaris. As a proud mother, and later as a proud grandmother, she often put two of her loves -- her family and local history -- into the same photo.

When I last saw her, about a week ago, Doris was working on another history of Dana Point and was also beginning to gather material for a book of essays on the history of Orange County's coastline. As usual, she left the room leaving residual bits of her incredible enthusiasm behind her, like a trail of breadcrumbs, for others to follow. Her exuberance was contagious.

Most importantly, however, Doris was a kind, thoughtful, and community-minded person who definitely left her corner of the world a better place than she found it. The loss of Doris and Jack is a loss for all Orange County.

Orange County costumes

2011-10-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's my favorite Orange-County-history-related Halloween costume so far this year. This is Jody Daily at yesterday's Anaheim Halloween Festival dressed as the former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce spokescritter, "Andy Anaheim." This character was created for Anaheim by Walt Disney Studios in 1954, as the opening of Disneyland drew near. The image below is a 1955 newspaper ad for the Festival featuring Andy dressed in his own costume: Davey Crockett!

Learn more about Andy Anaheim on Kevin Kidney's always delightful Miehana blog.

Feel free to email me photos of your own Orange-County-history-related Halloween costumes so I can share them here. I will post the best 20 or 30 received.

Halloween at the Orange County Archives

2011-10-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's Halloween at that hub of history, the Orange County Archives. This is, of course, a pretty easy report to file, because I work there. But I thought this might be a good time to introduce you to Archie the Archives Cat. Archie is a life-sized photo of an orange tabby cat, adhered to a magnet, which is, in turn, stuck to the side of our best library cart. It wasn't enough that County Archivist Susan Berumen introduced Archie to the Archives, but she also has little outfits for him, depending on the season and the holidays. Some of them are fairly amusing. He's wearing his Halloween ghost costume in the photo below, along with a top hat and handlebar moustache. Perhaps he is a "steampunk" ghost cat? I may share more of his other seasonal attire in future months,... Depending on how desperate I am for bloggable material.

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed the gold witch trophy in the photo at the top of today's post. A closeup is provided below. Although its unclear who originally won this trophy, or when they won it, we do know it's an old trophy for the best "Horse Drawn Entry" in the traditional Anaheim Halloween Parade. I sort of had to talk someone into donating this to the Archives, and I'm so glad I did.

For those who want to use the Archives to dig into the history of Halloween in Orange County, we luckily have plenty of old newspapers, history books, and historic photos. The image below is a 1940s newspaper clipping about the Anaheim Halloween Parade, given to us by the family of the late Orange County Supervisor, James A. Baker. Supervisor Baker is shown on horseback as the grand marshal.

Have a happy Halloween! Put up decorations and pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters, or at least go out and do something that adds to the kooky/spooky fun. If you don't, the Great Pumpkin may question your sincerity.

Sputnik comes to Laguna Beach for Halloween

2011-10-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

Got your Halloween costume ready? The two old ads in today's post both come from the Oct 29, 1957 edition of Laguna Beach's South Coast News. Both ads also reference Sputnik -- a subject I'll get back to in a moment.

The newspaper's editor clearly liked the large photo in the Zenith ad (above) as much as I do, and ran it again, a few pages later, in a features section, with the following caption:

"SPACEMAN VISITS! It's not Superman. And it's not an over-grown 'trick or treat' operator practicing for Thursday night's Halloween festivities. It's popular Laguna businessman Roy Arntson modeling a Zenith Space Commander helmet about town Friday."

Space travel was a popular topic for fiction in the 1950s, but it was still theoretical. In 1957, crazy-looking helmet designs like this seemed as reasonable as any other design. But that would soon change.

Just weeks before these ads appeared, on Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite -- called Sputnik 1 -- into Earth's orbit. Unlike today's complex satellites, Sputnik did only two things while in orbit: 1) It beeped at a radio frequency that could be heard on short-wave radio, and 2) It sent metaphorical shock waves through the free world.

The free peoples of Earth were shocked at what seemed proof of Soviet technological superiority. And of course, the commies took the opportunity to gloat. Indeed, Sputnik served as the opening salvo in a "space race" between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

Unhappily, that race (and the technology it generated) paralleled a more critical arms race that threatened to destroy the world. If the Soviets could send satellites around the world, couldn't they also send atomic bombs into our backyards? Talk about an extra-scary Halloween surprise.

More happily, the space race also led the U.S. to create ARPA, which gave us the Internet, and NASA, which gave us all kinds of great stuff, including Velcro, an understanding of the structure and history of the universe, Tang, modern telecommunications, freeze-dried ice cream, solar power cells, pens that write upside-down, and astronauts walking on the moon.

Strangely enough, Sputnik also led to a bunch of new words, including "beatnik" (coined by writer Herb Caen in 1958), "refusenik," "peacenik," "computernik," and "neatnik."

For the record, Sputnik's beeping stopped when its battery died; Just three days before these ads were printed.

New O.C. "History Hikes" & San Juan Hot Springs

2011-10-27T23:10:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this blog, I assume you have at least some interest in Orange County history. Do you also enjoy the great outdoors?

If so, you should check out the Orange County Historical Society's (OCHS) first "History Hike," which will take place on Nov. 20th. This first trek will be to historic (and seldom-seen) San Juan Hot Springs. From a sacred Indian site to a century of different resorts at this location, these springs have been drawing visitors for thousands of years. The buildings that once stood here (as shown in the 1890 photo above, courtesy the Anaheim Public Library) are long gone, but ruins can still be found, as can the occasional ancient artifact. And of course, the hot water still bubbles and flows.

The color photos above and below come from my last visit to the springs, with a fascinating group of historians, archaeologists, and local Indians. The area is quite beautiful.

About the History Hike program, OCHS writes,...

"To help expose, educate and connect people to Orange County’s fascinating history, the Orange County Historical Society is launching a new program — Orange County History Hikes. These hikes will take place at least a couple times per year, and are open to the public. Each hike will showcase an Orange County historical destination, allowing history and hiking enthusiasts to see some of these destinations in a new way. Hikes will vary in distance, topography and difficulty, but will stay within a range that most reasonably fit people can accomplish."

For a lot more information about this event and how to sign-up, link on over to Colleen and Jeff Green's great blog: Greene Adventures!

Vampires in Orange County

2011-10-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

You did know there were vampires in Orange County, didn’t you? Well,… vampire bats at any rate.

Although our State and Federal governments agree that vampire bats live only in Central and South America, other sources indicate that vampire bats can be found in Southern California and Texas.

Jim Sleeper’s 3rd Orange County Almanac of Historical Oddities backs this up. Jim writes, “Several well documented cases reveal [vampire bats’] presence in O.C. In December, 1896, ‘a vampire bat of enormous size’ was killed by a farmer named Bandini on the Irvine Ranch after menacing his family several nights running with its eerie flapping and piercing cries. In September of 1908, a family on South Lemon in Anaheim reported the death of a vampire bat after a brief but desperate struggle with its cat. ‘The body measured 7-inches long, while its wings stretched 21-inches from tip to tip.’”

Sure, that was over a century ago, and there haven’t been a lot of sightings since then. But they might be coming back! Now the government – this time wearing its Centers for Disease Control hat – warns that “the range of these bats might be expanding as a result of changes in climate.”

So if you’re attacked by vampires you can blame Al Gore for inventing climate change. Or was that the Internet he invented? I can never remember which.

[The image above is an 1882 cartoon depicting the landlords of San Francisco as vampire bats. It's really the only image relating to both California and vampires bats that I could find.]

Knott's, Fullerton, place names, silent films, etc.

2011-10-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today's image was the cover of the Fall 1973 issue of the Knott's Berry Farm employee magazine, The Knotty Post. (Note that it was a real magazine, not just a newsletter!) This issue corresponded with the very first Halloween Haunt at Knott's, which makes it a bit more significant than some. Besides, with a rocket-powered witch and a grizzled prospector (another appearance by Whittles) on this cover, what's not to love?

At Casa Romantica in San Clemente, Oct. 26, at 7pm, Jean Pasco and Susan Berumen of the Orange County Archives will give a talk about the creation of the Archives' “On Location: Orange County in Silent Film” exhibit. (Part of the exhibit is currently on display at Casa Romantica through the 26th.) The evening will include a showing of the first movie shot in Orange County: "Two Brothers," featuring Mary Pickford, Mack Sennett, and Mission San Juan Capistrano. Adults $7. Students/Children: Free.

I'm told the new Fullerton History Room at the Fullerton Public Library has already been open for business for a while. The room has moved to a larger space on the main floor rather than the small-but-much-loved nook upstairs. Check their new website for hours of operation.

Is seems strange that these "History Rooms" at city libraries lose their names when they move. When Anaheim's moved, it stopped being the Elizabeth Schultz Room. Now, Fullerton's collection no longer has Albert Launer's name attached to it. But in both cases the collections moved into a larger and better space -- and that's the really important thing.

Speaking of the Fullerton Public Library, they will host historian Phil Brigandi on Oct. 25th at 7pm. He'll speak about Orange County Place Names A-Z. Phil will also be among the many notable speakers at this weekend's CCPH Conference in Riverside.

Dana Point, El Toro, Newport and gambling ships

2011-10-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

The Dana Point Historical Society will celebrate (a little early) the 100th birthday of longtime Capistrano Beach local Bertha Henry Taylor at the Dana Point Community House on San Juan Ave., Oct. 26, 7pm. Taylor will share her memories of the area in the 1950s. Also, Society member Mary Crowl will explain DPHS' oral history program.

Speaking of Dana Point, three 1928 "Woodruff Homes" on Avenue of the Blue Lantern have been placed on the city's Historic Resource Register. If you'd like to drive by for a look, they are at 33771, 33792 and 34051 Blue Lantern. Sidney Woodruff tried to develop Dana Point in the late 1920s, and these homes feature the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture he envisioned for his new community. Woodruff is better known for developing a residential area in Los Angeles called Hollywoodland, which he advertised with a huge sign atop Mount Lee. You may have seen it. (The letters "L-A-N-D" disappeared a long time ago.)

The photos in today's post come from the City of Dana Point and depict the clifftop gazebo at the end of Blue Lantern during the late 1920s. I assume those are real estate salesmen gathered together for a big sales pitch in the photo below -- unless they aren't.

The Saddleback Area Historical Society will hold their annual Pioneer Roundup on Oct. 23, 2-4pm at Heritage Hill Historical Park in El Toro. Members of local pioneer families attend this event "to greet long-time friends and reminisce about old times in the Saddleback Valley. Come meet them, hear their stories and learn about the early days of the area."

The re-re-resurrected Newport Beach Historical Society and the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum will present a lecture by Ernest Marquez about his book, Noir Afloat, at the Nautical Museum, Oct. 27, at 7pm. Marquez will discuss the gambling ships that once stood off the coast of Newport and the rest of Southern California. For details and reservations, visit the Newport Beach Historical Society's NEW website.

