O.C. History Roundup

Casino San Clemente rides again!

2010-01-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

Let's start 2010 with some good news. Not only has the old Casino San Clemente (1937) been saved from destruction, but the new owners are turning it back into the kind of dancing and dining venue it once was. And better yet, they're consulting with the San Clemente Historical Society to make sure they get it right! (Asking local historians for advice on matters relating to local history?!? What a crazy idea!) Their grand re-opening was a big New Year's Eve party.
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Kudos to both the S.C. Historical Society and LAB Holdings, LLC for saving this colorful part of Orange County's past!
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I apologize for the crummy image above, but for some reason it's the only photo of the Casino I could beg, borrow, or (in this case) steal on relatively short notice.

Welcome to 2010

2009-12-31T22:17:00.000-08:00

Here's the cover of January 1952 issue of the The Knotty Post (the Knott's Berry Farm employee magazine) to ring in the new year. I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2010!

Huntington Beach centennial and book

2009-12-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

To round out Huntington Beach's centennial year, I'm posting a few photos from 1908, the year before it incorporated as a city. No, I don't know who these people are, but aren't these some great images?

Yes, those are sugar beets in the wagon shown above. Note the dog riding atop the beets.

Joe Santiago (the guy who owns the historic Charles Warner house, and who now has the Manning House hovering over his garage,) writes to tell us that signed copies of his book, Ebb & Flow: 100 Years of Huntington Beach, are available "at California Greetings on Main and Orange Streets downtown for only $12, or unsigned at DeGuelle Glass on Adams and Alabama for only $10."

Frohliche Weihnachten

2009-12-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all my readers!
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Today's photo shows the Gunther family children and some of their friends in Orange on Christmas Day, 1907. A new bicycle, a new wagon, and a new doll! Gee!

Knott's Preserved and Tustin's Broadmoor Homes

2009-12-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I was done with Knott's, something else really cool turns up. Knott's Berry Farm historian Christopher Merritt writes,

"I finally got my website - KnottsPreserved.com - up and running. It's ostensibly to promote the book, which is coming out this March - but even more, to show many of the images that were cut from the book due to size limitations. Trying to fit 90 years of history into a 144-page book will do that! ...I will be adding more [to the site] as time allows...

"I also have a blog,... The first entry tells you the background on how this project came to be... This is the page to bookmark and check on every so often to learn what is going on with the book.

"Be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom of [each] page. At the bottom, I am trying to include excerpts from many of the interviews I have done over the years, and some of the recordings in my collection."

To go along with Chris' news, I posted a photo of Knott's old Church of Reflections at the top of today's post. The image below is a close-up from the same photo, showing the Christmas decor (circa the 1960s) in more detail.
To add a little color to today's post, I'm also tacking on this 1966 image, (below), of the Chicken Dinner Restaurant/shopping area of Knott's. Notice the guys on ladders in the background, putting up Christmas decorations.

On very interesting but unrelated note, Kathy Hall recently wrote to let us know about her "website dedicated to the history and architecture of the Broadmoor Homes tract in central Tustin. ...A grass roots effort has formed among some of the residents to encourage the restoration and preservation of these classic midcentury modern houses. Our community was featured in Atomic Ranch Magazine last spring."

These homes were built in the late sixties and reflect that era in California Modernism. Thanks for sharing this with us, Kathy!

Christmas in Huntington Beach, 1950

2009-12-20T01:45:00.000-08:00

This nativity scene was part of the civic Christmas decor in Huntington Beach in 1950. You can see a bit of the Pavilion (a.k.a. the Pav-a-lon) behind the palm fronds. Duke's restaurant now stands at this location.
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This scene was part of the "Forty Miles of Christmas Smiles" decorating contest, which was sponsored each year by the Orange County Coast Association. If I were judging, I think I'd have to mark my hometown down a couple points for that Joseph figure. He looks suspiciously like a female department store manikin. (It also reminds me of that scene in Life of Brian with all the women with fake beards taking part in a stoning.)

