Elizabeth Pomeroy

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:  Elizabeth’s company, Many Moons Press, will soon bring out a new edition of Charles Francis Saunders’ The Southern Sierras of California.  John Robinson has written a new introduction for it and photographs are being sought!

NEEDS INFORMATION ON/FOR:  She would like to hear from collectors of Saunders’ work or anyone interested in the new edition mentioned above.

RECENT PRESENTATIONS: Elizabeth has spoken extensively on the history of San Marino to the City of San Marino for their 100th anniversary (2013), and has spoken/will speak to the Huntington Library, Zamorano Club, Pasadena Museum of History, and other groups.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS:  San Marino – A Centennial History (San Marino Historical Society) – Note:  Nick Curry helped extensively with the research for this book.

Dr. Kenneth Pauley

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:  An article for the Branding Iron entitled “Aviation in the West circa 1880-1920.”

NEEDS INFORMATION ON/FOR:  Anything related to early aviation history in Southern California

RECENT PRESENTATIONS:  He was the speaker for the November, 2011 Westerners meeting where he spoke on the topic “Samuel H. Colt – An American Icon.”

OTHER:  Dr. Pauley has done extensive research on the California missions.  He has made several presentations, including a 4-part presentation on “Weights and Measurements in California’s Mission Period.”  He has authored and co-authored many articles and books, including “From Victory to Vicissitude: Los Angeles in 1946” (Westerners), The California Missions – Then and Now (California Mission Press), and The 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet (Arcadia Publications).  Dr. Pauley was also the editor of the Westerners, Los Angeles Corral Brand Book #20 in 1997.

 

Paul McClure

CURRENTLY WORKING ON: Paul is crrently researching the citrus era of the Pomona Valley and working toward recognition of the Old Spanish Trail

RECENT PUBLICATIONS: Folk History of the San Gabriel and Inland Valleys: The Settlement Years 1542-1878, Infinity Publishing: West Conshohocken, PA, 2012.

RECENT TALKS: “Old Spanish Trail” at San Dimas City Hall; “A Tile in the Los Angeles Mosaic, Los Angelitas de Pueblo;” “Document Preservation” at the San Dimas Festival of Art; “Kwenangna Village” to the San Dimas Historical Society.

RECENT AWARDS: Fred Olds Cowboy Poetry Award, International Corral of Westerners, 2012.

Steve Lech

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:  Steve’s main focus in research presently is the history of the development of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.  He is also working on the story behind the incorporation of Cabazon, California in the 1950s.  He is always working on several items for his continuing bi-weekly “Back in the Day” articles in the Press-Enterprise newspaper.

NEEDS INFORMATION ON/FOR:  Would like to hear from any Westerners who may have information or reminiscences about the beginnings of either the Palm Springs Tramway or the City of Cabazon

RECENT PRESENTATIONS:  He has given talks on the formation of Riverside County to the Westerners (April 2013) and other groups, along with presentations on Riverside County’s Regional Parks, the Pines-to-Palms Highway, and various subjects related to the Mission Inn in Riverside.

RECENT ENDEAVORS:  Steve was appointed to the Riverside County Historical Commission in January, 2014, and was appointed to the City of Riverside’s Historic Preservation Fund Committee in October, 2013.

Steve also sponsors (with 2 friends) the annual Riverside County History Symposium held in various locations throughout Riverside County.

OTHER:  Steve was born in Riverside, California, and lives in the home his grandparents built.  He recently retired after 27+ years as a planner with various departments for Riverside County.

 

Ernie Hovard

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:  Ernie is still collecting Indian and western lore after 60 years!

PROJECTS:  Ernie is extending an open invitation to all Westerners to visit his home and see his collection (see photo).

RECENT PRESENTATIONS:  Several individuals and groups have come to see his house and collection.

Abe Hoffman

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:  A book entitled From Dead Sea to Environmental Treasure:  A History of Mono Lake, to be published by the University of New Mexico Press.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS:  “Mining in California’s Mono Basin Region,” which was published in the California Territorial Quarterly for Fall, 2012.

RECENT PRESENTATIONS:  A talk entitled “Boyle Heights Memories,” given to the Los Angeles City Historical Society on February 22, 2013.

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:  Loren is continuing to write poetry and refining his magic.

