Early Tales and Trails of the Santa Ana Mountains - Apr 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-04-24 | Historian Eric Plunkett presented “Early Tales and Trails of the Santa Ana Mountains” at the April 11, 2024 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society.The Santa Ana Mountains stretch to the north and south of the double peaks of Old Saddleback, forming Orange County’s rugged eastern border. While much of the mountains’ history has been told by county historians Terry Stephenson, Jim Sleeper and Phil Brigandi, their early indigenous history and story throughout the Spanish and Mexican eras (1769-1848) has remained obscure. In this talk, historian Eric Plunkett will tell of the mountains’ indigenous trails and villages, exploration by Spanish missionaries and soldiers, the so-called Black Star Canyon Massacre of the people of Puhú by American trappers, and the first recorded ascent of the county’s high point, Santiago Peak, by a posse pursuing thieves. Saddle up and ride along and learn how early Orange County was a part of the great story of the American West.Eric Plunkett is the author of St. Junípero Serra and the Founders of Mission San Juan Capistrano and Orange County and many scholarly articles and is co-author (with Phil Brigandi) of the OCHS publication, The Portola Expedition in Orange County. Plunkett teaches in the Placentia Yorba-Linda Unified School District. A native of Placentia, he graduated with a degree in history from CSU Fullerton. He has led numerous OCHS tours and History Hikes (including OCHS’ upcoming Flores Peak hike) and has addressed OCHS on numerous occasions. He blogs about the early history of Orange County at www.visionsofcalifornia.blogspot.com.
Punk Rock in Orange County - September 2025 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2025-10-15 | Author and journalist Nate Jackson discussed the era of Orange County’s punk and third-wave ska scene (1978-2000) at the September 11, 2025 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, 7:30p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. Jackson focused on the historical and musical roots that led to this creative explosion of rock-and-roll amid the relative calm of suburbia.Nate Jackson is co-author of Tearing Down the Orange Curtain: How Punk Rock Brought Orange County to the World, with fellow journalist Daniel Kohn. The book explores the trajectory of punk and ska from their humble beginnings to their peak popularity years when their cultural impact was felt around the world. Delving deep into the personal and professional lives of local bands like Social Distortion, The Adolescents, The Offspring, and their ska counterparts No Doubt, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris, and more, this book gives readers a deeper look into the very human stories of these musicians, many of whom struggled with acceptance, addiction, and sometimes brutal teenage years.Jackson was born in Orange County and came up in the local punk scene, playing in bands and rumbling through the mosh pit in warehouses, DIY venues, and clubs across SoCal. He is currently the Deputy Editor of entertainment at the L.A. Times. He was previously the Music Editor for OC Weekly and staff writer for the Times.
Designing Disneyland: The Imagination of Marc Davis - June 2025 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2025-07-16 | To mark the 70th anniversary of Disneyland, author/historian, theme park designer, and former Imagineer Christoper Merritt, tells the story of famed Disney animator-turned Imagineer Marc Davis, who was a driving force behind the designs of many of the park’s most iconic attractions. Merritt will take us through Davis’ design process, showing incredible concept art, are behind the scenes photos, and film footage, showing how Davis worked with Walt Disney to help create Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, it’s a small world, Jungle Cruise, County Bear Jamboree, and more.Christopher Merritt has created theme park attraction and environments around the world for over thirty years. He’s coauthored numerous books including Pacific Ocean Park, Knott’s Preserved, Knott’s Bear-y Tales, and Marc Davis in His Own Words.
The Wild West at the Beach - May 2025 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2025-06-11 | Historian Chris Jepsen presented “The Killing of Frank Wilson by Alfred Wolff at San Juan-by-the-Sea” at the meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, May 8, 2025, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange.This is a colorful 1880s Wild West story that took place in what’s now Dana Point. This tale of ornery varmints and frontier justice includes a look at the Railroad Boom and one of the “lost” towns it briefly spawned.On May 23, 1888, a strange “family” drove a wagon into the Santa Fe Railroad’s tiny beach resort town of San Juan-by-the-Sea, armed and looking to settle “unfinished business” with local fisherman and boozehound Frank Wilson. Leading the group was hot-tempered former graverobber Alfred R. H. Wolff. With Wolff was his wife, his wife’s lover (a wild-looking Swede), and a baby. After searching the saloons, they found Wilson in front of the Pioneer Hotel, where Wolff gunned him down in cold blood.Jepsen discussed not only the details of the crime, but also what led up to event (including earlier crimes), the unusual characters on both sides of the law, the now-forgotten “ghost town” in which it all occurred, the context of the fading “Wild West,” and the fates of the involved parties afterward.Orange County historian Chris Jepsen is the longtime president of the O.C. Historical Society and has been involved in local history work for about 35 years. He’s a frequent lecturer; has created museum exhibits and historical tours; and writes for historical journals, magazines, and his own blog: The O.C. History Roundup.
Huntington Beach and the Great War - April 2025 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2025-05-07 | Historian and Huntington Beach City Archivist Kathie Schey told stories of the many Huntington Beach residents of who served in World War I at the monthly meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, Thursday, April 10, 2025.American Legion Post 133 in Huntington Beach is among the oldest continually active posts in the nation and is only a few months younger than the Legion itself. It was built on a remarkable legacy of service: Those who left a sleepy coastal farm town to fight an international war they could never have imagined amidst the threat of an international pandemic.The small group of veterans who founded Post 133 represented a cross-section of the community. One was an attorney, another a land developer and most of the rest had small businesses or farms. Some had seen the horrors of battle, while others hadn’t even made it off their troop transports. Each of their stories shine a light on the lived experience of that time.More than one hundred local men joined the Service after the U.S. entered WWI in April 1917 – a staggering number for a tiny city less than a decade old. They served on land, on sea (and under it), and in the air. Most went to France while others were sent to China or were members of the occupying force in Germany.
Early Laguna Beach Architects - Mar 2025 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2025-03-21 | Guest speaker Hunter Fuentes presented “Paradise Found: Early Laguna Beach Architects and Their Work,” at the Orange County Historical Society on March 13, 2025, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange.Laguna Beach gained early fame as an art colony, but art is a very broad category. While most associate art with painting and sculpture, one could take inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright’s assertion that “The mother art is architecture.” In the April 1944 edition of Architect and Engineer magazine Sewell Smith, A.I.A., wrote, “Laguna Beach in normal times has more smart architects per square inch than any place I’ve ever visited ….” This presentation celebrates the work of a few of those “smart architects” whose work helped transition a summertime campground of ramshackle cabins and tents into a year-round city with world class public and private architecture. These include Aubrey St. Clair, Charles A. Hunter, Manfred DeAhna, and Jean Louis Egasse.Hunter Fuentes works in the real estate industry for Zillow and is a resident of Laguna Beach. He developed a passion for the coastal town and its historic housing many years ago and has created a website called “Historic Laguna” (www.historiclaguna.com). The website celebrates the architects and architecture that help give the city its distinctive charm and personality.