Knott's Berry Farm sold to investment group

2009-12-18T22:14:00.000-08:00

I'm already WAY beyond my quota for Knott-related posts this year. But how can I ignore the news that Knott's Berry Farm, (along with the rest of the Cedar Fair company,) has been purchased? What will the new owners, Apollo Global Management, do to this historic site? Only time will tell. I hope Apollo realizes what a treasure they have in not only the Farm itself, but in many of the people who work there.
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The image above shows the cover of the Knotty Post employee magazine from December 1953. The photo below shows a Christmas garland being hung on the entrance to Ghost Town in about 1962.
The next photo shows a Christmas billboard for Knott's. It was probably painted by Don Treece, Jerry Nicholson, and the other guys in the sign shop.

It's always a little scary when any historic property gets a new owner -- Especially one we don't know well. And as in similar situations, I await their first move with cautious optimism.

Bankruptcy, anteaters, apes, Oral Roberts, Disney, FedMart, etc.

2009-12-16T22:22:00.000-08:00

The Orange County Board of Supervisors reach out from 1993 to wish you Happy Holidays. Little did they know that by the following December there would be a lot fewer smiles on the 5th floor of the Hall of Administration. Thanks to Robert Citron and some bad investments, the County was on its way to bankruptcy. Looking at this photo, you wish you could go back in time and warn them.

The Anteater Antics blog has had some fun posts about UCI lately, including cartoonist Johnny Hart's anteater design, Ansel Adams' visit, and the filming of The Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.

Two celebrities who, (previously unbeknownst to me,) lived in Orange County, also died here this week. First, televangelist Oral Roberts (who I think we all figured lived in the Deep South) and then Roy E. Disney each died in Newport Beach. I saw Roy Disney in person exactly once. I was visiting the old Animation Building at Disney Studios for the first time when an elevator opened near me and the SPITTING IMAGE of Walt Disney walked out. I had no idea who Roy E. Disney was at that point in my life, but the look-alike factor gave me quite a shock. For a moment I wondered if the urban legends about Walt and cryogenics were true.

Speaking of those who have "passed on" recently, the Pleasant Family Shopping blog has a nice post about Sol Price, the man who brought us FedMart and Price Club. Remember when those chains had stores all over Orange County?

The Disneyland Nomenclature blog has a great post on the aborted Discovery Bay project at Disneyland in the late 1970s. They even (for a limited time) have a downloadable audio clip related to what could have been a whole new "land" within the park.

Walt's Disneyland, December 1966

2009-12-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

Today's photos both show Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. in December 1966. The place is almost empty in the image above, which was taken by someone working for Knott's Berry Farm. By contrast, look how many people are in the Disney promotional photo below. Personally, I'd rather go to Disneyland on the day shown above.Walt Disney died that same month, exactly 43 years ago today. Heaven knows what else he and his companies might have accomplished had Lucky Strikes not taken him so soon.
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In any case, only three days after his death, "Disneyland Around the Seasons" was broadcast on national television, feature Walt as its host. A clip of that program, showing a jetpack flight in Tomorrowland, is available on YouTube. The entire program is available on a great DVD set entitled, Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic.

Downtown Santa Ana, Christmas, 1930s

2009-12-13T21:26:00.000-08:00

Before malls and "big box" stores, where did people do their Christmas shopping? Downtown! Today I'm posting a few images of Downtown Santa Ana at Christmastime in the 1930s. The photo above shows the 100 block of E. 4th Street, including J. C. Penney in the foreground and Montgomery Ward on the near side of the intersection with Main St. That "Monkey Wards" building was a real art deco beauty. It's now a parking lot for First American Corp.
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The next photo, below, shows N. Main St., between 2nd and 3rd. I think I prefer the over-the-street garlands they used today over the ones they used during the last depression.
Today's last photo, below, shows the Otis Building at 4th St. and Main, an intersection which was long the hub of commerce in Santa Ana. The building still stands and hasn't changed much in appearance. However, the Owl Drug Co., which was affiliated with Rexall, is long gone.

All photos in today's post come from the history room at the Santa Ana Public Library.

Santa Ana Fire Department, Christmas 1927

2009-12-12T20:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of the men of Santa Ana's Fire Station #4, taken around Christmas 1927. Photo courtesy the History Room at the Santa Ana Public Library.

