Living Legend No. 64 – Dr. Robert J. Chandler

Westerners International Living Legend No. 64 Dr. Robert J. Chandler

Dr. Robert J. Chandler (1942-2019), an Army brat, was born in Utah. Much of his childhood was spent in Hawaii, many of his student years in Southern California, and he spent most of his adult life in Northern California. Bob joined the San Francisco Corral of Westerners in 1987. Thirty years later, in 2017, during a moment of weakness, he allowed himself to be persuaded by Brian D. Dillon to also join the Los Angeles Corral.

Chandler was repeatedly the Sheriff of the San Francisco Corral, having served in that capacity in 1992, 2002, and finally from 2016 through 2017. He made over a half-dozen presentations to the San Francisco Corral and in 2016 also graced the Los Angeles Corral with his benign presence as a scholarly presenter. Bob contributed articles to the Los Angeles Corral’s Branding Iron, and his books were favorable reviewed within its pages. Chandler had the unique honor of seeing his penultimate literary opus get published quite literally on the day he died as the lead article of Branding Iron No. 293. What may very well be Bob’s final publication was his chapter in Aloha, Amigos! the Los Angeles Corral Brand Book 24, published posthumously in 2020.

Dr. Chandler was an historian of international repute, specializing in California history, political history, economic, monetary and banking history, historical ephemera, printing and lithography, and the history of California racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities. Bob earned his Ph.D. in history in 1978 at U.C. Riverside: his dissertation was The Press and Civil Liberties in California During the Civil War. He then spent 32 years as Senior Research Historian for Wells Fargo Bank, based in San Francisco. Bob wrote more than 60 articles on California during the Gold Rush and Civil War periods on civil rights, commerce, finance, gold, journalism, politics, military suppression, numismatics, philately, printing, stagecoaching, steamships, and Wells Fargo generally. He served as an editorial advisor to the California Territorial Quarterly until that outstanding journal became a casualty of the catastrophic Camp Fire in 2018, and was one of that journal’s most consistent contributors for more than twenty years.

Bob was the co-editor (with Bob Schoeppner) of the very first two Brand Books published by the San Francisco Corral (BB 1: 1996; BB 2: 2001). He was also the recipient of three prestigious Westerners International Coke Wood Awards, the first (for 2001) for California Stagecoaching: The Dusty Reality (Dogtown Territorial Quarterly 47, Fall, 2001: 4-24, 34-40); the second (for 2005) for his co-authored article with Steve Potash The Pacific Mail: Pioneering U.S. Flag Steamship Company (The Argonaut, 16, Summer, 2005: 54-106), and the third (for 2010) for his three articles on the Pony Express (California Territorial Quarterly, 81, Spring 2010: 4-27; 28-41; 42-49). Chandler’s books include an Illustrated History of California (2004); Arcadia’s Wells Fargo (2006); Gold, Silk, Pioneers & Mail: The Story of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company (co-authored with Stephen J. Potash, 2007); and San Francisco Lithographer: African American Artist Grafton Tyler Brown (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014). Bob’s final book, An E Clampus Vitus Hoax Gone Awry: Sir Francis Drake’s 1579 Plate of Brasse was published by the Grand Council of the ECV in 2018.

In addition to being one of the most active of all Westerners, Dr. Chandler was a member of the bibliophilic Roxburghe Club of San Francisco, and also served on the Council of the Friends of the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. He was the Director of the San Ramon Valley Museum and the past President (2003-2011) of the Western Cover [Philatelic] Society and also its secretary. He was the President (2005-2007) of the Book Club of California, and was the long-time (1996-2013) editor of its Quarterly News-Letter. Bob was the President (1981-82) of the San Francisco Civil War Round Table, he was an honorary Kentucky Colonel and the past President of the Fighting ‘49ers Toastmasters (1980, 1982, 1984, 1992).

Bob “Clamper” Chandler was the living embodiment of his alter-ego, Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. He was the X-Noble Grand Humbug of Yerba Buena #1, the Mother Lodge, of E Clampus Vitus, holding this exalted position in 2005-2006. During his few remaining minutes of spare time stolen from his research, writing, publishing, and public speaking Bob was also a devoted husband to his long-suffering wife Susan and a loving father to his three adult children, all of whom willingly served out life sentences as his closest relatives without any possibility of parole.

In recognition of Dr. Robert Chandler’s exemplary service to Westerners International, to the advancement of California History, and of his many contributions to Western Civilization, especially his valiant efforts in stemming the rising tide of illiteracy on the Pacific Littoral, he was made a Living Legend of both the San Francisco and Los Angeles Corrals, Westerners International, in 2018.

By Brian Dervin Dillon, Ph.D., 2018; revised 2022

Roundup: November 9 2022

Roundup Synopsis

Taken From Branding Iron 308 Fall 2022.

