Tikis, cowboys, Capistrano, archives & museums

It sounds like Sam's Seafood in Sunset Beach may survive after all. The owner is refurbishing everything and will open the place as a slightly more upscale restaurant, but fully intact. That's exactly what the place needed! I'm so glad that one of the last great tiki/"Polyneisan-Pop" environments will have a second chance at life. Hopefully we can soon take this O.C. landmark off the deathwatch.

Correction/Clarification: In my last post, I discussed the confusion between the terms "archive" and "museum." It turns out that the blame for this confusion (in this particular case) lies not with schools, nor with general public, nor with "Orange County's watchful newspaper." It turns out that the National Archives themselves are blurring the line between these two concepts in hopes of making themselves more hip and popular. It's that important agencies like the NASA and the National Archives have to alter their missions in order to defend against budget cuts.

Speaking of the Register, they recently ran an article about one of O.C.'s last cowboys.

The Troubleman Cottage in San Juan Capistrano is to be moved again -- This time, from the future Los Rios Park site on Paseo Adelanto to a location in the historic Los Rios District. Originally, the cottage was located at the current site of the Camino Capistrano power station.

The O.C. Natural History Museum in Laguna Niguel has been closed since February because of a policy dispute. Click here for all the gory details.

Disneyland and the "Great Park"

The latest entry at Yesterland.com is a retrospective of the Tomorrowland Terrace stage at Disneyland. (See photo at right.)

This summer, the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum will host a Smithsonian exhibit which will commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. government's first attempt to chart America's coastline.

I'm confused... Today's Register states that Irvine's mayor was in D.C., angling to get a branch of the National Archives at the so-called Great Park. The article goes on to say, "Several officials signed a letter supporting that the museum establish a location in the Great Park." The word "museum" is then used several more times throughout the article.

What museum are they talking about?!? I think they're trying to use the words "archives" and "museum" interchangably. But archives are not museums, and museums are not archives.

Archives house documents and are used for research purposes. Museums house artifacts and generally use those artifacts in displays, in order to tell stories about our past. The functions of the two institutions are quite different, and the skills needed to operate them are also different.

Do I blame the Register for the mix up? No. Sadly, this is a common error that stems from the low level of importance our society (and therefore our schools) place on history.

Laguna Beach, Fountain Valley, Placentia, etc.

I enjoy reading old first-hand accounts of visits to O.C. Today's image a postcard of Coward's Cove in Laguna Beach, dated July 17, 1909. (You know you can click on any image to enlarge it, right?) It was sent from Laguna Beach to Harry Magill of Pasadena. It reads, "Dear Harry: We are having a fine time here. We go in bathing most every day. Daddy went into El Toro to get some apricots. Jack and Dr. Deason went with him. Write soon. With love from Margherita."

People forget (or never knew) that apricots were once an important crop in O.C. For that matter, I suppose people now forget (or never knew) about El Toro.

The Register just ran an article about Dann Gibb, whose Fountain Valley historical photo book should be out in May. I had a lot of fun helping Dann out on his visits to the Archives. He's a nice guy and he's really breaking some new ground.

They also ran Online Archive of California. Quite a few of the photos were taken by late Placentia historian and librarian Virginia Carpenter.

Jim Sleeper, The Port, Dana Point, etc.

There's a short interview with O.C. historian Jim Sleeper in today's Register. (Guy Ball is also quoted in the article, and Phil Brigandi appears in the background of their file photo.) If you have any interest in local history, you need to hunt down Jim's books now and read them. His legendary status as both a historian and a writer is deserved. [The photo at right shows Sleeper in the 1980s.]

Here's one I missed on last week's "Things That Will Disappear Soon" list: The Port Theater, 2905 E. Coast Hwy, in Corona del Mar. It opened in 1950, closed in 1998, and was designated as a historic landmark by the City of Newport Beach in 2003. The last line of the Register's article about the Port's demise is a real winner: "Everybody likes the charm and the past,...But everybody needs to make money."
Why do people think those two things are mutually exclusive? People will pay for things they like! No, the thing that killed the Port -- like the Balboa Theater before it -- was lack of parking.