Olinda Origins - Feb 2025 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2025-03-16 | Historian Paul R. Spitzzeri presented “What Do Brazil, Maui and Orange County Have in Common? Some History of the Olinda Ranch and Oil Field,” at the February 13, 2025 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society.In the 1880s, William H. Bailey bought land in what was still part of Los Angeles County (and is now part of Brea) and bestowed the name Olinda on his ranch. From there came a boomtown called Carlton and then Orange County’s first oil field with the moniker best known today with Brea-Olinda High School. Come learn some of the history of this northeastern corner of the county, including a display of artifacts related to the area.Born in Chicago, raised in Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Placentia, and with a B.A. and M.A. in History from CSU Fullerton, Paul R. Spitzzeri is Museum Director at the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, where he’s worked since 1988. In addition to writing extensively about greater Los Angeles history, Paul, a resident of Carbon Canyon has delved deeply into the history of the Canyon and environs over the last twenty years and maintains the Carbon Canyon Chronicle blog.
Knotts Bear y Tales - Jan 2025 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2025-02-11 | At our January 9, 2025 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, Historians Christopher Merritt and J. Eric Lynxwiler discussed their new book, “Knott’s Bear-y Tales: The Complete History of the Whimsical Attraction”. The story of this creative and well-remembered dark ride shines a light on a period of major change for Knott’s Berry Farm and for Orange County. The public is welcome!!!!Designer and artist Rolly Crump came to Knott’s Berry Farm at the invitation of Marion Knott — one of the first top woman executives in a major Orange County business and was the first female head of a great American theme park. Marion Knott’s parents, Walter and Cordelia, had founded Knott’s Berry Farm decades before. Crump – long known as a prominent Disney Imagineer — was escaping the shadow of his previous employer and looking for an opportunity to spread his wings as a designer. Together these unlikely friends developed and organized a crew of talented artists to build a wild dark ride unlike anything seen (or smelled) before: Knott’s Bear-y Tales!Christopher Merritt has more than thirty years of ride and show design experience, creating theme park attractions and environments around the world. He served as an Art Director and Production Designer at theme parks in California, Florida, Tokyo, Singapore, and Shanghai. His books include Pacific Ocean Park: The Rise and Fall of Los Angeles’ Space Age Nautical Pleasure Pier (2014), with co-author Domenic Priore, and Marc Davis in His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks (2019) with Pete Docter.J. Eric Lynxwiler is an urban anthropologist and Knott’s Berry Farm historian. While attending UCLA, he spent one school year behind the counter of Knott’s electric shooting gallery and works today as a graphic designer on Farm signage, merchandise, and Knott’s Berry Market preserves. Lynxwiler has been a volunteer and Neon Cruise guide for the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale for 25 years. He has also co-authored books on the history of neon signs in Los Angeles and the history of Wilshire Boulevard.Together, Merritt and Lynxwiler also wrote the critically acclaimed, “Knott’s Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, The History of Knott’s Berry Farm” (2010), which remains the leading book on the subject.
Biographies of O.C. s First Peoples - Dec 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-12-30 | Historian Eric Plunkett spoke on “Biographies of Orange County’s First Peoples – Insights from the Mission San Juan Capistrano Registers”, at the monthly meeting of the Orange County Historical Society on Thursday, December 12, 2024.In this talk, historian Eric Plunkett discussed how Mission San Juan Capistrano’s baptism, marriage, and burial registers can be used to piece together compelling stories of the Acjachemen and Tongva peoples. The emergent stories include how different villages developed alliances through marriages, their various responses to colonization, and sketches of individual biographies that provide the best insight yet into the lives of Orange County’s first people. While many historians have looked at the larger picture, this is a rare opportunity to learn about some of these native locals as individuals.Eric Plunkett is the author of St. Junípero Serra and the Founders of Mission San Juan Capistrano and Orange County and many scholarly articles and is co-author, with Phil Brigandi, of the OCHS publication, The Portola Expedition in Orange County. Plunkett teaches in the Placentia Yorba-Linda Unified School District. A native of Placentia, he graduated with a degree in history from CSU Fullerton. He has led numerous Orange County Historical Society tours and History Hikes and has addressed our Society on many occasions. He blogs about the early history of Orange County at www.visionsofcalifornia.blogspot.com.
Authors Night - Nov 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-12-29 | Linda Rattner NunnAuthor Linda Rattner Nunn’s book tells the story of a local Chabad congregation that started in a little yellow Yorba Linda farmhouse and then grew dramatically along with the rest of the city. “Read this book,” she says, “and you will feel like an old-timer of the congregation — a congregation representative of many other Chabad congregations around the world.” The book is also the story of the Yorba Linda’s evolution from a rural place where residents rode horses downtown and fruit stands punctuated the main drag, to a growing, modern city that draws new residents from every corner of the globe.Paul CarterEndless books have beaten the subject of Watergate to death, but few have delved into Nixon’s deep, defining roots in California. In his book, Richard Nixon: California’s Native Son, Paul Carter challenges common conceptions of the thirty-seventh president of the United States and reveals the people, places, and experiences that shaped the most famous Orange County native of all time. The book follows Nixon’s story from his birth in Yorba Linda to his final resting place just a few yards from the home in which he was born.David Crawley (Posthumously)Although author David Crawley passed in 2021, the Tustin Area Historical Society (TAHS) has reprinted his hard-to-find book, United States Naval Air Station Lighter-Than-Air Santa Ana, California. Timothy Zierer, vice-president of TAHS, will share this historical volume about the famous blimp hangars of NAS Santa Ana (later known as MCAS Tustin), which are/were among the largest free-standing buildings in the world. This book is a comprehensive history of the base, from its time as a bean field owned by James Irvine to its decommissioning in 1999. The book is heavily illustrated and includes interesting stories about the blimps and helicopters associated with the base. After his naval service during the Vietnam War, Crawley became a civilian employee of the Department of Defense at both MCAS Tustin and MCAS El Toro, where he held the positions of Engineering Technician and Environmental Protection Specialist.Chris NicholsBowlarama: The Architecture of Mid-Century Bowling takes aim at the obsession that swept the post-war nation: bowling! Bowling alleys became modern palaces; companies constantly tried to outdo each other, whether competing for the most spectacular architecture, the most luxurious lanes, the snazziest bowling balls, or the most exciting refreshments they could offer. And many of the best were right here in Orange County and Los Angeles. Bowlarama is both a history of these places and this phenomenon, and a visual feast — packed with vintage photos, ephemera, and architectural renderings that capture all the optimism and enthusiasm of the era. Chris Nichols is a longtime preservationist, former chair of the L.A. Conservancy’s Modern Committee, and senior editor at Los Angeles magazine. His other books include Walt Disney’s Disneyland and The Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister.Roy StephensonAlthough covering the entire history of the Yorba Linda area, from prehistoric times to modern day, the primary focus of Roy Stephenson’s book, Building Yorba Linda From Scratch: 1973-2001, is on the community’s development ever since its citizens decided to incorporate as a city. The city began as just five square miles and with a population of five hundred. “I was hired six years later and for the next twenty-eight years I served as a Public Works Director/City Engineer playing a key role in working with the City Council and City Manager to shepherd the growth of the City to its current twenty square miles, population of 70,000…” The book provides behind the scenes stories of the city’s growth, including tales of the Nixon Presidential Library, redevelopment, the annexation of large ranches and SAVI (Santa Ana Valley Irrigation) property, the city’s role in the development of the TCA/Toll Roads, and other previously unknown chapters of the Yorba Linda’s history.Larry StrawtherThe story of Seal Beach, from the port and summer retreat of Anaheim Landing; to early aviation and motion pictures; to a den of gambling, speakeasies and brothels; and finally to a quiet residential beach town, is the subject of Larry Strawther’s book, Seal Beach : A Brief History. Another of Strawther’s books, A Brief History of Los Alamitos & Rossmoor tracks the evolution of Los Alamitos from cattle ranches and sugar production, to a World War II military town, and ultimately into residential neighborhoods, as well as the mid-century creation and development of the adjacent unincorporated planned community of Rossmoor. Larry Strawther is on the board of the Seal Beach Historic Resources Foundation. In his forty years as a professional writer, he’s been an author, columnist, sports reporter, and has written and produced for movies and television including Happy Days, to Night Court, to Jeopardy!