Changes at the Placentia History Room

2011-10-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

The photo above shows the wonderful Placentia History Room at Placentia Public Library in 2005, during the presentation of a printed oral history to Fred Agurrie. (Photo courtesy Placentia Library District.)

Pat Jertberg, Marie Schmidt and Pat Irot -- the three volunteers who created the Placentia History Room in 1991, and who contributed the lion's share of what's been accomplished in there in the 20 years since -- have "retired." This follows closely on the heels of the retirement of Gary Bell, the librarian who staffed the collection in recent years.

Pat Irot recently wrote a friend about the story of Placentia's community historical collection:

"The Placentia History collection might NOT have happened had not the Board of Trustees questioned the use of a room called 'The California Room', so designated with the opening of the building in 1974.

"...As President [of the Friends of the Placentia Library], I...did an inventory and reported that the room was somewhat a 'warehouse' for things historical. The Trustees accepted my suggestion to rename it the Placentia History Room, and I dug in. It was 1991.

"Bringing organizational skills to the task but no knowledge of local history, I enlisted the assistance of our city's Historical Committee, with the result that we became a volunteer staff of three, each contributing to the work our individual talents. In a search for direction, I visited as many as ten libraries with history collections, asked questions, and got ideas. My visit to the Santa Ana Library History Room resulted in an invitation to attend the upcoming Heritage Coordinating Council meeting. At that and subsequent meetings, we were welcomed and encouraged, and we learned from each other.

"...We created an archive of text and media. We sought a complete collection of local high school annuals and created a local authors collection. Donations were sought. Organizations and agencies in the community were urged by our presentations to maintain an archive or deposit their materials with the Placentia History Room. As additional assistance became available...we directed the activity of interns from CSUF and volunteers from the community.

"After thirteen years with just volunteer staff, the library extended its support by assigning a reference librarian for ten hours per week. A welcome action, this provided a staff presence to serve patrons and to communicate History Room needs to library administration.

"At our departure, we provided a verbal and hardcopy report of the current status of holdings to the Library Trustees and to the City Council which included CDs and flash drives that held our EXCEL program cataloged inventory. With the report, we highlighted major projects that were accomplished as the result of Placentia History Room's archives. These include four published books, a Power Point program on Placentia, two DVDs and the recent 'Placentia History Wall' on display in our City Hall. The archives have [also] provided background material for several Downtown Renewal projects. For the school district, we have written local history information for Third Grade Teacher curriculum along with short histories of Placentia schools and also bio's of their namesakes where applicable. And participation in the Calisphere photo project was made possible as a result of our extensive digitized photograph collection."

The people of Placentia should know what a treasure they have in the Placentia History Room, and should know what treasures they're losing with the retirement of Pat, Marie, and Pat. Moreover, it's now time for the next generation of Placentians to step up to the plate and keep things going.

This story is a great example of how it's not always the people you expect who end up making the biggest difference when it comes to local history. None of these three ladies (to my knowledge) had degrees in either library science or history. But they're sharp, learned fast, were self-directed, and accomplished something worthy of a whole community's respect and admiration. (Although they certainly weren't fishing for it or expecting it.)

Never underestimate the power of volunteers. Yes, sometimes you'll run across a dud, but often they turn out to be the best "employees" you ever had.

More North O.C. history

2011-10-18T00:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of from Jack Lindquist's talk at Thursday's OCHS meeting. He's an outstanding speaker, as you'd expect. Our members had some good questions for him too.

Interested in another historical program? The Fullerton Public Library will host a program entitled, "Fullerton's Fender Guitar Legacy," tomorrow, Wed., Oct. 19th, at 7pm. Here's the blurb they sent me:

"Leo Fender was born at his family ranch on what is now La Palma Ave. in Anaheim. While attending Fullerton High School in the 1920s, he turned his hobby, electronics, into a radio repair business. By the early 1940s, he was designing and creating electric guitars and amplifiers at his downtown shop. This talk by Richard R. Smith, curator of the Fullerton Museum, will detail Fender's success story and his contribution to music. Smith is the author of Fender: The Sound Heard 'Round the World, and is a distant cousin of Fender."

The Library is located at 353 W. Commonwealth Ave. They also have more local history programs coming up, which I'll post about soon.

Disneyland history reminder!

2011-10-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to come hear Disneyland's first president, Jack Lindquist, share his memories at the Orange County Historical Society's meeting tonight, Thursday, Oct. 13th, at 7:30 p.m. Link for details.

This photo of Disneyland's Jungle Cruise under expansion in 1958 comes courtesy the Anaheim Heritage Room at the Muzeo.

How many names does one place need?

2011-10-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, the folks at the Irvine Ranch Conservancy offered a bunch of Orange County bloggers (including me) the opportunity to go on a special tour. Unfortunately, I could not go myself. However, friendly neighborhood historian Phil Brigandi went on behalf of the O.C. History Roundup and came back with photos and some interesting observations about one of the sites they visited. So, without further ado, here's Phil!:

"On a recent tour of some of the 20,000 acres deeded to county parks last year by the Irvine Company, we stopped for lunch at what our guide told us had once been called Bolero Springs, but which they now call Box Springs. It is one of the few year-round, dependable water sources in the Limestone Canyon area and made a peaceful spot to pause for our picnic.

"The springs undoubtedly had an Indian name, since there are oak trees, and bedrock mortars in the area. To Spanish speakers, it was originally known as Agua Chinon.

“'Before [lime] kilns were built in Limestone Canyon [in 1862],' Don Meadows tells us in his Historic Place Names in Orange County, 'the canyon was called Cañada de Agua Chinon or the Canyon of Curly’s Spring, because high in its headwaters was a spring beside which a Negro had his hut.' (In Spain, Chino meant a Chinese person, but in California it was sometimes used as a nickname for anyone with curly hair.)

"Another watercourse, running south of the springs, is still known as Agua Chinon Wash today. 'The name was misapplied,' Don adds, 'under the supposition that Agua Chinon Spring was located at its upper end.' In fact, it leads up into The Sinks.

"For the story of Bolero Spring, we must turn to Terry Stephenson’s classic Shadows of Old Saddleback. Judge J.E. Pleasants (1839-1934), ...described for Terry how he used to go out in the 1860s to rope bears with the vaqueros from the José Sepulveda’s Rancho San Joaquin. One of the cowboys, Terry relates, 'was nicknamed Bolero because he was too fond of telling great stories of his achievements.' He assured all of them he would rope a bear that day.

“'[L]oudly bragging and extolling his prowess, Bolero led the way under the sycamores and oaks, scrambling through thickets of poison oak and sumac, over rugged points of rocks, down into arroyos and up steep hillsides, following the dim trails left by deer and wild cattle.'

"But when he finally met a bear near the springs, his horse 'knew nothing about bears except that he did not like their odor, and … jumped straight in the air … [and] tore madly through the brush and was instantly out of sight,' despite Bolero’s best efforts to rein him in.

"The other riders managed to rope the bear, and when they met their friend on down the trail, 'Derisive shouts greeted Bolero, and all day and for many days thereafter, Bolero had to meet their jibes and laughter…. Among the vaqueros from that day on, it was "Aguaje de Bolero," Bolero’s spring....'
"(The name later spread to a nearby peak, where for many years a forest fire lookout tower was located.)

"Bolero means 'liar,' or 'braggart,' Jim Sleeper explains in his A Boys’ Book of Bear Stories. Continuing on in a footnote (where some of the best Sleeperiana can often be found), he adds, “I’ve always thought Terry did more justice to this ‘Bolero’ story than it deserved…. The name Bolero on maps seems not to pre-date 1923.”

"But legend or not, either Chinon or Bolero has a long history. The switch to Box Springs seems to be a recent one, and perhaps it is not too late to undo it. Surely there must already be a “box springs” in almost every county in California.

"If you’d like to visit this beautiful spot, the Irvine Ranch Conservancy has a guided hike going out on Sunday, November 6. Registration is required; you can find all the details on their website: www.irlandmarks.org/activities.

"Each month, portions of the preserve are open for public access as well. The next 'Wilderness Access Days' will be Saturday November 5 and Saturday December 3. The guided tour will be coming in from the Agua Chinon side. You can come up Limestone Canyon from Augustine Camp (just beyond Irvine Lake) and turn right at the watering trough towards Loma Ridge Road. From there it’s less than half a mile to the springs – about a ten-mile roundtrip. Along the way you pass an overlook for The Sinks, Orange County’s 'Miniature Grand Canyon,' which is well worth a visit."

Thank you Phil, and big thanks to the Irvine Ranch Conservancy for letting O.C. Roundup tag along.

A-haunting we will go!

2011-10-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a 1954 photo of some of the workmen who built the Haunted Shack at Knott's Berry Farm. Concessionaires Les and Pauline Wilson opened this attraction on June 19, 1954. The Knott's "company line" was that the shack had been brought from Esmerelda, Nevada. In fact, it was built from scratch and was based on the "Mystery Spot" roadside attraction in Santa Cruz. A corny-on-purpose attraction, it featured a lot more humor than paranormal activity. It became a signature Knott's attraction and was enjoyed by all ages. Sadly, the Haunted Shack was closed in September 2000 and was demolished two months later. A barrel of "baby rattlers" from the shack can still be found just down School House Road, near the entrance to Boot Hill. To experience a smaller but very similar "Haunted Shack," visit the town of Calico, California.

The Santa Ana Historical Society's annual Historical Cemetery Tour will be held Oct. 22, 10am-3pm at Fairhaven Memorial Park/Santa Ana Cemetery. This year's guided historical tour is entitled, "Ain't We Got Fun? Amusements in Early Orange County." (What?... Don't you always think of fun and cemeteries being inexorably linked?) Costumed actors will portray historic figures, sharing stories from Orange County’s past. For more details, see their website.

The San Juan Capistrano Historical Society holds a Ghost Tour of their town (considered the most haunted city in California!) on the Saturday before Halloween each year. "Be prepared for creepy tales of big black dogs, strange monks who have lost their heads, ghostly tales about a lady in white and other goings on." I haven't seen an official announcement yet this year, but you might want to contact them now if you're interested. Call 949-493-8444 to make reservations.
As long as we're talking Halloween, I'm going to drift off topic and ask for your help. I'm looking for someplace in Orange County that carries old-fashioned paper Halloween decorations made by the Beistle Company. They look like this:

The Beistle Company was founded in 1900 in Pittsburgh, at a time when most paper decorations (and most good color print jobs in general) came from Germany. The company is still owned by the same family today. The designs have been refined a little over the years, but they still definitely have a strong early-20th Century look that's perfect for October historical society meetings, and of course, for my own home. (I'm also pretty sick of all the blood and gore in modern Halloween decor.) So, if you've seen these for sale around O.C., please let me know. I've already looked at Party City and my local drugstore with no luck. (And please don't tell me I can buy them somewhere online. I hate buying things online.)

