STORY and MEMORIES
by Laura Mae Johnston & Ruth Lindsey Savage
8-28-71
Please remember much of this is from memory only and we could surely be mistaken, so we accept anybody elses suggestions.
Would you please send a copy of the Palmdale history for my aunt? Dear Mr. Gordon:
Sorry this turned out to be so long but I just kept remembering' For your reproduction please omit any part you feel necessary.
Please put me on your list to receive a complete copy of your collections. If there is any charge, please let me know. Thank you.
Janie & Wayne Hunter were "oldtimers" of Palmdale. Her address is: Mrs. H. Jane Hunter, 314 The Grand Canal, Balboa Island, Calif.
MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THESE
Jasper Lindsey, my Great-grandfather' was one of the very first "Palmdale Pioneers." He and his wife settled in Palmdale in the year 1905 (approximately). The first area known as Palmdale was located at approximately 30th St. (or 35th St.) between Ave. R & Ave. S. There were a few small homes, one of which was used as the first Palmdale school and was one room.
On Ave. R. somewhere between 25th and 35th St. East, there was a cluster of palm trees. Palmdale was named after these palm trees.
In the year 1908, Spencer "Shorty" Lindsey and his wife, Anna, made the journey to Palmdale. The wagon had to be unloaded at the top of the Solemint Summit as the horses could not pull the load over the hill. After the horses and the wagon made i t over the hill, my Grandfather and Grandmother carried their belongings over the hill, loaded the wagon again and started off for their destination.
They had started from Los Angeles with their two small daughters, Laura Mae (5 years old), and Ruth (3 years old). It was a two-day trip by horse and wagon to Barrel Springs Road where my Great-grandfather had homesteaded forty acres and built a small cabin. Here they lived while they built the two-story frame home at Ave. S-8 and 25th St. E. Pipeline was laid from an artesian well on the forty acres to the homesite and a reservoir was built to hold the water. After the home was built, a ten acre pear orchard was planted.
My mother, Laura Mae, and my aunt, Ruth, walked the two miles from the ranch-house to the one-room school. When the Palmdale area, as it is now known on Sierra Hwy., started building up, the school was built on the west side of the railroad tracks and the first area became known as "Old Palmdale." The first teacher at the old school was Clara Johnson, who married Adolph Ritter. The new school had two rooms and Rose Gemmill was the second teacher.
Because of the increased distance to school, my Mother and Aunt rode two horses "Daisy" and "Ruth". One of the laughable stories my Aunt tells is of the day her horse got away from her and as she followed and tried to get ahold of the reins, the horse was always one step ahead of her. This went on for the three miles, all the way home, with a red-faced, quite upset little girl arriving at the ranchhouse.
When the girls were old enough for high school, because of the distance (12 miles), they lived in the dormitory at A.V.J.U.H.S. The cost for board and room for one month was $1~3.00. We look back and wonder how my grandparents, at that time, paid this much. By the time I was old enough for high school, there was a bus system, which, at that time, covered more miles than any other bus system in the world.
My mother and father, "Fred" McAdam, were married on Thanks-giving Day, 1921, in Pasadena. They returned to Palmdale to live in the rock house which still stands in Pearland. My dad had a pear orchard there. A year later, on December 7, 1922, when I was born, my mother passed away. My grandmother and grandfather took me to live with them on the "ranch".
After serving in the Army in World War I, my dad was bothered with stomach troubles. A young doctor, Emerson C. Savage, had come to Palmdale at about this time and was called upon to take care of him. Dr. Savage met my Aunt Ruth, and they were married in 1924. They lived in one of the small, white houses which were located across from the County Yards and were known as the "Davis Cottages.' Close friends living there were Bud and Freida Redman and Jane and Wayne Hunter.
One of the most vivid memories is that of Memoria n~cnration Dav. as it was then called. My grandmother 1 Day of and I would always walk the mile and a half to the cemetery where the American Legion and VFW would march in, carrying flags. In this small country town, this was one of the memorable events of the year. There was the decorating of the graves, the solemn ceremony, and then the visiting with friends, some of whom you hadn't seen since the year before.