Walt Disneys Wonderful World of Tiki - Oct 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-10-26 | Explore the creative world of Walt Disney and his Imagineers and their adventures with Tiki and the South Pacific with historian Mike Skinner.Hear brand new stories about the history and development of Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room, see Imagineer Rolly Crump’s lost concept art for his never-built Hawaiian ‘Disneyland inspired’ theme park near Honolulu, and travel with Walt Disney on his many voyages to the South Pacific. Join us for this voyage into the enchanted land of Disney Tiki.Mike Skinner lives in Denver, where he is a Professional Engineer. But his passion is researching and sharing Polynesian Pop culture stories. He was born in Anaheim, spending his childhood in the shadow of Disneyland. For decades, he has extensively researched and studied the mid-20th century’s “Tiki” phenomenon, and he now lectures throughout the country on various aspects of the subject.
The Acjachemen Revolt at Mission San Juan Capistrano - Sept 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-10-21 | Noted cultural anthropologist and archaeologist Stephen O’Neil presented, “The Chiefs Saw What Was Happening: The Acjachemen Uprising Against Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1778,” at the September 12, 2024 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society.In late 1776 Mission San Juan Capistrano was established amid Acjachemen (Juaneño) tribal territory by the Franciscan religious order and the Spanish army. But by Spring 1778, the Acjachemen were planning an uprising. While the uprising was ultimately unsuccessful, military reports surrounding the incident – including the interrogation of its leaders — shed a great deal of light on the Acjachemen’s cultural motivations for warfare, on their view of Spanish aggression toward their people, and on the consensus-building process among clans necessary for such a major undertaking. When studied in concert with demographic data from the mission register, these records also tell us more about local villages and their chiefs. Studying this event provides us with a better understanding of the Acjachemen response to the Euro-Christian attack on their traditional culture, including both active defense and withdrawal. Stephen O’Neil has more than thirty-five years of experience as a cultural anthropologist and archaeologist in California. He has researched and written on ethnography, archaeology and history, concentrating on the ethnohistory of Southern California tribal peoples. He received his M.A. in cultural anthropology at CSU Fullerton. Stephen has expertise in the use of mission records for the study of population and social networks and is familiar with ethnobotany and rock art. O’Neil’s archaeological work has primarily focused on Native American prehistoric sites, but also Spanish, Mexican, and American period adobes. He has published in the Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, the Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly, News from Native California, and the Society for California Archaeology Newsletter on topics ranging from village place names to cosmology and medicinal plants. He grew up on the Orange County coast and now lives in Laguna Canyon. O’Neil works as the Cultural Resources Manager for UltraSystems Environmental in Irvine.
Pioneer Judge J.E. Pleasants - July 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-10-20 | Judge J. E. Pleasants – farmer, rancher, homesteader, beekeeper, and the original property owner of what is now known as Arden. Moreover, Pleasants was one of the founders of the Orange County Historical Society.In honor of his 185th birthday, we celebrated him with a presentation about his life, provided by OCHS president Chris Jepsen.
How Railroads & Citrus Transformed Southern California - June 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-06-28 | Dr. Benjamin Jenkins presented “Octopus’s Garden: How Railroads and Citrus Transformed Southern California” at the June 13, 2024 meeting of the Orange County Historical SocietyBenjamin Jenkins’s new book, Octopus’s Garden, explains how citrus agriculture and railroads together shaped the economy, landscape, labor systems, and popular image of Southern California. Orange and lemon growing boomed in the 1870s and 1880s while railroads linked the region to markets across North America and ended centuries of geographic isolation for the West Coast. Railroads competed over the shipment of citrus fruits from multiple counties engulfed by the orange empire, resulting in an extensive rail network that generated lucrative returns for grove owners and railroad businessmen in Southern California from the 1890s to the 1950s.Our speaker, Benjamin Jenkins, MLIS, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of History and Archivist at the University of La Verne. He teaches U.S. and California history and directs the Public History Program. He received his Ph.D. in History at the University of California, Riverside, in 2016.
Treasures of CSUFs Local History Collections - May 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-06-13 | Archivist Patrisia Prestinary presented a special look at “Highlights from Cal State Fullerton’s Local History Collections” at the May 9, 2024 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society.Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) boasts expansive archives and special collections that enable researchers, students, and the community to uncover forgotten stories and study the forces that shaped our region over time. Attendees will learn about the breadth of the university’s unique local history holdings.CSUF’s collections document Orange County’s evolution from agricultural powerhouse to suburban sprawl, including trade journals, packing house records, and ephemera. Researchers can also explore the experiences of marginalized groups, including Japanese American WWII internment through oral histories and camp artifacts, as well as Vietnamese refugee resettlement preserved in photographs, newspapers, and manuscripts. Additional collection highlights include the records of the Orange County Press Club, materials from the United Daughters of the Confederacy’s Orange County chapter, subject files covering major industries like water, energy, and aerospace, decades of regional periodicals and ephemera, and the Smart Studio collection containing thousands of photographic negatives chronicling everyday life.As the Archivist at CSUF’s Pollak Library, Patrisia enables the use of special collections through primary source instruction, research consultations, processing acquisitions, and student supervision. She served on the OCHS Board and as Editor of the County Courier from 2014 to 2016. Driven by a passion for connecting scholars to historical materials, Patrisia co-founded the Orange County Archives Bazaar, bringing heritage institutions together to engage the public.
