Knott's, Little Saigon, San Clemente, Balboa, etc

Long time, no post. Sorry about the delay. It took a while to get the new computer up and working. Thankfully, it is much faster than the old one, and less prone to random crashing. 

Today's photo is of Downey's first post office, which was moved to Knott's Berry Farm's Ghost Town, where it now stands near the old Kansas schoolhouse. I'm not sure whether it qualifies as part of O.C. history, but it's interesting anyway. 

The San Clemente Historical Society's museum is looking for a new home now that their landlord has more than tripled the rent. If you know where they can find cheaper digs (or more donors) contact their president, Mike Cotter, at (949) 322-6009. 

The Smithsonian's S. Dillon Ripley Center in Washington, DC, just opened a new exhibit entitled "Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon." It tells the story of the Vietnamese-American experience in America, and includes a lot of material relating to O.C.'s own Little Saigon. For more information, click here or here. 

Mission San Juan Capistrano's West Wing and Soldier's Barracks will be closed this weekend (27th and 28th) for fumigation. The rest of the Mission will be open as usual. The mission is also working on the preservation of the Bell Wall and South Wing, which have both had a more than a little wear and tear over the past 200-and-some-odd years. Work should be completed before the swallows come back. 

This month's version of Tales of Balboa includes a short feature on The Doll House, a local hang-out that operated at 415 E. Balboa Blvd in the years after WWII. 

 The Tustin News recently ran an article about a WWII vet's final visit to the old Marine Corp Air Station at Tustin.

Orange Mutual, Anaheim Colony, and life stories

Packing House news: The old Orange Mutual Citrus Association packing house (1924) on Almond Ave in Orange is being sold. The Lamonica family and their partners are asking $4.95 million. Kudos to the City of Orange for mandating that this historic structure cannot be torn down. Otherwise, I'm sure it would be another bank of condos by next week.

Life Story Class: A free 16-week writing class will be offered at The Center at Founders Village, 17967 Bushard, in Fountain Valley, Tusedays from 9am to Noon, beginning Jan. 30th. Students will learn techniques for spurring their own memories and writing compelling life histories for their children and grandchildren. Call (714) 593-4446 for information.

More house moving: Two small "railroad bungalows" in the Anaheim Colony historic district will be moved out of the path of bulldozers early tomorrow morning -- starting at 2am.

Cheap books: The Fullerton Friends of the Library will hold a used book sale this weekend at the Main Library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave. Hours are 1pm-4pm Fri, 10am-4pm Sat, & 1pm-4pm Sun.

Knott's collection comes to the OC Archives

Knott's Berry Farm has donated a large collection of historical materials to the Orange County Archives. For the first time ever, the public will have access to documents, films, ephemera and the more than 20,000 photos that tell the story of the Knott family and the business empire they created. The collection spans from the 1910s to the 2000s. When it arrived at the Archives, it filled more than 30 large boxes. (It has since been transferred into metal file cabinets.) 

The only catch to this wonderful gift is that so few of the photos came with notes or captions. As such, Phil and I are researching the "backstory" of KBF ourselves, using this newly aquired collection in conjunction with old newspaper and magazine articles, land records, other historical collections, employee newsletters, and the memories of those who knew and/or worked for the Knotts. 

So if I seem a little nuts for Knott's these days, it's because I'm more or less immersed in it 24/7. There's nothing actually wrong with me. I just love my job. 

[Note: The photo above shows Main St. in Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm during the 1940s. Notice that Calico Square and the train (both 1952 additions) aren't there yet, and that visitors' cars are parked directly behind Goldie's and the Jail.]

Evangeline Update

The Evangeline Hotel (1906) (a.k.a. Colonial Inn Hostel) in Huntington Beach is being turned into the Huntington Beach Youth Retreat – the third in a chain of facilities operated by the Southern California Alcohol & Drug Recovery Foundation.

Some of the neighbors aren’t thrilled with the new ownership, but it could be worse. In the past few decades, the Evangeline has been a flophouse for bums and a stop-over for itinerant surfers and wandering teens. Turning it into a place where people go to get off drugs is a nice change of pace.

The Evangeline is one of the overlooked historic gems of coastal O.C. It’s the last remnant of the days when that part of H.B. was best known for Methodist encampments and Southern California Veterans Association (Civil War veterans) conventions. It is also the largest and probably most significant of the few buildings in town that pre-date the 1920 oil boom.

Recently, the Evangeline was in serious danger of being torn down and replaced with more of the ubiquitous “tall skinnies” (4-story homes with no yards) that infest my hometown. The photo above shows Grand Army of the Republic members and their families on the porch of the Evangeline sometime around the early teens.