Michael Johnson didn’t have a clever hat when he showed up at the Roundup in November. Thankfully for us, though, he did have a clever head under his usual cowboy hat. Mike used that clever head to edify those of us in attendance on the subject of the Overland Mail Company. The company was, as its name implied, a mail route which ran over land, particularly the southwestern parts of our land from 1858 to 1861, carrying mail between San Francisco in the West and both St. Louis and Memphis in the East.
The Overland Mail Company was founded by John Warren Butterfield (1801- 1869) and, as such, is sometimes referred to as the Butterfield Overland Mail. The company’s founding was the result of Butterfield winning a bid for a contract offered by the federal government to carry mail to the West. John Butterfield had a background in transportation. Having cut his teeth driving coaches in New York, he progressed to ownership of forty coach lines in Utica, as well as successful ventures into steamboats on lake Erie and trains on the rails of western New York. In 1850 John’s stagecoach interests, under the Butterfield Wesson Company, were merged with the express companies of Wells & Co., and Livingston, Fargo & Co., to create The American Express Company. However, it was Butterfield, under his own name, who won the contract for the route to be run by what became the Overland Mail Company.
The route chosen by Butterfield was the longest overland mail route in the world, and was sometimes known as the Oxbow Route because of the way it curved through the southwestern territories, recently claimed by the U.S. from Mexico. The route, though long, had the advantage of being free of snow, which perhaps gave it an advantage over the Central Route which made its way across the prairie towards Utah.
Although Butterfield adamantly stated, in the rulebook he published for his employees, that no cash was to be carried by the company along the route, one story—a set of rumors shrouded by the veil of time—persists. The consistent threads of its narrative are two men, the sum of $60,000, and the settings of the Vallecito and Carrizo stations. One story has $60,000 being taken in gold, by two men, from a coach at the Carrizo station, then sees the two robbers shooting it out at the Vallecito station. Another tells a tale of two brothers arguing and killing each other at the Vallecito station. A third has a driver leaving Yuma with a $60,000 payload and no shotgun rider. Indians, after waylaying the solo driver, purportedly buried the coach near the Carrizo station, being interested only in the horses. Though, as Mike pointed out, it’s a bit hard to imagine the thieves going to the trouble of burying the stagecoach when they could much more easily have burned or left it. Was the Butterfield stage robbed? It’s unlikely we’ll ever know, but it’s not a bad bet.
All good things come to an end, however, and the wild days of the southern stage coach are no exception. The secession of the South and the outbreak of the Civil War saw operations along the Oxbow Route halted, its four-year flash-in-the-pan burnt out. After the war, the new railroad superseded the overland routes, and closed a significant chapter in the history of the West.
— Alan Griffin

Photos from the Roundup

To be posted soon!

The Westerners Brand Book #25 (2022)

Award Winning Cowboy Poetry, Historical Verse, and Rhapsodic Rhymes
Gary Turner and Tami Turner-Revel, Editors

Synopsis

Los Angeles Corral Brand Book 25, Award Winning Cowboy Poetry, Historical Verse, and Rhapsodic Rhymes has just been published. It is the first full-length book of poetry ever published by any of the 70+ Westerners Corrals around the world, and is beautifully illustrated with original artwork by renowned western artist Nancy Putney. Brand Book 25 reprises poems that won the Fred Olds Cowboy Poetry Award from Westerners International between 2007 and 2019, as well as brand-new offerings published for the very first time. Contributors include Bill Bender, Joseph Cavallo, Barbara J. Goldeen, Tim Heflin, Abraham Hoffman, Eric Nelson, Pablo/Paul McClure, Kenneth Pauley, Jan Porter, Paul Rippens, Jerry Selmer, Paul & Nolene Showalter, Froylán Tiscareño, Daryl Turner, Gary Turner, and Loren Wendt. Gary Turner and Tami Turner-Revel, editors; hardbound, illustrated, 368 pages, 2022.

Purchase this Brand Book Today!

The Westerners Brand Book #24 (2020)

Aloha Amigos!
Brian Dervin Dillon, Editor

Synopsis

Los Angeles Corral Brand Book 24, Aloha, Amigos! Is the Richard H. Dillon Memorial Volume. Dick Dillon (1924-2016) was a world-famous western historian, librarian, teacher, and public speaker. He was the single most productive historical writer on California and the American West, who published dozens of full-length books, hundreds of scholarly journal and popular magazine articles, and thousands of book reviews over a longer period of time (82 years) than any other writer. Richard H. Dillon was a long-time member of both the Los Angeles and the San Francisco Corrals of Westerners International, and was made a W.I. Living Legend in 2003.

Aloha Amigos! Won the Westerner’s International Best Book Award in 2021. It features the first ever biography of Richard H. Dillon, culture-historical studies and paeans by his friends, colleagues, and admirers, and the first comprehensive bibliography of his published works. Contributors from four different Westerners International corrals include Will Bagley, Peter Blodgett, John Boessenecker, Matthew Boxt, Phil Brigandi, Robert Chandler, David Dary, James Delgado, Brian D. Dillon, Lynn Downey, Abraham Hoffman, Tommy Killion, Gary Kurutz, Valerie Sherer Mathes, James Shuttleworth, Kevin Starr, and Francis J. Weber. Brian Dervin Dillon, editor; hardbound, illustrated, 588 pages, 2020. To order: please use the multi-volume order form following this notice.

Contents

• • Foreword — Kevin Starr

I: Biographical

• • Duke Lopez in Sausalito (1924-1943) — Brian Dervin Dillon
  • The Perfesser with his Uncle Samuel (1943-1946) — Brian Dervin Dillon
  • Sutro Dick, the Kid in the Candy Store (1946-1959) — Brian Dervin Dillon
  • Dick Dillon, the Literary Alchemist (1959-1979) — Brian Dervin Dillon
  • Aloha, Amigos! the Latest Word from RHD (1979-2016) — Brian Dervin Dillon
  • RHD Biographical Notes, Bibliography, Appendices — Brian Dervin Dillon

II: Culture-Historical Contributions

• • Late Prehistory at La Venta, Tabasco, Mexico — Matthew A. Boxt
  • California’s Twelve “Apostles” — Francis J. Weber
  • Later Travel on the Southern Emigrant Trail — Phil Brigandi
  • Black Rights and Squelched Secessionists in California — Robert J. Chandler
  • San Francisco’s Old Ship Saloon — James P. Delgado
  • Helen Hillyer Brown, the Comstock and Beyond — Lynn Downey
  • The Pacific Mail Steamship Line — James Shuttleworth
  • The Women’s National Indian Association in Northern California — Valerie Sherer Mathes

III: Paeans

• • Historian, Librarian, and Biblio-Friend — Gary Turner and Tami Turner-Revel
  • Postcards from Dick Dillon — David Dary
  • Dillonography — John Boessenecker
  • Richard H. Dillon, Book Reviewer — Abraham Hoffman
  • Richard H. Dillon as Documentary Editor — Peter J. Blodgett
  • Historian’s Historian — Will Bagley

IV: Dick Dillon’s Literary Legacy

• • Richard H. Dillon’s Published Works — Brian Dervin Dillon

V: About the ContributorsVI: The Los Angeles Corral

Purchase this Brand Book Today!