Santa, Lacy preservation, airplanes, WWII & Olive

2009-12-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the great authors who came to the Orange County Historical Society's Authors Night yesterday evening! We were all introduced to some interesting people and interesting new local history books. And as you can see in these photos, Santa Claus also attended. He even led us in the flag salute. (That's right, Santa's an American! No toys for you, Kim Jong-il!) More photos from the evening are posted here.

Legal action by the Friends of the Lacy Historic Neighborhood has (at least temporarily) halted the demolition of 15 historic homes near the train station in Downtown Santa Ana. This should provide a stay of execution until at least May or June. Hopefully, the City and the preservationists can work together to find a better solution by then.

The Lyon Air Museum has finally opened across the runway from the John Wayne Airport. I got a tour of it last year, (when only a fraction of their displays were in place,) and it was already pretty amazing. If you have any interest in historic airplanes or WWII, it's a definite must-see.

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Daralee Ota has added information about Barbara (Danker) Oldewage and Ernest Danker to her Olive Through The Ages website.

Orange County Hospital Building (1914-2010)

2009-12-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

According to UCI Medical Center, the old 1914 Orange County Hospital building they inherited "is being demolished soon." The building had a couple additions over the years, but they were consistent with the original design. The central portion of the building looks much like it did when it was new. Go see it (amid the towers of UCI Medical Center) while you still can. I've also posted a couple recent photos of the front and back of the building on Flickr.
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For its part, UCI Medical Center will hold an event "Celebrating the Life of Building 10" on Jan. 28, 11:30am-1pm. "We invite you to hear from leadership and employees whose lives have been touched by [our] oldest building. Refreshments will be served."
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They are also holding a "storytelling contest": "Share with us your fondest memory of Building 10 before it's removed from our medical center campus. Write a few sentences about the impact or impression this building has had on you. All contest participants will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card. Your story may also appear in print and be featured at this event.The contest deadline is Friday, December 18, 2009. Please e-mail Connie Worden at clworden@uci.edu."
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What can I say?
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Maybe some of you historians out there can use this as an opportunity to tell the story of the County Hospital.

Newport Beach, Christmas, Peanuts, Dana, etc.

2009-12-08T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today's photo shows Newport Beach City Hall in Dec. 1950. Currently, a new City Hall is being planned for a site near the Central Library.
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With all the local historical societies, museums, etc in O.C., it's now officially beyond me to keep track of all their holiday events. I'll still post news of Christmas events that comes my way, but please also check the links in the right-hand column of this blog for your local organizations. Also, you might want to check the calendar on Yahoo's O.C. History Group. .

Meanwhile, here are some random updates,...
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Craig Lockwood of Laguna Beach recently completed a book about early Laguna lifeguard and surfer George "Peanuts" Larson.
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John Felder recently posted about William Henry Dana on his "Laguna Beach History" blog.

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Patrick Jenkins has posted some great Lion Country Safari photos on his always enjoyable "Stuff From The Park" blog. He's also posted some old Knott's Berry Farm paper Ghost Town models that I will try printing out and assembling myself at some point. (I'll post a photo of the results when I get that far.)
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I was going to mention something when our Orange County History photo pool on Flickr reached 150 members. Well, we sailed right past that mark this week and now have 158. As of this writing, 2344 photos have been posted there. Thanks for all the great photography!

Marshal Max Lee Barlow, Knott's Berry Farm

2008-08-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

Max Lee Barlow, the "Marshal" of Knott's Berry Farm's Ghost Town for three decades, died last week. A native of South Dakota, Max served in China during WWII, and was a fireman in Los Angeles before coming to Knott's in 1978.

As the manager of Ghost Town, I'm told he wasn't always the easiest guy to work for. At the very least, he was crusty like an old trail boss and delightfully politically incorrect. But he was always very helpful and kind to me and was more than willing to share his memories and his collection of old Knott's materials.