OCC, water, Hart Park and a fire

Orange Coast College will open an exhibit about its history. A reception and dedication will be held Feb. 2, 5-9pm in OCC's new Doyle Arts Pavilion. This event will kick off the school's 20-month-long 60th Anniversary Celebration. (Apparantly taking their cue from Disneyland's 2-year 50th anniversary celebration.) For information or reservations, call (714) 432-5707.

Today's photo shows the Auditorum at Orange Coast College (now known as the Robert B. Moore Theater) in the 1960s.

The Dana Point Historical Society meets Monday, 7pm, at the Dana Point Community House, 24642 San Juan Ave. The speakers will be former mayor Wayne Rayfield and South Coast Water District president Dick Dietmeier. They'll discuss Dana Point's past, present and future water projects.

A fire claimed a 100-year-old home on the 26000 block of Mission St in the historic Los Rios District in San Juan Capistrano on Thursday. Luckily, no one was killed or seriously injured. The fire’s cause is under investigation.

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The plunge and bathhouse in Orange's Hart Park - built in 1935 as a WPA project - are being renovated and modernized by the city. An effort is being made, however, to retain the historic look and feel of the place.

Rea House moved out of the bulldozer's path

In the wee small hours of Wednesday morning, the historic Rea House (and a second structure on the same property) was moved from 125 W. Elm St., to 129 W. Stueckle Ave, in Anaheim.

Probably the best remembered of the Rea family are Kate and Ella. Say their names together quickly, and you'll see where the word "Katella" came from.

The photo above was shamelessly stolen from the City of Anaheim's Neighborhood Preservation Coordinator, Tom Kupfrian, who posted it to the Mother Colony Yahoo Group. The house is shown approaching Anaheim Blvd.

The next historic Anaheim house to be moved is 1207 W. Center St, which will find a new home at 1225 W. Center St. The tentative moving date is Jan. 23rd.

Esther Cramer, place names, Irvine Museum, etc.

Happy Birthday to one of Orange County's most respected historians, Esther R. Cramer. She has served on the County Historical Commission since its inception, has gathered innumerable oral histories, and has written such books as The Alpha Beta Story; Brea: The City of Oil, Oranges & Opportunity; and La Habra: The Pass Through the Hills -- Each of which is the standard book on its respective subject. She has also contributed to and edited many other volumes of local history, including the current edition of A Hundred Years of Yesterdays, which is available at the Old O.C. Courthouse Museum.

Today's photo shows Alpha Beta supermarket on Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa in 1964.

O.C. Archivist Phil Brigandi will address The Anaheim Historical Society on Tues., Jan. 30 at 7pm, in the Social Hall of St. Catherine's Military Academy, 215 N. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. Phil will speak about his excellent new book, Orange County Place Names A To Z. For more information, contact Cynthia Ward at (714) 292-0042.

There's a nice article in today's Register about Carl Karcher on his 90th birthday.

"Peaceful Awakening: Spring In California," the new show at the Irvine Museum opens on Jan. 20th. Follow the link for details.

The Lake Forest Antique Mall is closing it's doors. It's not surprising that a town that doesn't respect history enough to keep the name "El Toro" (in use since at least 1838), isn't likely to care much about antiques.

Warm Western Bacon Cheesburger on a cold night

Yes, it’s been cold lately,… But will it snow in O.C., like it did in January of 1949 and 1882? Seems like we're about due.

Carl Karcher, founder of Carl's Jr. restaurants, will be added to the Anaheim/O.C. Walk of Stars this month. Although the "Walk of Stars" seems like a dubious enterprise, Karcher is certainly a significant figure in Anaheim's recent history. Viva Carl!

Disneyland Hotel chef Ysaias “Ray” Reyna passed away on Jan. 11th, at age 97. For 45 years, he helped make the hotel a special and memorable place for visitors. Five years ago, he was honored as the “Second Oldest Employee That Ever Worked at Disneyland.”

Dr. Barbara Stone will address the Capistrano Valley Republican Women Federated on Wednesday at 9am. Dr. Stone is brilliant and funny, and she understands the past, present and future of California government better than anyone. Her political science students at CSUF are lucky indeed. The meeting will be held at the Beach House Restaurant 25001 Dana Dr. in Dana Point Harbor. $15. For reservations, call (949) 496-2525.

After last week's post about the ruins of Lion Country Safari, I noticed that Chris Epting (author of the Arcadia book on Huntington Beach) has posted a brief look at the ruins of Marineland on YouTube. No, it wasn't in O.C., but it is related to the "dead local amusement parks" topic.

If you know of any upcoming events or projects related to local history, send me an email and I'll include it in a future update.