Roundup: September 14 2022

Roundup Synopsis

Taken From Branding Iron 308 Fall 2022.

September’s Roundup saw the L.A. Corral welcome guest speaker George Geary as he cooked up a delectable feast for the palette of our nostalgia, guiding us on a trip down one of California’s best memory lanes. A celebrity chef with experience ranging from the kitchens of Disneyland to sets of “The Golden Girls”, Mr. Geary talked us through some of the highlights of his book, Made in California: the California-Born Burger Joints, Diners, Fast Food & Restaurants that Changed America. The book, available on Amazon (ISBN: 1945551917), features a plethora of California’s culinary quick-stop favorites, ranging from Bob’s Big Boy to Peet’s Coffee.
The theme of Mr. Geary’s lecture centered on the evolution, including name and location changes, of some of California’s most beloved casual eateries. One notable example was his charming anecdote about the early days of the McDonald’s restaurant. The McDonald brothers cut their teeth in the movie industry, and after not having much success in film, decided to purchase a theater in Glendora. When that venture went belly up, the brothers were left with a load of usherette uniforms. Rather than see their stock go to waste, they started a drive-in restaurant and clad some lovely carhops in the surplus duds. However, as Mr. Geary put it, “The boys liked the carhops too much… so they made the guys get out of their cars and order the food from the window.” Thus McDonald’s, originally called McDonald Brothers BBQ, was born.
Perhaps of particular interest to those of us familiar with the hot rods that descend on Burbank each week to show off their chrome at Bob’s Big Boy, is the somewhat unique story of that establishment’s early franchise model. Bob’s Pantry, as it was originally known, did not franchise its restaurants directly, but rather, it franchised the rights to its burger recipe. So, anyone among us familiar with the Eastern U.S. chains of Shoney’s or Frisch’s Big Boy now know why the burgers slung in those joints are so similar to those served at our beloved Burbank, California Bob’s… they’re actually cousins! George also told us about a similar situation with Dinah’s Family Restaurant near LAX. Apparently, Kentucky Fried Chicken once employed a similar model in franchising their product, and that’s why, long ago, Dinah’s had to pay the Colonel 4¢ for every chicken they sold.
George Geary deserves our thanks for his guided tour of California’s culinary heritage. His talk reminds us that these tasty treasures are fading fast from our California landscape. A fortunate few have been turned into landmarks and historic sites, but far too many are wasting away, awaiting the wrecking ball of progress. There are few things able to so viscerally connect us to our past as the old haunts of our youth. So, grab a copy of Made in California, call up your favorite guy or gal, hop in the old lead sled, and get out there to see these pieces of history before they’re all gone. Bon Appetit!
— Alan Griffin

Photos from the Roundup

To be posted soon!

Roundup: August 10 2022

Roundup Synopsis

Taken From Branding Iron 307 Summer 2022. 

In August, the Westerners welcomed Jillian Moore to the Corral. The Wyoming native, and Ph.D. candidate in English at Duquesne University, spoke of subjects related to her forthcoming dissertation. Her talk, entitled “Selling the Image of ‘The West’: Frontier Economies,” challenged us to take stock of what we enjoy about the American West, to ponder the reasons for our interest, and to take care to be appreciative of the history and culture of its Native inhabitants, rather than appropriative. Speaking on such topics in front of a body founded almost solely on appreciation of the West posed some danger, but Ms. Moore rather deftly navigated those choppy waters to enlighten where others may have admonished. If we were to distill the thesis of her discussion into a single phrase, perhaps the most apt would be, “Give credit where credit is due.”
Perhaps the most impactful section of the presentation featured a historic, Blackfoot-made capote, juxtaposed against a modern, Native-”inspired” coat from the Pendleton company. Ms. Moore highlighted the specific elements of the historic garment, illustrating its connection to a specific time, place, and ethnic group. No such specificity was present in the Pendleton coat, as it was simply a mishmash of Native-like designs in a stereotypically Southwestern color scheme. This comparison served to drive home the point that we should be wary of objects and ideas formed from disparate bits of the art and history of marginalized groups, like America’s indigenous communities, and forcing them through a cultural meat-grinder to arrive at something more readily digestible to consumers unfamiliar with the originals.
In the question-and-answer section following the main presentation, Ms. Moore reiterated that the intention of efforts to mitigate this type of co-option is not to demonize those who occasionally stray from appreciation into appropriation (“Let he who is without sin,” etc.), but rather to properly attribute artifacts and ideas to the cultures that bore them. Most scholars would never use a source in their research without citing it. The same thinking could be applied to consumers in the context of the art and artifacts of our indigenous neighbors. It is possible, and likely preferable, to spend our money on goods made by the people whose culture such products represent. Or, at the very least, we can give credit where credit is due.
— Alan Griffin