P.O.ed and looking for docents in Orange

2011-10-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Want to help save the historic Plaza Post Office in Orange? Mayor Carolyn Cavecche writes, "The Plaza Branch and Olive Post Office Optimization Study has begun: The outcome has not been determined, but the USPS is looking for community input before making a final decision to keep both or either branch open. The Community Meeting for Orange input is October 6th at 6 pm at the Orange Post Office at 1075 N. Tustin St."

The endangered Plaza Branch, shown above, is located on the corner of Lemon St. and W. Chapman Ave. Adding to the Mayor's comments, our lovely Orange correspondent writes, "This is the oldest working post office in all of Orange County and there is a threat that the USPS is going to close this branch and auction off the property..." She says many locals fear the property will end up with some sort of inappropriate reuse.

With the threat of the entire U.S. Postal Service going belly-up, this may be just the first in a long string of attempts by communities to find appropriate forms of adaptive reuse for these historically significant buildings. Orange County is lucky to have some really amazing post offices, including Spurgeon Station in Santa Ana, the Plaza Branch in Orange, the Fullerton P.O. (with its wonderful WPA mural), the Main Street P.O. in Huntington Beach, the Wild West-themed branch on Balboa Island, and numerous others.

Let me suggest the following to communities that may suddenly find themselves with an empty historic post office someday soon: How about a museum dedicated to the history of your city? These old post offices are made mostly of non-flammable materials, are located in community hubs or prominent locations, are already ADA compliant, have loading docks and plenty of storage space, and are already historically significant in their own right. What more could you ask for in a museum building?

Speaking of Orange, the Old Town Preservation Association (OTPA) is looking for docents to staff Chapman University’s Elliott Alumni House (formerly the Victorian Tea House) at 204 North Olive St., during their bi-yearly historic homes tour on Nov. 5th and 6th. Shifts run from 10am to 1pm and from 1pm to 4pm. They need approximately five docents per shift, for a total of ten docents per day. Volunteers will be given one free ticket to the home tour. If you're interested in helping, contact lead docent Sue Vaurs via email.

Muckenthaler event and a new history class

2011-10-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

The Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton (shown above, when it was still a home) will debut a new historical exhibit on Oct. 6th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. The exhibit relates to the Muckenthaler family and aspects of the history of North Orange County. They also recently published a book about the founding families of their institution, "who played an instrumental role in the founding of many of our cities, Anaheim, Yorba Linda, and Placentia included." For more information, see their website.

Diane Ryan, who has taught classes in Orange County history for years, is now introducing a new class entitled "Historic Southern California Landmarks & Early Pioneers." She writes, "Come learn about some of the historic landmarks in Southern California, and the early pioneers who helped to shape this part of the state. A few of the pioneers we will become familiar with include Henry Huntington, James Irvine, and Richard O'Neill."
The class will run on Thursdays, from Oct. 20th to Nov. 17th, 9:30-11:30am, at the Oasis Senior Center in Corona del Mar. The total cost is $45 (plus a $2 materials fee to Diane on the first day of class). To sign up, or for more information, contact Diane via email.

Disneyland's first president coming to OCHS

2011-10-03T23:24:00.000-07:00

Did you ever want to know what made Disneyland tick over the past 56 years? I'll bet the first president of Disneyland, Jack Lindquist, could tell you. Disney Legend Lindquist will be the speaker and guest of honor at the Oct. 13th meeting of the Orange County Historical Society. He will speak, take questions from the audience, and sell and sign his memoir, In Service to the Mouse, with book proceeds benefiting OCHS. The program will begin at 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The program is open to the public, free, and will include light refreshments.

In 1955, while working for an advertising firm for one of Disneyland’s corporate sponsors, Jack got the chance to visit the park before it opened to the public. He immediately fell in love with the place.

One month later, Walt Disney hired Jack as Disneyland's first advertising manager, where he promoted some of the most creative marketing efforts ever, including E-tickets, Date Nite, the Magic Kingdom Club, Disney Dollars, Disneyland’s “Tencennial” celebration, massive prize giveaways, and even cornfields shaped like Mickey Mouse.

“Jack wrote the ‘bible’ for the amusement industry,” said Disney Imagineering Vice-President Marty Sklar. “He bet his job on some of the wildest ideas ever, [and] now they’re all textbook classics.”

Over his 38 years with the Disney Company, Jack worked his way up the ladder, becoming vice president of marketing for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, vice president of marketing for Walt Disney Attractions, executive vice president of marketing and entertainment, and more.

In 1990, Jack was named president of Disneyland, a position he never anticipated but which he calls "the best job in the world!"

As president, he continued to take risks -- some successful, and some less so -- but always with his characteristic humor and joie de vivre. He was known for an affable and relatively hands-off management style – the success of which might have surprised Walt Disney himself.

We’ll leave it to Jack to tell you what his years as president were like when he speaks on Thursday of next week. He says he'll be covering a lot of ground, including "the historical perspectives regarding Disneyland” as well as interesting background on “Anaheim, the County of Orange, ...major league sports in Orange County,” and more.

Jack Lindquist retired in 1993 and remains one of the most fondly remembered executives in the park’s history. In recent years he has worked as a consultant on various projects and worked on his memoirs. And yes, he still lives in Orange County.

Hope we'll see you on the 13th! Wear your mouse ears if you got 'em!

(My apologies for swiping a few good lines from the inside flap of Jack's book.)

Boy Scouts, Costa Mesa, and more Home Savings

2011-10-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

Today's photo shows a portion of the campgrounds at the National Boy Scout Jamboree on the Irvine Ranch in 1953. This land is now part of Newport Beach.

Local historian Phil Brigandi will speak on the subject of his book, "On My Honor, A Century of Scouting in Orange County," at the Oct. 16 meeting of the Costa Mesa Historical Society. Doors open at 2pm with the program starting at 2:30. Free admission and refreshments. The meeting will be held at 1870 Anaheim Ave., near the northwest corner of the Lions Park complex.

On Oct. 23, the Autry Museum in Griffith Park will host a bus tour entitled "Art Along the Valley: The Home Savings Bank Art Project." ($25 for Autry Members / $35 for Nonmembers.) From their website:

"For more than three decades, beginning in 1952, Millard Sheets created artworks to decorate Home Savings and Loan banks, studding their iconic properties with mosaics and murals. The images told a multiethnic and multicultural version of California’s history. Adam Arenson, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Texas at El Paso, has written extensively on these public/private artworks and will lead a bus tour to six mural locations in the San Fernando Valley that speak to the portrayal of Mexican Americans in public art. Includes box lunch."

Why only Mexican Americans? Your guess is as good as mine. But this tour could be a good way to see another portion of this massive public art project that included all the Home Savings buildings in Orange County as well. Link over to the Autry for more information or for tickets.

Saturday doin's, Anaheim and Old Courthouse news

2011-09-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

If you missed the Anaheim Historical Society's big Citrus Celebration at Founders Park this past weekend (as I was forced to), there's still a chance to partially redeem yourself. Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 1st, Anaheim's historic Founder's Park, at 400-418 N. West St., will hold an open house from 9am to noon. Costumed docents will be on hand to lead tours and share information on the historic homes. The event is free, although donations to help support school tours are always appreciated. It appears this open house thing will be a regular occurance on the first Saturday of each month. (That's the same schedule as the open houses at Santa Ana's Victorian Howe-Waffle House, so you could make a day of it!)

Did I mention the Anaheim Historical Society now has a blog? Well, they do. So go look at it already!

Those of you who have been involved in one way or another with the Old Orange County Courthouse during the past three decades probably know the curator of the Old Courthouse Museum, Marshall Duell. He has been there since the 1980s when the building reopened after a major retrofitting. Marshall has announced that he's retiring in October. If you plan to stop by to say farewell, you might want to call him first -- I understand he broke his arm and may be out for a couple days.

Dig that crazy Santa Ana, man!

2011-09-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

In the "Comments" section of my recent post about the fate of Santa Ana's historic Lacy Neighborhood, our pal, archaeologist and frequent reader Douglas McIntosh, wrote, "I hope that with the destruction of this neighborhood, that someone has considered the fact that there is the strong possibility that there may be numerous sub-surface features and artifacts that may be encountered and destroyed by earth moving activities.

"Considering the age of some of the structures that Chris wrote about, back yard features such as privies, burn pits, cisterns, wells,storage rooms etc..could be exposed when grading and leveling work is carried out in this region. Nearly all of the above listed features were encountered and examined when pre-construction work for the Ronald Reagan Federal Building [on the other side of Downtown Santa Ana] was carried out in the 1990s.

"...In taking a second and third look at your photos, I believe there should have been both an architectural historian and an archaeologist on site during all of the earth-moving work associated with moving these structures."

Doug's message includes some excellent points. It also reminded me that Doug long ago sent me photos of the dig at the Reagan Federal Building/Courthouse site (CA-ORA 1030H). Now might be a good time to share those photos on this blog. The exposed brick in the photo above is the basement of an 1870s-80s newspaper office. (The Santa Ana Blade?)

All these photos were taken in 1995. The one above shows Tony Sawyer, Steve Dies, Carol Schultz , Kam Slater, and Scott Campbell toiling in the mud of the spring rainy season. The photo below shows Art Ruelas holding up a ceramic jug found in a privy feature.

Doug writes that they found, "hundreds and hundreds of [artifacts]. I should scan and post photos of some of the artifacts. Many bottles, ceramics, personal items. The photo is of the excavation of a former printing shop. We also excavated a hotel foundation and church foundation, Victorian era backyard dumps and privies. Fun stuff."

This last photo, below, shows Doug himself, finding a creative way to get the right vantage point to photograph the site.

Full circle in Huntington Beach

2011-09-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

I've told the tale many times of my first foray into local history, over 20 years ago. I had a project to do for my high school photography class and decided that old buildings in downtown Huntington Beach would be a good subject. Pretty soon, I found people were coming out of the old buildings to ask what I was doing, and then ended up telling me the histories of their homes or businesses. Eventually, somebody directed me to City Historian Alicia Wentworth, who told me all kinds of interesting stories about the town I grew up in. She had amassed a large collection of historic images of the city, and I gave her copies of mine to add to the collection.

That could have been the end of it, if she hadn't said what she said next: "There are lots of historic buildings and sites around town that I'd still love to have photos of before they disappear. But I'm not as spry as I used to be. If I paid you, would you take my list of historic sites and go photograph them?"

Naturally, I said yes. For a few dollars out of her own pocket, Alicia got her photos, I got my first paying job, and I was drawn into local history for good.

I tell this story again because I'm scouting around again for old photos of Huntington Beach. Barbara Haynes of DeGuelle Glass ("The Glassiest Place in Town") gave me a disc chock full of amazing Huntington Beach images -- and guess what I found among them? A few veeery familiar images.

I took all three of the images in today's post back in the late 1980s. The one at the top of today's post is the Charles Warner House (1907) at 403 Tenth St. Charles Warner was on the city's first Board of Trustees (City Council). Warner Avenue was named in his honor. His son, Willis Warner, was raised in this house and grew up to become an important elected official in his own right. Willis also lived in this house while he was serving as one of the most influential Orange County Supervisors ever.

