Anaheim tour, San Juan School, El Toro tea, etc.

Today's image shows Center St. (now Lincoln Ave.) in Downtown Anaheim in about 1873. Note the hitching posts and unpaved streets. This was the same year the Anaheim Public Library formally opened.
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The Anaheim Historical Society's Historic Home Tour will be held May 14-15, from 10am to 4pm. (I'm mentioning this early because it usually sells out fast.) The tour will include five beautiful historic homes and two commercial buildings: The Five Points Building (now home to Ruby's) and the Packard Dealership (now The Anaheim Brewery). Tickets are $25 on the day of the event, but only $20 if you buy them before May 1st. Tickets may be purchased through the Anaheim Historical Society, and also at the next meeting (April 14th) of the Orange County Historical Society.
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San Juan Elementary School, at 31642 El Camino Real, in San Juan Capistrano will celebrate their 160th anniversary on March 25th, from 1pm. to 4pm. The old school bell will be rededicated at 2:45pm.
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Steve Prothero will speak about the pioneer Prothero family of El Toro at the Saddleback Area Historical Society and Amigos de la Colinas Annual Afternoon Tea on April 10th, at 2pm. The tea will be held at Heritage Hill Historical Park, 25151 Serrano Rd., in Lake Forest (which is still known as El Toro to those who didn't just fall of the turnip truck.) By the way, they'd like folks to RSVP -- But I'm not sure to what phone number. If you're interested, perhaps the folks at Heritage Hill can help?
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I've been meaning to link to the Random Exhibition Title Generator (a.k.a. The Lazy Curator) for the amusement of you museum folk out there. Somehow I haven't gotten around to it until now. Just keep clicking the "refresh" button on your browser to generate a variety of academic-ish and politically-correct-sounding titles for imaginary exhibits. You will either laugh or cry. Maybe a little of each.

Meanwhile, back at Knott's Berry Farm...

On a rainy day in 1952, the "Original Berry Stand" at Knott's Berry Farm was dedictated in its new location near the rose garden. In the photo above, Rev. Claude Bunzel, (who would later run the Church of Reflections and help Walter with his Freedom Center), speaks while the Knott family and members of the Native Sons of the Golden West look on.
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There's a lot of debate about just how many times the Original Berry Stand was rebuilt. Comparisons between photos of the stand in different eras indicate that at least a few versions existed. So the good news about them tearing the stand down in 2004 is that it wasn't all that historic after all.
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"Ambassador of Americana" Charles Phoenix will hold a "Retro Knott's Berry Farm Slide Show" at the Bird Cage Theatre on May 15th a 2pm. Eric Lynxwiler, co-author of Knott’s Preserved, will join Charles on stage. Visit Charles' website for details and to purchase tickets. It should be a hoot!

Costa Mesa and Swallows Day in Capistrano

Today's three images show Newport Blvd. in Costa Mesa in the 1950s. All three come from the postcard collection of my friend, O.C. Historical Commissioner Don Dobmeier.

The Costa Mesa Historical Society will host Chris Epting, author of many books including the new "Orange County, Then & Now" from Arcadia Publishing. (Not to be confused with Doris Walker's similarly titled book from a couple years ago.) Chris will speak, and presumably sell and sign books, tomorrow, March 20, at 2pm at 1870 Anaheim Ave., Costa Mesa. Sorry I'm just posting this now, but I only learned about it today.

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And no, I'm not just plugging Chris' talk because he's such a super nice guy. I'll post a review of the new book here as soon as I get a chance to go through it cover-to-cover. It's in my queue here..

The annual Swallows Day Parade & Mercado (a.k.a. Fiesta de las Golondrinas) will be held in downtown San Juan Capistrano on March 26th. Who wants to bet on whether the swallows actually return to Capistrano this time?

Oh Dino boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling...

Big, green, pointless, and goofy. That's how we do St. Patrick's Day 'round these parts.
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That's a 2007 photo of Dinosaur Jack's Sunglasses Shack you're looking at -- One of many features of Disney's California Adventure that's already bit the dust. Not exactly history yet, but people will drool over images like this on Gorillas Don't Blog in about 40 years.
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I always thought it was kind of funny that this Disney building was a tribute to the Cabazon dinosaurs of sculptor Claude Bell -- who was so firmly associated with Knott's Berry Farm.

"No" to the Juaneños

The Juaneños'/Acjachemen's almost-but-not-quite final effort to gain Federal recognition was denied today. See the article in today's Register for details. It's none of my business, but I hope the factions can find more common ground someday.
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Today's image shows part of the village environment at Heritage Hill Historical Park in El Toro.

Anaheim, OCHS, Orange Countiana, Tustin, etc

Today's photo shows Loara Elementary School, 1601 West Broadway, in Anaheim in 1960. The 1888 bell from the original Loara school building is displayed in front. The name "Loara" can be traced back to a Southern Pacific depot named in 1899 -- But it's hard to pin down just how the depot got its name in the first place.
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The Orange County Historical Society and Anaheim Historical Society will hold a joint meeting at Loara Elementary School's auditorium tonight, Tues., March 15th, at 7:00 p.m. Contributors to OCHS's Orange Countiana historical journal (Vol. 6) will discuss and sign their articles. Copies of the journal will be available for sale.
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The Tustin Area Historical Society is sponsoring their "Tour of Tustin's History" Annual Promenade of Homes and Gardens, on Sat., May 14, 9am-3pm. Visit their website for details.
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Please note the update in my last post about services for Arline Howard.