NEEDS INFORMATION ON/FOR:  Would like to hear from any Westerners who may be interested in his collection of western magazines, including True West, Frontier Times, and others.  Some of these date back over 40 years!

RECENT PRESENTATIONS:  He has written several articles for the Tombstone Epitaph, the Branding Iron, and others.  In addition, many other articles have appeared in The Kansas Cowboy (where Loren is member #1159, known as the “Kansas Kid).

OTHER:  Loren was born in Woodbine, KS and moved to Ontario, CA in 1941.  He and his wife Betty were married in 1947 and they have 2 sons, 5 grandchildren, and 2 great-granddaughters.  Loren worked for the Southern California Gas Company from 1947 to 1984 when he retired as District Manager for the Covina area.  Since that time, he has held many other positions, some paid, some volunteer.  He has also been named the “Honorary Mayor of Wrightwood!”

Sid Gally

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:  Many things related to the greater Pasadena area.  Sid is a volunteer at the Pasadena Museum of History and a columnist for the Pasadena Star-News.

NEEDS INFORMATION ON/FOR:  His column entitled “Past on Parade,” which appears in the Pasadena Star-News.  Sid is always seeking out information (documents, photos, etc.) on the history of Pasadena

RECENT PRESENTATIONS:  He has done presentations on Professor Thaddeus Lowe and his Civil War ballooning adventures, gas manufacturing, and of course the mountain railway.  In addition, Sid has developed a talk on five famous Pasadena residents and their role in the development of Santa Catalina Island and a talk on ten unusual women he’s discovered in his research in the area.  The talk on Pasadena residents and their role in Santa Catalina Island has been given to the Westerners.

 

Roundup: July 9, 2014

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

Speaker: Kiara Maria Vigil
Subject:  Native Americans and Film and her first book “North American Indian Intellectuals and the American Imagination, 1880-1930”

Click here to view photos from the event.

Westerners has a special speaker this month! in collaboration with the Autry Museum. It will be an excellent talk regarding Native Americans and Film. Our 2014 Autry Fellow is Dr. Kiara Maria Vigil, an Assistant Professor of American Studies at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her research and teaching has centered on Native American history and literature.

She is currently completing research for her first book, “North American Indian Intellectuals and the American Imagination, 1880-1930”, now under contract with Cambridge University Press.
Her time at the Autry has enabled her to research this project tentatively titled “Natives in Transit: Indian Entertainment, Urban Life, and Activism”, which builds on a study of Indian actors, beginning in the 1930s. Her book examines the cultural production of four prominent Indian intellectuals: Charles Eastman, Carolos Montezuma, Gertrude Bonnin, and Luther Standing Bear, within the shifiting social and political milieu of the early twentieth century.

Building on the research from her current book project, and specifically on material related to Luther Standing Bear’s career as a writer and film actor living in Los Angeles during the 1930s, Dr. Vigil’s talk will discuss the archival materials and other resources available at the Autry National Center that speak to the lives and cultural work of Native Americans in Southern California from the 1930s onward, thereby highlighting the social, economic and political ramifications of Native people as cultural workers in America.

We encourage you to use PayPal on the website to make your reservations and pay for your dinner(s). It is quick, easy to use and the way of the future.

Click here to view photos from the event.

Paul McClure
Deputy Sheriff

Corral Chips

See what our members have been doing lately!  We have many talented members, both professional and enthusiasts that are doing great work regarding Western History.  We should be proud!  As part of a vibrant Corral, we can support and encourage each other, build an “espirit de corps,” and enhance our membership experience in the Los Angeles Corral of Westerners.

Click each link below to see what each member has been up to!  

Sheriff Brian Dervin Dillon, Ph.D.

Sid Gally

Ernie Hovard

Steve Lech

Paul McClure 

Dr. Kenneth Pauley

Elizabeth Pomeroy

Eric Warren

Loren Wendt

Roundup: July 9, 2014

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

Speaker: Kiara Maria Vigil
Subject:  Native Americans and Film and her first book “North American Indian Intellectuals and the American Imagination, 1880-1930”

Westerners has a special speaker this month! in collaboration with the Autry Museum. It will be an excellent talk regarding Native Americans and Film. Our 2014 Autry Fellow is Dr. Kiara Maria Vigil, an Assistant Professor of American Studies at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her research and teaching has centered on Native American history and literature.

