Enchanted Village, Bowers blog, Jane Newell, etc

Today's photo shows Enchanted Village, a short-lived roadside attraction in Buena Park. This particular image comes from a 1977 postcard. Located on the site of the old Japanese Village & Deer Park, Enchanted Village featured wild animals on display and in shows. Visitors could also ride some of the tamer animal, including camels. There were also a few musical/dance shows starring human beings. There's a short thread about Enchanted Village starting about 2/3 of the way down this page at OCThen. A "fun map" of the park can be found at this link.

While searching the web for photos of old Santa Ana, I stumbled across a pleasant surprise. It turns out that the Bowers Museum has been posting images from their collection to a blog for months now! And the good news is they're dipping into their Orange County collection every so often. It's definitely worth a look.

Some historical preservationists in Anaheim are scrambling madly this week. The Library's Anaheim History Room will be closing for a month, beginning Sept. 1, in order to move into the new Muzeo building. So why the scramble? Well, the Mills Act deadline for Anaheim is the end of October, and these folks usually do their research in the History Room.

To Anaheimers running out of time, may I offer the services of the Orange County Archives? Although we lack the History Room's unbelievable wealth of all-things-Anaheim, we may be able to help you bridge some of the gaps vis-a-vis property records, aerial photos, Sanborn maps, etc. Meanwhile, you still have 8 working days to get your tukus to the Anaheim History Room. So go see Jane Newell while you can!

Speaking of Jane and the Anaheim History Room, how did I miss this interview with her earlier this month? Jane ranks very high on my personal list of "O.C.'s Coolest People." Her knowledge, effort, kindness and enthusiasm have made her a vital and beloved part of the community. In addition to running the popular Anaheim History Room, she is also in charge of the Mother Colony House, the Wolke-Stoffel (Red Cross) House, and innumerable other historical "duties as assigned."