Speaker Jillian Moore and Sheriff Pete Fries

Roundup: July 13 2022

Roundup Synopsis

July’s Roundup had Denny Thompson take us out on a history of Dodger Stadium. We enjoyed complimentary peanuts and Cracker Jack, but it was hard to root, root, root for the home team as Denny recounted the murky circumstances surrounding the Dodgers’ acquisition of the stadium site—the once vibrant community of Chavez Ravine. City councilman Julián Chávez purchased the rugged ravine in 1844. From its beginnings, Chavez Ravine was a refuge for many peoples. In the 1850s, it hosted a “Pest House” for Chinese and Mexican smallpox victims. Jewish-Americans settled the ravine in the 1860s, but were forced to relocate their cemetery to make room for oil derricks. By 1900, the area was largely Latino, closely knit, and civically engaged. Denny’s own father and grandparents lived in the Ravine at this time, between 1907 and 1922, before winning a dairy farm in Santa Clarita in a poker game. Chavez Ravine residents won a victory against the oil companies in 1926, when the city council banned industry there. However, the community could not resist the next challenges to its integrity. After WW2, city authorities designated Chavez Ravine a “blighted” neighborhood in need of redevelopment. In 1949, the new Los Angeles Housing Authority secured federal funding to build a public housing project on the site. Utilizing eminent domain, the city purchased the land for $10,300 per property. Homeowners felt pressured to accept this price, which dropped if they held out. As consolation, all former residents were promised preferential placement in the proposed housing project upon completion. Yet by the early 1950s, a specter haunted Los Angeles—the specter of communism. At least, that is how it was seen through the redtinted lens of McCarthyite paranoia. Several prominent “Citizens Against Socialistic Housing,” including then-actor Ronald Reagan, successfully pushed for a referendum that killed the Chavez Ravine housing project in 1952. However, Los Angeles had signed a housing contract with the U.S. government, and in 1954 the Feds only agreed to resell the property to the city for $1.3 million on condition the land be used for “a public purpose.” For 22-year-old city councilwoman Roz Wyman, that purpose was obvious. Los Angeles was a “Big League town” without a Big League baseball team, and needed one badly. Fortuitously for her, the Brooklyn Dodgers were an A-grade team with a D-grade home stadium. Wyman encouraged the Dodgers to move to L.A. in 1957, and team owner Walter O’Malley purchased Chavez Ravine from the city for $494,000 in order to build a new stadium. A 1958 ballot initiative to block the purchase narrowly failed, partly due to wording that confused voters. Sheriffs forcibly evicted the last remaining ten families from Chavez Ravine on May 9th, 1959, a day called “Black Friday” by some. Photos of the Archiga family being dragged out of their home made national headlines, but public sympathy diminished with the revelation that the family owned other properties elsewhere in L.A. Construction of Dodger Stadium was completed in 1962, to the tune of $20 million. The human cost was the exile of a thousand families from Chavez Ravine, the result of broken promises. No alternative public housing project was ever offered. These families were scattered all across Los Angeles, with many members having to split up as dictated by the availability of jobs and housing. The Dodgers, meanwhile, took two decades to find acceptance among Latino Angeleños, but the recruiting of Mexican southpaw pitcher Fernando Valenzuela finally broke the ice in 1980. The community of Chavez Ravine is now a fading memory, but their story is a timeless one concerning questions of eminent domain, public housing, and “public purpose” private property. Many thanks to Denny Thompson for this fascinating discussion. — John Dillon

Photos from the Roundup

TBD

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Roundup: May 11 2022

Roundup Synopsis

Paul Clark took the reins in May, to present us with the exhilarating tale he called “The Rise of the Gasoline Cowboys: Outdoor Motorcycle Recreation in PreWWII California.” A rough and tough subject like this was sure to please those in attendance, just as it must have pleased Ernest Hemingway, to whom the quote which Paul selected is attributed, “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” Let’s get on with the sport, then. Paul described the first motorcycle—and he used the term loosely—as a two-wheeled, steam-powered monstrosity, the painting of which showed two stokers following closely behind to keep it fired; hardly reasonable, but the idea was there. As gasoline engines matured, the concept was revived, this time as a three-wheeled contraption resembling early wheelchairs. The shape we have come to expect was introduced around the turn of the century, and Harley-Davidson and Indian quickly became the premier U.S. brands. In the early years, the motorcycle’s popularity followed its practicality. As it became more reliable and affordable, it became more widespread, with numbers in Los Angeles expanding from a few hundred in 1905, to 3000 in 1910, to 7500 by 1917. The reason for the popularity of L.A. as a haven for enthusiasts was the quality of roads and the quality of the weather; you can get a much better return on investment if you are able to ride year-round, as you can in Southern California. Motorcycle clubs sprang up throughout California starting with the Indian Motocycle Club in Los Angeles in 1904. So new was the fad, that they hadn’t even settled on weather they rode “motor-cycles” or “moto-cycles.” These early clubs were keen to be seen as respectable types, which meant that their members showed up to events in their Sunday best and invited photographers and newsmen to document their fine behavior. The publicity seemed to help with popular acceptance of the new machines. What helped even more were organized rallies exhibiting these bikes’ capabilities. Races on dirt and banked wooden ovals, hill climbs, and desert crossings wowed crowds, and newsreels captured the imagination of the region. Hill climbs were the most popular events, with the Capistrano Hill climb drawing an estimated thirty to fifty-thousand attendees by the early 1920s. While these daredevils were risking life and limb storming up hills, the L.A. Motorcycle Club organized “picnic runs” for its members to cruise sedately on the weekends. Endurance racing became more popular as the cycles improved to the point where they could actually endure. With the onset of Prohibition, an L.A. to Tijuana race was organized and billed as a race to a place “where the bar-rigs are still saturated with stronger stuff than grape juice.” 1920 saw the start of the iconic Big Bear “Hare and Hound” Annual Classic, a midnight run on New Year’s Day that ran until 1960. With the onset of WWII, the motorcycle community packed up and went to war. When they returned, the machines they rode were changing, and so was the country. Motorcycle riding was no longer as respectable as it had been prior to the war, and the culture surrounding it changed drastically from its original form. Like with so much else, the Second World War had forever altered part of the American lifestyle. — Alan Griffin