Today, the house is owned by Joe Santiago, who has made the Warner house famous as "the house with another old house hovering over its garage." You see, Joe also purchased the historic but threatened Ed Manning House. But Joe couldn't afford more land to put the Manning House on. So he put it on top of the garage of the Warner House! He is now working to restore both homes. (Manning, by the way, was the first mayor of H.B. and an ancestor of Alicia Wentworth. Small world!)

The second image, immediately above, shows Huntington Auto Service (circa 1918). This building is now demolished. About all that remains of the downtown "Auto Row" anymore is the old Hudson/Rambler/Peugeot dealership building at 410 Main (now "The Electric Chair" punk fashions), and Jax Bicycles at 401 Main, which I believe also served various dealerships and garages over the decades.

I believe I rediscovered this last image once before and posted it to my blog. So this is a re-rediscovery. The Troop 1 Scout Cabin was completed in 1924 thanks to support, work and donations from all parts of the community. Huntington Beach should take a certain amount of pride in this building, which still stands in the middle of Lake Park.

Thanks for bearing with me and my walk down memory lane.

OCHS, Mendez, Guy Ball, Irvine Ranch, and an out-of-county experience

2011-09-16T23:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks. First, I had to prep for my "Pacific Beach Club" talk for the Orange County Historical Society on the 8th. I wasn't sure how such an unsettling topic would go over, but I got a ton of positive comments later. I was also pleasantly surprised by the turnout. We had about 150 people show up! Seems our gatherings just keep getting larger and larger!

As usual, our September meeting was held at the Sherman Gardens & Library in Corona del Mar. (Always great hosts!) I'll admit that I didn't have time to take photos that night, which is why I'm substituting one I took earlier at the Sherman. (See above.)

About the same time, I got an offer to write a local history book. I'm writing the proposal now, but I think I'll give myself a fairly long period of time to complete the work. This whole year is shaping up to be a busy one. Anyway, I'll write more about the forthcoming book once it's a done deal.

On Saturday, I attended the grand opening of the new exhibit at the Old Orange County Courthouse about the Mendez v Westminster school desegregation case, entitled "A Class Action." Actually, I was also there the night before with the CSUF historical folks (and a few others) who were scrambling to dot the last "i"s and cross the final "t"s. By the time they were done, it really looked amazing. Go and see this thing!

The photo below shows members of the Estrada, Guzman, Mendez, and Ramirez families (along with a couple politicians who jumped into the photo op), descendants of the plaintiffs who brought at least partial desegregation to California well before Brown v Board of Education. In fact, Mrs. Guzman, (in front, holding a blue folder), is one of the last living plaintiffs.

I also ended up writing two other articles for different publications over the past couple weeks. And in keeping with my duties as the new president of the Orange County Historical Society, I wrote my first "President's Message" for the County Courier too. I think that will turn out to be a fun gig.

On the 9th, our friend, local historian Guy Ball, generously donated a heaping garageful of metal flat-file cases to the Orange County Archives. Steve and I were there bright and early with a County truck. Boy did we need these cases, and boy could we not afford to order new ones! The savings will help pay for our hernia trusses.

On Sunday, my friends Phil and Stephanie and I went on a trek to Julian, taking our time winding through the back-country of Riverside and San Diego Counties to see various fascinating historical sites. I love treks like these, and Phil -- who knows this territory like the back of his hand -- was an outstanding guide. One of the most interesting and surprising stops was the St. Francis Chapel (a "branch office" of Mission San Luis Rey) and the Cupeño (Indian) cemetery at Warner Springs.

The photo above shows what Old Saddleback looks like from the back side. Those antennas you see are on top of Santiago Peak. The image below was taken deep inside the Eagle & High Peak Gold Mine at the end of C St. in Julian. (Our tour guide had an official "Grizzled Prospector" beard and hat!) If you're ever in Julian, forget the apples and gift shops and check out this amazing opportunity to experience gold mining and ore processing as it was in the 1870s.

I won't belabor this non-O.C. expedition here too much on the blog, but I've posted a bunch of photos to my Flickr site if you're interested.

This week I also attended the dedication of a new historical marker for the old Irvine Ranch irrigation system. The plaque was placed near the reservoir in Peters Canyon Regional Park by the Orange County Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Former head of O.C. Public Works Carl Nelson, who did an enormous amount of research on this important piece of Orange County history, is seen speaking at the dedication ceremony in the photo below. Carl is always an amazing source of knowledge when it comes to the infrastructure that made this part of California tick over the past couple centuries.

That's about it for now. Hopefully things will slow down enough that I can get back to blogging more often this week.

OCHS update, Indians, & Mendez v. Westminster

2011-09-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

A few bits of information for anyone who plans to attend my Pacific Beach Club presentation at Sherman Gardens on Thursday:

1) Don't pay any attention to the article about it in the Register. These are the actual facts: The program begins at 7:30pm. It will be preceded by a potluck of appetizers and desserts only, beginning at 6:30pm. You don't have to join in the potluck/social hour, but you are welcome to do so. If you do plan to nosh, bring enough of something for six people. Yes, the program is free, but I can't be held responsible for what Judy will do to you if you start eating all the goodies without reciprocating.

2) Check out the beautiful gardens, and also the exhibit on California Indians at the adjoining Sherman Library. (Today's photos all come from that exhibit.)

3) If you read my blog but haven't been to an Orange County Historical Society event before, please do come up and introduce yourself to me when I'm done with the program. (I'll probably be running around in prep/panic mode beforehand.)

4) And finally, don't pay any attention to the "history" cited in that Register article either. Yikes!

The new Mendez v. Westminster exhibit, "A Class Action: The Grassroots Struggle for School Desegregation in California," had its "soft opening" at the Old Courthouse Museum in Santa Ana over Labor Day weekend. The grand opening will be on Sept. 10th at 4pm. There will be a reception, and CSUF Professor Ray Rast will discuss the research that went into this exhibit.

Our house, in the middle of the street...

2011-09-04T23:06:00.000-07:00

Last April, I told you about the City of Santa Ana settling a lawsuit filed by the Friends of the Historic Lacy Neighborhood. In short, the City gave in and allowed at least half of the historic homes slated for demolition in the Lacy Historic District be saved from the bulldozers. Those remaining on the demolition list were then stripped for historical salvage materials which went to the Santa Ana Historic Preservation Association. (Give them a call if you need something for your own historic home.)

I thought I'd share some photos I took last week of a few of the houses that have been saved outright thanks to the Friends of Lacy, including the one above, being moved to a lot down the street.

These homes are all in the vicinity of 6th Street in Santa Ana, between Main St. and the Train Station.

All these homes are to be renovated as part of the settlement agreement. The one above is going to take a lot of work after vagrants camped out in it for a while. When it's done, it will make a great home for someone (again).

Why would any city want to tear out charming homes like these to make way for insta-slums? Why should the citizens have to fight city hall to preserve properties like these? It's really impossible to understand.

There used to be a very active group called Let's Improve Santa Ana (L.I.S.A.), which was founded by that juggernaut of community activism, Adaline Walker. It seems like the movement today is Let's Trash Santa Ana. Let's be glad there are a few acolytes of Mrs. Walker left to fight the good fight. Santa Ana has taken a lot of punches to the face, but she's still got a lot of potential.

I've actually been inside this last house, and it's charming. It's an 1870s or 1880s home with high ceilings and an newer (circa 1930s) addition on the back. I can't wait to see what it looks like once it's cleaned up.

Snack Shop becomes restaurant empire

2011-09-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

John Reuben McIntosh and Audrey Forrow were both Marines at MCAS El Toro when they met. They married, and after leaving the Marine Corps they both started working in restaurants. In 1948, they both landed jobs at a restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway in Corona Del Mar -- John as a cook and Audrey as a waitress. They were there only two weeks when a kitchen fire caused a lot of damage and the owner decided to sell the place. The couple went to Audrey's father, John McIntyre, and asked him for a loan so they could buy it. Instead, he went into partnership with them. Together, they bought the place for $3,000.

The little restaurant, with only two tables and 10 counter seats, reopened on Oct. 19, 1948 as the first Snack Shop restaurant. Today, it still stands as the northern portion of what is now Ruby's Diner. (See photo above.)

It was so popular and successful that a second Snack Shop opened in Santa Ana in 1950. (Now El Pico de Gallo Grill, shown above.) And by 1960 the chain had grown to include eleven coffee shops. The McIntosh's remained very hands-on about their business. John is said to have been very detail oriented, and Audrey created many of the recipes and designed the decor and staff uniforms.

(Click on the menu to enlarge.)

Thinking beyond coffee shops, they also opened the first Reuben's restaurant in 1960. Snack Shops and Reuben's were just the beginning of the Far West Services company, which ultimately included such restaurants as Coco's (1965), Isadora's, Moonrakers, The Plankhouse, The Sandpiper, The Mooring, Baxter Street (dinner theater), The Whaler, The Reuben E. Lee, and more. At the top of their game, Far West was serving meals to 45,000 customers a day.

The Reuben E. Lee restaurants , in particular, were real landmarks, housed in what appeared to be old paddle wheel boats in Newport Harbor and on Harbor Island in San Diego. The one in Newport was dismantled in 2007.

But for some reason the original Snack Shop chain seems to hold the most memories for Orange Countians. Over at OC Then, nostalgia runs heavy for the Snack Shops' Nui Nui Burger and Chile Size. Here's a partial list of former Snack Shop locations:

Westcliff Plaza, 17th and Irvine, Newport Beach
2323 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, Hawaii (shown in photo above)
Pacific Coast Highway at MacArthur, Corona del MarSouth Main, across from the old Sears, Santa Ana
Chapman Ave. at Shaffer, Downtown Orange (shown in photo below)
17th St. at Flower, Santa Ana
Huntington Beach

Eventually, all the Snack Shops were turned into Coco's. Coco's, in turn, was ultimately sold to the Catalina Restaurant Group, which also owns Carrow's.

Disneyland carbeque, 1961

2011-09-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine found these photos, which someone had appearantly thrown away. These images were captioned, "As I got off work one afternoon, I saw smoke from the D[isneyland] parking lot." The fire took place right on the side of the lot facing Harbor Blvd. Can you identify any of the businesses in the background? The Saga Inn (featuring the Lancer's Restaurant) and the Charter House Hotel can be seen in the photo above. The motel in the background of the photo below seems to have a Middle Eastern motif.

Fun in San Juan Capistrano

2011-09-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here's an image of Downtown San Juan Capistrano from the Orange County Archives, showing just what kind of place it was in the 1950s. If you're a bit confused about the exact location, remember that The Swallows Inn had not yet moved to the other side of Camino Capistrano.

Random related story: I'm told that some decades ago Lindy Curry, Jim Sleeper and a few others tried to drum up an Orange County chapter of E. Clampus Vitus. It was to be called the "Swallows Chapter" -- not in honor of Capistrano's famous Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, but rather for the (in)famous Swallows Inn. Presumably, the place inspired them. Anyway, the idea never came to fruition and Orange County is still part of the Platrix Chapter, which includes Los Angeles.