She is currently completing research for her first book, “North American Indian Intellectuals and the American Imagination, 1880-1930”, now under contract with Cambridge University Press.
Her time at the Autry has enabled her to research this project tentatively titled “Natives in Transit: Indian Entertainment, Urban Life, and Activism”, which builds on a study of Indian actors, beginning in the 1930s. Her book examines the cultural production of four prominent Indian intellectuals: Charles Eastman, Carolos Montezuma, Gertrude Bonnin, and Luther Standing Bear, within the shifiting social and political milieu of the early twentieth century.

Building on the research from her current book project, and specifically on material related to Luther Standing Bear’s career as a writer and film actor living in Los Angeles during the 1930s, Dr. Vigil’s talk will discuss the archival materials and other resources available at the Autry National Center that speak to the lives and cultural work of Native Americans in Southern California from the 1930s onward, thereby highlighting the social, economic and political ramifications of Native people as cultural workers in America.

We encourage you to use PayPal on the website to make your reservations and pay for your dinner(s). It is quick, easy to use and the way of the future.

Paul McClure
Deputy Sheriff

 

Sittin’ Around the Campfire

Corral News

Branding Iron #274
You can download this Branding Iron simply by clicking here.

Dinner Reservations
Dinners cost $35 each. Please make your reservation by July 5, 2014. For this meeting there will be no penalty for late reservations. And do it using PayPal directly at the Westerner web site or mail your reservation and your checkópayable to ìWesterners, Los Angeles Corralîóto Pete Fries, Registrar of Marks & Brands, 28160 Newbird Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91350-1836. Please call Pete at 661-296-7713 so he knows ahead of time to expect you.

PAYPAL is now available
Put your money where your mouse is. Instead of sending in your check, now you can make your dinner reservations online. Just click here. Instructions are there. Call Joe Cavallo 626 372 5126 with any questions.

Wednesday, August 13th Roundup
At the August Roundup, Geraldine Knatz, retired managing director of the Port of Long Beach for several years and recently Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, will speak about the ìLost Communities of Terminal Island.î She earned a masterís in environmental engineering and doctorate in biological sciences at USC. She oversaw a $2.3 billion capital improvement program at the 7,500 acre port, which sits on 43 miles of waterfront, handled more than $273 billion in cargo last year, and is responsible for three million jobs.

Friday, August 15th Tour
Two days after Geraldine Knatzís Roundup program on Terminal Island, we have planned a boat tour of Los Angeles Harbor. This will be a free educational tour rather than the standard tourist outing, thus it is on a weekday instead of a weekend. Check-in will be at 12:45 p.m.; the boat will sail at 1 p.m.; and if you arrive late, weíll wave to you as we sail away. After returning to shore, we should have plenty of time to vamoose before rush hour hits. Weíll have more information about the excursion soon. Mark your calendars. 35 maximum.

Book Donations Appreciated
Are local and Western history books overrunning your home or office library? Well, Eric Nelson has the perfect solution. Donate them to the L.A. Corral for our fabulous Roundup ìprix fixeî book sales. Remember this is no auction; itís a sale. Arrive early, distract your pards with some wild goose chase, sneak over to the book table, grab the pick of the litter, and try not to leave the gatheriní with more books than you brought.

Happy Trails!

Fandango: Saturday, June 14, 2014

John Rains House – 8810 Hemlock Street, Rancho Cucamonga, 91730
Tour Begins: 11:00 AM
Lunch: Fabulous High Noon Luncheon

Speaker: William “Lickskillet” King, Ph.D.
Subject:  The Murder of John Rains

Tour: Take a docent-guided 30-minute tour of the historic John Rains House at 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.

Listen: Enjoy some great cowboy music carefully selected by our own cowboy deejay Paul Rippens.

Plunk: Be first to plunk down your greenbacks of some fabulous “prix fixe” books and artwork provided by our very own Eric Nelson. This is no auction; it’s a sale, so send your pards on a wild goose chase so you can sneak in and grab the pick of the litter.

Socialize: Enjoy the company of historians, raconteurs, and murder mystery detectives as you mull over the unsolved murder of John Rains—unsolved until the Fandango that is.