Recently, Daveland has featured some great late-1950s views of the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train/Nature’s Wonderland at Disneyland.

Cynthia Conti will present "The Historical Approach: A Marriage of History, Archaeology and Architecture" at the Dana Point Historical Society meeting on Monday, March 26, 7pm at the Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call the DPHS at 248-8121.

Huntington Beach, Fullerton, Law Library, Mendez v Westminster, etc.

To learn how Huntington Beach got it's name, check out my last article on Joe Shaw's website. In keeping with the H.B. theme, today's photo is of Dave Stewart's Livery Stable, on 3rd St in Huntington Beach, in 1905. It comes from Thomas B. Talbert's photo collection, and is available at the O.C. Archives.

The Fullerton City Council rejected a proposed 9-story building in historic Downtown Fullerton. The citizens actually stood up and fought against a tower and massive parking structures that would have been totally out of place and scale with their surroundings. Part of preserving historic districts and buildings is making sure that we don't allow poor planning to muck up the area around them. The Council and people of Fullerton deserve high praise for doing the right thing.

On April 27, The Fox Fullerton Theatre will have a live performance on its stage for the first time in 53 years. The Fullerton College Jazz Band will perform from 7 to 8:30pm. For information, call (714) 738-6545.

Also on April 27: The O.C. Public Law Library will hold an open house from 1:30-3:30pm, to celebrate their expansion and renovation. They are located at 515 N. Flower, Santa Ana, (Building #32 in the Civic Center).

And speaking of the law, the Register ran an article today about the various events being held to mark the 60th anniversary of the landmark Mendez v. Westminster decision. When most think of racial desegregation in schools, they probably think of the Deep South in the 1950s and black children escorted to class by the National Guard. That's certainly part of the story. But desegragation began right here in Orange County.

The re-opening of The Parasol (as Mel's Drive-In) in Seal Beach has been delayed until August.

O.C. Q&A: Knott's Berry Farm Edition

Q:  I visited Independence Hall in Philadelphia and found the floor plan to be a mirror image of the version in Buena Park. Why did Walter Knott flop the blueprints?

A:  Like almost every other visitor to the Knott's replica since 1966, you assumed that the side of the building facing Beach Boulevard was the front. It isn't. In Philadelphia, they consider the less flashy northern side to be the front. 

Theme park historian Ken Stack says visitors are additionally confused by "the fact that Knott's turned the Supreme Court Room into a souvenir gallery. There really is not a fully fabricated Supreme Court Room in the Knott's version."

Next time, try entering from the side facing "Knott's Lagoon" and see if that helps.  

Q: How did Knott's Berry Farm end up with Cable Cars and where did they go?

A:  For far more information on that subject than you ever wanted, I refer you to my recent article on Yesterland.com.

Q: Isn’t it strange that there’s a Panda Express in Ghost Town at Knott’s Berry Farm?

A:  Yes, a Chinese fast-food place looks odd in the Old West. But there’s an easy fix. The building could be redecorated just a little to become Ghost Town’s Chinatown, reflecting the important role of the Chinese in early California. They built our railroads, prospected, picked crops, and started businesses. Many mining boom towns had Chinatowns, as did Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana and purportedly Tustin. 

For now, however, Knott’s Panda Express just looks like a row of shiny new Western falsefronts and the interior looks entirely modern. This is a major departure from the original aesthetic of Ghost Town as the ruin of an old boom town. 

But it's not too late to "weather" the buildings and redecorate them to make the area look like an authentic Old West Chinatown. Knott’s is always at its best when it combines fun with history.

Q:  Does Buena Park's Silverado Days have anything to do with Silverado Canyon?