Photos from the Roundup

TBD

Roundup: April 13 2022

Roundup Synopsis

April’s Roundup saw the corral miss out, yet again, on the long-awaited “Postcards from Mecca” presentation by Steve Lech (don’t worry, it’s coming soon). Johnny-onthe-spot, however, was Brian-on-the-spot, as Dr. Dillon regaled us with his tale of an American hero, Navy Admiral Fightin’ Bob Evans. As Brian told it, it was Evans, not Jesse James nor Billy the Kid, who was the most famed pistolero 120 years ago, and we sure found out why. Fightin’ Bob’s story began in Virginia, where he was born Robley Dunglison Evans, in 1846. After being expelled from school for fighting at age thirteen, Bob’s uncle suggested a career in the Navy. Unfortunately, both Naval Academy seats allotted to Virginia were already filled. Bob agreed to move to Utah, as it was the only territory with allotments available. It was to be a fateful decision. Prior to the Transcontinental Railroad, wagon trains were the name of the game, and so it was with the party that Evans accompanied out west. Wagon trains, however, were vulnerable to Indian raids. Just such an attack befell Evans’ train upon leaving Ft. Laramie, after a wagon got mired in the mud. Thirteen-year-old Evans killed a man in his escape, made it back to the fort, and set out again with just a single wagon. His party was attacked again and Bob was shot in the ankle by an arrow, his foot pinned to the mule he was riding. Eventually, he made it to Salt Lake City where he established residence. Young Evans entered the Naval Academy in 1860. He was trained aboard the USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides.” The Civil War interrupted his tutelage, however, and half his class left to join the Confederacy. Evans stayed true to the Union and ended up fighting his own brother in the rebel navy. As a junior officer taking part in the assault on the “Rebel Gibraltar,” Ft. Fisher, North Carolina, Evans led an assault party of sixty-two sailors and marines. Horribly outgunned and isolated on the beach, his assault force was cut down, with 58 men killed or wounded. Evans was one of only eight men to breach the rebel fort, although he was shot four times for his efforts. He killed the sniper who had wounded him with a miraculous pistol shot from his Whitney .36 Navy revolver. Bob was left for dead on the beach, but was finally rescued and taken to a hospital. He threatened to shoot anyone trying to amputate his legs, so he kept them, along with two bullets that couldn’t be removed. His wounds forced him to use two canes for the rest of his life. Evans moved quickly through the ranks thereafter, taking postings throughout the world, and eventually commanded a gunboat, the USS Yorktown. It was on the Yorktown that he earned his appellation. His refusal to back down during a tense standoff with Chilean warships left him known as “Fightin’ Bob” ever after. After taking a leading role in the largest naval battle of the Spanish-American War, Bob reached the pinnacle of his career when he was given command of the Great White Fleet. Under Admiral Evans’ command, the the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets were combined for the first time in May 1908, in San Francisco Bay. This achievement marked a turning point for San Francisco in its postearthquake rebuilding, and also a bridging of the gulf between America’s East and West. If you’d care to read more about this American hero on both land and sea, you should pick up his autobiographies, A Sailor’s Log and An Admiral’s Log. I’m sure I’m not alone in my anticipation for what Brian Dillon has in store the next time someone calls in sick and he’s called to fill in again. — Alan Griffin

Photos from the Roundup

Roundup: March 9, 2022

Roundup Synopsis

Taken From Branding Iron 306 Spring 2022. 

In March, the Corral was treated to a talk by Nick Curry. Assuming the style of a fireside chat, Mr. Curry expounded on his research about a historic Angeleno of much importance, if little current recognition, Dan Murphy. Murphy was an early investor in the local economy and, along with men like Edward L. Doheny, helped shape the area into what it is today. In fact, Dan Murphy picked up with oil drilling in the area where Doheny left off, and became fabulously wealthy as a result. The foundation that resulted from the dissemination of his wealth has done much for education and the preservation of local history in Los Angeles.

Dan Murphy was born in 1858 in Pennsylvania, and came to Los Angeles by way of a family homestead in Kansas, which he shared with his parents and seven siblings. Murphy eventually moved out West and immediately formed an affinity for the railroad, working on a spur line that ran down to San Diego. Before long, he met Frank Monaghan, and the two had plans to bridge the Colorado River. Doing just that, they drew the attention of Charlie Crawford who tasked them with building a general store near the new bridge. In so doing, they founded the town of Needles in 1883.

The two men were known for their honesty, a rare commodity in the railroad business, and successfully ran the store until 1911. During their time in Needles, they founded a bank. This led them to invest in a number of mining and oil drilling operations throughout the region. Key to Dan Murphy’s future success was his purchase, sight-unseen, of land which would become the Brea Canyon Oil Company. The well, which continues to produce today, eventually left Murphy in possession of a fantastic mansion and a fortune of $200 million by the time of his death in 1939.

Having no children, Murphy entrusted his fortune to his niece Bernardine. Enter the Catholic church and the Los Angeles diocese. The Murphy family had been closely connected to the church for decades, so much so that Dan had once donated $1 million to the Pope in one lump sum. During her time in Rome, Bernardine, now the executor of the Murphy fortune, was wooed by an Italian prince. Los Angeles churchmen grew concerned that if Bernardine were to marry this man, then she, along with her fortune, would move to Rome and leave the Los Angeles diocese in the lurch. So, the church hatched a plan. A dissatisfied priest was found, released from his vows, and wed to Bernardine. Thus the Murphy fortune remained in Los Angeles. Now known as the Dan Murphy Foundation, it provides more money to Catholic causes today than even the Doheny Foundation.

