More North O.C. history

Here's a shot of from Jack Lindquist's talk at Thursday's OCHS meeting. He's an outstanding speaker, as you'd expect. Our members had some good questions for him too.

Interested in another historical program? The Fullerton Public Library will host a program entitled, "Fullerton's Fender Guitar Legacy," tomorrow, Wed., Oct. 19th, at 7pm. Here's the blurb they sent me:

"Leo Fender was born at his family ranch on what is now La Palma Ave. in Anaheim. While attending Fullerton High School in the 1920s, he turned his hobby, electronics, into a radio repair business. By the early 1940s, he was designing and creating electric guitars and amplifiers at his downtown shop. This talk by Richard R. Smith, curator of the Fullerton Museum, will detail Fender's success story and his contribution to music. Smith is the author of Fender: The Sound Heard 'Round the World, and is a distant cousin of Fender."

The Library is located at 353 W. Commonwealth Ave. They also have more local history programs coming up, which I'll post about soon.

Disneyland history reminder!

Don't forget to come hear Disneyland's first president, Jack Lindquist, share his memories at the Orange County Historical Society's meeting tonight, Thursday, Oct. 13th, at 7:30 p.m. Link for details.

This photo of Disneyland's Jungle Cruise under expansion in 1958 comes courtesy the Anaheim Heritage Room at the Muzeo.

How many names does one place need?

Earlier this month, the folks at the Irvine Ranch Conservancy offered a bunch of Orange County bloggers (including me) the opportunity to go on a special tour. Unfortunately, I could not go myself. However, friendly neighborhood historian Phil Brigandi went on behalf of the O.C. History Roundup and came back with photos and some interesting observations about one of the sites they visited. So, without further ado, here's Phil!:

"On a recent tour of some of the 20,000 acres deeded to county parks last year by the Irvine Company, we stopped for lunch at what our guide told us had once been called Bolero Springs, but which they now call Box Springs. It is one of the few year-round, dependable water sources in the Limestone Canyon area and made a peaceful spot to pause for our picnic.

"The springs undoubtedly had an Indian name, since there are oak trees, and bedrock mortars in the area. To Spanish speakers, it was originally known as Agua Chinon.

“'Before [lime] kilns were built in Limestone Canyon [in 1862],' Don Meadows tells us in his Historic Place Names in Orange County, 'the canyon was called Cañada de Agua Chinon or the Canyon of Curly’s Spring, because high in its headwaters was a spring beside which a Negro had his hut.' (In Spain, Chino meant a Chinese person, but in California it was sometimes used as a nickname for anyone with curly hair.)

"Another watercourse, running south of the springs, is still known as Agua Chinon Wash today. 'The name was misapplied,' Don adds, 'under the supposition that Agua Chinon Spring was located at its upper end.' In fact, it leads up into The Sinks.

"For the story of Bolero Spring, we must turn to Terry Stephenson’s classic Shadows of Old Saddleback. Judge J.E. Pleasants (1839-1934), ...described for Terry how he used to go out in the 1860s to rope bears with the vaqueros from the José Sepulveda’s Rancho San Joaquin. One of the cowboys, Terry relates, 'was nicknamed Bolero because he was too fond of telling great stories of his achievements.' He assured all of them he would rope a bear that day.

“'[L]oudly bragging and extolling his prowess, Bolero led the way under the sycamores and oaks, scrambling through thickets of poison oak and sumac, over rugged points of rocks, down into arroyos and up steep hillsides, following the dim trails left by deer and wild cattle.'

"But when he finally met a bear near the springs, his horse 'knew nothing about bears except that he did not like their odor, and … jumped straight in the air … [and] tore madly through the brush and was instantly out of sight,' despite Bolero’s best efforts to rein him in.

"The other riders managed to rope the bear, and when they met their friend on down the trail, 'Derisive shouts greeted Bolero, and all day and for many days thereafter, Bolero had to meet their jibes and laughter…. Among the vaqueros from that day on, it was "Aguaje de Bolero," Bolero’s spring....'
"(The name later spread to a nearby peak, where for many years a forest fire lookout tower was located.)

"Bolero means 'liar,' or 'braggart,' Jim Sleeper explains in his A Boys’ Book of Bear Stories. Continuing on in a footnote (where some of the best Sleeperiana can often be found), he adds, “I’ve always thought Terry did more justice to this ‘Bolero’ story than it deserved…. The name Bolero on maps seems not to pre-date 1923.”

"But legend or not, either Chinon or Bolero has a long history. The switch to Box Springs seems to be a recent one, and perhaps it is not too late to undo it. Surely there must already be a “box springs” in almost every county in California.

"If you’d like to visit this beautiful spot, the Irvine Ranch Conservancy has a guided hike going out on Sunday, November 6. Registration is required; you can find all the details on their website: www.irlandmarks.org/activities.