Watson's, Arline Huff Howard, and O.C. 101

After 112 years of serving the community, the iconic Watson's Drug Store in downtown Orange is no longer going to be a drug store. The restaurant remains open but you can't get a prescription filled there anymore. (Of course, they've added a liquor license, which is now mandatory for all Downtown businesses, including shoe stores and muffler repair shops.) Watson's Drug Store was founded in 1899 by Keller Watson, Sr. It's been in the same building since 1901, and in its exact current location since 1949.
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The image above shows Watson's soda fountain in about 1907.
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A wonderful lady and one of our best first-hand links to Huntington Beach's history has left us. Arline Huff Howard passed away on March 7th. A pioneer descendent and a long-time member of the City's Historic Resources Board, she encouraged historical preservation and helped local historians like Alicia Wentworth , Diann Marsh, Joe Santiago, and myself understand our community's roots.
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Although she'd already weathered health problems, everyone was so glad that she felt well enough to participate in all the historical programs for the City's centennial celebration in 2009.
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Arline's friend Marilyn Harris writes, "Her grandfather was Dr. [Samuel G.] Huff, who came here to Huntington Beach around 1900. Arline was born 1-29-1929 in Orange County and was raised on the family farm located on Huff's Hill south of [what's now] the Shipley Nature Center toward Ellis Ave. She told me her parents sold the land about 1953. The next owners sold it and the hill was leveled and used for the 405 Freeway. She was a Huntington Beach High School graduate and married Marcus Howard. They built their house on 10th St, had two children Paul and Cindy. She was still living there at the time of her death. She was a good Christian woman dedicated to her family and to the preservation of Huntington Beach history."

The photo above shows Arline Howard (in white outfit and hat) in 2004. The last I heard, services are scheduled for Sat., March 19th at First Christian Church on Main Street at Adams Ave. [Update: The service will be held at 1:30 p.m.]
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Diane Ryan will be teaching another of her Orange County History classes at the Oasis Senior Center in Corona del Mar this spring. The six-week class (Class #684021) runs from April 28 to June 2, on Thursdays, 1:30-3:30pm, and costs $48. The Senior Center can be contacted at 949-644-3244.
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Diane writes, "Learn about the early occupants of our area, Spanish and Mexican influences, notable pioneers and the development of some of our cities. Trace Orange County from its ranching and farming roots on into the sprawling, urban society of today."
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For questions about the class, contact Diane at dianeryan2010@yahoo.com.

Two very different Capistrano programs

Tomorrow I'll be speaking at the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society’s general meeting. I'll be speaking and answering questions about historical resources available to the public at the Orange County Archives. Basically, I'll be telling folks how to use the Archives to discover the histories of their homes, communities and families. The program will be held Tues., March 8th, 7 pm at the Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del Avion. The program is open to the public.
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This Thursday, David Belardes will speak about San Juan Capistrano from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s at the Orange County Historical Society's general meeting. His presentation will include photos Alfonso Yorba, Belardes-Yorba, and Aguilar-Sepulveda collections. He will discuss the historic families of San Juan Capistrano, the city's "Town Center," and the historic adobes and Mission of San Juan Capistrano.
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Belardes is an Acjachemen/Juaneno descendent with over thirty years of experience as a "cultural advocate and cultural resource manager for the Acjachemen people." He has also worked as a Cultural Practitioner, ceremonial leader, tribal scholar, historian, genealogist and educator for his people. He is the founder and President of the Blas Aguilar Adobe Museum and Acjachemen Cultural Center, and is the Vice President and a founding member of the California Mission Studies Association.
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He lists among his many accomplishements the reorganization of the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, in 1979-80, leading the Tribe toward federal recognition. He is also designated by the Native American Heritage Commission as "the most likely descendant (MLD) for Acjachemen traditional tribal territory."
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I've heard Belardes give this talk before and found it both interesting and very educational. I also got to see historic photos of Capistrano that I've never seen before. I think you'll find his talk time well spent.

[UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the OCHS meeting will begin tonight at 7:30p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. But really, you should know that by now anyway. Feel free to come a bit early to socialize.]

The old photos of San Juan Capistrano I've posted today both come from the collections of the Orange County Archives. The image at the top of today's post shows the Mission in the 1910s. The photo immediately above shows Judge Richard Egan's home (a.k.a. "Harmony Hall"), and the Hotel Las Rosas (a.ka. "Casa Grande").
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Sorry it's been a while since my last missive. The last time I tried to post, I spent two hours writing, and then it all disappeared when I clicked "Publish Post." That's very disheartening.

The Ebell Club, Santa Ana

This beautiful building is the Ebell Club at 625 N. French St., in Santa Ana. It was designed in 1924 by one of Orange County's best known early architects, Frederick Eley, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The bronze plaque out front reads: "In 1894 the Ebell Society [of Santa Ana Valley] was founded to honor Dr. Adrian Ebell, who believed women needed opportunities for advanced education. This Mediterranean-style clubhouse was designed by Frederick Eley."
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The first Ebell Club was founded in 1876 in a city whose name still evokes thoughts of culture, idealism, academic curiosity and the social graces: Oakland.

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Today, of course, more women than men go on to higher education. As such, the group isn't quite as focused on their original goal of offering educational opportunities to women. Today, their website reads, "The object of the Society is the advancement in all lines of general culture and the promotion of the best interests of the community... We are a non-profit club established for the benefit of women in the Santa Ana Valley. Beginning a few years ago, men are now admitted to membership..."

The group's website has a lot more information about the Ebell Society of Santa Ana Valley and their Clubhouse. But you really owe it to yourself to see the building in person next time you're in town.