The Dan Murphy Foundation was crucial to the formation of the archives put together by Westerners Living Legend Msgr. Francis Weber. That archive was, in turn, essential in gathering the information used for the most recent book about Dan Murphy entitled Ice and Oil, by Joseph Francis Ryan, reviewed in Branding Iron 303.
— Alan Griffin

Photos from the Roundup

Living Legend No. 66 – Bob Clark

Zoom Presentation: April 15, 2021

Roundup: March 10 2021

Zoom Roundup: March 10, 2021

To join the Zoom meeting on March 10, please click here.

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Roundup: September 1 2020

Roundup: September 2020

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The Westerners Brand Book #23 (2019)

Life, Leisure and Entertainment in the Old West
Joseph Cavallo, Editor

Synopsis

Los Angeles Corral Brand Book 23, Life, Leisure, and Entertainment in the Old West was the first Los Angeles Corral Brand Book to appear after a very long, 15-year, hiatus. It re-established the Los Angeles Corral as a literary leader amongst Westerners International organizations around the world. Its ten chapters are on topics as diverse as Wild West shows, Hollywood’s take on the “old west,” a multicultural review of western music spanning four centuries, prostitution in far-western timberlands, even motorcycle racing more than a century ago.
Contributors include Carla Laureen Bollinger, Joseph Cavallo, Paul F. Clark, Brian Dervin Dillon, Mark Hall-Patton, Abraham Hoffman, Deke Keasbey, Gary Turner and Tami Turner-Revel, and Kiara M. Vigil. Joseph Cavallo, editor; hardbound, illustrated, 309 pages, 2019.

Contents

• Preface — Joseph Cavallo
• Life & Leisure in Early Los Angeles 1860-1910 — Deke Keasbey
• California Musical Traditions 1542-1923 — Brian Dervin Dillon
• The Wild West Got Wilder When The Circus, Wild West Shows, Rodeos, and Vaudeville Came to Town — Carla Laureen Bollinger
• William S. Hart   Actor and Author — Abraham Hoffman
• Medicine Men and Snake Oil Salesmen who Entertained and Cure-Alls that did Not Cure — Gary Turner and Tami Turner-Revel
• Early Museums in the West — Mark Hall-Patton
• Roaring into the 20th Century, Early Outdoor Motorcycle Recreation in California — Paul F. Clark
• Hollywood’s Indian: A Cultural History of Native American Actors — Kiara M. Vigil
• The Iverson Movie Ranch: An Historic Hollywood Studio Zone Location — Carla Laureen Bollinger
• Red Cloud, California: All The Best Bad Things Obtainable — Brian Dervin Dillon
• Biographical Sketches — The Contributors

350 copies were printed.

Purchase this Brand Book Today!

Fandango Fundraiser 2020

Roundup: March 11, 2020

Almansor Court – 700 S. Almansor, Alhambra, CA.
Social Hour: 5:00 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM

A .pdf of the Roundup Announcement can be downloaded here. 

Our Speaker: Bruce Merritt
His Subject: The Founding of the Society of Colonial Wars in Los Angeles in 1895

The Founders of the Society of Colonial Wars in Los Angeles were a group of notable individuals in early Los Angeles.   Most were prominent individuals.   These included two Mayors, a US Senator, a major banker and more!

According to his site, Bruce Gordon Merritt is a retired trial lawyer with a passion for history.  Born in Iowa City, Iowa, he grew up in Southern California and attended Occidental College, where he majored in history.  Intent on a career as a historian, he was admitted to a doctoral program in American History at Harvard.  His studies, however, were interrupted by the draft and by the time he returned to civilian life, he had decided upon a career in the law.  He attended Harvard Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 1972.  Following a clerkship with a law firm in London, he began that practice of law in Los Angeles.  In the 1980s he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and handled several high profile criminal cases, including the successful prosecution of the president and general counsel of CalAm Corporation, once the nation’s largest tax shelter promoter, and the case of Nikolai and Svetlana Ogorodnikov, who were convicted of recruiting FBI agent Richard Miller for Soviet intelligence.  Following his time as a federal prosecutor, he joined the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton as a litigation partner, first in Los Angeles and later in New York.  In 1992, he was elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Since his retirement from the law, Bruce has pursued his passion for historical research.  He has published articles in both the Journal of American History, and the Southern California Quarterly.  Bruce has also authored a book, St. Mark’s Journey, on the history of a pioneer church in Glendale, CA.  

Attend this Roundup to learn about several prominent and colorful citizens who were founding members of the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of California! 

Register for the March Roundup before the Thursday deadline to reserve your place at this historic event!    The deadline to register is March 5th, for our March 11th Roundup!   

Final Dues Reminder

This is a final reminder to our members to renew their 2020 Corral dues.   As per our Range Rules, we will begin to send out late notices for dues after February 15th with an added late charge of $10 for dues received after March 1st.

Future Los Angeles Corral Events

April 8, 2020
Mike Post
The Chimineas Ranch of the Carrizo Plain National Monument

May 13, 2020
Steve Baker
Notable Women of Monrovia and their Enduring Impact on Society

June 20, 2020
Fandango!
Preparations are underway for a memorable event! 