Flores Peak History Hike - Apr 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-04-26 | Local Historian and Author, Eric Plunkett lead a hike to the top of Flores Peak (California Historical Landmark #225) located in the beautiful confluence of Harding and Modjeska Canyons. Flores Peak rises 1,834 feet tall and is named for notorious criminal Juan Flores. In 1857 Flores and his gang escaped from Los Angeles after killing Sheriff James Barton and three of his deputies and hid out on top of this peak. It is an incredible story that includes Flores’ escape down the steep cliff of Flores Peak on horseback and his eventual capture by a Los Angeles posse.
La Vida Mineral Springs of Carbon Canyon - Mar 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-03-30 | Historian Paul R. Spitzzeri will presented “’This Miraculous Health and Curative Wonder Water’: The La Vida Mineral Springs of Carbon Canyon,” at the March 14, 2024 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society.For most of the 20th century, La Vida Mineral Springs was a popular resort in the Brea portion of Carbon Canyon, offering hot mineral water baths and pools, a motel, cabins, a café and more. Its carbonated water was widely sold in many flavors and was promoted for its many purported health benefits. Today, little is left of La Vida, but Paul R. Spitzzeri will share with the OCHS some of the fascinating history that has flowed from the site.Born in Chicago, raised in Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Placentia, and with a B.A. and M.A. in History from CSU Fullerton, Paul R. Spitzzeri is Museum Director at the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, where he’s been since 1988. In addition to writing extensively about greater Los Angeles history, Paul, a resident of the Carbon Canyon neighborhood Sleepy Hollow in Chino Hills (2/10 of a mile from the O.C. border), has delved deeply into the history of the Canyon over the last twenty years and maintains the Carbon Canyon Chronicle blog.
The Life of Richard Henry Dana Jr. - Feb 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-03-07 | “The Life and Times of Richard Henry Dana, Jr.” was the subject of local historian Bob Minty’s presentation at the February 8, 2024 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society (OCHS), 7:30p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange.Locals know Richard Henry Dana as the namesake of Dana Point and the author of Two Years Before the Mast — a treatise on the harsh life of sailors, which happened to also describe his 1835 visit to what’s now Dana Point. But Dana was far more a merchant seaman and memoirist. He was a lawyer, a politician, a student of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a friend of Herman Melville, a prominent abolitionist, and a champion of the downtrodden. As U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts during the Civil War, he even went before the U.S. Supreme Court, defending President Lincoln’s blockade of Confederate ports.Bob Minty has been the program chair of the Dana Point City Historical Society for several years, is a Life Member of OCHS, and has been portraying Richard Henry Dana, Jr. as a reenactor for the Pilgram Program at the Ocean Institute since the 1980s. He is the go-to person for anything relating to Richard Henry Dana and has given presentations to members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and numerous professional organizations. Some OCHS members will also recall Bob’s memorable presentation before the Society in 2017 regarding the whaling industry that once existed off the coast of Orange County.
History of Westminster - Jan 2024 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-03-06 | Westminster’s History and Its Influence on Orange CountyThe history of Westminster, California was the subject of local historian and author Nick Popadiuk’s presentation on January 11, 2024 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society.The founding of Westminster Colony in 1871 marked the appearance of a third sizable settlement in what was then southeast Los Angeles County. Many of its early residents had close ties to Anaheim and during the colony’s first decade its population rivaled that of Santa Ana. This program focuses on seven individuals and families whose influence was felt beyond the agricultural community in which they lived. It will feature photos of Westminster from the Westminster Historical Museum that haven’t been available or widely seen before.Nick Popadiuk first moved to Westminster with his parents in 1958. He attended Blessed Sacrament School during the 1960s and graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington in 1975. Following a career in the sign business, he has dedicated his time to researching local history. He is on the Westminster Historical Society board of directors and is assistant archivist at the Westminster Historical Museum. He and his wife raised their family in Westminster and still live there. He recently authored the book, Images of America: Westminster.
SoCal Landmarks Project - Dec 2023 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-03-06 | SoCal Landmarks is an ongoing photography project documenting the myriad sites, buildings, structures, monuments, and other natural and historical points of importance/interest that are considered landmarks in the ten southern counties of California. Since the launch of the project in February 2020, a small, dedicated group of photographers has contributed content for the project’s archives, its website (socallandmarks.com), and presence on five social media platforms.Project manager Andy Schmidt moved to Orange County in late 2005. As a member of the Photographic Society of Orange County, he was involved with the Slice of Orange photography project organized by John Bare of Laguna Niguel, for which he provided administrative and technical assistance. In mid-2019, Andy approached John and one of the other photographers in the Slice project, Al Russell, about helping organize and administer an open-ended project focusing on historical landmarks. Already, the project has documented more than 600 landmarks with many more still to go.
Authors Night - Nov 2023 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2024-02-23 | OCHS Author's Night, November 9th, 2023. Featured Authors are Eric Plunkett, Robert Stoffel, Ted Daugherty, Donna Friess, and Douglas Westfall. Their books span a wide array of local historical topics, from Junipero Serra and San Juan Capistrano to Knott's Scary Farm, Orange County's public safety radio, Capistrano's equestrian culture, to the rancho lands of Orange County.Eric Plunkett - St. Junipero Serra and the Founding of Mission San Juan Capistrano and Orange CountyFranciscan friar Junípero Serra y Ferrer led the effort to establish the California Missions. He was a key figure in the development of Alta California, was canonized in 2015, and his life remains a lively topic of debate today. Eric Plunkett is the leading authority today on Orange County’s Spanish and Mexican Eras. His book, St. Junípero Serra and the Founders of Mission San Juan Capistrano and Orange County, uncovers never-before tales of Serra’s time in our area and sheds new light on the man and his work. Plunkett teaches in the Placentia Yorba-Linda Unified School District. A native of Placentia, he graduated with a degree in history from CSU Fullerton. He has published several articles and co-authored a book about the Portola Expedition with Phil Brigandi.Donna L. Friess - Capistrano Trails Ride for the BrandSan Juan Capistrano’s history and its longtime efforts to preserve of its frontier heritage and equestrian culture are the topics of Capistrano Trails: Ride for the Brand by historian, fourth-generation Californian and retired Cypress College educator Donna L. Friess, Ph.D. Another of her books, Whispering Waters: Historic Weesha and the Settling of Southern California, with co-author Janet Tonkovich, she explores the history of the historic Weesha Country Club, founded on the Santa Ana River in 1910 by such Orange County pioneers as Charles Wagner, Albert Bradford, John R. Gardiner, Peter Weisel and John Tuffree. Friess is the author of six books and is renown for her work raising awareness of and strengthening laws against child abuse.Ted Dougherty - The History of Knott's Scary FarmCelebrating the 50th anniversary Knott’s Scary Farm this year, Ted Dougherty’s The History of Knott’s Scary Farm tells the lavishily illustrated story of how this annual Halloween spectacular became not only a beloved local institution and financial coup for Knott’s Berry Farm, but also a game-changer for the entire theme park industry. Dougherty is a writer, producer and director for theme park special events and attractions such as Knott’s Scary Farm, Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights and several others. This new book is theoretically a new edition of his 2004 volume on the same subject, but it is essentially