Dine: Lap up an exquisite lunch. Five Star catering will provide a lunch to die for, not die from. Our scouts have carefully examined their cuisine and they all wanted seconds.

Drink: Tim Heflin reportedly will ride a mule all the way from Kennedy Meadows to man the bar and regale you with friendly conversation.

Learn: Dr. William “Lickskillet” King will share history of the John Rains House and provide clues from the jaw-dropping John Rains Murder, as soon as we finish lunch.

Solve: Use the handouts provided to resolve the 152 year-old mystery of who killed John Rains? The Hanging Judge Gary Tuner will decide which table provided the best reasoning and then present them with a pretty good bottle of wine.

Drink Some More: After the Fandango, enjoy some more fellowship and beverage at the Wine Tailor in the historic Thomas Winery Plaza two short blocks from the John Rains House.

Drive: Have your Designated Driver chauffeur you a few miles along historic Route 66 (aka Foothill Blvd.) as you head home.

Register: Either 1) “put your money where your mouse is” and use PayPal to register or 2) keep those nice postmen employed by mailing in your registration.

Downloads: Murder Mystery Suspects (.pdf) & Murder Mystery Story (.pdf).

 

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Los Angeles Westerners, please click Join Our Corral.

Fandango: Saturday, June 14, 2014

John Rains House – 8810 Hemlock Street, Rancho Cucamonga, 91730
Tour Begins: 11:00 AM
Lunch: Fabulous High Noon Luncheon

Speaker: William “Lickskillet” King, Ph.D.
Subject:  The Murder of John Rains

Tour: Take a docent-guided 30-minute tour of the historic John Rains House at 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.

Listen: Enjoy some great cowboy music carefully selected by our own cowboy deejay Paul Rippens.

Plunk: Be first to plunk down your greenbacks of some fabulous “prix fixe” books and artwork provided by our very own Eric Nelson. This is no auction; it’s a sale, so send your pards on a wild goose chase so you can sneak in and grab the pick of the litter.

Socialize: Enjoy the company of historians, raconteurs, and murder mystery detectives as you mull over the unsolved murder of John Rains—unsolved until the Fandango that is.

Dine: Lap up an exquisite lunch. Five Star catering will provide a lunch to die for, not die from. Our scouts have carefully examined their cuisine and they all wanted seconds.

Drink: Tim Heflin reportedly will ride a mule all the way from Kennedy Meadows to man the bar and regale you with friendly conversation.

Learn: Dr. William “Lickskillet” King will share history of the John Rains House and provide clues from the jaw-dropping John Rains Murder, as soon as we finish lunch.

Solve: Use the handouts provided to resolve the 152 year-old mystery of who killed John Rains? The Hanging Judge Gary Tuner will decide which table provided the best reasoning and then present them with a pretty good bottle of wine.

Drink Some More: After the Fandango, enjoy some more fellowship and beverage at the Wine Tailor in the historic Thomas Winery Plaza two short blocks from the John Rains House.

Drive: Have your Designated Driver chauffeur you a few miles along historic Route 66 (aka Foothill Blvd.) as you head home.

Register: Either 1) “put your money where your mouse is” and use PayPal to register on the Members Only page or 2) keep those nice postmen employed by mailing in your registration.

Downloads: RSVP & Directions (.pdf), Murder Mystery Suspects (.pdf) & Murder Mystery Story (.pdf).

 

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Los Angeles Westerners, please click Join Our Corral.

Roundup Photos: May 14, 2014

Roundup Photos: April 9, 2014

Roundup: May 14, 2014

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

Speaker: Elk Whistle Bill Neal
Subject:  History of Native American Flutes

Click here to view photos from the event.

By the latter half of the 20th century, the Native flute, indigenous only to North America, was in danger of becoming nothing more than a museum exhibit. However, through the efforts of a few individuals like Elk Whistle Bill Neal, this unique and beautifully-voiced instrument has come back alive to enchant all those who hear its music.

This program will describe the flute’s history, its traditional construction, as well as its contemporary form. Elk Whistle Bill Neal will demonstrate cedar flutes of the Lakota of the northern plains and the Kiowa and Comanche of the southern plains as well as river reed and cane flutes of the Choctaw and the Cherokee.

He will explain how beautiful songs of the flute address Native American cultural values that have become increasingly important to all of the two-leggeds on Turtle Island.