Speaking of San Juan Capistrano,... The S.J.C. Historical Society will hold their annual barbeque on Sept. 11, 3pm, at Amates Campground on the Rancho Mission Viejo. (Head out of town toward the mountains on the Ortega Highway and it will be on your right. Watch for a sign!) Tri-tip, beans, salad, dessert and soft drinks will be served. $20 per person. Call (949) 493-8444 or contact museum@capistranohistory.org for more information or to RSVP. I attended last year, had a great time, and have been looking forward to going again all year. (Why can't they do this more often?!?) However, I already have plans for the 11th and can't go. Please go and enjoy the day (and the tri-tip) in my stead.

Pacific Beach Club, Trabuco General Store, etc.

2011-08-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

Next week I'm giving a talk about the rise and fall of the Pacific Beach Club, which once stood between Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. It's a tale of the early civil rights movement in Southern California. It's also a mystery involving Roaring '20s con-men, the KKK, towering Egyptian architecture, bathing beauties, and arson. This program will be the Orange County Historical Society's "season kick-off" program, held at Sherman Gardens, 2647 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, Corona del Mar, Sept. 8, 6:30pm.

The program is free and open to the public. The event will begin at 6:30pm with an appetizer/dessert potluck (bring enough of something for six people if you'd like to participate). The program will begin at 7:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Want to own your own piece of back-country charm? The Trabuco General Store (1940) is now up for sale. Details appear in the Register.

Casa Romantica's aforementioned "Salute To Hollywood" exhibit opened this evening. Admission is $5. As I mentioned before, it will include some materials and artifacts of movies shot in Orange County from the recent O.C. Archives exhibit.

Marine One, Diedrich Coffee, First American, etc.

2011-08-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

One of the more interesting things to see at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda is the presidential helicopter, Marine One, used by Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. It's the same copter Nixon left the White House in the day he resigned. For a vehicle that size, the interior feels surprisingly cramped. But from the limed oak paneling to the retro carpeting to the ashtrays and Modern seats, it really feels like you're visiting the 1960s. The Heritage Museum of Orange County (remember our friends at the Kellogg House?) are now sponsoring a Speakers Series, and some of the talks sound pretty interesting. For starters, on Sept. 11th, Martin Diedrich will talk about the history of coffeehouses in Orange County, and on Oct. 9th, Parker S. Kennedy, Executive Chairman of First American Financial Corp. will talk about his company's long history and its dedication to preserving Orange County's heritage. I'm interested to hear both!

Been to check out the photos on the Orange County History Flickr group lately? (With over 4,000 images!) What could it hurt?

Bozo's Birthday at Knott's Berry Farm

2011-08-24T21:41:00.000-07:00

No, there's no excuse for this post, except that I'm tired. And at some point I was bound to post this stupid image I saved from an eBay auction. Warning: Creepy clown in Buena Park!

I believe this is Vance Colvig, Jr. appearing as KTLA's version of Bozo the Clown. He was the son of the original Bozo, Pinto Colvig. (Insert your own joke about your least favorite politician being "the original Bozo *HERE*.)

Orange book, Gordie Duane, Civil War roots, etc.

2011-08-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

Phil Brigandi's brand new book, A Brief History of Orange, California: The Plaza City, is now available for preorder from The History Press' website. The Chamber of Commerce should buy a big stack and give one to everybody who moves to town.

Today's photo shows Orange City Hall in 1921. The current City Hall is at the same location, on Chapman Ave. Boy, if I had a nickel for every time somebody told me how much more they liked the old city hall...

News from Sunset Beach: Famed local surfer and surfboard maker Gordie Duane just passed away. Barbara Haynes of the Huntington Beach Historic Resources Board writes, "he had the first surfbord shop under the Huntington Beach Pier. Then, after a fire, it was moved to the corner of 13th and PCH." Read more in the Surfers Journal.

Want to help with a Civil War genealogy project? Hal Horrocks of the Orange County California Genealogical Society (OCCGS) writes, "We have taken it upon ourselves to do the genealogies of all 500+ civil war vets buried in O.C. The project will probably take from 2 to 4 years to complete. Would it be possible to make an announcement ...about what we are doing and see if anyone might be interested in helping?" Contact Hal via email if you'd like to lend a hand. (Note: This project builds on the great work already done by Charles Beal, Gordon Bricken and their associates.)

Thanks to my readers for all the comments, suggestions and information you send along -- both digitally and in person. Writing this blog is fun, but it's a lot more fun with your input. As our attentive reader (spammer), Cheap Louis Vitton Bags put it recently, "We would find much happiness in reviewing the past."

Home Savings of America

2011-08-22T00:57:00.001-07:00

I hear there's an effort underway to have ALL the old Home Savings buildings in Southern California -- as a group -- declared historical landmarks. I've never heard of a group classification like this, but I think these buildings are quite deserving. Why? Mainly because of the work Millard Sheets and the artists working under him applied to these buildings, both inside and out. Sheets was one of California's most important artists, and these buildings remain an amazing way to share art (and often history) with the people of this sprawling Southern California metropolis.

Adam Arenson runs a fascinating blog on this subject. Go and spend a couple hours reading.

Closer to home, artist Kevin Kidney of the Anaheim Historical Society is promoting the restoration of the fountain and John Edward Svenson sculpture, "Child on Dolphin," in front of the old Home Savings (now Chase Bank) at Harbor and Lincoln in Anaheim. The work was commissioned in 1970. The photo at the top of today's post shows the whole facade of the building shortly after it opened.

When Kevin says something should be restored, it's not just a passing thought. He and the also-enormously-talented Jody Daily have restored more than a few works of public art including the beloved Mr. Bali Hai statue at the Bali Hai Restaurant in San Diego.

I love the fact that these buildings and their art are finally getting the recognition they deserve. How refreshing and surprising, considering our reputation in Southern California, that they haven't been torn down already.

Fox Fullerton, Disneyland Hotel, and Bowers

2011-08-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

The still-under-renovation Fox Theatre in Downtown Fullerton recently took on a whole new look when the distinctive triangular marquee and the ticket booth were removed from the front. They've both been there for almost 60 years. However, the plan is to replace them with a 2-dimensional marquee like the one that was in use in the 1930s. See the Fox Theatre's website for more information.

I hear the D23 (read Disney fanatic) Convention in Anaheim this weekend was a bit toned-down from earlier years. Still, I hear there was some sort of ceremony for recently inducted "Disney Legends," including the late Jack and Bonita Wrather, who created the Disneyland Hotel. Our pal Werner Weiss recently wrote about their induction on his Yesterland site.

On a related note, Don Ballard's second book on the history of the Disneyland Hotel is now available for order. His first book was a beauty. I expect no less from this one.

Catching up: I missed this post on the Bowers Museum blog about Mrs. Ada E. Bowers and her memorial fountain. (The one in need of repair.) They mention how the Bowers left their land and money for the purposes of building a museum. Can you guess what details of the Bowers bequest are not mentioned in the article? Drop us a note in the "Comments" section if you know the answer.

Fatty Arbuckle and O.C. Archives film exhibit

2011-08-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

Roscoe C. "Fatty" Arbuckle (1887-1933) was one of the silver screen's first big comic stars. Best known as an actor, he also worked as a screenwriter and director. Raised in Santa Ana, he got the nickname "Fatty" from his school mates. (Aren't the little nippers charming?). In 1921, he was accused of raping and killing a girl. He was acquitted of these crimes, but his career was ruined. The still above shows Arbuckle wielding a mallet in the 1915 film, "Fickle Fatty's Fall," which was at least partially shot at the Joy Zone in Seal Beach. (Arbuckle's cousin, Santa Ana native Al St. John also appeared in this Mack Sennett film.)

It looks like many of the contents of the recent exhibit about silent films shot in Orange County, (assembled by the Orange County Archives, with funding from OC Parks) will reappear soon as part of a film exhibit at Casa Romantica in San Clemente. There's a possibility that it will also move on to the Fullerton Museum at a later date. Who knew we'd get this much mileage out of it?

The Enchanted Tiki Library

2011-08-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Since they've been desperately trying to pitch themselves as "Surf City" for the past decade or so, you'd think Huntington Beach would be more proud of what may be the world's only "Enchanted Tiki Library." The photo above shows the 2,400-square-foot Banning Branch Library, which began life in 1962 as the tract office for the housing developments being built all around it. Several of those tracts, including Newport West, featured some Polynesian-themed roof lines and street names, and the tract office was built to echo that theme. It was located at 22171 Bushard Ave.

On March 26, 1968 the whole building was moved just down the road and around the corner to 9281 Banning Ave., and was turned into a neighborhood branch of the Huntington Beach Public Library. In 2007, the City hired an architectural firm to draw up plans for a new 12,500 square-foot building to replace the current one. The economy has stalled this plan for the time being, but the intent is still there.

I'm all in favor of libraries, and certainly I'm in favor of bigger, better libraries in my own backyard. But I do hope the new building pays some homage to the old one. It's a great example of 1960s Polynesian Pop Architecture and an extremely rare remaining example of the offices that were once such a central part of Orange County's historically important boom years. Maybe they could even find a way to incorporate some of the old building into the new one. I could definitely see playing up the theme more, with interiors by Oceanic Arts and subtropical plants for landscaping.

"Surf City" indeed!

Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington Beach

2011-08-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

Here's an ad from the Nov. 24, 1916 edition of the Huntington Beach News, proclaiming the impending arrival of the new Coast Boulevard, (now known as Pacific Coast Highway. A few interesting points: The wide spot in the road called Los Patos was at the top of the bluffs just above the point where Warner Ave. crosses the highway.

Also note the zig-zaggy path from the bottom right corner of the map up toward Santa Ana. That was the short-lived Pacific Electric route that ran from H.B. to Talbert (now Fountain Valley), to Greenville and on to Santa Ana. When a flood knocked out the bridge over the Santa Ana River, it was never rebuilt. However, portions of the track from Santa Ana down through Greenville still exist.

The rest of the ad reads,...

"It is estimated that more than 500,000 people with at least 100,000 automobiles visit Long Beach annually. With the completion of a Coast Boulevard, Huntington Beach is sure to get a good share of this travel. Many are going to be impressed with our fine, high townsite and decide to stay here. Why not?
"Our three and a half miles of beach is second to none. We have back of us the richest farm lands in California, and OUR PRICES ARE THE LOWEST. Now is the time to invest before the completion of the Coast Boulevard. We have only a few close-in lots left on our special terms of NO TAXES AND NO INTEREST. Come in and see us before it is too late.
HUNTINGTON BEACH COMPANY"

Speaking of Huntington Beach, Snake Gabrielson's online "Surfing Library" has posted local hero Bud Higgin's memories of the earliest days of surfing in the area. Link on over.