a whole new book, with much more information, more photos, and an additional ten years’ worth of haunting history.Robert A. Stoffel - The History & Heritage of Orange County CommunicationsThe History and Heritage of O.C. Communications provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Orange County public safety communications system began and evolved, from radio station KGHX in 1934 to the amazing technological advances of the 2020s. This story is key to the histories of all our local law enforcement, fire, lifeguard and other emergency services agencies. Author Robert Stoffel was Chief of Operations and Emergency Communications Coordinator for the O.C. Public Safety Countywide Coordinated Communications Center. He later served as the Director of the O.C. Sheriff’s Communications & Technology Division. After thirty years of service to the County and its first responder agencies, he retired in 2016.Douglas Westfall - Rancho Lands, The Memoirs of Alfred B. ChapmanPublisher, lecturer and writer Douglas Westfall will highlight two books from his “All About Orange” series. Santiago Creek: The Memoirs of John Gietzen is a walking tour of Santiago Creek, includes a guide, maps and historical information. Rancho Lands: The Memoirs of Alfred B. Chapman is “about the rancho lands that became the Town of Orange.” Born in Los Angeles in 1949, Westfall claims authorship of fifty books and has given presentations in more than half of the United States, as well as Canada, Latin America, Europe and the Philippines. Of his Paragon publishing business, he says, “Some of our books I author, and many are written by selected authorities, while others are reproductions of significant historical publications.”For more information on the Orange County Historical Society, please visit their website at: orangecountyhistory.org
Breas Art in Public Places - Oct 2023 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2023-11-08 | Linda Shay, Executive Director and Curator of the Brea Museum, discussed the history of the City of Brea’s Art In Public Places program during the October 12, 2023 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, Nestled in the foothills of North Orange County is one of the county’s oldest cities: Brea. Beginning in 1975, Brea has cultivated one of the most extensive public art collections in Southern California. Today there are over 191 monumental statues covering every corner of the 12 ½ mile city. Historian Linda Shay will discuss the story of this unique program.Linda has lived in Brea since 1996 where she raised three sons who have blessed her with four grandchildren. She holds a BA and MA in History and a PhD in Education. Besides her work at the Museum, Linda is also an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, where she teaches several courses covering the history of the 20th century. In her spare time, she loves to garden and hang out with her grandkids.
Saving Historic Sites with Adaptive Reuse - May 2023 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2023-05-24 | Hear some of Orange County’s greatest recent historical preservation success stories directly from Linda Sadeghi – who made them a reality. “Adaptive Reuse” of historic buildings (repurposing them to make them functional for a new generation) is one of the most reliable means of ensuring their long-term survival, making this the perfect topic for National Preservation Month.Linda Sadeghi is the owner/operator/designer of Little American Business (LAB), Inc. Some of her past projects she’ll discuss include The Anaheim Packing House (1919), The LAB (factory built 1955 in Costa Mesa), The Casino San Clemente (1937 dance hall), and Cottage Industries (housing small businesses within residential homes in Garden Grove, built 1914-1950). She also plans to discuss her forthcoming project: The Balboa Theater (1927).A Pratt Institute of Brooklyn graduate, Linda is a self-described “artist in search of medium” whose career started in the fashion industry. After twenty years designing for apparel brands like Ocean Pacific and her own children’s clothing line, Itigraffiti, Linda and her former partner started both a family (three sons) and a family business with the creation of The LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa, finding a new design medium in brick and mortar. The LAB became an iconic addition to Orange County – a youth driven haven/hangout for aspiring creatives as well as a community of budding entrepreneurs. “Our ongoing goal was to feature small, creative, unique businesses in a synergistic environment; almost as an incubator, full of support, comradery and creative energy,” says Linda. “It helped that we didn’t have a rule book for commercial real estate development and were just ourselves; artists.”Linda and her team continue to rehab and repurpose commercial real estate across Orange County, breathing new life into significant sites that otherwise would have met with the bulldozer.
Jewish Orange County, Part II: 1940-1980 - Mar 2023 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2023-03-21 | Orange County Jewish Historical Society archivist Dalia Taft presented “1940-1980: The Jewish Community Comes Together,” at the March 9th, 2023 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society (OCHS). This program was a follow-up to her December 2020 presentation before the Society, which spanned history from 1857 to 1940.This second program follows the Orange County Jewish community from just before WWII through 1980, when the tiny population more than doubled in size and started to build up community organizations, synagogues, youth groups, and more. Ms. Taft will show how many of Orange County’s Jewish residents were, and continue to be, actively involved in local commerce, culture and politics while still maintaining their Jewish identities. The lecture included a montage of old photos, period newspaper announcements and vintage advertisements.Prior to viewing this video OCHS suggests also viewing the half-hour documentary, California Orange Jews: The Story of Jews in Orange County, by Josh Friedman and Dalia Taft of the Orange County Jewish Historical Society. It is available on Youtube. (See tinyurl.com/3rtyvkh6)As archivist for the Orange County Jewish Historical Society, Taft is responsible for increasing the awareness of the role Jews have played in the development of Orange County from 1857, when the first Jew settled in Anaheim, to now. She maintains the Society’s archives and is constantly researching and digitizing the growing collection. She lectures regularly and writes a monthly column in JLife, Orange County’s monthly Jewish magazine, highlighting images from the society’s archives. She is also the author of the book, "Jewish Pioneers of Orange Count."
Transforming the Irvine Ranch - Feb 2023 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2023-02-23 | Author and former Irvine Co. executive Mike Stockstill shares the history of the Irvine Ranch at a meeting of the Orange County Historical Society.Michael Stockstill’s presentation is based on the book he co-authored, Transforming the Irvine Ranch: Joan Irvine, William Pereira, Ray Watson, and the Big Plan (2022). He told the story of Irvine Ranch’s transformation from an agricultural empire into the most successful new town in the U.S. Along the way, the colorful and tragic history of the Irvine family, especially Joan Irvine Smith, will be featured, along with key insights based on the writings and oral history of Ray Watson and a look at the man who created the first master plans for Irvine and UC Irvine, William Pereira.Michael Stockstill is a native Californian who moved to Orange County in 1972 where he worked for newspapers and magazines before joining the Irvine Co. in 1978. He graduated from Humboldt State University in 1971 with a degree in journalism. After leaving the Irvine Company in 1991 he worked in a variety of public affairs positions before retiring in 2010. He lives with his wife Colleen Clark in Irvine.
The Early Development of Mission Viejo - Jan 2023 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2023-02-01 | Former Mission Viejo Mayor and Mission Viejo Heritage Committee member Robert Breton shared the history of the master-planned community he calls home. He focused on the early rancho days, the formation of the Mission Viejo Company, its purchase of the land from the O’Neill family, the master planning process, and the city’s incorporation and growth.Robert and his family moved to Mission Viejo in 1976. He has served as a member of Mission Viejo’s City Council, Planning Commission, Municipal Advisory Council, Community Services District, Community Services Commission, Friends of the Library, and many other local task forces and boards. As mayor of Mission Viejo, Breton formed the City’s Heritage Committee and assisted Doris Walker in writing its first history book, Mission Viejo: The Ageless Land. He is currently at work on a new history of Mission Viejo, to be published soon.