Elk Whistle Bill Neal is a master Native American flute player and storyteller of Cherokee ancestry who began playing this instrument almost 24 years ago while a singer in a traditional powwow drum group.

He has worked in environmental engineering for 22 years, including 10 years with the U. S. Forest Service; taught forestry, wildland fire management, and natural resource management in college; and co-founded and served as general manager of a biomass energy fuel supply company.

He has performed in numerous venues: museums and libraries, cathedrals and temples, powwows and festivals, before the smallest audiences to almost 10,000. He has served as the Native American spiritual leader in a California state prison, and powwow coordinator for the 2nd Annual Powwow at Pomona College in Claremont which took place on April 5th as well as the 3rd Annual Intertribal Eagle and Condor Powwow set for May 17th and 18th in DeAnza Park in Ontario.

Click here to view photos from the event.

Paul McClure
Deputy Sheiff 

Roundup: May 14, 2014

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

Speaker: Elk Whistle Bill Neal
Subject:  History of Native American Flutes

Click here to view photos from the event.

By the latter half of the 20th century, the Native flute, indigenous only to North America, was in danger of becoming nothing more than a museum exhibit. However, through the efforts of a few individuals like Elk Whistle Bill Neal, this unique and beautifully-voiced instrument has come back alive to enchant all those who hear its music.

This program will describe the flute’s history, its traditional construction, as well as its contemporary form. Elk Whistle Bill Neal will demonstrate cedar flutes of the Lakota of the northern plains and the Kiowa and Comanche of the southern plains as well as river reed and cane flutes of the Choctaw and the Cherokee.

He will explain how beautiful songs of the flute address Native American cultural values that have become increasingly important to all of the two-leggeds on Turtle Island.

Elk Whistle Bill Neal is a master Native American flute player and storyteller of Cherokee ancestry who began playing this instrument almost 24 years ago while a singer in a traditional powwow drum group.

He has worked in environmental engineering for 22 years, including 10 years with the U. S. Forest Service; taught forestry, wildland fire management, and natural resource management in college; and co-founded and served as general manager of a biomass energy fuel supply company.

He has performed in numerous venues: museums and libraries, cathedrals and temples, powwows and festivals, before the smallest audiences to almost 10,000. He has served as the Native American spiritual leader in a California state prison, and powwow coordinator for the 2nd Annual Powwow at Pomona College in Claremont which took place on April 5th as well as the 3rd Annual Intertribal Eagle and Condor Powwow set for May 17th and 18th in DeAnza Park in Ontario.

Click here to view photos from the event.

Paul McClure
Deputy Sheiff 

 

Corral News

Dinner Reservations

Dinners cost $35 each and the reservation deadline is May 8, 2014. Late reservations can be accepted, but you won’t be able to choose your entrée and you will pay $40.  Please mail your reservation and your check—payable to “Westerners, Los Angeles Corral”—to Pete Fries, Registrar of Marks & Brands, 28160 Newbird Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91350-1836. You may also call Pete at 661-296-7713 with questions or late reservations.

PAYPAL is now available

Instead of sending in your check, now you can make your dinner reservations online. Just log on to our website www.lawesterners.org and go to the members tab (enter the password) and click on the pay option. Instructions are there. Call Joe Cavallo 626 372 5126 with any questions.

Saturday, June 14th Fandango

This year’s Fandango will (probably) be held at the historic Rains House in Rancho Cucamonga, the point of origin for a spectacular 1862 murder, which docents will tell us more about during tours both before and after our High Noon lunch. Remember the Fandango is our June meeting, so there will be no second-Wednesday-evening Roundup that month. We suggest that you take Route 66, aka Foothill Blvd., for at least a few miles either to or from the Fandango in order to magically transport yourself to an earlier era. The Wine Tailor, just down the street, will provide a cozy retreat for those who want just a skosh more vino before heading home. We’ll have more information about cost and reservations soon. Mark your calendars. 80 maximum.

Wednesday, July 9th Roundup

Our esteemed former Sheriff Eric Nelson is arranging July’s program by our Autry Fellow Kiara Maria Vigil, an Assistant Professor of American Studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts. She is completing research for her first book, North American Indian Intellectuals and the American Imagination, 1880-1930, Cambridge University Press. With no topic announced, we wondered what Eric thought about the program. Tater Totter, the mind-reading cowboy, said that Eric was thinking, “This program’s gonna be so danged good that I’d pull my plow over a stump to git there.” If that’s what Eric thinks, then we’d all better pack the barn.