Smoking at the beach and drinking at the helm

2011-08-14T20:12:00.001-07:00

The image above, taken from the Sept. 1, 1927 issue of the Los Angeles Express, is an ad for Motor Transit Stages. (Click image to embiggen.) In 1920, this service took over the old White Bus Line, which began in 1916. The Motor Transit Stage line, in turn was taken over by the Pacific Electric Motor Transit Lines, which operated from 1930 to 1953. These services were similar to the stagecoaches of the Old West in the sense that they took passengers to places the railroads (or trolleys) could not. An example of such a location is Laguna Beach, which never did get a line on the Pacific Electric Railway.

As far as the ad itself goes, I'm particularly taken with the fact that the man is enjoying the clean ocean air with his wife and child while puffing away on a cigarette. More than the old touring car, and more than the outmoded beach attire, that cigarette shows how much times have changed.

The Register recently reported the theft of the century-old school bell that served Buena Park's first school and which more recently stood in front of the Buena Park School District's office. One reader responded, "From now on when we catch these aholes I want their hands chopped off..." Sounds fair to me.

An article about the Los Rios Historic District in San Juan Capistrano also made the Register recently. Glad to see them promoting some fun historical sites lately.

I recently heard that The Helm has finally closed in Costa Mesa. Personally, never entered the place. It looked like the kind of joint where people go strictly to get drunk and stay that way. (A concept nearly as out-of-date as the smoking beach-goer at the top of today's post.) However, one also got the sense that The Helm was a time capsule. The exterior, at least, looked like it was locked in time in about 1958. For a description of the interior, I refer you to Gustavo's colorful article in the O.C. Weekly. I should point out that this closure came on the heels of an ADA lawsuit. (Can't historical landmarks be grandfathered in?)

Detour through Los Angeles

2011-08-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

I know, I know,... WRONG COUNTY! But the land that is now Orange County was once part of Los Angeles County. That all changed in August of 1889, when we left the fold and set up shop for ourselves. Today's image is the cover of an old (1920s?) promotional brochure from the impressive collection of William Hockinson.

Orange County Historian Jim Sleeper once told me about an L.A. newspaper reporter who came to him to ask questions about Orange County's "provincialism." Jim answered his questions the best he could. Near the end of the interview the reporter asked one more question: "So, how often do you visit Los Angeles?"

"Hell," Jim replied, "I wouldn't drive to Los Angeles to watch Jesus Christ wrestle a grizzly bear!"
I'm told that quote ended up on the front page of the newspaper.

I can understand Jim's sentiments. Growing up in Southern California, most of my experiences with Los Angeles built a picture of a dangerous, smoggy, dirty place with way too much traffic.

But author, artist, neon expert and Los Angeles enthusiast J. Eric Lynxwiler recently convinced me to visit Downtown L.A. for a tour of its historic sites. I figured any tour Eric gave would be more than worth battling the traffic, but I remained wary.

Then he threw in an offer to visit "behind the scenes" of L.A. Public Library's massive History & Genealogy Collection. This sounded even better than watching Jesus wrestle a grizzly bear! I was in.

What I didn't realize was that Eric would bring along yet another L.A. expert and L.A. Conservancy tour guide, Shannon Simonds. I was suddenly a tour group of one, with TWO of the city's best tour guides. And for our tour of the library, we were led by yet a THIRD expert, Christina Rice, Acting Senior Librarian of the Photographic Collection.

My visit to our "mother county" was fascinating and a lot of fun. (Major thanks to all three of my guides!) I would try describing the whole day to you, but I think my photos tell the story better. To see them, check out this link to my Downtown L.A. photo series.

Festival of Arts

2011-08-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

Looking for something to do this weekend? The Festival of Arts is on in Laguna Beach. Here's an event program from the 1950s.

Nixon exhibits, Anaheim's Founders' Park, etc.

2011-08-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today's photo takes some explaining. You see, the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda was started by the Nixon Foundation, which is composed of Richard Nixon's friends and supporters. But the National Archives wouldn't send Nixon's presidential papers to the Library unless they were given control of the place. It's my understanding that in the end, the Foundation only ended up with control over a few areas of the facility, including the lobby and at least part of the gift shop.

Recently, the National Archives folks opened a new permanent exhibit on Watergate that some Nixon supporters saw as an attack. Soon thereafter, the Foundation placed this sign (shown above) in the lobby. It's a quote from President Clinton, which reads, "May the day of judging President Nixon on anything less than his entire life and career come to a close."

Belated congratulations to Anaheim on their new Founders' Park, which opened to much fanfare two weeks ago. The park includes the beautifully restored Woelke-Stoffel House (1894), the Mother Colony House (1857), a carriage house, a pump house, a windmill, other samples of Anaheim's agricultural past, and a ginormous fig tree which served as a model for Disneyland's Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. I've been watching the park's progress, and can't wait to see what the final product looks like! A lot of good people put a lot of long hours, blood, sweat, and tears into this project.

The Register covered the Founders' Park grand opening, but used different headlines for the online and print editions of the story. The print edition's headline was, I think, correct in calling the Mother Colony House the oldest wood frame home in Orange County. The headline for the online version simply called it "O.C.'s oldest home." There are quite a few people living in adobes who would be surprised to hear that. Let that be a lesson to us all: The act of putting an article -- even the exact same article -- on the Internet immediately makes it less accurate. What chance does a blogger have?

The Dana Point Historical Society has announced Oct. 2nd (11am-4pm) as the date for their annual home tour. Keep an eye on their website for forthcoming details.

DPHS also has an article on their website about William Goodwin Dana, (a relative of town namesake Richard Henry Dana, Jr.,) who ran the prosperous Rancho Nipomo and served in public office in early Santa Barbara. His adobe home is currently undergoing restoration work, but it seems that tours are still available. Okay,... The Orange County link here is a bit tenuous. But any excuse to visit California's central coast is a good excuse.

Aliso Viejo's Ten-Cennial

2011-07-31T20:50:00.001-07:00

Anniversaries are a good time to publish local histories. Huntington Beach got Joe Santiago's Ebb & Flow for its centennial, for instance. Well, this month the City of Aliso Viejo turned 10, and sure enough, here comes a new book.

Images of America: Aliso Viejo by Bob Bunyan and the Aliso Viejo Community Foundation comes in at 128 pages, total. Of those, only 13 pages deal with that particular chunk of land from pre-historic times up through the 1960s. And of those 13 pages, almost half the space is taken up with modern images of Acjachemen village re-enactments.

Of the remaining 115 pages, 28 deal with the activities of the Mission Viejo Co. in the 1970s and 1980s. The rest of the book -- that is to say, the majority of the it -- deals with Aliso Viejo proper, from development in the 1980s and 1990s through today.

I'll leave it to you whether or not this counts as history yet. But if you love Orange County's newest city, and want a keepsake, this is your go-to book.

Judge Pleasants and wolves

2011-07-29T19:33:00.001-07:00

The photo above shows Judge J. E. Pleasants in about 1900. I briefly discussed him in my last entry and said that "Much, much more can be said about Pleasants, but that's a whole 'nuther post."

Some wiseguy soon responded, "...Get with it and follow-up with articles on 'the judge.'"

That was already my intention. But the more I dug into the story, the more I realized that to do any kind of justice at all to the man's story, one would need to write a book. So I've started a Pleasants file, and maybe the book will happen someday.

Short of that, I offer you this link to a biographical thumbnail sketch and timeline, from the finding aid for the Pleasants Family Collection in UCI's Special Collections.

For a small sample of the kind of colorful stories omitted by such summaries, I offer the following tale, told by Pleasants and quoted in Terry Stephenson's Shadows of Old Saddleback. The story took place in the 1860s, when Pleasants was foreman of the Rancho Lomas de Santiago.

"In the upper Canada de Las Ranas [a.k.a. Peters Canyon], the Precitas [Canyon] and the Limestone [Canyon], a pack of seven big timber wolves pestered our stock. ... Among the vaqueros was one of Spanish descent named Aramente who had a 7-year-old son named Stanislaus. One evening the boy was sent afoot by his father to bring in a horse. ... The boy found him feeding on the plains out where the golf grounds were afterward located. Stanislaus caught the animal, but was unable to mount him, so with his little dog trotting along beside him, he was leading the horse toward home... when the pack of wolves swooped down off the hills and rushed at him. By waving his arms and by his cries, the little fellow kept the wolves off. They ran round and round, jumping at him, snapping their jaws. They would have killed the boy, I am sure, if the dog had not intervened. That plucky little dog got his teeth in a wolf, and the whole pack turned on him. While the wolves were killing the brave dog, the boy ran toward home.
"Becoming anxious over the failure of Stanislaus to return... Aramante and I rode out to look for him and had just reached the crest... when we saw the boy running toward us nearly exhausted and in a terrible fright. The wolves, sensing our approach, had turned and we glimpsed them fleeing over the hills."

Who knew Orange County had wolves?

Of course it doesn't anymore. After this harrowing experience, the pack of wolves was made "enemy number one" on the rancho and didn't survive long. And we've heard of no local wolf sitings since.

I tell you this to ease the concerns of those readers who may have built their condominiums out of straw or sticks.

Billy the Kid was in the closet

2011-07-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

I recently visited Helena Modjeska's home at Arden. (If you haven't driven out to see it, please do. It's now one of Orange County's Historic Parks, and definitely worth scheduling a tour.) One of many curious things that caught my attention was a closet where most of the wallpaper had come off, revealing old newspapers underneath! Hardly anything is as historically interesting as old newspapers, but it's damned near impossible to read them upside-down and backwards in a dark closet. With that in mind, I asked for permission to photograph some of the closet walls so I could decipher them later. Today's images both come from that set of photos.

The first one, above, was easy. One article begins "Las Vegas, N.M. -- The Gazette has positive... ...ion that Billy the Kid, the notorious murderer and outlaw who for several years has been the terror of New Mexico cattle men, was on... inst. killed by Pat Garrett ...[Sheriff] of Lincoln county. Garrett... been on his trail for some... overhauled him... [Fort] Sumner and shot... was a native of... his real name..." (The ellipses indicate physically missing portions of the article.)

Garrett shot Billy the Kid on July 14, 1881. So the paper was probably printed shortly after that date. The reference to the Gazette makes me wonder if this was a copy of the Anaheim Gazette, which seems likely. Someday I should check it against the microfilm at the Anaheim History Room.

In any case, this scrap of newspaper also included the following gem: "A contemporary commenting on 'Clara Belle's' the fashion writer's statement that 'during the coming season ladies will wear nothing but longitudinally striped hose,' observes, 'The printer must have overlooked her copy describing her other apparel.'"

But most interestingly of all, this 1881 newspaper pre-dates Modjeska moving into and expanding the house. These papers were most likely put in place by "Judge" Joseph Edward Pleasants, who had owned the property previously.

