Old newspaper photos, Fort Wilderness, Orange, etc.

While everyone was feeling bad about the destruction of the Leisure World globe at Laguna Woods, O.C. was also losing another mid-Century icon. Say goodbye to Fort Wilderness (1956), on Disneyland's Tom Sawyer's Island. Demolition began this week. There was a time in my childhood when Tom Sawyer's Island was the coolest part of the park, and Fort Wilderness was a significant part of that. Learn more about the history and fate of Fort Wilderness in Werner Weiss' latest update. (Photo courtesy Yesterland.com)
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UCLA has opened up online access to 5,124 photos from their L. A. Times and L. A. Daily News photographic archives. I provide a link to this collection with the warning that you will likely be lost in the site for at least a couple hours. And yes, it includes some Orange County stuff.

The Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation has revamped their website at www.foxfullerton.org.

The Orange Community Historical Society's next meeting is May 24, 7pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. Historian and County Archivist Phil Brigandi will speak about Orange County place names.

I don't remember if I mentioned that the new Orange Public Library & History Center is open for business. It's on the same site as the old library, just a couple blocks east of the Plaza on Chapman Ave.