Today's photos came from Marshal Max. The top photo shows "Aunt" Hattie Bilbray's 85th birthday party at the Calico Saloon. From left to right are Earl Balley, Chief Red Feather (a.k.a Jim Brady), Max, Fred Ridgeway, and Aunt Hattie. I believe Aunt Hattie was employed to demonstrate the spinning wheel at Knott's.

The second photo shows Calico Square in about 1952. Note the light poles for the Horse Arena in the background. Also note the sign advertising Tex Williams' TV show, to be broadcast live from the arena. (The site of the arena is now occupied by the Calico Mine Ride.)

The final inset photo shows Max in front of the Ghost Town Sheriff's Office a few years ago. When Jack Falfas was Knott's general manager, he had part of the Sheriff's Office turned into a small second office for Max. I interviewed him there and at his backstage office on several occasions.

When I asked why Knott's John Wayne Museum was so short-lived, he gave a typically informative and salty response: “The Waynes used to live near [some of the] Knotts in Newport Beach, and the families were friends. John Wayne was really involved for a while there and even helped open up the Log Ride, and they named the theatre after him. But then there was a falling out between the two families and the name of the Theatre was changed and he was told to get his crap the hell out of there.”

In discussing Sad Eye Joe (the talking prisoner in his jail cell), business-minded Max got out a calculator and figured the pay for all the employees who'd worked the microphone since the attraction opened in 1941. "I imagine we’ve spent a lot of money on Joe over the years. Almost half a million dollars." He also shared one of his brainstorms: “Sad Eye Joe has another head, which I have over in the Museum now. I want to bring it over to the Sheriff’s Office and make a little display... I'll get an old baby buggy, put the head on a doll in the buggy, and put up a sign saying he's Sad Eye Joe’s son, who’s already studying to be a horse thief.”

When I brought up the "Original Berry Stand" that was bulldozed recently, Max said, "The berry stand by the lake wasn’t original. I saw the [previous one] destroyed with my own eyes, back in ’79 or ’80. They built a new one when they moved it.”

Even at age 80, Max could be found roaming Ghost Town, on Saturday afternoons and evenings, and all day on Sundays. “I’m here until the park closes at 10:00,” he said. “Weekends are our busiest days, so I figure I should be here when our guests are.”

In Walter Knott's Footsteps: Pomona

2009-12-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

For the last entry in this series, we're going back to the first house Walter Knott built for Cordelia after they were married in 1911. As you can see in the "after" photo above (and another below), it still stands at 1040 W. 4th St., in Pomona.

Walter had a good, stable job as a foreman for a cement contractor. It was this job and this home, along with friends, family, and the comforts of life "in town," that the Knotts left behind in 1914 to homestead in desolate Newberry Springs.

But that's how much farming, and the prospect of affordable land meant to Walter. From the time he was a child, tending gardens on borrowed patches of ground, he had agriculture in his blood. Who knew what it would lead to someday?

I should have done this Knott series in chronological order, but I didn't originally see it growing the way it has. Here's a set of links to the various parts of the series, along with some of my earlier Knott-related posts, presented in more-or-less historical/chronological order:

In Walter Knott's Footsteps: Calico (3)

2009-12-06T00:53:00.000-08:00

Today's before-and-after shots should round out the Calico portion of our tour, although I think there's probably still one more installment in the Knott's Footsteps series. The images above show Main Street in Calico as it appeared during its real ghost town years and as it appears today. The two images that follow show Lane's General Merchandise, which is one of only a few original buildings left in town. It's built of rammed earth.

The following before-and-after shots are a bit more confusing. They depict the old Calico schoolhouse in the 1890s and comparison shots today. However, the building that stands today is a scaled-down replica of the original, built by the Knotts in the 1950s. The replica building is significantly smaller. Still, it captures the spirit of the old building and is located on the same spot.

I apologize for the white stripes on the 1890s exterior shot. They were painted on the print I scanned, and I was able to Photoshop out only parts of them.

If you'd like to see more photos from our Mojave/Calico trek, visit my "Mojave" photo set on Flickr. The set includes images of the Mystery Shack (like the late Haunted Shack at Knott's Berry Farm), the Maggie Mine, Boot Hill, and other points of interest in Calico. It also includes more views of the Knott homestead, the historic Cajon Pass, and the bustling metropolis of Yermo.

