HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE UPPER MOJAVE DESERT
Vol. 17 No. 6 A United Way Agency June 2002
NO JUNE MEETING
As announced in the May Newsletter, there will not be a meeting of the general membership in June and we do not meet in July or August, therefore our next regular meeting will be on September 17. It is planned that Phyllis Hix will talk about the history of Native Americans in the area.
ANNUAL DINNER MEETING
We had an excellent annual meeting this past 17th of May. Al Christman gave an outstanding talk about some of the experiences he had when interviewing people while gathering information for the first two volumes of the history of China Lake. This was intermixed with comments on how to do interviews. All laced with a bit of Al's humor. The business meeting was short and to the point. The food, by Farris' of the Heritage, was delicious. Dana Lyons had worked with Bill Farris to develop the menu.
The election resulted in Kathy Armstrong, Ron Hise, Marcia Nevins and Andrew Sound being newly elected to the Board of Directors and Lou Pracchia being reelected to the board.
NEW BOARD OFFICERS
At the formation meeting several days after the annual meeting,
the following were elected to office: Bruce Wertenberger, President;
George Silberberg, Vice President; Marcia Nevins, Secretary and
Fred Weals, Treasurer.
Board member responsibilities were discussed and decided upon:
Programs will be handled by Fred Kletka; hospitality by Kathy
Armstrong, with Pat Silberberg handling cards for special occasions;
membership duties by George Silberberg and Fred Weals; public
relations by Andrew Sound; exhibits and displays will be the responsibility
of Ron Hise with a major assist from Liz Babcock; collections
responsibilities will be handled by Lou Pracchia; liaison with
the Maturango Museum board by Bruce Wertenberger; other organizational
liaison by Fred Weals; the newsletter will continue to be edited
by Bruce Wertenberger and oral history will be chaired by Kathy
Armstrong with Ron Hise responsible for research.
OUR MAN, LOU
Lou Pracchia has just completed nine years as the president of the Historical Society and has decided not to accept that position again. Through his efforts, energy and contacts much has been accomplished for the benefit of the Society. We are greatly in his debt. Thank you, Lou.
But wait, he hasn't retired from activity on behalf of the
Society. He has changed focus. At our formation meeting, he
volunteered to head the accessions/collections committee. To
do this, he asked that he be able to form his own committee of
volunteers. You may be getting a call from Lou to help in this
important work. See the article "Archive Status," below.
Bruce Wertenberger
RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS
Three board members decided to retire this year: Liz Babcock,
Bill Burns and Don Lane. Liz helped by creating a number of excellent
exhibits over her six year tenure, as well as in many other ways.
Bill Burns kept us informed of many of the community events going
on which we needed to be aware of and filled in around the edges
in other areas. Don got involved with the SEEP program, helped
at our Maturango Junction activities, etc. We will miss these
fine people and their talents. (Strong) rumor has it, though,
that Liz still will be helping us with exhibits and for that we
are grateful. Earlier this year, Pat Rogers resigned when she
discovered that her job responsibilities were greater than she
had anticipated and kept her from board meetings. Bruce
Wertenberger
ARCHIVE STATUS
Filed away in cabinet drawers are records providing information about people, organizations, places and events related to our high desert area. Some of the records are clippings from newspapers and other periodicals. Other records are collections of some whole periodicals such as the Rocketeer, local newspapers and photographs.
Ideally, a request for information can be answered after a brief search in the files. Realistically, it can take hours to determine if information exists. Why?
There is no single answer to the question. One answer is the lack of cross-reference between records or files. Another reason is the lack of personnel familiar with our filing system.
On the positive side of a solution to managing our archives, Mary Kus has reviewed our system and provided guidance on managing our resources. Additionally, we have in the past had some members indicate a willingness to work with our archives and, because of my not following through, have not been assigned a task. I intend to correct this negligence.
The task would be to learn our system through hands-on experience. With this experience there would be the opportunity to conduct research and respond to inquiries.
If you would like to participate, please call Lou Pracchia at 375-7385, or send him an e-mail: ldpracc@ridgenet.net or leave a message at our office at 375-8456 or via e-mail message: hsumd@ridgenet.net). Lou Pracchia
NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS
As you may have noticed in the May newsletter, we have a new e-mail address: hsumd@ridgenet.net
This address will be monitored regularly during September through mid-June, sporadically during the summer as we make vacation trips.
MANAZAR TOWNSITE
Little known is that before there was a Manzanar Relocation Center, there was a small town called Manzanar to the north and west of the World War II camp. The camp was located about 10 miles north of Lone Pine just to the west of Highway 395. The following is excerpted and adapted from writings of memories of former Manzanar residents in The Saga of Inyo County, a 1977 publication of Chapter 183, Southern Inyo American Associated of Retired Persons. Ed.
