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| Employees tending the Knott's short-lived attempt at a second nursery location. (Photo courtesy Orange County Archives) |
On Saturday,
Phil,
Katie and I headed east,
out of
Orange County (*gasp!*) to do a sort of "
Walking in Walter Knott's Footsteps" tour. Our first stop was
Norco, where we found the site where the Knotts started a second berry stand and nursery. It never took off like the original
Knott's Berry Farm in
Buena Park, where selling plants through a nursery was an important part of the Knott family's business model.
The photo above shows the Norco stand and nursery in about 1930, at the southeast corner of Hamner Ave. and 3rd Street. (They also grew some berries not far away.) The photo below shows what the same spot looked like as of Saturday.
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| No berry plants available at the driving school. (Photo courtesy author) |
Our next stop was in Newberry Springs, on the Mojave Desert, where Walter and Cordelia Knott homesteaded some land and went broke. Then we spent the rest of the day at the old mining town of Calico, which the Knotts purchased, rebuilt, and turned into a tourist attraction in the 1950s. In the coming days, I'll share photos of the homestead and Calico, along with additional information to shed more light on the Knott's story.
Sounds like a wonderful Knott's history road trip. Great way to spend a Saturday. Very much looking forward to your photos.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Chris! I never knew about the Knott's stand in Norco. I drive by that very corner frequently. Look forward to more from your trip. I find Calico to be a more wholesome Knott's experience than what's left of the farm in Buena Park.
ReplyDeleteLTK: Speaking of which,... Did you know they have Knott's Boysenberry Punch for sale in Lil's Saloon and funnel cakes at a vending cart in Calico. Sasparilla everywhere too. Lots of nice nods to KBF.
ReplyDelete