St. Boniface Church sesquicentennial

2009-12-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today I'm taking another break from the Knott series to talk about the sesquicentennial (150 years) of St. Boniface Catholic Church in Anaheim. They kicked off their year-long celebration last weekend with an all-too-brief, but outstanding, historical exhibit.
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The photo above shows their second church, built in 1879. The photo was taken after 1891, after the building was moved to Harbor and Chartres. The photo below shows their third church, which was built in 1902 and torn down in 1964.

Stephanie George and Carlota Haider created the exhibit. Stephanie writes, "It’s difficult to determine the date on which the first Mass was said in the burgeoning town, although sometime after 1865 seems likely. Traveling priests from San Gabriel Mission and the Plaza Church in Los Angeles frequented the area for sacraments and by 1869, the Catholic community had built a small church on a lot deeded to them from the Anaheim Water Company.
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"In 1875, they were officially established as a parish in the diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles. It was at this time that San Antonio de Padua de Santa Ana, the public chapel built in 1860 by funds provided by Bernardo Yorba, was designated a “mission” of St. Boniface and their sacramental records transferred to the church in Anaheim. It’s because of this that St. Boniface traces its roots to Yorba’s chapel and claims 1860 as its genesis.
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"The current edifice is the fourth building the Church has occupied at three different locations in the downtown area. After tearing down the first building in 1879, a second New England-style wooden clapboard church was erected on the same property on Cypress Street. This building was moved to another location in 1895 on Harbor at Chartres. In 1902, construction began on a brick Gothic-style building on the northwest corner of Harbor and Lincoln which served the parish for sixty years until the growth of the Catholic population, fueled by the post-World World II baby boom required a new building--constructed in 1963-1964--which remains today."
The photo above shows the current church when it was brand new. Notice that the landscaping wasn't even in yet. The photo below shows the 1902 church at Christmas in 1960 -- ending this post on an appropriately seasonal note.

In Walter Knott's Footsteps: Calico (2)

2009-12-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some more before-and-after shots of Calico. The images above show the same view in about 1960 and today. In the second image, Phil Brigandi stands in for Walter Knott. It appears there's no longer a post to lean on.

The next two images show the Calico House Restaurant in 1958 and 2009. This is the big restaurant in town. Our time in town was limited, so we opted for hotdogs instead of going here.

The last two images, below, show the entrance/commisary for the Maggie Mine in the early 1950s and today. In the 1950s image, "Calico Fred" is the only person in sight. The current image includes a lot more people, including Phil, Katie, and a prospector made out of concrete by sculptor Claude Bell.

In Walter Knott's Footsteps: Calico (1)

2009-11-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

The little town of Calico, near Yermo, California, sprang to life with a silver boom. At it's peak the place had about 1,200 residents. But like most boom towns, things went bust. After a short but lively existance, from 1881 to 1896, Calico quickly faded into a "ghost town," as seen in the photo above.
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In 1951, just ten years after opening his highly sucessful mock ghost town in Buena Park, Walter Knott purchased the entire real ghost town of Calico. He already had a couple personal links to the site. First, he had briefly worked as a carpenter during a short-lived scheme to revive one of Calico's mines. Secondly, Walter's uncle, lawman John C. King helped found Calico and was a key partner in its most productive mine: The Silver King.
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The Knotts rebuilt many of the long-since-missing buildings in town, and added a few additional buildings they thought would help the tourist trade. Like Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm, Calico soon had a general store full of tourist tchotchkes, a saloon serving boysenberry punch, a train ride, a gussied-up mine to explore, mule rides, a "Mystery Shack," and much more. In the photos below you can see what the town looked like during Knott's reconstruction effort in the 1950s and what it looks like today. Note that both images are taken from a similar angle to the older image above.

Ultimately, government interference kept Walter from making Calico the kind of financial success he had hoped. In 1966, he gifted the whole town to the County of San Bernardino, and it became a regional park. Today, visitors can see all the layers of the site's history: From prehistoric rock formations, to silver mining boom town, to 1950s roadside attraction, to county historical park. All of it is fascinating. I'll share more Calico photos with you in the coming days.