This will be blasphemy to some, but I personally find Judge Pleasants a more interesting local historical figure than Modjeska. A true Orange County pioneer, he moved to the Santa Ana Mountains a few years after his first visit to the area in 1859 and he never left. As well as being one of the first white settlers in that area, he became the foreman for William Wolfskill's ranch, conducted the first recorded bear hunt in Orange County, helped found the first Orange County Fair Association, judged horse races (hence his honorific), kept bees, and was one of the first members of the Orange County Historical Society. Much, much more can be said about Pleasants, but that's a whole 'nuther post.
This second newspaper remnant proved to have a bit less wow factor, but was fun to puzzle out anyway. First, I found a reference to U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms Richard J. Bright, who served in that position from 1879 to 1883. Another article mentioned that the U.S. Census was running out of money, so that put it around 1880. But the article about James B. Doyle being sentenced to ten years in prison for bond forgery pinned down the date to late June or early July of 1881.

It will be interesting, as I go through the rest of these papers, to see if all of them are from Summer 1881 or not, and whether they contain any local news. If I find other cool stuff in Madame Modjeska's closet, I'll let you know.

Tacos and websites

2011-07-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today's photo shows the grand opening of the 100th Taco Bell in the chain, at 400 S. Brookhurst in Anaheim in 1967. There's still a Taco Bell near the same location today, but don't expect to see our little fiberglass friend out front, or the colorful signage, or the bell, or local officials in business suits. [Update: Thanks to Gustavo Arellano for pointing out that the current restaurant is in a newer building at an adjacent location. Sometimes I should just "Ask an Anaheimer" to begin with.]

I'm down with a cold-type bug right now, so I've had time to check the links on my blog. I fixed a number of them, and stumbled across some other items of potential interest:

1) The Heritage Museum of Orange County (that's the place with the Kellogg House, dontchaknow) is now on Facebook. Go friend the heck out of them!

2) The Nixon Foundation is now offering a blog to help you keep up with all things Nixony.

3) The Orange County History group on Flickr now has over 4,000 images.

4) Both the Seal Beach Historical Society and the Orange County Mexican American Historical Society seem to have completely given up on their respective websites. If you know about new URLs for these groups, please let me know and I will update accordingly.

5) I also added a link to the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton.

If you know about other sites I should link to, or have other updates for the ol' Roundup, please let me know. Your comments are appreciated.

Capistrano, Placentia, Santa Ana, and silent films

2011-07-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

This is the plot plan for Mission San Juan Capistrano created as part of a Works Progress Administration's Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), back in the 1930s. This image, along with many other drawings and photos of the Mission, are available on the Library of Congress' website. In fact, the HABS section of their site has this kind of detailed information for thousands and thousands of historic structures all over America. Other Orange County HABS surveys were done in Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Tustin, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Anaheim, and Irvine.

Speaking of Capistrano, right now, the Mission is featuring an exhibit entitled, "Mission Treasures: Historical Collection Revealed." The exhibit includes historic artifacts from the Mission that have not been seen in decades, including rare paintings, religious artifacts, and documents related to the Mission's history. The exhibit runs through Sept. 5th, and is open daily, 10am-5pm.

The Santa Ana Historic Preservation Society has presented their 2011 Preservation Award to the Boukai family.

I'm sad to report that the Placentia Library's history room now has extremely limited hours. It's best to call and make an appointment if you want to go in and do research.

On a positive note, the Friends of the Santa Ana Library have purchased a microfilm machine for the Santa Ana History Room, so historians can get back to digging through the old newspapers. Of course, that collection also has short hours these days, so be sure to check their website to see when they're open.

And finally, a reminder that you can still see the exhibit, "On Location: Orange County in Silent Film," at the Old Orange County Courthouse, 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, until Aug. 5th. It's free to the public.

Up to our bootops in Fountain Valley

2011-07-20T00:14:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought there were no exciting early photos of Fountain Valley,... I bring you.... mud.

This image shows the aftermath of the 1916 flood on the area surrounding Talbert. It's just miles and miles of mud. This particluar patch of red river silt, in the foreground, was near the corner of Magnolia Ave. and Heil St, and was a foot deep. Note the highwater mark on the barn.

My thanks to Dann Gibb for his continual help with all things Fountain Valley. I can't wait to see your O.C. Fair submission this year, Dann. It'll be hard to beat your earlier entries. The rabbit foot collection (mounted to a model of a Mongol horseman) and your dad's jar of "prison soap carvings" were particular favorites.

Los Alamitos-Rossmoor History Project

2011-07-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

Blogger Larry Strawther has started what he calls the Los Alamitos-Rossmoor History Project, featuring a wide variety of articles about the area's past. He emailed me about this new site awhile ago, but I lost the message (along with all my other email) when my hard drive crashed. Anyway, mosey on over and check it out.

Today's image comes from an old City of Los Alamitos promotional brochure. They take a bit of liberty in declaring their city "founded" with the first "Spanish Grant" in 1784. The town sprang up in the late 1890s, supporting the nearby sugar factory. The city wasn't incorporated until 1960.

Also, as we historical folk like to point out, there were no actual Spanish land grants. Grazing rights might be granted for a particular area, but the King of Spain owned all Spanish territory. (In 1784, retired soldier Manuel Nieto was given such rights on land that included the Los Alamitos area.) It wasn't until the Mexican government was in charge that California land was actually granted to citizens.

That said, I do like the jaunty, hand-painted, "Welcome to," part of the sign. And it's interesting that they chose a more motherly, less cheese-cakey woman to stand next to their sign. Whether that was planned or not, it certainly fit the family-friendly middle-class vibe Orange County exuded in the middle part of the 20th Century.

Disneyland and fishing in San Clemente

2011-07-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today is Disneyland's 56th birthday. The image above was shot for an issue of the Orange County Industrial News -- a spine-tingling read to be sure -- and shows the airport coach (a 1957 or 1958 Chrysler Saratoga) at the Disneyland Hotel. I'm guessing the year was 1958 or so. I'm sure Mr. Ballard will be along shortly to fill us in on details.

For your early Disneyland fix, check out Mark Eades' interview with Diane Disney Miller (Uncle Walt's daughter,) in the Orange County Register. (Mark also posted a short article about Alice Davis, who contributed so much creative work to Disney over the years.)

One more Disneyland historical note: Sam Perricone, the long time owner of Main Street's Citrus House, has passed away. Link out for details.

Casa Romantica is hosting an exhibit on the history of fishing in San Clemente through Aug. 14th. A Register article about some of that history will give you a head start before you go.

My grandfather loved fishing in San Clemente on vacations in the 1940s and '50s. These were my family's first encounters with Orange County. Personally, I prefer not to meet critters I plan to eat until they're on display in plastic wrap at the supermarket.

Admiral Joe Fowler & King Hussein at Disneyland

2011-07-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday will be the 56th Anniversary of the opening of Disneyland. Instead of another photo of Walt, the image above shows Admiral Joe Fowler, showing a signboard full of coming Disneyland attractions to King Hussein of Jordan in April 1959. Additions that opened that summer included the Monorail, the Submarines, and the Matterhorn. A color image of the same signboard can be seen below. (I think I snagged the color one from an eBay auction at some point.) A clearer version can be found on Flickr.

Rear Admiral Joseph W. Fowler (1894-1993) had a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy and was in charge of the naval shipyard in San Francisco during WWII. During the planning phases for Disneyland, it was felt that a naval expert was needed to help build the Mark Twain steamboat. Disneyland Vice President and General Manager C.V. Wood, Jr. contacted the retired admiral. Not only did Fowler get the job, but he also got the job of supervising the construction of the entire theme park. Some years later, he was given the same task at Walt Disney World in Florida. He also, beginning at age 87, worked on Epcot Center. The dry dock for the Mark Twain and sailing ship Columbia is still known as "Fowler's Harbor."

It seems King Hussein's first visit to Anaheim in 1959 went pretty smoothly. A return trip to Disneyland in 1981, with Queen Noor and their two young sons, was a bit rockier as a park guest innocently blew past the large security detail and shook hands with the King.

Meanwhile, back at the Pavalon...

2011-07-10T02:02:00.000-07:00

I'm having too much fun with the old photos of the Huntington Beach Pavalon that I stumbled across on eBay. This one is from about 1947, and the band playing is George Laughlin and the Melody Crew.

Details on this local band are hard to come by. In 1958, Laughlin played with both of his bands -- the Melody Crew AND the Millionaires -- at an event at the Disneyland Hotel. By 1964 he was both the owner and the maitre d' of a restaurant and nightclub called Million-Aires, on West Chapman Ave. in Orange. Not surprisingly, the Millionaires were the house band at Million-Aires, and the versatile Mr. Laughlin sat in on drums.

In a strange twist, there is now another band called the Millionaires based in Orange County. The new Millionaires is a group of young girls from Huntington Beach who play something the Interweb describes as "explicit electropop."

I'm guessing I'd like the old Millionaires better than the new ones.

Summer fun in Southern California

2011-07-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

This fanciful map comes from a 1960 issue of Vacationland magazine. I have to admit, I don't remember where I got this image (mea culpa!) but I really wanted to share it here.

What rhymes with "orange?"

2011-07-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

The Santiago Orange Growers Association (SOGA) started out in 1893 and closed up shop in 1965. Their brands included Epicure (their "choice" label, shown above), SS (an unfortunate moniker), Everite, Planet, Scepter, Cardinal, and Progressive. SOGA's packing house was in Orange, and was eventually purchased by Villa Park Orchards Association. For a bit more about SOGA, see my post from 3-27-2010.

Speaking of oranges, Stan Oftelie's new Orange County history book for children, Nothing Rhymes With Orange, is now available through Amazon. Stan's unique approach seems a lot less dry than most earlier attempts at this kind of book. He makes the subject relevant and readable for children without talking down to them. Hopefully, this book will serve as a "gateway drug" to many future Orange County history addicts. Gotta get 'em hooked while they're young!

Now I'm off to Marie Callender's for dinner and a slice of pie. Hope they're still there!

Before there was line dancing...

2011-07-06T22:29:00.001-07:00

It's always a good time to visit the Pavalon in Huntington Beach. Well, actually, now would be a bad time, since it's gone. (Duke's is now located in a new building at that location, at the foot of the pier.) But here's a nice late-1940s photo of the Pavalon anyway. I found the image on eBay.

Note that Ole Rasmussen and his Nebraska Cornhuskers were playing. Ole wasn't a musician himself, but I understand he ran a great Western Swing band. Naturally, the Nebraska Cornhuskers were a California band. I found the photo of the band shown below in a post at The Steele Guitar Forum. This photo is also from the late 1940s, although it was not taken at the Pavalon. (I've been listening to a lot of 78s lately, and I'm developing a bit of a soft spot in my heart for Western Swing. You could do worse than Spade Cooley's "Oklahoma Stomp.")

Sorry these posts are a little thin, folks. I've been writing a long article for the forthcoming Orange Countiana (Vol. 7), and it's eating some of my spare time. I'm enjoying the chance to tell a story in more depth and do more original research. But I'm also a little more anxious than usual about doing this right, because I'll be sharing the pages of Vol. 7 with historians I greatly respect. Anyway, I think you'll find the subject interesting, even if it's obvious that I'm the new kid among practiced pros.