The first bus that I ever rode in to the Palmdale Grammar School (known as Roy L. Maryott Elementary School), was driven by a Mr. Hammond. The children delighted in calling it the "Ham-e-eggs Bus." Any city child who has never ridden to school on a bus does not know what he has missed. Some of the younger children, having quite a distance to ride, would fall asleep on shoulders of the older children. I believe Mr. "Jim" Bradford was the next schoolbus driver and what a friend he was to all of us'
When I started the first grade, (Kindergarten was unheard of then), Mrs. Rose Kidd was my first teacher and teaching at the same time were Miss Dana Gibbons, Miss Faye Burks and Miss Joyce Paul. One of the dearest memories was that of the goodness and kindness of Mr. Jonathan Matthews, the school janitor. He kept the furnace stoked and took care of all our problems in general. He and his wife were such dear people, as were the teachers aforementioned. I remember that Miss Paul, the principal, handled the mischievous boys very well. While they were in their seats, she would walk up and give the neck and shoulder muscle a tight squeeze--enough so that they knew she meanst business and this seemed very effective.
As my mind wanders backwards, I now recall that the principal before Miss Paul was Mrs. Emma Casey. I guess the reason I had forgotten Mrs. Casey was that she had me in her office once and I was trying to leave this memory behind' Tales were that she would make the boys bend over and hold onto their ankles and then swat them with a wooden paddle.
How sad I was when I learned that the old rock Community Presbyterian Church was being torn down. How many of us remember Rev. & Mrs. Wilson' Rev. Wilson was the first minister that I remember when I started Sunday School. How we loved to sing "The Church in the Wildwood" and when it came to "come to the church in the vale," we would substitute and sing "come to the church in Palmdale." My husband, Johnny Johnston, and I were married in this church in 1943. What a shame it seems to tear down so many of our lovely old buildings when possibly they could be saved and used as museums. Many a fun-loving and worship-sharing family potluck dinner was held there with my Uncle, Wm. J. "Bill" McAdam, as Master of Ceremonies, with the help of lovable Mr. H. Paul Schoeller. The Schoellers were some of my Grandparents oldest and dearest friends and those of us who had an excuse to leave school for a few minutes and walk "down-town" would always stop to visit a few moments as their home was one of the~closest to school, along with Ruth and Earl Jones, on the other side of the street. How many wonderful people "old Palmdale" was fortunate to have'
Now for a few other memories: Blanchards.
Do you remember the corner Palmdale Pharmacy when a Mr. Jones owned it? The next owners were Freddy and Margaret Fehrensen. This was the main gathering place for the youngsters, while just a few doors down was the pool hall and the gathering place for the men who managed to get to town. Moore's ran the first General Store and after them, Frank and Clara Ikeler. The Meat Market was in the General Store and Mr. Bradford was one of the first butchers I remember.
Good-humored Frank and Clara and family were frequent visitors to the ranch and many fun-filled evenings were enjoyed. Other dear, old friends were "Lon" and Jessie Taylor, who came to the valley later. Many a card game of "Five Hundred" was played during the long winter evenings, and their son and daughter, Gordon and Virgin-ia, became close friends of mine.
The first ice cream parlor was run by people by the name of
The first garage was in the Moore Building and was run by Pie Moore's father. Later "Bill" Shuffleton had a garage near the south part of town and I remember waiting around the garage while he worked on my grandfathers Model T.
For the shoeing of horses and fixing of farm equipment, there was the blacksmith shop northwest of the Pearland Hotel. The old bellows had to be pumped to get the coals hot to be able to hammer or bend metal. I believe Manuel Mariscal was the first blacksmith, followed later by "Mac" MacAndrew.
Do you remember "Sully" who had one of the first gas stations at the far south side of town, just as the highway made the curve to enter Palmdale? Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan lived in a small home connected to the gas station at that time.
Do you remember "Death Curve," at the far north end of town and how many deaths had to occur there before it was straightened out?
Do you remember traveling clear to Lancaster to see your first movie? The Gumms then owned the only theater in town and their caughter, Frances, later known as Judy Garland, sang and danced right there on the stage. 125 Memories are Made of These cont. Do you remember that a man was sent from Lancaster, to be at the "Bank of Italy" in Palmdale, Just during the open banking hours, because Palmdale did not need a full-time teller?
Do you remember the Palmdale "Krystal Ice" baseball team? Janie and Wayne Hunter were so ggod to include me on many of the good times of seeing the ball games in Lancaster and their daughter, Pauline, and I were very close friends. They lived in a home near the Ice Plant west of the tracks.
If you lived in the country, do you remember the thrill of the "ice-man" coming once a week to load your ice-box with a 25, 50 or 100 lb. cake of ice. For those of us who only got to town once or twice a week, any company or visitor was an exciting event.
