Bommer Canyon

Charles Beal, Senior Land Surveyor for the County of Orange, sent me the photos of Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp that appear in today's post. Bommer Canyon was the Irvine Ranch's cattle headquarters for over half a century. According to historian Phil Brigandi, the name "Bommer Canyon" appeared on maps as early as the 1940s. The City of Irvine purchased Bommer Canyon from the Irvine Company in the early 1980s. They use it as a recreation area for barbecues, picnics, and other events. It is also now a
preservation area for a variety of local plants and wildlife, including numerous endangered species.

Some of the cattle camp structures still stand, helping provide the area with a sense of place.

When he sent the photos, Charles wrote,

"I was at 'Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp' and found a couple of plaques. ...The area is plotted in the Thomas Guide on page 890, D6 & E6. We were at the County’s first continuous running GPS station (24/7) located just outside of the camp that we had to service due to the recent rains. I’m not sure of the area is accessible to the public; it is currently closed due to wet ground by the recent rains. The City is putting in a new park, which is under construction that the road leads to the Bommer Canyon Cattle Ranch. The cattle [camp] can be rented out for parties."

The plaque above reads,

"José Andrés Sepulveda -- Original owner and grantee of the southern portion of Irvine Ranch known as the 'Rancho San Joaquin' was acquired in 1837. This was sold to James Irvine-Flint Bros.-Bixby & Co. in 1864. James Irvine acquired sole interest in 1876. A noted horseman, [Sepulveda] is shown here astride his famous race horse, 'Black Swan.' Dedicated to the people of Orange County by the El Viaje de Portola Riders, March 25, 1977."

The plaque below, shows "The Five Brands of Irvine" and was placed in 1967 by the Platrix Chapter ("Queen of the Cow Counties") of E Clampus Vitus.

Charles also wrote me about the project that took him to Bommer, the "first full time running GPS station."

"The County’s first Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS), known as TRAK, was set in 1994. TRAK is located in Bommer Canyon in the City of Irvine. TRAK is one of 12 CORS sites in this County that receive GPS data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Orange County Real Time Network [of which TRAK is a part] benefits more than just the land surveyor. It also assists the scientific community by improving estimates of earthquake potential and by analyzing—in near real-time—positional elements from an earthquake."

You can see some of the TRAK equipment peeking above the brush in the photo below. For more information about Orange County’s GPS stations, visit the OC Geomatics website.

San Juan Capistrano kicks off its 50th birthday

Today's photo shows the Blas Aguilar Adobe, half a block south of Mission San Juan Capistrano. Also known as Casa de Esperanza, this building was built around 1794.
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On Jan. 14th and 15th, the City of San Juan Capistrano will launch a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of its incorporation.
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The city's Celebration Committee will host a two-part talk and exhibit on the Alfonso Yorba photographic collection. The free programs begin is at 7 p.m. (both nights) at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del Avion.
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The photographic collection, which belongs to David Belardes, chairman of the Blas Aguilar Adobe Foundation, will be shown to the public for the first time. In the first half of the 20th Century, Alphonso Yorba (a.k.a. Major General Bruce-Alfonso de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, a.k.a. Bruce Conde, a.k.a....), collected many materials relating to the history of Orange County and took numerous photographs of San Juan Capistrano, the Mission and the people who lived there. This seldom-seen collection is a time capsule of Capistrano.
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For more information about this event and others planned for this year, visit the City's website at sanjuancapistrano.org and click on the "50th Anniversary Celebration" link.

Ringing in 2011

Here's a recent photo I took of the Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano with one of the El Camino Real bells in the foreground. The plaque at the base of the bell doesn't indicate the year it was placed, but it does show that it was "donated by the CFWC [California Federation of Women's Clubs], California Juniors, Orange District," apparently in conjunction with the Automobile Club of Southern California.
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Just before midnight, our Orange County History group on Flickr acquired its 200th member! If you ever photograph historic spots around Orange County, or if you have old photos or postcards of O.C. you could scan, or if you just want to look at other people's cool historically-related photos, come on over and click "Join This Group." (For the record, our 200th member was "Pixel Packing Mama" of Corvallis, Oregon, who also added the 3,273rd photo to the group.)
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Speaking of local history online, my thanks to all of you who have read this blog throughout the year. And extra special thanks to those who comment or send me the occasional email. The busy stat counter should be enough to encourage me to keep blogging, but it's the personal interaction that really makes it worthwhile.
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So thanks again. And may your 2011 be better than your 2010.

Moonshine, a fish parade, and a happy new year

Even before national prohibition, Huntington Beach was supposedly a "dry town." Of course, that's not how it worked in practice, even with occasional busts by the local police.
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This photo, from the Jan 7, 1932 Huntington Beach News was captioned, "Photograph taken at police station... showing bootlegging equipment confiscated at the warehouse at 708 Huntington avenue, [between Geneva Ave. and Hartford Ave.] alleged to belong the Steve Stimatz whose trial for possession will be heard Friday. In the picture from left to right are: Officers Robidoux and Shafer; Councilman E. B. Stevens and Chief of Police L. F. Keller..."
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These days, the City approves almost anyone downtown who requests a liquor license.