Seals of Approval

2011-07-05T23:11:00.000-07:00

And you thought there we no seals in Seal Beach! This photo is from about 1921.

Huntington Beach Fourth of July, 1951

2011-07-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

This 1951 image of Lake Park in Huntington Beach is one of my favorite Fourth of July images in the Orange County Archives collections. (Click image to embiggen.) Taken just after the famous Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade, it's full-to-overflowing with classic Americana and Orange Countiana. (Paging Charles Phoenix! Paging Mr. Charles Phoenix!)
Drum majorettes wait for the milkman to dole out ice cream cups and sporks. The local Shriners are working the barbeques (which still stand today) in the background. And to go with the burgers and hot dogs, there are Cokes (in glass bottles) and Laura Scudders potato chips. Among the crowd are the various equestrians, still in their "Wild West" and "Old Mexico" costumes. And of course, on the horizon, are the ever-present Huntington Beach oil derricks.

The ice cream was from Excelsior Creamery, which also had a big floral float in the parade to carry "Queen" Joanne Morrison of Santa Ana College, and her "Princesses," Pat Calloway, Diana Charlton, Darlene Higgins (daughter of pioneer surfer Bud Higgins), Betty Jones, and Marilyn Kamphefner.

The parade's theme was a tribute to those serving in the Korean War. Both the El Toro Marine Band and the U.S. Naval Recruiting Band from San Diego marched and played the length of the parade route. Admiral Wilder Baker was the military grand marshal.

All told, there were 300 units in the parade. It was followed by a bathing beauty contest at the foot of the pier, the aforementioned picnic in Lake Park, a horse show at Tom Talbert's race track, and a fireworks show launched off the end of the pier.

I hope you enjoy an all-American Independence Day celebration in your own community this year.

The world's largest electronics plant that never was

2011-07-02T23:49:00.000-07:00

Today's image comes from the 3-11-1968 issue of the Laguna News-Post. It's an artist's concept of the forthcoming North American Rockwell aerospace plant in Laguna Niguel, which was to employ 7,500 people. (It's a fuzzy image, and it's not all that old -- But how often do I have opportunities to showcase Laguna Niguel?) If built as shown above, it would have been the biggest electronics plant in the world.

But shortly after this image was created, the aerospace industry hit a downturn, with both the space program and the Vietnam War ramping down. Plans for the plant were changed, and we ended up with the William Pereira-designed "Ziggurat" building we all know today. But even that iconic building had to be sold as soon as it was completed, around 1970.

After some horse-trading, the government ended up with this strange landmark, which became known as the Chet Holifield Federal Building in 1978. Today, it houses offices for the IRS, Homeland Security, and other popular agencies. Until recently, it also housed the Pacific Region branch of the National Archives, which were recently moved to Perris, where they're less likely to be bothered by pesky patrons.

Evangeline restoration, living history, and parks

2011-07-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Glad tidings! First of all, my computer is (mostly) working now, so I can post again. But also, I was just sent a link to the very impressive plans for the exterior restoration of the historic Evangeline Hotel (1906) in Huntington Beach! (Links to old photos here and here.) Just for starters, they're tearing off the asbestos siding, putting back the cedar shingles, and replicating the original porch pillars. And better yet, it's going to be a residence, not a rehab facility or halfway house. I've lost count of how many times the Evangeline seemed doomed, so this is an especially pleasant surprise. (See the plans here.)

The Orange County Historical Commission is hosting three days of how-to workshops on "living history" later this month. It will begin with a two-day intensive training entitled, "What is Living History: Techniques to Bring History to Life" on July 14 & 15, 9am to 4pm at Heritage Hill Historical Park in El Toro. On Saturday, a class entitled “Past Voices, Present Faces” will be held at the Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana. The instructor will be John C.F. Luzader, V.P. of Programs for the National Association for Interpretation. He is also a principal with Living Museums of the West, a historical consultant, and an actor. For more information, contact Sue McIntire at (949) 923-2231.

The Voice of OC recently posted an article about the history and development of parks in Orange County. It's very interesting, and I learned a number of things from it. Link on over.

Huntington Beach, Yost Theatre, and bye to pie

2011-06-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

My computer is still thrashed and awaiting delivery of TWO new harddrives. So the posts are still few and far between here -- using a borrowed computer. Anyway,... Today's photos show one of the most under-appreciated (but very cool) buildings in Downtown Huntington Beach: The deco/moderne Cut-Rate Drug Store, which still stands today at the corner of Main St. and Walnut.

The store was built in 1938 by well-known local oil-tool mogul S. R. Bowen. A number of sources place the construction date earlier, but this photo (below) from the 3-3-1938 issue of The Huntington Beach News settles the issue.

I received the following email about Santa Ana's historic Yost Theatre today, and I thought someone might be able to help:

Hello. I'm working on the Yost Theatre, reconstructing the upper part of the stage area, and I was wondering if you had (or knew of anyone with) photos from say 1940 to 1960. If so, please pass along my email address. ...Thanks. oddjobfortwo@gmail.com

Sad news: Orange County restaurant chain Marie Callender's is in Chapter 11, and many locations are closing. The story is in the Register.

Los Alamitos and technical difficulties

2011-06-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today's photo shows Downtown Los Alamitos in about 1920. Note the dirt roads, false front Western buildings and the sugar factory in the background. You can see why Hollywood filmmakers used Los Alamitos as a location for shooting westerns. The image comes from the Orange County Archives.

I'm afraid my computer at home is seriously screwed up at the moment. Accordingly, I'm not posting much to this blog or even getting much access to my home email account. My apologies. I hope to get the problems dealt with over the next week or so. Thanks for your patience. (Not that I really gave you a choice.)

From Golden Horseshoe to Pearly Gates

2011-06-05T00:25:00.000-07:00

The two biggest stars of Disneyland's record-setting Golden Horseshoe Revue (1955-1986) died only a day apart from each other this past week. The "Clown Prince of Disneyland," Wally Boag, who played Pecos Bill for 39,522 performances between 1955 and 1982, died Friday. His long-time co-star, Betty Taylor, who played the role of Slue-Foot Sue for about 30 years, died Saturday.

The Golden Horseshoe Revue was the longest continually running stage show in history. Both actors and the Revue itself are in the Guiness Book of World Records for their record-setting run. Taylor and Boag also appeared in a made-for-TV movie version of the Revue which also starred Annette Funicello, Ed Wynn, Gene Sheldon, Fulton Burley and Walt Disney. Taylor also performed on stage with well-known Big Bands and performing alongside stars like Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas.

Boag was an inspiration to many comedic performers. Steve Martin, who grew up working at Disneyland, tweeted, "My hero, the first comedian I ever saw live, my influence, a man to whom I aspired, has passed on. Wally Boag."

Speaking of Steve Martin at Disneyland, a rare 1957 photo of a very young Martin selling guidebooks at the Main Gate has surfaced in a recent post on the Daveland Blog. It's definitely one of those "holy grail" photos we never thought we'd see. (Speaking of which, have any of you found a photo of Walter Knott and Walt Disney together yet?)

Silent Movies Shot In Orange County

2011-06-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today I'm posting a series of photos from the special Saturday open house we held today at the exhibit, "On Location: Orange County in Silent Film," at the Old Orange County Courthouse. This afternoon we screened Buster Keaton's "College," with live accompaniment on the organ by William Campbell. It was a packed house! Today's Register featured a very nice article about the exhibit and this event.

The exhibit, as I mentioned earlier, is about the many movies shot in Orange County during the silent film era. The staff of the Orange County Archives put the exhibit together, with funding and technical help from OC Parks. I know I'm biased, but I think the mix of original props and movie equipment, photos, movie posters, replica costumes and other artifacts is fairly impressive for our first build-it-from-scratch exhibit. And it tells an interesting story that few people know. The exhibit is free to the public and can be viewed on the third floor of the Old Courthouse, 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, until Aug. 5th.

I should have posted this earlier. Sometimes I'm so busy prepping for events that I don't realize I haven't blogged about something. But if you missed out on today's event, all is not lost. Not only can you still see the exhibit, but you can also be part of yet another Silent Movies Shot In O.C. screening this Thursday.

The very first movie shot in Orange County, D.W. Griffith's "Two Brothers" will be shown in its entirety -- along with clips of other silent films shot locally -- at this month's meeting of the Orange County Historical Society. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m., Thurs., June 9th, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange.

"Two Brothers" is a tale set in California's Rancho era, and shows many identifiable scenes of San Juan Capistrano as it appeared in 1910. Long considered lost, a copy of the film was recently found by the Smithsonian. It is essentially a Western, set in the "days of the Dons." Still-unknown talents Mary Pickford, Hoot Gibson and Mack Sennett are featured in bit parts.

This OCHS program is free and open to the public. Popcorn and refreshments will be available in the "lobby," and copies of Jim Sleeper's book, "Great Movies Shot in Orange County" will be available for sale.

But let's go back to the exhibit at the Old Courthouse,... The exhibit (and thus, these accompanying events) couldn't have happened without Jim Sleeper's aforementioned book. Although the artifacts were provided by a variety of generous sources, Jim's thorough research gave us the framework and background to make the exhibit more than just a roomful of interesting stuff.

In the photo above, County Archivist Susan Berumen introduces theater organist, Bill Campbell, of the Orange County Theatre Organ Society. He did an amazing job for us! (See a film clip of his performance here.)

This last photo shows the audience watching "College" in Courtroom 2 of the Old Courthouse. Seeing a big crowd of people laughing loudly at Buster Keaton's inspired hijinks, it's hard to imagine that this is the same room where the nationally infamous Overell murder trial was held in 1947.

Anyway,... Whether you make it to the exhibit in Santa Ana or to the program in Orange, (or hopefully both), please stop by and say hello.

A lonely orange grove

2011-05-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

Elaine Cali writes:

"I'm helping get the word out to help save one of the last orange orchards in all of Orange County.

"The Grain Project is the group trying to save it and they have some great creative ideas to turn this orchard into an urban community garden and save the orchard at the same time.

"The land is currently owned by Concordia University and they've turned it over to a developer who plans to bulldoze it and build 24 homes on this 5 acre orchard site. I'm trying to connect them with the foodie community, historic societies and media outlets and any like-minded bloggers. Here is their Facebook for more information: Save the Sexlinger Orange Orchard. They need more awareness and people to sign petitions to Save the Orchard.

"I'm a 7th generation Orange Countian and I would hate to see this piece of our County's history disappear forever. [The Grain Project has] ideas to create a community garden in this location and retain the orchard and are looking for solutions, as the clock is ticking and the city council will soon decide its fate."

Yes, I'd also rather see oranges than more housing. (Don't we have ENOUGH people in Orange County already?) And I like the folks I've met at the Grain Project too. But I still have to point out this picky detail: Aren't they usually called orange "groves?"