Company L at the Mexican Border & During WWI - Dec 2022 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-12-21 | Santa Ana’s historic National Guard unit, Company L, and their service at the Mexican border and during WWI was the subject of Richard Hartman’s presentation at the December 8, 2022 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society.Company L of California’s 7th Infantry was called to active duty in June of 1916, along with the entire National Guard in the United States, to assist the Regular Army, guarding the US southern border. It was a time of many changes to the National Guard, when it developed into the force we know today. Nelson Holderman began 1916 as a Sergeant in Company L and by the end of the year he commanded the Company as a Captain. He would go on to receive the Medal of Honor in World War 1, while a part of the action known as “The Lost Battalion.” Several other young men from the Santa Ana company would lose their lives in that same action. We also have an eye-witness account of the aftermath of the battle. This eyewitness was a Santa Ana resident and a member of the first Company to relieve those surrounded men.Our guest speaker, Richard Hartman, served in the California Air Guard as a Chief Master Sergeant and the Maintenance Superintendent of the 222nd Combat Communications Squadron in Costa Mesa. Richard spent seven years on active duty in the Air Force in Montana and Wyoming as a Systems Analyst on Minuteman 2 and Minuteman 3 missile systems. In his civilian life, he was a control systems engineer, building flight simulator systems and motion rides. After retiring from his civilian job, he entered the Master’s History program at Cal State Fullerton. Richard also volunteers at the Orange Family History Library, helping patrons navigate their research.
Authors Night - Nov 2022 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-11-20 | Recent Orange County history books were discussed by their authors at the Orange County Historical Society’s Authors Night on Thursday, November 10, 2022. After the presentations, attendees got to meet the authors, ask questions, buy books, and have their books signed. Authors and their books included:SAVING UPPER NEWPORT BAYThe gist of this book’s story is right in the title: Saving Upper Newport Bay: How Frank and Frances Robinson Fought to Preserve One of California’s Last Estuaries. Author Cassandra Radcliff began volunteering at Upper Newport Bay in 2014 after visiting the park for bird-watching. She is now a Volunteer Naturalist, recipient of a OneOC Spirit of Volunteerism Award (2019), and Vice President of the Newport Bay Conservancy Board of Directors. She currently lives in south Orange County and works for Walter Foster Publishing, a book publisher founded in Laguna Beach in 1922.A PEOPLE’S GUIDE TO ORANGE COUNTYThis alternative tour guide “documents sites of oppression, resistance, struggle, and transformation in Orange County, California.” The book’s wide array of topics reflect local diversity, segregation, privatization, the struggle for public space, migration, youth cultures, labor, and much more. Two of the contributing authors will join us for the evening. Dr. Elaine Lewinnek is professor of American Studies and chair of the Environmental Studies program at CSU Fullerton. Dr. Thuy Vo Dang is Curator for the UC Irvine Libraries Southeast Asian Archive and Research Librarian for Asian American studies and is co-author of the book, Vietnamese in Orange County.GOOGIE MODERN: ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS OF ARMET DAVIS NEWLOVEOCHS’ longtime friend, author and architectural historian Alan Hess presents this highly visual volume of plans and concept drawings from the private archives of the Armet Davis Newlove firm. This architectural firm created what became known as “Googie Modern,” capturing the optimistic and forward-thinking mood in post-war America and setting the bar for what would become Mid-Century Modern style. Hess has written more than nineteen books on Modern architecture and urbanism in the mid-twentieth century. This included, beginning in the 1980s, the first serious works on Southern California’s own Googie architecture.SUITE ALICE OF RIVERSIDE, TAHOE AND LAGUNAAlice Miller Richardson – the sister of Mission Inn founder Frank Miller — started as a hotel manager in 1874. She proved a natural and over time ran multiple world-class hotels (then “a man’s job”), setting new industry standards along the way. Friends frequenting her waterfront Laguna Beach home included prominent artists, cooks, actors, presidents, architects and poets. Few knew she was one of California’s most successful businesswomen. Author Barbara Ann Burns has long been in charge of training docents at the Mission Inn. Initially, she thought Alice had simply worked in her brother’s famous Inn. Over time, she learned that Alice was really the one in charge.LAGUNA DIARYAuthor Richard Leslie Brock’s new historical novel is a well-researched and well-remembered depiction of mid-century Laguna Beach. Laguna Diary is about secrets revealed by a long-lost diary written by a boy’s father who abandons his family. Many of the secrets are about local lore unique to Laguna and they guide the boy into adulthood. Others provide clues to the father’s disappearance. Locals will recognize long-gone local institutions, buskers, cults, West Street Beach, Aliso Creek Pier, the death of Killer Dana, and much more. There’s even a connection to Richard Egan of San Juan Capistrano. Brock is a historian, folklorist, novelist and attorney.THE KINDNESS OF COLORAuthor Janice Munemitsu gave a presentation to OCHS earlier this year about her book, The Kindness of Color: The Story of Two Families and Mendez, et al. v. Westminster, the 1947 Desegregation of California Public Schools. She returns this evening to sell and sign her book and answer your questions. The book tells the true story of two immigrant families (Mendez and Munemitsu) who came to the U.S. for better lives, only to face their own separate battles against racism during the 1940s. The friendship of these two families would help lead to the desegregation for all the school children of California in 1947.
Early Cemeteries of Orange County - Oct 2022 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-10-20 | Hear stories of Orange County’s early cemeteries from a panel of experts including, Yorba expert and “Cemetery Angel" Melanie Goss who discusses the Yorba Cemetery (1860). (Melanie also conducts tours of Yorba Cemetery as part of her job with OC Parks.) OCHS board member and historian Stephanie George discusses Holy Cross Cemetery (1903). Historian and O.C. Cemetery District board member Cynthia Ward talks about Anaheim Cemetery (1866). Tim Deutsch, General Manager of the O.C. Cemetery District, and Julio Amarillas, Manager of the Santa Ana Cemetery, discuss the Santa Ana (1870) and El Toro (1896) cemeteries. Cemeteries are more than just a place to pay our respects to the departed. They are among our most valuable of historic resources. They teach us about settlement patterns, historic events, religions, lifestyles, and genealogy. For a historian, a walk among the headstones provides a sketch of a community’s past, reminders of half-forgotten tales, and often a list of worthwhile new questions to be researched and answered.Thumbnail Photo: Courtesy of OC Parks
Anaheims Little Arabia - May 2022 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-09-30 | Amin Nash of the Arab American Civic Council shares the story of Anaheim’s Little Arabia. Nash discussed local immigrant communities from the Middle East and North Africa, how they established Little Arabia from the 1960s, and how the area has grown and developed in the decades since.
