HISTORY OF THE NAGEL FAMILY

   Grandpa and Grandma Nagel and their daughter, Johanna came from Germany in about 1878. They lived in Yorba Linda for two years and then came to Old Palmdale with their wagon and horses and cow tied on behind and belongings, which were not very much. They camped at Barrel Springs in the little Indian hut that was there. They would drive to Palmdale and clear the brush on the 160 acres that they had purchased, and in time, had 40 acres in vineyard, five acres of alfalfa and five in fruit trees and a few dairy cows.

   Grandpa Nagel died in 1900. The community of Palmdale had a school about 50 children attended, a Luthern Church, and a store (Munz) Store).

   In the beginning when they did not have hay, the people would go out in the desert all day and cut a wagon load of bunch grass, and would do this until they had a barn full of hay for winter.

   The people burned nothing but petrified Joshua wood, it was better than coal and there were no ashes.

   They built an implement shed out of Joshua trunks 40 and 50 foot, with a roof of Joshua trees. I never did see any other like it.

   The men of the community dug a ditch and put in some wooden floom and got the water from Little Rock Creek to run to Palmdale, with which they watered the alfalfa and trees. They also had large cistrons. A few years of drougth followed and plants and everything died, many people had to leave, most of them went to Oxnard and El Rio.

   The Munzes bought at Lake Hughes, Ritters in Leona Valley, but the Nagels stayed on. Richard Nagel acquired work in Lancaster and with a few milk cows, sold butter and that way carried on.

   Richard Nagel married Johanna Nagel (no relation) in 1892 and they had one daughter, Dora.

   In 1906, they sold 160 acres and 60 head of cattle and calves for $3,500. Then the Nagel family moved to Palmdale on 6th St. W.

   In December 1912, Dora married Charles Ritter and they lived in Leona Valley. Sincerely,

Dora Nagel Ritter