History and the Holidays

2009-12-01T21:09:00.000-08:00

Today's photo shows Balboa Island's Marine Ave. decked out for Christmas in the late 1940s. I'm taking a break from my Knott series today to post information about some fun holiday historical events. Get out your calendar and start marking dates,...
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Come to a party, learn about local history, and do some Christmas shopping all at the same time at the Orange County Historical Society's "Author's Night" and Holiday Party on Dec. 10th. Authors speaking about, selling and signing their books at this event include Richard Dodd (Architectural Styles in Orange County), Phil Brigandi (On My Honor: A Century of Scouting in Orange County), Doris Walker (Orange County, A Natural History), Stephanie George and Carlota Haider (Sowing Dreams, Cultivating Lives: Nikkei Farmers in Pre-WWII Orange County), Jay Jennings (Knott's Berry Farm: The Early Years), Christiane Salts (Cordelia Knott: Pioneering Business Woman), and Lawrence De Graaf (The Fullerton Way: Fifty Years at California State University, Fullerton). The folks from CSUF's Center for Oral & Public History will also have a variety of their earlier titles available for sale. There will also be holiday refreshments and perhaps a visit from a famous (jolly) special guest. The program begins at 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange, and is open to the public.
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The Orange County Archives, the Old O.C. Courthouse, and the Howe-Waffle House will throw open their doors for holiday open houses this Saturday, Dec. 5th. From 10am to 4pm, the Archives will offer behind-the-scenes tours and a rare weekend opportunity to do research using their outstanding collections. The general public is welcome. The Archives is located in the Old Courthouse at 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Room 101, in Santa Ana. The Museum upstairs will also be open and will offer crafts for kids and a showing of the movie "Rocky & Bullwinkle," which was filmed in the building in 2000. Also, the beautiful Dr. Howe-Waffle House & Medical Museum, just across the street, will offer refreshments and tours amid Victorian-inspired Christmas decor.
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The Anaheim Historical Society will hold their Annual Victorian Christmas Party at the historic Woelke-Stoffel House, 419 N. West St., this Friday, Dec. 4th. You have to see this Victorian gem (also known as "The Red Cross House") to appreciate how much restoration work has been done recently. Both the Woelke-Stoffel House and the even-more-historic Mother Colony House (next door) will also be open for open houses sponsored by the Anaheim Public Library, noon-3pm, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12.
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The Dana Point Historical Society's Holiday Open House will be held Dec. 6th, 2-5pm, at the Dana Point Community House, 24642 San Juan Ave. They're planning "an extensive display of the development of Capistrano Beach through the newly aquired Doheny Collection. There will be photos, tract maps, house plans, and [plans for] commercial buildings of the early 1930s."
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The Huntington Beach Historical Society will hold it's annual holiday open house Dec. 4th, 5-9pm, and Dec. 5th, noon-4pm, at the historic Newland House, 19820 Beach Blvd.
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No matter what part of O.C. you hail from, remember that memberships in city and county historical societies make great Christmas gifts. I suppose that sounds commercial, but becoming a part of these great non-profit groups really is a win-win situation that benefits the whole community.

In Walter Knott's Footsteps: Shandon

2009-11-27T00:03:00.000-08:00

The Knott's long experiment in the Mojave proved a failure. Walter took other jobs nearby, including one as a carpenter in a short-lived scheme to revive a silver mine at Calico. (More on Calico later.) But it was clear that they needed a new start -- And that start appeared in the form of a job in Shandon, California, near Paso Robles. Walter was allowed to use a strip of land to raise fruits and vegetables for the ranch hands, and could sell anything they didn't eat. It turned out he had a lot left to take to market. Combined with income from Cordelia's new business making candy for nearby shops, they were soon solvent again.

The strip of land Walter farmed in Shandon is shown below. It lay between the Estrella River and the home of the ranch owner, which is shown above in its current (vacant) state.

On their feet once again, they were prepared when, in 1920, Walter's cousin Jim Preston suggested they move south and partner with him to start a berry farm near Buena Park. Indeed, without the time they spent in Shandon, there would have been no Preston & Knott's Berry Place (later known as Knott's Berry Farm).

