Maybe you can help me with this one. It's been a long day, I'm tired, and my judgement isn't as good as it could be. The photo above is from Our Lovely Orange Corespondent, and the woman on the left of the photo is her great-grandmother. Obviously, the photo was taken in the Pitchur Gallery at Knott's Berry Farm in the 1940s, which is why she sent it to me. But what interested me most was the woman holding her great-grandmother's hand. I think the second woman from the left in this photo bears a striking resemblance to Cordelia Knott. Or is it just me? You tell me..
If this is Cordelia, this must be right at the beginning of Ghost Town (circa 1941), based on her appearance. And no, there are no known family stories about being great friends with the Knotts. But who knows? LOTS of people knew the Knotts back then, and it probably wasn't considered a big deal -- Just another nice, industrious family, etc.
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Our Lovely Orange Corespondent also shot some video today of the historic Santa Fe 3751 highballing past the Orange Depot . Note the California Zephyr cars tacked onto the back of the train.
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I spent much of today at the Rancho Days Fiesta at Heritage Hill Historical Park in El Toro (or Lake Forest for you newbies), and saw a lot of cool stuff. Some of it will undoubtedly become "blog fodder," beginning with this carriage below...
The carriage was in the barn used by the Saddleback Area Historical Society, and stands next to a panel which reads:This buggy was built by the W.F. Lutz Co. in Santa Ana, California before the turn of the century. It originally sold for approximately $54. This buggy was first purchased and used by a Santa Ana doctor. It was later used by the Plavan family, who farmed in Southwest Santa Ana. It was donated to the Saddleback Area Historical Society by Shirlie Plavan, an El Toro pioneer. The buggy was restored in 1985 by Leroy Evans for $440. He donated many hours of time to returning this piece of Orange County history to [its] former glory.The Fox Fullerton Theatre will celebrate its 85th birthday on May 11th with a free showing of Citizen Kane on its outside wall, beginning at 7:15 pm. (The inside of the theatre is still being restored/renovated.)
10 comments:
First of all, for those of you who are not aware of the 'Santa Fe 3751' it is a 1926 steam locomotive that has recently been restored. After this train has made it's rounds from Fullerton to San Diego and back, it will be on display in San Bernardino. For more information on 'Santa Fe 3751' and to see restoration photos and to learn more on this locomotive's history, you can go to the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society: http://www.sbrhs.org/
Secondly, as for my great-grandmother I have not asked my mother or any other family member whether she or any other family member on that side knew the Knott's family. I only know that my grandfather on my dad's side was good friends with Walter Knott. I will do some digging and asking of family members if they have heard of any stories of my great-grandmother being friendly with Cordelia Knott (if this is her).
I hope someone can identify her, that would be really fun to know whether or not it's Cordelia Knott holding my great-grandmother's hand.
Those Zephyrs sure look great!
LOC: Just to clarify though,... Your grandfather, who knew Walter Knott, was on your Dad's side of the family. Your great-grandmother (shown in this photo) is on your Mom's side of the family. So finding a photo of her with Cordelia would be a surprise.
Time to see an optometrist, Chris! It's not Cordelia.
Chris, Yes, it WOULD be a surprise if she new Cordelia Knott. She did not live in Orange County, she was living in San Diego County until her death in 1985.
How interesting to hear about the Fox Fullerton. My sister and I both worked there in June of 1964. I had just graduated from high school and my sister was going to the Community College and lived right around the corner from the theatre. She also met her first husband there and should have realized that he was not a very motivated person - he would hang out at the theatre and ask for free refills of popcorn and pop.
Yeah - I agree with Jay - no way is that Cordelia....
hey, I went to plavan school in the great city of Fountain Valley. It's a nice place to go to school.
Loved the train clip!
That lady in the picture looks like Beulah Bondi, the actress that played in the Walt Disney picture 'So Dear To My Heart' and also in "It's A Wonderful Life".
Hi Chris!
Love your antiques images. That pic above? Reminds me of "Little House on the Prairie" episodes. Nice blog you got here.
Shalom!
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