"Each month, portions of the preserve are open for public access as well. The next 'Wilderness Access Days' will be Saturday November 5 and Saturday December 3. The guided tour will be coming in from the Agua Chinon side. You can come up Limestone Canyon from Augustine Camp (just beyond Irvine Lake) and turn right at the watering trough towards Loma Ridge Road. From there it’s less than half a mile to the springs – about a ten-mile roundtrip. Along the way you pass an overlook for The Sinks, Orange County’s 'Miniature Grand Canyon,' which is well worth a visit."

Thank you Phil, and big thanks to the Irvine Ranch Conservancy for letting O.C. Roundup tag along.

A-haunting we will go!

Here's a 1954 photo of some of the workmen who built the Haunted Shack at Knott's Berry Farm. Concessionaires Lester and Pauline Wilson opened this attraction on June 19, 1954. 

Previously, Les had been vice-president of Whitney & Co. department store in San Diego, and president of Los Conjurares society of San Diego magicians. He had even met Harry Houdini!

The Knott's "company line" was that the Haunted Shack had been brought in to their "Ghost Town" from Esmerelda, Nevada. But actually, the shack was built from scratch and was based on the "Mystery Spot" roadside attraction in Santa Cruz. A corny-on-purpose attraction, it featured a lot more humor than paranormal activity. It became a signature Knott's attraction and was enjoyed by all ages. Sadly, the Haunted Shack was closed in September 2000 and was demolished two months later. A barrel of "baby rattlers" from the shack can still be found just down School House Road, near the entrance to Boot Hill. To experience the smaller but very similar "Mystery Shack," visit Calico Ghost Town Regional Park in San Bernardino County.

The Santa Ana Historical Society's annual Historical Cemetery Tour will be held Oct. 22, 2011, 10am-3pm at Fairhaven Memorial Park/Santa Ana Cemetery. This year's guided historical tour is entitled, "Ain't We Got Fun? Amusements in Early Orange County." (What?... Don't you always think of fun and cemeteries being inexorably linked?) Costumed actors will portray historic figures, sharing stories from Orange County’s past. For more details, see their website.

The San Juan Capistrano Historical Society holds a Ghost Tour of their town (considered the most haunted city in California!) on the Saturday before Halloween each year. "Be prepared for creepy tales of big black dogs, strange monks who have lost their heads, ghostly tales about a lady in white and other goings on." I haven't seen an official announcement yet this year, but you might want to contact them now if you're interested. Call 949-493-8444 to make reservations.
As long as we're talking Halloween, I'm going to drift off topic and ask for your help. I'm looking for someplace in Orange County that carries old-fashioned paper Halloween decorations made by the Beistle Company. They look like this:

The Beistle Company was founded in 1900 in Pittsburgh, at a time when most paper decorations (and most good color print jobs in general) came from Germany. The company is still owned by the same family today. The designs have been refined a little over the years, but they still definitely have a strong early-20th Century look that's perfect for October historical society meetings, and of course, for my own home. (I'm also pretty sick of all the blood and gore in modern Halloween decor.) So, if you've seen these for sale around O.C., please let me know. I've already looked at Party City and my local drugstore with no luck. (And please don't tell me I can buy them somewhere online. I hate buying things online.)

P.O.ed and looking for docents in Orange

Want to help save the historic Plaza Post Office in Orange? Mayor Carolyn Cavecche writes, "The Plaza Branch and Olive Post Office Optimization Study has begun: The outcome has not been determined, but the USPS is looking for community input before making a final decision to keep both or either branch open. The Community Meeting for Orange input is October 6th at 6 pm at the Orange Post Office at 1075 N. Tustin St."

The endangered Plaza Branch, shown above, is located on the corner of Lemon St. and W. Chapman Ave. Adding to the Mayor's comments, our lovely Orange correspondent writes, "This is the oldest working post office in all of Orange County and there is a threat that the USPS is going to close this branch and auction off the property..." She says many locals fear the property will end up with some sort of inappropriate reuse.

With the threat of the entire U.S. Postal Service going belly-up, this may be just the first in a long string of attempts by communities to find appropriate forms of adaptive reuse for these historically significant buildings. Orange County is lucky to have some really amazing post offices, including Spurgeon Station in Santa Ana, the Plaza Branch in Orange, the Fullerton P.O. (with its wonderful WPA mural), the Main Street P.O. in Huntington Beach, the Wild West-themed branch on Balboa Island, and numerous others.

Let me suggest the following to communities that may suddenly find themselves with an empty historic post office someday soon: How about a museum dedicated to the history of your city? These old post offices are made mostly of non-flammable materials, are located in community hubs or prominent locations, are already ADA compliant, have loading docks and plenty of storage space, and are already historically significant in their own right. What more could you ask for in a museum building?

Speaking of Orange, the Old Town Preservation Association (OTPA) is looking for docents to staff Chapman University’s Elliott Alumni House (formerly the Victorian Tea House) at 204 North Olive St., during their bi-yearly historic homes tour on Nov. 5th and 6th. Shifts run from 10am to 1pm and from 1pm to 4pm. They need approximately five docents per shift, for a total of ten docents per day. Volunteers will be given one free ticket to the home tour. If you're interested in helping, contact lead docent Sue Vaurs via email.