Wednesday, August 13th Roundup

At the August Roundup, Geraldine Knatz, past managing director of the Port of Long Beach for several years and recently retired as the Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, will speak about the “Lost Communities of Terminal Island.” She earned a master’s in environmental engineering and doctorate in biological sciences at USC. She oversaw a $2.3 billion capital improvement program at the 7,500 acre port, which sits on 43 miles of waterfront, handled more than $273 billion in cargo last year, and is responsible for three million jobs.

Friday, August 15th Tour

Two days after Geraldine Knatz’s Roundup program on Terminal Island, we have planned a boat tour of Los Angeles Harbor. This will be a free educational tour rather than the standard tourist outing, thus it is on a weekday instead of a weekend. Check-in will be at 12:45 p.m.; the boat will sail at 1 p.m.; and if you arrive late, we’ll wave to you as we sail away. After returning to shore, we should have plenty of time to vamoose before rush hour hits. We’ll have more information about the excursion soon. Mark your calendars. 35 maximum.

Corral Chips

Tell us what you have been doing lately.  We have many talented members, both professional and enthusiasts that are doing great work regarding Western History.  We should be proud!  Tell us what you have been up to lately.  We want to share it!  Someone else may have something they can contribute, or a suggestion for you.  Or just share your accomplishments, so we may congratulate you!  As part of a vibrant Corral, we can support and encourage each other, build an “espirit de corps,” and enhance our membership experience in the Los Angeles Corral of Westerners.

As a member of Westerners, your Corral Chip information will be published in our quarterly academic publication, the Branding Iron. And it will be put here on our web site in the public area where search engines will pick it up and make it available on the worldwide web. By the way, if you are not a member yet, please click Join our Corral.

See what our members are currently working on!  

 

If you would like to write out and mail in your Corral Chips form, click here for the Corral Chips form (.pdf). Mailing information is on the form.

 

Branding Irons

These Branding Irons are available to members only.  Older issues are available under the Branding Irons tab.

307. Summer 2022

306. Spring 2022

305. Winter 2022

304. Fall 2021

303. Summer 2021

302. Spring 2021

301. Winter 2021

300. Fall 2020

299. Summer 2020

298. Spring 2020

297. Winter 20202

296. Fall 2019

295. Summer 2019

294. Spring 2019

293. Winter 2019

292. Fall 2018

291. Summer 2018

290. Spring 2018

289. Winter 2018

288. Fall 2017

287. Summer 2017

286. Spring 2017

285. Winter 2017

284. Fall 2016

283. Summer 2016

282. Spring 2016

281. Winter 2016

280. Fall 2015

279. Summer 2015

278. Spring 2015

277. Winter 2015

276. Fall 2014

275. Summer 2014

274. Spring 2014

“China City – The Busy Little Village North of the Plaza” by Glenna Dunning.

“Ninety-Four Years of The Pacific Mail Steamship Company – An Overview” by James Shuttleworth.

“When ‘Judge Lynch’ Came to San Jacinto” by Steve Lech.

273. Winter 2014

“Crossing California’s Little Sahara Imperial County’s Plank Road” (This is a look at motoring across the sand dunes of Imperial County for many years during the beginnings of the automotive age.) By John W. Robinson.

“Affairs of the Heart in Early Los Angeles” (An interesting visit to the post office in1848 is presented and a special letter from 1848) by Eric A. Nelson.

272. Fall 2013
“The Many Lives of the Three Godfathers” (A Christmas story entitled “The Three Godfathers,”) which began life as a short novel by Peter B. Kyne and later was made and remade into movies) by Abraham Hoffman.

“John Muir — A Thoughtful Moment, 1911” (A rare insight into a personal moment shared by John Muir and a longtime friend through some unpublished surviving, hastily hand-written correspondence) by Joseph Cavallo.

“Local History: What is Wrong and What is Right” (A discussion of the varying views of local historians versus academic) by Dr. Ronald Limbaugh.