A:  It actually has more to do with Knott's Berry Farm. The name "Silverado" just sounded appropriately Old West-ish. In the late 1950s, Buena Park's downtown merchants, threatened by new shopping centers, planned to take a page from Knott's Berry Farm and give Downtown an Old West makeover. For emphasis, they also changed their annual "Home Town Days" festival into "Silverado Days." The event included a parade, barbecue dinner, square dance, and rodeo, and everyone in town dressed like cowboys for the week. More recent additions include carnival rides and contests, including horseshoes and hog-calling. (Sadly, there is no "Buena Park Days" festival in Silverado.)

 

Swallows, Balboa, First American, Pirates, etc.

Today is St. Joseph's Day, when the swallows return to Capistrano. I hear they now actually nest at the Mission Viejo Mall, but that didn't stop folks from celebrating at the Mission this weekend. In related news, the Mission is now hosting a display of photos of their visitors over the generations. Sounds like a fun exhibit.

Jeff Delaney, author of one of the Arcadia books on Newport Beach, is now working on another "Images of America" book about Balboa. Sounds like a worthwhile project.

My honorary big sister, Cynthia Ward, passes along this gem: The overdevelopment of historic neighborhoods for overpriced McMansions means "replacing the priceless with the merely expensive." Perfectly put.

I took six hours off work today and spent them at First American Corp., looking through their photo collection for a personal project. Bob Blankman was most helpful and gracious, and I look forward to working with him again.
Every time I visit First American, I'm impressed with their historical collection and their snazzy corporate headquarters. But most of all, I'm impressed by their people. Everyone you run into is pleasant, professional and actually friendly. You can tell it's still essentially a family-run operation and that the employees like working there. Businesses like theirs are few and far between anymore.

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Pirates of the Carribean at Disneyland. Some of the Imagineers who helped create the attraction were there for the shin-dig, including Xavier "X" Atencio, Blaine Gibson, Alice Davis, Harriet Burns and Bob Gurr. Why can't Disney make rides like this anymore?

Don't forget... Tomorrow night is the annual dinner for the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society.

Sites to visit in O.C. before they disappear

I’m starting a list of places in Orange County that are endangered or on their way out. These are places worth visiting and possibly photographing if you’re interested in Orange County and its history. Feel free to post additions to the list by clicking the “comments” link at the bottom of this post.

1. Hobby City, Beach Blvd, Stanton/Anaheim: Many of the shops have already closed their doors. But there’s still time to see the Doll Museum, housed in a replica of the White House. Also see the model shop, the Cabbage Patch mural, tikis carved by Milan Guanko, the coin and stamp shop, the rock and gem store, and (if you have kids) the Adventure City amusement park.


2. Movieland Wax Museum, Beach Blvd., Buena Park: It’s already closed and empty, but you can still visit the footprintsand signatures of the stars in the front courtyard, as well as replicas of Michelangelo’s David and the façade of Mann’s Chinese Theater. (See photo above.)


3. The Book Baron, Anaheim: The 800 lb. gorilla of O.C. used book stores has announced it will be closing soon unless they find a buyer. This is so sad.


4. San Juan Creek Bridge, Ortega Hwy, above San Juan Hot Springs: This historic landmark seems a likely victim as the highway undergoes major changes.


5. Sam’s Seafood, PCH, Sunset Beach: One of the last of the Polynesian-style restaurants and tiki bars. The doors are closed now, but you can still take pictures of the place and its iconic swordfish-shaped sign.


6. The old County Hospital building, Orange: Now part of the UCI Medical Center. This was originally known as the Orange County Hospital and Poor Farm. No rumors are circulating about this place (that I know of), but with all the building and changes going on around there, I can't help but be pessimistic about its odds of long-term survival.


7. The Reuben E. Lee, Newport Harbor: It doesn’t look good for the faux-steamboat. The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum moved out of this old restaurant, but they don’t seem to be able to find a buyer. The overall push seems to be toward making it disappear.