Do you remember our first library with dear, little Mrs. Jones as the librarian? The library was one block east of the original drug store. Living in the country, with town three miles away, books became close friends. Many summers would be spent, taking home four or five books and returning them the next week for that many more. How helpful and patient was Mrs. Jones and always cheerful. I do believe I read almost every book that Zane Grey ever wrote, along with Jack London, Louisa May Alcott, and many other old favorites.
Do you remember what a thrill it was when the Edison Co. in-stalled poles and electricity after years of kerosene lamps? And what a thrill to have a real bathroom after the much-talked-about "outhouse". How you put off to the last minute the trip out in the freezing weather and insisted that someone come with you to keep you company if it was after dark'
Do you remember the installing of your first telephone? And you didn't dial a first number and then three numbers for an Area Code and then seven numbers for the individual desired. You just cranked and when the Operator answered, you asked for your party and she did the ringing' Our "ring" was two longs and one short and very often on our five-party line, there were a few clicks on and off until everyone realized for whom the call was. The first telephone operator that I remember was Mabel West.
Another pleasant memory was the pear-packing during the summer months. This was done out under the cottonwood trees and the aroma of ripening pears was delicious. I remember my grandmother canning quarts of pears, peaches and apricots by the hundreds' The usual summer thundershower would come up and we would run for cover. I can remember sitting on top of the spray rig, driving the horses, so my grandfather and uncle would each carry the hoses, one on each side, and spray the trees to kipp insects and blight and Red Spider. How sad it would be when the trees would be in blossom and an early freeze would come and regardless of "smudging", the crop would be lost. What faith and strength my grandmother and grandfather had, along with many other "pioneers" to just keep going'
Do you remember the old quilting frames which took up the whole living room and you crawled under and out to get from one end of the room to the other? My Great-grandmother, Mrs. Georgianna Gustave, sat in her rocking chair from dawn to dark, cutting the little pieces, sewing them together, and then she and my grandmother would quilt hours at a time. What perseverance these good people had. I would try for a few minutes at a time and prick my fingers and give up for another few days.
Do you remember learning to drive in either a Model "T" or "A"? Don't confess or you will be dated' Still the memories keep coming' The Sunday chicken dinners and delicious biscuits that my grandmother would bake. My dad often said that she could cook the most delicious meal with so little. We raised our own chickens, had our own cow and calves, and lifted the thick cream off the top of the milkpan to separate it. No one knew of pasteurizing and homogenizing then. Usually my aunt and uncle, "Jim" and Katherine Gustave and daughter, Alberta, and later their son, Jerry, would join us for a Sunday family dinner, with home-made ice cream, each one turning the crank.
And I couldn't leave out some of the happiest memories--those of family Christmases' We usually filled all of the beds in the four bedrooms and the couch in the living room. It seemed as if we were blessed with snow on so many Christmases and if anything ever seemed real it was the Christmas that we Children were told to watch at the window and sure enough, Santa came plodding over the hill and we jumped with excitement. We just knew that the reindeer were feeding on hay in the barn. It was only a few years later that Santa happened to have the same old paint on his shoes that my "Gramps" had on his and the secret was out. I felt no disappointment as all the happy memories had served their purpose.
How all these memories start crowding in once your mind starts recalling them.
My dad married Alta Strong in 1926 and shortly thereafter, they moved to Lancaster and then east of Lancaster where they raised alfalfa and he worked for the So. alit. Edison Co. and she for the post office.
My husband and I were married in 1943. In 1944, our first son, Johnny, was born, while my husband was overseas during World War II. In 1947, our second son, Larry, was born. My Grandfather died in July of 1950 at the age of seventy-three. In August of 1950, our daughter, Laurie Ann, was born.
Our family moved to Santa Ana, August 1, 1953, on our tenth anniversary.
My father passed away in May of 1962, at the age of sixty-five.
My grandmother passed away March 1, 1968, at the age of eighty-nine, while living with us in Santa Ana.
What a comfort it would be to go back to those years when there was one main block of Palmdale' There was no commercialization. There were small homes and ranches. We did not even need a policeman for years and locking a home or a car was unthought of as everyone was your friend.
If only all children could be raised in the country with quiet and beautiful surroundings. It seems to me that ours was the prettiest ranch in the valley when the pear trees were in white bloom and the cottonwoods were letting cotton blow all over.
Running over these hills by the hour, sensing the stillness and the awe that God had given us a beautiful world, were blessings that were bestowed on me along with the wonderful love of my grandparents.
Love to All 'Laura Mae Johnston, Ruth Lindsey Savage
1821 W. 15th St. ? Santa Ana, CA 92706