Dinner Fees, Reservation Deadline & Meal Choices

Please make your reservations by Thursday, March 5th, so that we can include your meal preference when placing the food order for our event.   This month, your entrée selection is beef, fish and vegetarian.  The beef selection is bacon wrapped USDA prime Top Sirloin grilled & wrapped in thick applewood bacon.  The fish option is Baked Atlantic Salmon seasoned & topped with a whole grain mustard sauce & toasted lemon wedge.  This month, the vegetarian option is Pasta Primavera with tomato basil sauce with a medley of carrots, peppers, zucchini, mushrooms & green beans.  Our dessert will be Panna Cotta!

Please observe the registration deadline and  place your order no later than Thursday, February 6^th 

The Roundup Dinner Fee is $40 for those who register before the deadline.  Those who register late or walk-in will be charged $45, and may be limited to their choice of meal.  If registering online at www.lawesterners.org, the Roundup Store can be reached through the Members Only tab.  Be sure to select your meal option, then pay using a PayPal account or by credit card.

New Mailing Address for Roundup Reservations & Dues

Our Registrar of Marks and Brands position is currently vacant.  Until this position is filled, the Trail Bosses kindly request that all Roundup reservations and membership dues be sent to our Keeper of the Chips, Mr. John Shea, at 13613 Barlin Avenue, Downey, CA 90242-5107.  Questions or late reservations?   Please direct all reservation or membership dues questions to John Shea by phone at (562) 408-6959.  

Los Angeles Corral Ongoing Book Auction

Did you know that donated books are available for purchase throughout the year?   Books can be purchased outside the Fandango and Rendezvous by contacting Past Sheriff Brian Dervin Dillon directly.  After payment is received, books can be picked up at one of our Roundups, or other arrangements can be made.    Request a copy of the new, 2020 book list with an Email to:  briandervindillon@gmail.com.  If you place your order via Email, books can be delivered to you at the monthly Roundups! 

 You can find the updated list of auction items here.

Registrar of Marks and Brands         

If you read this notice in its entirety, you may be an excellent candidate for our open Registrar position.   Contact a Trail Boss for more information!

Roundup: February 12, 2020

Almansor Court – 700 S. Almansor, Alhambra, CA.
Social Hour: 5:00 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM

A .pdf of the Roundup Announcement can be downloaded here. 

Our Speaker: Charles King
His Subject: Wild West Gunslingers: Short biographies of various gunmen, lawmen, feuds, and their outcomes.

Charles Randy King will entertain us with stories of “Wild West” gunmen, lawmen, and feuds.   A series of old-time photographs will accompany his talk on notable characters such as gunfighter Pink Higgins; businessman, cowboy and gambler Luke Short; lawman and professional killer Jim “Killin’ Jim” Miller; and fearless frontiersman, detective and Marshal “Wild” Bill Fossett.  After this presentation, the lines may blur between those you consider a lawful man or a gunman.

Charles Randy King is a Corresponding Member of our Corral.  He has worked in the broadcast industry for most of his adult life, while raising a family and actively being involved in community affairs.  Randy has always been an avid student of American History and gravitates to the “Wild West”, which is the genre of several of his published books.  He has also worked and collaborated with the History Academy in Gettysburg, PA, providing crucial research, development, and budgeting for various projects for shows of historical content for presentation to a variety of cable networks.  These include the History Channel, National Geographic, and the Military Channel.  In addition to his published books, Charles Randy King has developed and written two screen plays, of which one screen play and one book have been ‘optioned’ and are currently in development for the movie industry.

Brand Book 23 Release and Book Signing

It’s time to celebrate Westerner style.  Come be a part of our celebration this evening with Editor Joe Cavallo for the release of the new, highly anticipated, beautiful, high-quality, limited edition Brand Book 23!  A special author and contributor signing event will take place during our social hour, so plan on arriving early to attend this grand event which has been sixteen years in the making. Copies will be available for those who previously preordered.   For those who have not yet submitted their book order, copies of Brand Book 23 may be purchased at this event.  This is an opportunity not to be missed.

Register for the February Roundup before the Thursday deadline to reserve your place at this historic event!    The deadline to register is February 6th, for our February 12th Roundup!

Future Los Angeles Corral Events

March 11, 2020
Bruce Merritt
The Founding of the Society of Colonial Wars in Los Angeles in 1895.

April 8, 2020
Mike Post
The Chimineas Ranch of the Carrizo Plain National Monument

May 13, 2020
Steve Baker
Notable Women of Monrovia and their Enduring Impact on Society

Dinner Fees, Reservation Deadline & Meal Choices

Please make your reservations by Thursday, February 6^th, so that we can include your meal preference when placing the food order for our event.   This month, your meal selection is beef, chicken and vegetarian.  The beef meal will be Top Sirloin grilled and slow roasted.  The chicken option is Baked Garlic Chicken, lightly breaded, topped with garlic and parmesan cheese.  The Vegetarian entrée is Vegan Tartare, an artfully displayed seared seasonal fruit or vegetable diced & atop a bed of avocados & topped with a balsamic vinaigrette and a homemade crostini.  Our dessert will be Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream! 

Please observe the registration deadline for this special event and place your order no later than Thursday, February 6^th

The Roundup Dinner Fee is $40 for those who register before the deadline.  Those who register late or walk-in will be charged $45, and may be limited to their choice of meal.  The Roundup Store can be reached through the Members Only tab.   Be sure to select your meal option, then pay using a PayPal account or by credit card.

New Mailing Address for Roundup Reservations & Dues

Our Registrar of Marks and Brands position is currently vacant.    Until this position is filled, the Trail Bosses kindly request that all Roundup reservations and membership dues be sent to our Keeper of the Chips, Mr. John Shea, at 13613 Barlin Avenue, Downey, CA 90242-5107.  Questions or late reservations?   Please direct all reservation or membership dues questions to John Shea by phone at (562) 408-6959.

