Dana Point, El Toro, Newport and gambling ships

The Dana Point Historical Society will celebrate (a little early) the 100th birthday of longtime Capistrano Beach local Bertha Henry Taylor at the Dana Point Community House on San Juan Ave., Oct. 26, 7pm. Taylor will share her memories of the area in the 1950s. Also, Society member Mary Crowl will explain DPHS' oral history program.

Speaking of Dana Point, three 1928 "Woodruff Homes" on Avenue of the Blue Lantern have been placed on the city's Historic Resource Register. If you'd like to drive by for a look, they are at 33771, 33792 and 34051 Blue Lantern. Sidney Woodruff tried to develop Dana Point in the late 1920s, and these homes feature the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture he envisioned for his new community. Woodruff is better known for developing a residential area in Los Angeles called Hollywoodland, which he advertised with a huge sign atop Mount Lee. You may have seen it. (The letters "L-A-N-D" disappeared a long time ago.)

The photos in today's post come from the City of Dana Point and depict the clifftop gazebo at the end of Blue Lantern during the late 1920s. I assume those are real estate salesmen gathered together for a big sales pitch in the photo below -- unless they aren't.

The Saddleback Area Historical Society will hold their annual Pioneer Roundup on Oct. 23, 2-4pm at Heritage Hill Historical Park in El Toro. Members of local pioneer families attend this event "to greet long-time friends and reminisce about old times in the Saddleback Valley. Come meet them, hear their stories and learn about the early days of the area."

The re-re-resurrected Newport Beach Historical Society and the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum will present a lecture by Ernest Marquez about his book, Noir Afloat, at the Nautical Museum, Oct. 27, at 7pm. Marquez will discuss the gambling ships that once stood off the coast of Newport and the rest of Southern California. For details and reservations, visit the Newport Beach Historical Society's NEW website.