The photo below shows the Shandon property from another angle. It took Katie and me a good deal of time tracking around Shandon to find this location when we visited last year. My research had only turned up a few sketchy descriptions of the property. Luckily, the guys at the local San Luis Obispo County Fire Station pointed us to a knowledgeable local rancher who in turn led us to the entrance of the Red Cedar Vinyard, where we found the ranch house.

Of course, the Knotts didn't live in the big adobe ranch house. They undoubtedly lived "in town." I never did figure out an address for them. The photo below shows the local United Methodist Church and gives you an idea of the kind of town we're talking about,... Small. Rural. A little bit charming around the edges. There are about 1,000 residents living there today. The ones I met were friendly and helpful.

Old-timers in town still remember the Knotts fondly, and recall being treated with the utmost hospitality when they later visited their old neighbors in Buena Park.

In Walter Knott's Footsteps: Buena Park

2009-11-28T00:06:00.000-08:00

Walter Knott and his cousin, Jim Preston, rented land south of Buena Park and started growing berries there in 1920. They soon opened a berry stand and then a nursery to sell berry plants. The before-and-after photos above show the original berry stand around 1926 and that exact same location as it appears today.

After a while, Jim left to run his own farm in Norwalk. Then Cordelia Knott added a tea room, which eventually grew into the popular Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant (which turned 75 this year). Their daughter, Virginia, opened a small gift shop which grew into a large one. Walter started adding attractions to occupy visitors while they waited for a table at the restaurant. Eventually, this string of small attractions led to a larger one -- A replica of a Ghost Town, which opened to the public in 1941.
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One of the earliest attractions in Ghost Town was the Wagon Train Show, in the Gold Trails Hotel, which appears in the before-and-after photos below. The older photo shows the hotel (new construction, incorporating a few pieces of buildings in actual ghost towns) in the 1940s. The "after" photo shows the recently rebuilt hotel as it appears today.

I won't give you a blow-by-blow account of all the ways Knott's Berry Farm prospered and grew. It's a pretty well known story. Suffice it to say, it was very, very successful, owing in large part to the hard work of the Knott family themselves. The photos below show a later addition to Ghost Town: The Calico Saloon. The first image shows it when it was new, around 1952, and the second image shows it as it appears today.

The Calico Saloon sat right across from the Calico Mine Ride and the Calico and Ghost Town Railroad on Calico Square. Why were all these 1950s and early 1960s additions named "Calico?" Stay tuned.

In Walter Knott's Footsteps: Newberry Springs (1)

2009-11-24T16:51:00.001-08:00

The second stop on our Knott trek was the parcel of land Walter and Cordelia homesteaded in Newberry Springs on the Mojave Desert from about 1914 to about 1917. The photo above shows what it looks like today. The Knotts tried to grow grapes here, which proved to be one of their few significant business missteps. However, they still stuck it out long enough (three years) to establish the homestead.

The black and white photos in today's post are from the homestead and show the Knott kids, Cordelia, and the family dog with a number of turkeys. I don't know if I'll get to post again before the 26th, so I'd better make use of these gratuitous gobbler shots while I can.

If you don't hear from me before then (or even if you do), have a happy Thanksgiving!

In Walter Knott's Footsteps: Newberry Springs (2)

2009-11-26T19:03:00.000-08:00

Today's images are before-and-after photos of the Knott homestead in Newberry Springs. Aside from the small house disappearing, things haven't changed much since the family left. But with no buildings to use as landmarks, the mountains in the distance were our only guide.

The photos above look west and the ones below look east. One wonders if struggling like pioneers in an inhospitable place somehow appealed to Walter Knott (who grew up with his grandmother's stories of coming west in a covered wagon), or whether it was just the free land that appealed to him. Or perhaps a bit of both.

Standing in the middle of the desert, looking at this land, one can well imagine how hard living here must have been for Cordelia. Walter probably didn't enjoy it much either, but at least it was his idea. And as Phil pointed out, "Cordelia was a city girl" and not used to roughing it.