My first view of the Antelope Valley area was in 1934, during a ride from Vincent to Lancaster along narrow Sierra Hwy., between two rows of well-maintained trees. To me, a grammar school student from Los Angeles, it seemed like the depths of desolation, although the State Dept. of Highways had water trucks especially prepared to water the trees. We had ventured toward Lancaster just to see what was behind the mountain. We had been commuting for several years from Highland Park to a small remote cabin at the upper end of Soledad Canyon, just over the hill south of Vincent. Like most people who ultimately resided in the Antelope Valley, health was the deciding factor which brought our family to this area. My mother had spent the better part of four years in bed with asthma and a heart condition. Because we found the dry desert air was easier to breathe, we made weekends at the cabin a regular routine, returning to Los Angeles early each Monday morning.

   When I say the cabin was remote, it was really that - we hauled two five-gallon jugs of water each weekend and that was all the liquid we had. After several years of commuting, we had made the place fairly habitable, although we still had to haul water. To one from metropolitan Los Angeles, the two communities of Palmdale and Lancaster seemed like two oasis in the desert. Palmdale had a population of something under 1 ,000 and Lancaster about 2,300.

   After several years of weekend commuting and the continual decline of my mother's health, we decided to move to the Antelope Valley permanently. There is no doubt this was one of the best moves we made, because now, thirty-five years later, my mother is still alive. In 1939, we purchased a small teepe in the Quartz Hill area where portions of the Old Earl Ranch were being redeveloped. The $15.00 monthly payment was a definite struggle but we felt that it would be worth it.

   I was first exposed to the Antelope Valley Joint Union High School District by an article in a Sunset Magazine published sometime in 1939, wherein was described the vast desert high school district and the inland empire that it served. At that time it encompassed the area from Gorman on the west to Boron on the east, including Mojave, Palmdale, Lancaster and half way to Newhall. The article told of the students whose residences were on the fringes of the district and who in the winter time never saw day light at home. They would leave in the dark and the bus would deliver them at home after dark. One of the most impressive pictures in the artilce was a picture of the school swimming pool - a very inviting scene - particularly on a very hot day.

   Immediately after our arrival in the valley in 1939, my father established an accounting practice which was oriented toward agricultural income tax service. He continued for a few years to maintain the business he had in Los Angeles to augment the developing of his business in the Antelope Valley. This business occupied various downtown Lancaster locations, including one in the Western Hotel Building. Our first year here in the valley we lived in Quartz Hill, later moving to Lancaster for a year then back to Quartz Hill. Ultimately my family purchased a 10-acre almond orchard near 56th St. W. and Ave. M-8, and moved the office to the corner of 55th St. W. and Ave. M. The office building was originally the Suburban Gas Company office adjacent to the Railroad Station on Lancaster Blvd. It was moved to 55th St. W. where a large residence was added on, and where both are standing today.

   As a new student in my junior year, I was impressed by the friendliness of the students in the high school. An evening out to a dance or other activity in the Antelope Valley with a date usually in-volved driving 50 to 150 miles. We had to save our pennies for gaso-line to enjoy dancing at the several locations such as Munz Ranch or the Dude Ranch. Monthly dances were held in one of the County build-ings at Cedar and Lancaster Blvd. and these were well attended. The big event of course was the annual Junior-Senior Prom held at the school.

   Antelope Valley High School was usually not very successful in their football teams because most of the players who lived in the out-lying areas usually had no other method of transportation other than the school busses and so football practice was limited to the school hours which did not allow enough time. One of the star players was Al Krueger who subsequently attended U.S.C. and earned further honors in football.

   With the exception of the short time we lived in Lancaster, my school days began with a bus ride from Quartz Hill where I was one of about six who made the daily round trip. Our graduation in 1941 was the last pre-war graduation and the school's largest to that time -about 150.

   Upon completion of High School I worked in Los Angeles until the fall schedule began at the San Luis Obispo campus of Cal Poly, where I became a first year engineering student. War time came along and I continued college with the Navy and subsequently "visited" the Paci-fic islands, being discharged in 1946. After discharge from the Navy, I was married in Pasadena to the then Mary Hutchinson and worked in Pasadena for a few years, finally returning to the Antelope Valley in 1953 to become the manager of the Palmdale Irrigation District.

   During the next five years with the Irrigation District we came through one of the most active periods with the District that it has known in terms of development and new challenges. The first FHA subdivision had been approved in 1952 and there were promises of many more. There were the challenges in connection with keeping the water system in tact although it was in need of substantial major improvements. There were challenges in that the thinking on the State level was along lines of what we now know as the California Water Plan. The Irritation District, other water surveyors in the valley and many organizations joined together in the Antelope Valley Water District Committee to assist in the planning and promotion of a state-wide water plan to pro-vide supplemental water to the south. We had frequent meetings in the court house in Lancaster with Justice of the Peace William Keller who was selected as head of a 17 man committee. One other individual who contributed untold hours and effort to the project was Mr. Robert Aikens, formerly of Lockheed. He put together one of the most success-ful tours of the Feather River country - a three day train trip from Los Angeles to Oroville, complete with speakers and whistle stop type promotion. The Feather River Project Committee ultimately did the pub-licity and promotion for the State Dept. of Water Resources and the completion of the bond issue that is now building the facilities from Oroville to Ferris Reservoir. The East Branch, of course, will serve the Antelope Valley from along the foothills and will extend to and include Mojave and California City.

   A major event that occured during 1954 was the Littlerock Canyon fire which Beverly burned and damaged the water shed above Littlerock Dam. I had the opportunity to fly in some of the planes during the reseeding operations during which time the forest service was planting grasses back on the canyon walls to prevent winter erosion. It's quite a thrill to fly a seeding operation in a steep canyon like Littlerock.

   During the period I was manager of the Palmdale Irrigation District, great strides were made in the development of water resources, pipe line facilities, and improvements in operations. The District enjoyed greater development during that period than any time prior or since in its 50 year history. In the short period of five years, the District increased four times in size. It was fortunate that the District had substantial tax-deeded parcels of land, the sale of which made funds available to purchase new pipe lines and pumping equipment. One of the most fascinating features of the Irrigation District was the facilities built 50 years ago without benefit of major mechanical equipment, such as the canal from Littlerock Dam to Palmdale Reservoir, the tunnel, and the flumes.

   During the years we have lived in Palmdale, we have had three students in the Palmdale School System. Our older daughter graduated this year as an honor student from Palmdale High School. Two other children, Sharon, entering her Junior year and Lawrence, his Freshman year at the high school are both honor students. Kathie is starting this year as a Freshman at Cal Poly, Kellogg Campus.

Sincerely,


Murray D. Pond