Origins of Ortega Highway - Sep 2022 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-09-22 | Historian Steve Lech tells the story of the Ortega Highway at the Orange County Historical Society’s season kick-off event.The creation of the Ortega Highway, linking Orange and Riverside Counties, was a hard-fought effort by residents on both sides of the Santa Ana Mountains. Many wanted it, but getting it was another story. Riverside County historian Steve Lech will discuss the thirty-year struggle that led to the eventual opening of this scenic road – a turning point in transportation history for both counties.
Shifra Goldman: Godmother of Latin American & Chicano Art - Apr 2022 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-04-24 | Historian Manny Escamilla discusses Professor Shifra Goldman of Santa Ana College – one of the first academics to seriously study Chicano/a and Latin American art. Dr. Shifra Goldman’s pioneering work in the field of Chicano and Latin American art was paired with a lifetime of activism, an encyclopedic knowledge of artwork, an eagerness to teach others, and a willingness to vocally defend threatened Chicano/a and Latin American art.She was a driving force behind the preservation of Siqueiros’ 1932 “La América Tropical” mural on Olvera Street. She taught courses in Mexican Pre-Colombian, Modern and Chicano Art at Santa Ana College for 21 years where she organized the college’s first mural program. She personally documented thousands of works of art across the country (including here in Orange County) and her collection at UC Santa Barbara remains a starting point for researchers. This presentation highlights her work as well as a slide show of murals/paintings from her collection.
Two Families and Mendez v Westminster - Mar 2022 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-04-23 | The Kindness of Color, presented by Janice Munemitsu, tells the true story of two immigrant families who came to Southern California for better lives, only to face their own separate battles against racism during the 1940s. One family came by land from Mexico and the other by sea from Japan. Little did they expect their paths would meet and lead to justice and desegregation for all the school children of California in Mendez, et. al v. Westminster (1947) – seven years before Brown v. Education (1954).
California Political History: A View from the O.C. - Sep 2021 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-02-20 | Dr. Barbara Stone looks at the scope of California’s political history with an emphasis on Orange County’s role.Whether inspiring, maddening, confusing or shocking, politics in California are never dull. Our state has always marched to its own drum and been a place to try new things. And our government and politics have always been part of that. The effects of our experiments over the past 170 years continue to affect us – and the rest of the country – in profound and sometimes surprising ways.
A. Otis Birch: The Strange Saga of Santa Ana’s Oil Tycoon - Jan 2022 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-02-19 | Historian Paul Spitzzeri discusses “A. Otis Birch: The Strange Saga of Santa Ana’s Oil Tycoon” Albert Otis Birch was an early Santa Ana resident who became an oil tycoon during the early 20th century, with gushers in Brea Canyon. He also owned a furniture company in Los Angeles and was an insurance company executive, among other business endeavors. After living many years on a hilltop estate in South Pasadena, an aging Birch and his wife Estelle fell into the clutches of Pearl Choate, a Texas-born nurse with a penchant for having older husbands die not long after marriage and who served prison time in one instance. Not long after she began “taking care” of the Birches in the mid-1960s, Choate spirited them off to Texas where both died within a short period of time. But that’s just part of their strange story.
Duke Kahanamoku in Orange County - Feb 2022 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2022-02-17 | Author Mark Zambrano discusses the life, legacy, local impact of the “father of surfing” – Duke Kahanamoku. While surfing defined much of his history, Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku also led a storied life as a lifeguard, Olympic athlete, Hollywood actor, Hawaiian sheriff, and world ambassador. A Native Hawaiian, he played a key role in spreading the popularity of his homeland and its culture. He left a significant positive impact most places he traveled, and particularly in Orange County.Thumbnail Photo: Courtesy of Kamehameha Schoolshttps://www.ksbe.edu/article/kukahekahe-duke-kahanamoku-hawaiis-beloved-olympian-and-ambassador-of-aloha
Juaneño/Acjachemen Culture - May 2021 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2021-06-13 | The culture and history of the Juaneño/Acjachemen indigenous people of Orange County, CA. Presented on May 13, 2021 for the Orange County Historical Society by Adelia Sandoval is the Spiritual Overseer (Púul) and Cultural Director for the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians / Acjachemen Nation. Adelia shares her Acjachemen Culture through art, writing, storytelling and singing. She is a Ceremonial Leader, Song Keeper, Wisdom Holder, Tribal teacher and healer.Adelia is also an ordained minister. She created a ministry called Song of the Earth, a Native American healing service held in outdoor sanctuaries. Sandoval has been a Trustee on the Global Council of the United Religions Initiative, a Global Interfaith organization that “promotes peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.” Adelia is a member of Women of Spirit and Faith and contributed to their book, “Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership, Where Grace Meets Power”. She is an advisor to various interfaith and environmental groups. In November of 2019, Adelia was ordained as a Catholic Deacon in the Old Catholic Tradition and serves at St. Matthew Ecumenical Catholic Communion in Orange.
Corrie ten Boom: A Dutch Holocaust Survivor in O.C. - Jun 2021 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2021-06-13 | Orange County Historical Society's June 2021 General Meeting. Corrie ten Boom helped many Jews in the Netherlands escape the Nazis during World War II, was eventually sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp herself, survived, and spent the rest of her life helping others, speaking before large audiences, spreading the Gospel, and writing popular books. She spent her latter years living in Orange County, and her inspiring story will be the topic of her good friend Dr. Ronald Rietveld. Dr. Ron “Doc” Rietveld is an Emeritus Professor of History at California State University, Fullerton. After completing his A.B in history from Wheaton College [Illinois] in 1959, he completed his Bachelor of Divinity Magna Cum Laude from Bethel Theological Seminary [St. Paul] in 1962. Upon completing his Ph.D. at Illinois in 1967, he returned to his Alma Mater at Wheaton and began teaching History-Political Science that same fall. In the fall of 1969, Dr. Rietveld began teaching American History at California State University, Fullerton [CA], then a ten-year old college. For 50 years, he has continued to serve as a History Department Faculty Member and Academic Advisor to Cal-State Fraternities.Thumbnail Photo: Screenshot from Museum of the Bible YouTube
The Yost Theater / El Cine Yost - Apr 2021 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2021-04-12 | The history of Santa Ana’s Yost Theater (El Cine Yost) and its important role in Orange County’s Mexican-American community will be the topic of Professor David-James Gonzales’ program. Opened in 1913 as The Auditorium, the Yost Theater is Orange County’s oldest and most historic entertainment venue. During its early years, the Yost was considered Orange County’s finest playhouse, as it hosted vaudeville performers and musicians. With its massive stage, 970-seat capacity, and full array of backstage props and dressing rooms, the theater was a popular site for the performing arts, film exhibitions, charitable events, religious services, and political gatherings throughout much of its hundred-plus year history.But to the ethnic Mexican community, the Yost was much more. The Olivos family, who purchased and then ran the Yost for 33 years, not only introduced Spanish-language cinema to Orange County, but also gave Mexican Americans a public place to gather and “feel proud of their ethnic heritage,” writes Gonzales. “During the early-to-mid-twentieth century when schools, neighborhoods, and parks were segregated throughout Orange County, Latinos could enter the theater and feel a sense of community.”The theater was, wrote Louis Olivos, Jr., “our answer to the Grand Ole Opry.”A Southern California native, David-James Gonzales completed his Ph.D. in History at the University of Southern California in 2017, writing his dissertation on the Mexican American struggle against segregation in Orange County from 1920 to 1950. He went on to teach at USC, UCLA and is currently an Assistant Professor of History at Brigham Young University. He is also a producer and host of the scholarly book review podcast “New Books in Latino Studies.”His article, “El Cine Yost and the Power of Place for Mexican Migrants in Orange County, California, 1930–1990,” was published in the Journal of American Ethnic History in the Summer of 2020. He is currently preparing a book manuscript on the effect of Latino civic engagement and politics on the metropolitan development of Orange County throughout the 20th century.