E. B. Stevens, by the way, is best remembered as the father of the short-lived Huntington Beach Fish Parade. In 1926, the entire fishing-themed parade, from bathing beauties to dignitaries to jazz bands, wound its way from Huntington Beach along a route more than 85 miles in length, taking in communities as distant as Olive, La Habra and Norwalk. The event was not repeated in 1927.
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Anyway, have a happy new year and enjoy the (merely) 5 1/2-mile long Rose Parade. But take it easy with the bathtub gin.

More Claim Jumper history: Nik's and Nick's

This is a follow-up to my post a couple months ago about the history of Claim Jumper restaurants. I told you that Carl Nickoloff previously ran Nik's Coffee Shop in Long Beach (seen below), and that Carl and his son Craig started Claim Jumper in Los Alamitos in 1977. The family later sold the chain.In response to my post, founder Craig Nickoloff sent me a very nice email that included information about yet another generation of the family to go into the restaurant business:

"...Meanwhile my son, Nick Nickoloff, who is a fourth generation restaurateur has opened two restaurants in Orange County serving lunch and dinner, 'Nick's Laguna' and 'Nick's San Clemente', both restaurants are doing great and he is planning on expanding in the near future, I am very proud.
"My daughter and son-in-law have opened a small sandwich shop in San Clemente on Pico Blvd next to the high school named 'Humphry's', they are doing great, the sandwiches are excellent."

I had the chance to have dinner at Nick's San Clemente last night. (See photo at the top of today's post.) The food was very good, and the place was packed. Expect prices that are a bit steeper than Claim Jumper. The vibe is "nice casual." My Hawaiian shirt was fine, but I felt a bit under-dressed in the jeans and sneakers I'd been wearing to walk around town that afternoon. Also, be warned that one of their salads is almost a meal by itself.
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Toward the back of the establishment were a number of framed menus and photos from the old Nik's Coffee Shop in Long Beach. I snapped photos (below) so I could share them here on the blog.

(I apologize for the fuzziness of all these photos. The battery in my good camera went dead and I was left using an older digital camera that I happened to have in my glove compartment.)

I love the wonderful Mid-Century logo and signage! It would have been at home on any Googie building. Here's where I wish I'd been using my newer camera. Still, you get the idea.

To see my original post about Claim Jumper, click here.

President Harrison visits Santa Ana

The photo above shows President Benjamin Harrison's reception at Santa Ana Station in 1891. (Click image to embigulate.) The image below is a closeup detail from the same photo, showing Harrison on his whistle-stop in Orange County. Note the eagle-topped arbor at left.

This photo was one of a number of images our friend Lisa Ackerman discovered for the Orange County Archives at a recent estate sale. They were among a number of photos by local photographer B.F. Conaway, and the Archives ended up with the whole set.

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For those who napped through their U.S. History classes, Benjamin Harrison was our 23rd president and served one term: from 1889 to 1893. A Republican, he was best remembered for various pieces of economic legislation. (Remember why you napped through U.S. History yet?)

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The economy was tanking during his years in office. Moreover, he was held responsible for the first federal budget to reach a billion dollars. He had his ass handed to him in the next election.

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During his administration, six states were admitted to the union: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho and Wyoming.

Odd Fact: Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of our 9th president, William Henry Harrison.

Merry Christmas, from Santa, Whittles, and me

I join Santa and Whittles in their holiday wishes to you. Merry Christmas!

Santa, Mission Viejo, the Evangeline Hotel, etc.

Young Henry Gonzales sits on Santa's lap at the White Front Store at 2222 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, in this photo from 1962. (Photo courtesy Anaheim Public Library.) You can tell it's the early '60s, because even Santa has an aluminum Christmas tree.

This color photo shows Santa and his elves in their workshop at,... Mission Viejo. (Thought I was gonna say the North Pole, didn'tcha?) This photo was taken just two years after the Mission Viejo Company -- which developed the entire area -- was taken over by cigarette-pimping Philip Morris Inc. I thought the photo (which comes to us courtesy the Mission Viejo Library) might have been taken at the Mission Viejo Mall, but the mall didn't open until 1979.

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Our search for "historic parking lots" in Orange County continues, and comments continue to roll in. Phil Brigandi writes, "If the Orange Crush is ever ruled an official parking lot (as opposed to its current status as a de facto one), that will open up many possibilities for historic sites buried under concrete. First on my list would be the West Orange [Southern Pacific] depot."

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Good news and bad news on the historic Evangeline Hotel (1906) at 421 8th St., Huntington Beach.

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First, the bad news: The original carriage house was badly damaged in this last big storm. The roof collapsed due to what one knowledgeable observer called "water weight and wood rot caused by neglect" by the property's various owners over the years. Another pointed out that the barn was only still standing "because the termites were holding hands." The new owners have requested a demolition permit.

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Now the good news: The Evangeline's new owners are a group of several developers from out of the area (I know this sounds like bad news, but stick with me) who want to restore the building and turn each floor into a condo-type vacation home for their own families. If the plans that were described to me are followed, it could be an very positive step for this important property.

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As someone who wants to preserve what little remains of H.B.'s important historic structures, I'm unsure whether to come down on the side of saving the carriage barn, or whether to simply see it as the price that must be paid to see the Evangeline itself restored. Sometimes you have to compromise.