271. Summer 2013

“The Tunnel” (A trip through the famous San Jacinto Tunnel of the Metropolitan Water District; and the Colorado River Aqueduct) by Phil Brigandi.

“The Aqueduct Doctor” (The tale of Dr. Raymond Taylor, “The Aqueduct Doctor,” who provided medical assistance to the workers on William Mulhollandís aqueduct in the early 1900s) by Paul H. Rippens.

 

Roundup Photos: February 12, 2014

Roundup Photos: March 12, 2014

Roundup: April 9, 2014

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

Speaker: Brian Dervin Dillon, Ph.D.
Subject:  Camanche: California’s Forgotten Ironclad

California gold and Nevada silver financed the Union during the Civil War.  The heavy bullion had to be shipped via Panama in vulnerable, Federal bottoms.  Just one Confederate raider, loose in coastal California, could have severed the Union’s most important financial lifeline to her westernmost states and territories. So, when Californians begged for a U.S. Navy warship, President Lincoln sent the most modern vessel available. This was the USS Camanche, a second-generation, John Ericsson-designed, Passaic class monitor.  Built twice, sunk once, and launched on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts, the Camanche had perhaps the most unusual history of any of the 30 Union-built monitors of the Civil War.  In contrast to the prototype USS Monitor, the Camanche never fired her guns in anger.  She also outlived every other Ericsson-designed vessel, yet remains California’s Forgotten Ironclad.

Brian Dervin Dillon is a 5th generation Californian.   An archaeologist, he is the son and the father of historians. All three Dillon generations were educated at the University of California, Berkeley.  Dillon’s Ph.D. in Maya archaeology was at age 25, the youngest in the history of the department.  A Phi Beta Kappa and Fulbright Fellow, for the past 40+ years he has done archaeology all over California, in every part of Guatemala, and in three other Central American countries. Dillon has taught and lectured at many California institutions. He has written nearly a hundred books, monographs and articles on archaeology and history.  His most recent book is Fanning the Sacred Flame (University Press of Colorado, 2012). Dr. Dillon is the 2012 recipient of the Westerner’s International Coke Wood 2nd place award for his two-part study Sergeant Dillon with the Dynamite Squads: 1906 detailing how his grandfather fought fire with explosives in the days following the catastrophic San Francisco earthquake.  His Camanche study will be published in upcoming issues of the California Territorial Quarterly.

Paul McClure           
Deputy Sheriff

Roundup: April 9, 2014

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

Speaker: Brian Dervin Dillon, Ph.D.
Subject:  Camanche: California’s Forgotten Ironclad

Click here to view photos from the event.

California gold and Nevada silver financed the Union during the Civil War.  The heavy bullion had to be shipped via Panama in vulnerable, Federal bottoms.  Just one Confederate raider, loose in coastal California, could have severed the Union’s most important financial lifeline to her westernmost states and territories. So, when Californians begged for a U.S. Navy warship, President Lincoln sent the most modern vessel available. This was the USS Camanche, a second-generation, John Ericsson-designed, Passaic class monitor.  Built twice, sunk once, and launched on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts, the Camanche had perhaps the most unusual history of any of the 30 Union-built monitors of the Civil War.  In contrast to the prototype USS Monitor, the Camanche never fired her guns in anger.  She also outlived every other Ericsson-designed vessel, yet remains California’s Forgotten Ironclad.

Brian Dervin Dillon is a 5th generation Californian.   An archaeologist, he is the son and the father of historians. All three Dillon generations were educated at the University of California, Berkeley.  Dillon’s Ph.D. in Maya archaeology was at age 25, the youngest in the history of the department.  A Phi Beta Kappa and Fulbright Fellow, for the past 40+ years he has done archaeology all over California, in every part of Guatemala, and in three other Central American countries. Dillon has taught and lectured at many California institutions. He has written nearly a hundred books, monographs and articles on archaeology and history.  His most recent book is Fanning the Sacred Flame (University Press of Colorado, 2012). Dr. Dillon is the 2012 recipient of the Westerner’s International Coke Wood 2nd place award for his two-part study Sergeant Dillon with the Dynamite Squads: 1906 detailing how his grandfather fought fire with explosives in the days following the catastrophic San Francisco earthquake.  His Camanche study will be published in upcoming issues of the California Territorial Quarterly.

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Paul McClure           
Deputy Sheriff