Muckenthaler event and a new history class

The Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton (shown above, when it was still a home) will debut a new historical exhibit on Oct. 6th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. The exhibit relates to the Muckenthaler family and aspects of the history of  North Orange County. They also recently published a book about the founding families of their institution, "who played an instrumental role in the founding of many of our cities, Anaheim, Yorba Linda, and Placentia included." For more information, see their website.

Diane Ryan, who has taught classes in Orange County history for years, is now introducing a new class entitled "Historic Southern California Landmarks & Early Pioneers." She writes, "Come learn about some of the historic landmarks in Southern California, and the early pioneers who helped to shape this part of the state. A few of the pioneers we will become familiar with include Henry Huntington, James Irvine, and Richard O'Neill."
The class will run on Thursdays, from Oct. 20th to Nov. 17th, 9:30-11:30am, at the Oasis Senior Center in Corona del Mar. The total cost is $45 (plus a $2 materials fee to Diane on the first day of class). To sign up, or for more information, contact Diane via email.

Disneyland's first president coming to OCHS

Did you ever want to know what made Disneyland tick over the past 56 years? I'll bet the first president of Disneyland, Jack Lindquist, could tell you. Disney Legend Lindquist will be the speaker and guest of honor at the Oct. 13th meeting of the Orange County Historical Society. He will speak, take questions from the audience, and sell and sign his memoir, In Service to the Mouse, with book proceeds benefiting OCHS. The program will begin at 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The program is open to the public, free, and will include light refreshments.

In 1955, while working for an advertising firm for one of Disneyland’s corporate sponsors, Jack got the chance to visit the park before it opened to the public. He immediately fell in love with the place.

One month later, Walt Disney hired Jack as Disneyland's first advertising manager, where he promoted some of the most creative marketing efforts ever, including E-tickets, Date Nite, the Magic Kingdom Club, Disney Dollars, Disneyland’s “Tencennial” celebration, massive prize giveaways, and even cornfields shaped like Mickey Mouse.

“Jack wrote the ‘bible’ for the amusement industry,” said Disney Imagineering Vice-President Marty Sklar. “He bet his job on some of the wildest ideas ever, [and] now they’re all textbook classics.”

Over his 38 years with the Disney Company, Jack worked his way up the ladder, becoming vice president of marketing for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, vice president of marketing for Walt Disney Attractions, executive vice president of marketing and entertainment, and more.

In 1990, Jack was named president of Disneyland, a position he never anticipated but which he calls "the best job in the world!"

As president, he continued to take risks -- some successful, and some less so -- but always with his characteristic humor and joie de vivre. He was known for an affable and relatively hands-off management style – the success of which might have surprised Walt Disney himself.

We’ll leave it to Jack to tell you what his years as president were like when he speaks on Thursday of next week. He says he'll be covering a lot of ground, including "the historical perspectives regarding Disneyland” as well as interesting background on “Anaheim, the County of Orange, ...major league sports in Orange County,” and more.

Jack Lindquist retired in 1993 and remains one of the most fondly remembered executives in the park’s history. In recent years he has worked as a consultant on various projects and worked on his memoirs. And yes, he still lives in Orange County.

Hope we'll see you on the 13th! Wear your mouse ears if you got 'em!

(My apologies for swiping a few good lines from the inside flap of Jack's book.)

Boy Scouts, Costa Mesa, and more Home Savings

Today's photo shows a portion of the campgrounds at the National Boy Scout Jamboree on the Irvine Ranch in 1953. This land is now part of Newport Beach.

Local historian Phil Brigandi will speak on the subject of his book, "On My Honor, A Century of Scouting in Orange County," at the Oct. 16 meeting of the Costa Mesa Historical Society. Doors open at 2pm with the program starting at 2:30. Free admission and refreshments. The meeting will be held at 1870 Anaheim Ave., near the northwest corner of the Lions Park complex.

On Oct. 23, the Autry Museum in Griffith Park will host a bus tour entitled "Art Along the Valley: The Home Savings Bank Art Project." ($25 for Autry Members / $35 for Nonmembers.) From their website:

"For more than three decades, beginning in 1952, Millard Sheets created artworks to decorate Home Savings and Loan banks, studding their iconic properties with mosaics and murals. The images told a multiethnic and multicultural version of California’s history. Adam Arenson, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Texas at El Paso, has written extensively on these public/private artworks and will lead a bus tour to six mural locations in the San Fernando Valley that speak to the portrayal of Mexican Americans in public art. Includes box lunch."

Why only Mexican Americans? Your guess is as good as mine. But this tour could be a good way to see another portion of this massive public art project that included all the Home Savings buildings in Orange County as well. Link over to the Autry for more information or for tickets.