O.C. Social Studies Controversies and the Rise of the New Right - Feb 2021 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2021-04-12 | During the late 1960s, liberals and conservatives clashed in passionate debates over California’s state-mandated eighth-grade U.S. history textbook, Land of the Free. Even as minority racial groups won civil rights battles and fought to integrate both the schools and the schools’ social-studies curriculum, another minority—consisting of female white conservatives—fought tenaciously for control over education and public memory, promoting a romanticized view of history. Elaine Lewinnek is professor of American Studies at California State University, Fullerton, and chair of the Environmental Studies program there. She is the author of The Working Man’s Reward: Chicago’s Early Suburbs and the Roots of American Sprawl (Oxford University Press, 2014), and is co-author the forthcoming People’s Guide to Orange County (University of California Press). She received her Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University.
Modesta Avila - Oct 2021 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2021-04-12 | The story of Modesta Avila – Orange County’s first convicted felon and a celebrated symbol of protest – is an enduring Early California legend that has long warranted further historical research. Author, attorney, and educator Richard Brock's lecture will include the findings of his article, “Modesta Again” (California History, Fall 2018) as well as even more recent significant findings about Avila’s life.The tale of Modesta Avila has long been a potent metaphor used by scholars and activists to illustrate themes of social injustice, ethnic intolerance, railroad intransigence, the decline of the Californios, and the treatment of Hispanics following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Because her story is used to explain serious historical themes, accuracy is important. However, the story as it’s always been told was inaccurate and incomplete. Brock’s new research—using original land titles, Mexican land grants, genealogy, trial transcripts, applications for appeals to governors Markham and Waterman, the personal notes of the historian Jim Sleeper in the UCI Special Collections, and hundreds of contemporary news articles—results in a revised and compelling story that has even stronger metaphorical import.Richard Brock holds a BA from UCI in Classical Civilization focused on Greco-Roman History, Literature, Art, & Myth. He earned an MA in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA and focused on San Juan Capistrano where he did field work with descendants of the Acjachemen, Spanish, Mexicans, and early European settlers. He also holds a JD from Western State University of Law and deploys all of these disciplines in his published papers and novels. He currently teaches law in an ABA program for paralegals at UCR, and also teaches Folklore and Mythology, the Spanish Mission System, and the Pacific Crest Trail through the Osher Foundation.At the end of the lecture, Brock will also briefly discuss his new work of historical fiction, Laguna Diary, which features such local personalities as Delfina Olivares (storyteller and Matriarch of San Juan Capistrano) and Paul Arbiso (Mission bell-ringer and Patriarch of San Juan Capistrano).
Jewish Orange County: The Early Years - Dec 2020 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2021-04-12 | Jews have been in Orange County since 1857, when it was still a part of Los Angeles County, and have made significant contributions ever since. Dalia Taft's program will show how many of Orange County’s Jewish residents were, and continue to be, actively involved in local commerce, culture and politics while still maintaining their Jewish identities. The lecture covers the period 1857-1945, and includes a montage of old photos, period newspaper announcements and vintage advertisements.
Millard Sheets and Home Savings - Oct 2020 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2021-04-12 | For more than three decades, Millard Sheets (1907-1989) and his studio of artists designed Home Savings and Loan branches throughout California, studding their iconic projects with mosaics, murals, stained glass, and sculptures that celebrated both family life and the history of the Golden State. The collaboration between the Millard Sheets Studio and Howard Ahmanson (1906-1968), Home Savings’ executive, resulted in more than 40 branches designed and built between the completion of the first collaboration in 1955 and Ahmanson’s death. It set the course for more than 100 additional branches that bore the Home Savings name until the institution was sold to Washington Mutual in 1998.Combining private investment and public art, and championing historical themes in a period of dramatic cultural and political change, the Home Savings and Loan buildings are signature structures of mid-century modern architecture, and their story deserves to be known before it is too late to save these remarkable works.Presenter Adam Arenson has created a richly illustrated book, "Banking on Beauty: Millard Sheets and Midcentury Modern Design in California" (University of Texas Press, 2018), that shines a light on this distinctive style of architecture and art that graced sixty communities throughout Southern California. Arenson is a professor of history and the director of the urban studies program at Manhattan College in the Bronx, NY. Born and raised in San Diego, he holds degrees from Harvard and Yale and is the author of two award-winning books and is co-editor of two others. Professor Arenson has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post, and he has presented his research on Home Savings and Millard Sheets throughout California, including at Palm Springs Modernism Week. He has been awarded a Certificate of Merit for his book and its preservation advocacy by DOCOMOMO-US, which declared, “Arenson’s research has uncovered an extensive legacy of ‘every man modernism’ that was largely unknown and under-appreciated, and brings attention to main street architecture with real design value.”Thumbnail Photo: SoCal LandmarksCopyright © 2023 by Andrew Schmidt
Junipero Serra in Orange County, CA - Sep 2020 - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2021-04-12 | Franciscan friar Junípero Serra y Ferrer (1713 –1784) led the effort to establish establishing the California Missions. He was a key figure in the development of Alta California and was canonized in 2015 but has become a controversial figure in some circles. Rioters recently tore down statues of Serra in San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles. OCHS’ program is not intended to praise or condemn Serra, but simply to explain what he did while he was here.Eric Plunkett is the leading authority today on Orange County’s Spanish and Mexican Eras. He recently spoke before OCHS on the subjects of Richard Henry Dana’s visit to Dana Point and Hippolyte Bouchard’s raid on San Juan Capistrano. He also co-authored OCHS’ recent book about the Portola Expedition’s trek through what’s now Orange County, and helped lead the Society’s day-long tour following the expeditions’ path.
A Century of History by Phil Brigandi - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2020-04-05 | Historian Phil Brigandi tells the story of some of the personalities that made the Orange County Historical Society during the last 100 years. This was Brigandi's last program for the Society, in September 2019.
OCHS First Meeting - A Century Later - OCHS Orange County Historical Society [CA] 2020-04-05 | Orange County Historical Society president Chris Jepsen takes us on a tour of the site of the Society's first meeting in 1920 and describes what happened and a bit about our first featured speaker.