In the early 20th century Manzanar was a lovely rural
community. They raised and shipped apples and pears and had large
alfalfa fields. The houses were scattered among the trees which
hardly needed any irrigation as the water level was high from
the run-off from the hills.
...Before 1900 it had been referred to as Francis and, possibly,
Thebe. About 1900, R. A. Wilder from Nebraska and Washington,
came to develop one of several orchards. He suggested the place
be called Manzanar, which was Spanish for "apple grove."
Manzanar was started with about 500 acres of apples, peaches
and pears. At one time there were probably 2500 to 4000 acres
under cultivation, much in alfalfa. There were drains all over
the place, which had required miles of trench with inverted tile
buried, to drain off the water. The latter was usually turned
into pasture area. ...
We drank from any of the various creeks, without worry about
pollution. I didn't know the word. It was so quiet in Manzanar,
at times that one could watch for the "Slim Princess"
leaving Owenyo and note the plume of vapor when the whistle was
sounded. It seemed a couple of minutes before the sound arrived
(it was probably 40 seconds). I doubt if there are any recordings
of the sounds of the Slim Princess, the Keeler to Mina "fast
express." I still remember the sounds of this true "rattler."...
In Manzanar summer picnics were held in the grove south of
town. A feast would be spread on long tables with two five gallon
freezers of ice cream to top it. Huge swings were hung for the
younger set and baseball for the older ones. Camping in George's
Creek Canyon and one Shepherd's Creek, was great fun. ...
The town's water supply came from Shepherd's Creek in an open
wooden flume, across the desert where it was piped into town.
Many times during the winters this would freeze, which meant
carrying water from an artesian well close to the old Shepherds'
Ranch. The soil in this area was wonderfully fertile and grew
marvelous apples, pears, potatoes and all kinds of garden produce.
...
It would always happen in May, just before school was out in
the little town of Manzanar. Word got around to overall-clad,
barefoot boys and girls, and, oh so many birds, that the mulberries
were ripe. There was no fight among us as there were so many
berries in these towering trees in this orchard.
This old orchard was set in among other orchards. Since no
one lived in the old house, centered in a little clearing among
the trees, it seemed to belong to us the kids from all around.
Our ranch was the closest to the orchard. It was a quick run
through our father's large corral. We jumped through feed troughs,
over a fence, down a winding path, and we were there.
As we entered from our side, which was on the north, we would
pause and look at a row of giant cottonwoods too high for even
us to climb, who were experts at this. Two catalpa trees guarded
the corner, and were a source of awe and curiosity with their
cluster of white flowers , and, later, long seed pods.
The western side was full of apple trees of every kind known,
and the earliest ones were near the house in beautiful old trees
with big long limbs. We would go to the topmost branches where
the ripest always were. There were Strawberry apples which
were our mother's favorite, little sweet Lady apples, Delicious,
Crabapple, Roman Beauty, big Arkansas Blacks, beside the usual
Winesaps...
The mulberries were on the east side. There were many kinds
the big purple ones, red and even sweet white ones to delight
our tastes. And, eat we would, all perched upon favorite limbs,
till our hands and faces were stained and our tummies full.
Many were the times we traveled through this orchard during
our happy childhood. This was the route we took going to swim
every long summer's day in John's Dam. We went through here
to visit friends and neighbors, until they, and we too, moved
away...
But the City of Los Angeles needed more water! They bought
so much of the land that they had control of the water. The Aqueduct
was built and the water went to the Southland over violent protests
of the Valley people, but to no avail. The people moved away.
The houses were moved or torn down. The orchards were made into
firewood and alfalfa fields slowly dried up and desert shrubs
reclaimed the land.
Sometimes the Indians from Fort Independence and Lone Pine
would spend the summers here using the fruit and playing their
fascinating stick games. Here, too, Jim's wife died. We only
knew her by this name. Jim, an old Indian worked in the orchards.
For days we could hear the Medicine Man's chant to drive the
evil spirits away and make her well.
In my college days later, I would walk here alone and love
it as always, though silent now of eager kids. I often though
how nice it would be to be able to see the man here, as he planted
these trees. I'm sure he did it with all the love in his heart,
and knew it would be A Beautiful Orchard...
World War II came and the government made a big airport east
of Route 395. They decided to build a reception Center for the
Japanese from the Los Angeles area, on the west side of Route
395, where Manzanar was.
HSUMD Web site: http://www.Maturango.org/Hist.html
Janet Westbrook, Webmistress
HSUMD PHONE NO. (760) 375-8456
E-MAIL ADDRESS: hsumd@ridgenet.net
Annual dues are $15.00 for the calendar year.