Dues Renewal Reminder

As a reminder to all members, if you have not already renewed your 2020 dues, please send in your payment of $50.00 or renew online as soon as possible.   Members who have not already renewed will receive a reminder from a Trail Boss until we have a new Registrar.  Your dues help support our Fellowship program and pay for the Branding Iron, Special Keepsakes and Westerners International dues.

The Dues Store is located under the Members Only tab. Pay using a PayPal account or credit or debit card (through PayPal).   If paying by check, please forward your payment to: Mr. John Shea, at 13613 Barlin Avenue, Downey, CA 90242-5107.  Thank you.

Los Angeles Corral Ongoing Book Auction

Many books have been donated since our last public auction at the October 2019 Rendezvous!  Request a copy of the new, 2020 book list with an Email to:  briandervindillon@gmail.com.  If you place your order via Email, books can be delivered to you at the monthly Roundups!  You can find the updated list of auction items here.

Roundup: January 8, 2020

Sheriff Ann Shea declares the January Roundup as E Clampus Vitus Night!   Clampers are encouraged to wear ECV regalia.

Almansor Court – 700 S. Almansor, Alhambra, CA.
Social Hour: 5:00 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM

A .pdf of the Roundup Announcement can be downloaded here. 

Our Speaker: Mark Mutz, Corral Member, Newspaper Publisher and member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (Peter Lebec Chapter)
His Subject: Stories: The Myths, the Facts, and the Realities

Mark Mutz has always had an interest in history and events.  As we go through life, we can begin to realize that the descriptions of many events in history are tainted in such a fashion as to make the subject of the events appear quite different than the actual circumstances.   

Mark’s love of history and events started at an early age.  He was born and raised in New England, where history was all around him.  There were stories of Indian Wars, some of which occurred 140 years before the United States declared independence.  One battle lead to a day of Thanksgiving being declared in 1637, following the Mystic Massacre during the Pequot War. 

When walking through the woods, he occasionally came across stone walls in the middle of stands of Oak trees that were third or fourth growth.  Other times, he found lone Chestnut trees and later realized that the oaks had replaced these mighty trees.  He also remembers walking through a graveyard and finding a headstone marked for “A Soldier of the Revolution”.   

Stories are all around us and the retelling can share the facts, portray the reality, or turn them into myths.  While stationed in Fort Richardson, Alaska as an Infantryman, Mark also found an old cemetery for Russians, complete with little houses on each grave.  When he was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, there were more graves, but this time for Veterans of the Civil War. 

One of the biggest problems in telling an accurate story is getting accurate information to base it on.  For Mark, the art of storytelling involves presenting a topic in a space ranging from ¼ to two pages long that allows the reader to develop a complete picture in their mind when reading the Fence Post, a newspaper that Mark and spouse Dorothy own and publish monthly.   

Come spend an evening with the Westerners, as we listen to storytelling presented by our newest Corresponding Member, Mark Mutz!

Future Los Angeles Corral Events

February 12, 2020     
Randy King        
Wild West Gunslingers: Short biographies of various gunmen, lawmen, feuds, and their outcomes.

March 11, 2020      
Bruce Merritt
The Founding of the Society of Colonial Wars in Los Angeles in 1895.    

Dinner Fees, Reservation Deadline & Meal Choices

Please make your reservations by Thursday, January 2nd, so that we can include your meal preferences when placing the food order for our event.   This month, your meal selection is beef, chicken and vegetarian.  The beef meal will be Top Sirloin grilled and slow roasted.  The chicken option is Baked Garlic Chicken, lightly breaded, topped with garlic and parmesan cheese.  The Vegetarian entrée is Vegetable Pad Thai, made from classic Pad Thai noodles with stir fry fresh vegetables and topped with scallions and peanuts.    The dessert for January is Panna Cotta.

The Roundup Dinner Fee is unchanged for 2020 at $40 for those who register before the deadline.  If registering online at www.lawesterners.org, the Roundup Store can be reached through the Members Only tab, and entering the password. Be sure to select your meal option, then pay using a PayPal account or by credit card.

If paying by check, please mail your meal selection and payment to: Mr. Aaron Tate, Registrar of Marks and Brands, 9768 via Roma, Burbank, CA 91504. 

Questions or late reservations can be directed to Aaron Tate by calling or texting to (818) 804-9926, or email at airnbobo@gmail.com. 

Early reservations are strongly recommended and preferred, as there will be only limited, or potentially no meals available for walk-ins.  The cost for late registrations and walk-ins is $45.

Dues Renewal Reminder

As a reminder to all members, it’s time to renew your dues!  If you have not already renewed your 2020 dues, please send in your payment or renew online as soon as possible.   As per our Range Rules, Article VI, dues shall be paid yearly by February 15th.  Members who have not renewed by this date will receive a notice from our Registrar of Marks and Brands.    

The Dues Store is located under the Members Only tab at www.lawesterners.org.   Use the same password to enter this members only section of our website and pay using a PayPal account or credit or debit card (through PayPal).   If paying by check, please forward your payment to:   Mr. Aaron Tate, 9768 via Roma, Burbank, CA 91504.  With Brand Book 23 due out in February, and Brand Book 24 already in process, this is a wonderful time to be a Westerner!   Your dues also help support our Fellowship program and pay for the Branding Iron, Special Keepsakes and Westerners International dues.

Visit our Corral at Live on the Green! 

We will be tabling at the Live on Green! Festival at the Pasadena Convention Center on December 29-31.   Volunteer to help us promote membership in the LA Corral or, at least, when you visit this outstanding free festival, stop by the Eubanks Equestrian Pavilion and visit our booth!  Contact Jim Macklin to volunteer at (626) 305-2391 jhmacklincpa@gmail.com.