Roundup: April 13, 2016
Almansor Court – 700 S. Almansor, Alhambra, CA
Social Hour: 5:00 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM
Our Speaker: Dr. Michael J. Moratto
His Subject: “Discovering the Americas: 250 Centuries Before Columbus”
Not long ago, scholars were convinced that America was populated by bands of Mongoloid Siberians who trekked across the Bering Land Bridge and advanced overland, through an “ice-free corridor” in western Canada, onto the Great Plains. From there, beginning some 11,000 years ago, they fanned out rapidly to occupy the New World and kill off its megafauna, leaving in their wake fluted spear points and other markers of the Clovis “big game hunting” culture. The only problem with this model is that almost none of it has turned out to be true. During recent years, scientific research in many fields has dramatically revised our understanding of when, how, and by whom the Americas were first settled as well as our knowledge of Clovis, contemporary cultures, and their antecedents. Dr. Moratto’s presentation will elucidate some of the exciting new discoveries and thinking related to the peopling of the Western Hemisphere during the past 25,000+ years.
Michael Moratto was raised as a country boy and spent his youth working on a cattle ranch in Sonoma County. He has been at the forefront of California archaeology and cultural resource management for nearly 50 years. Dr. Moratto is a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, past president of the Society for California Archaeology (SCA) as well as past president of two national archaeological societies, former member of the National Science Foundation’s Advisory Panel on Archaeology, and past member of the State Historical Resources Commission. A retired university professor, he taught (1969-2005) anthropology, geography, and history, including courses on 18th- and 19th-century California. He was the founder and, for many years, president/CEO of a large environmental consulting firm. Since 1967, he has directed hundreds of archaeological projects for public- and private-sector clients in seven western states. His contract archaeology and academic research have resulted in numerous publications, including California Archaeology (1984, 2004) the standard textbook on the subject. Dr. Moratto continues to study and write about a wide range of anthropological topics.
Brian Dervin Dillon, Ph.D.
Deputy Sheriff
Roundup: March 9, 2016
Almansor Court – 700 S. Almansor, Alhambra, CA
Social Hour: 5:00 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM
Our Speaker: Paul F. Clark
His Subject: “The Yale Grove: A Pioneer Citrus Ranch in Southern California”
Southern California left behind cattle ranches to become a citrus empire in the late 19th Century. The Yale Grove, from its 1875 establishment by Albert B. Clark, epitomized this changeover. Clark operated his successful orange ranch in the community of Orange and was a pioneer irrigationist and citrus marketer. Albert’s life was cut short in 1883, but his widow, Mary Teegarden Clark, remembered his accomplishments in her writings, which were illustrated by the celebrated California photographer, Carleton Watkins. Paul Clark’s presentation explores unique aspects of the Yale Grove Citrus Ranch, and showcases Watkins outstanding photographs.
Paul Clark grew up in Orange County, witnessing its conversion from citrus groves to housing tracts. He received his B.A and M.A. degrees in history from California State University, Fullerton, then worked for the Riverside County Planning Department for nearly 30 years, until retiring in 2009. Much of Paul’s career was spent in the Coachella Valley, where he still resides in Palm Desert. He is a member (and past president) of the Orange Community Historical Society, a member of the Orange County Historical Society, of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and, of course, the Los Angeles Corral of Westerners. Paul writes for regional historical journals, including the Branding Iron, and was proud to edit (2013) the memoirs of his great-grandmother, Mary Teegarden Clark, Pioneer Ranch Life in Orange: A Victorian Woman in Southern California, the work upon which his March, 2016, presentation is largely based.
Brian Dervin Dillon
Deputy Sheriff
Roundup: February 10, 2016
Almansor Court – 700 S. Almansor, Alhambra, CA
Social Hour: 5:00 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM
Our Speaker: Abraham Hoffman
His Subject: “Dangerous Journeys: Mortality Among Jedediah Smith’s Companions, 1825-1831”
Jedediah Smith was one of the most famous fur trappers in Western history, yet little has been written about the men who accompanied him on his many dangerous journeys. Smith’s company of trappers had an unusually high mortality rate. Abe Hoffman will demonstrate that one of the most dangerous places way out west was standing next to Jed Smith. Working with him was almost a suicide mission.
Abraham Hoffman was born in Los Angeles. He attended Los Angeles City College and received B.A. and M.A. degrees from Los Angeles State College (now California State University, Los Angeles), then earned his doctorate in History at UCLA. Dr. Hoffman taught in Los Angeles schools for more than thirty years and has also been an adjunct professor at Los Angeles Valley College since 1974. He serves on the board of editors for Southern California Quarterly, reviews books, and contributes articles to history publications. His books include Unwanted Mexican Americans in the Great Depression: Repatriation Pressures, 1929-1939, and Vision or Villainy: Origins of the Owens Valley-Los Angeles Water Controversy. His latest book is Mono Lake: From Dead Sea to Environmental Treasure published by the University of New Mexico Press. In addition to being a member of the Los Angeles City Historical Society, he is also a member of the Historical Society of Southern California, Organization of American Historians, Western History Association, Western Writers of America, and the Los Angeles Corral of Westerners.
Brian Dervin Dillon
Deputy Sheriff
Los Angeles Corral of Westerners
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