Many new people and visitors ask about Palmdale and the Antelope Valley as to the way things were years ago. There are many persons here in the valley that have been here a great deal longer than we have. But having always been interested in the activities of the community where ever I have been perhaps has given me an insight and an interest in the happenings of an area that some others might not have had.

    Wm. McAdam Sr. had gone to the Pasadena High School about the same time as I had. He and his brothers were good football players so they were the idols of the younger students of which I was one. The McAdam family moved to Palmdale in the early years. Being very successful in the development of the then small community. In 1937 Wm. McAdam Sr. and his wife Ethel had me design a lovely story and one half colonial house on the northwest corner of 12th St. E. and Palmdale Blvd. It was the best and the largest house in Palmdale at that time. It has since been moved over on Eleventh St. Still a fine looking house. As I remember the parcel of ground cost $100.00 and the house $5,500.00. So you see there has been quite a change in the value of land as well as the cost of houses since then.

    I was appalled at the dry barren land and I said to Bill when I looked at the site. "Why in the world are you building a home in this God forsaken place?" Bill straightened up and said "Just you wait Shelton in a few years I will have this place "Blossoming like the Rose and he sure did. The place was fenced with roses on the fence. Beautiful lawn and flowers inside the fence and fruit trees of every variety. Shortly after that the war started, and I did not see him again until 1945.

    During the War, I was gone from our home town in Pasadena until 1944. Being employed as a construction superintendent by some of the large construction companies building cantonments in the southwest of U.S. Then in 1944 I came back to Pasadena and went back into the construction business for myself and became very busy.

    On Easter Sunday in 1945, Viola and I were feeling very blue. Barbara's first husband was a young lieutenant in the Air Force. He had just died. John was a cadet in the Air Force, the "Battle of the Bulge" was going on. In all it made one feel quite apprehensive and discouraged. The weather in Pasadena was cloudy and gloomy. We decided to drive over to Palmdale to see Bill McAdam. We came over Angeles Crest and as we got to Vincent the sun was shining, we saw poppies in bloom on the hills. My, what a change for the better in such a short time. We cheered up quickly.

    We stopped in at Bill McAdam's house. They were just getting ready to go to church. Ethel McAdam said "Let's go to church," we have a ham in the oven, so stay for dinner." Which we did of course. Sitting out on the green lawn and looking at his lovely place and yard I could not help but remember the dry barren place that I had seen in 1937. The McAdam place was really the show place of Palmdale. In visiting we talked about Palmdale and its future. I told Bill this place is going to boom, very shortly. Then I asked Bill what have you got around here for sale? Bill, remarked, "Oh, just about anything you want. But Shelton, I do not want to take advantage of you. You are a friend of mine." I remarked that I was over 21 and suggested that we go for a drive and look around. We did and we bought lots 5 and 6 on Sierra Highway at about R-8 which the SP R.R. bought ten years later for their Colton cut off.

   Palmdale seemed to just fit our needs. We had become in love with the desert during the war years when we lived in the heat and the dust and the dry winds of the deserts of the South West. Palmdale was close to Pasadena yet had that dry desert climate that we craved. We came up to Palmdale practically every weekend after that Easter. We began to look for a place for our selves where we could come up weekends and eventually live. Bill told us about a place up in the hills south of Palmdale. "Just an old deserted house, plenty of sage brush and joshua trees, no water, plenty of land but it is not good for anything. I do not believe you would want it." But he took us up to the place. We went over Avenue S. dusty, full of ruts, a single track road that you could hardly find. Then after going what seemed a very long way we turned south on a worse road thru the brush and old wash outs until we drove up thru the brush in front of this house that to us was sure out in the wilderness for sure.

    We walked up the rickety steps onto the porch before we looked around. We had been so busy picking our way thru the brush and over the bad road that we did not see the view until we got on the porch. There it was before us. Palmdale Lake in the foreground and then the panoramic view of the whole of Antelope Valley. It was absolutely beautiful. Just what we wanted. I said to Bill SOLD, and gave him a down payment. He said that was the fastest sale he had ever made. We remodeled the house and made it livable and started coming up every week end. We named the place "El Rancho Del Lago Lindo" meaning the ranch of the beautiful lake. Soon we made it our permanent home. We brought other property in the area and soon discoverd that it was called Ana Verde Valley on the geological map. Our property was really in the foothills so that is the reason for the name "Ana Verde Hills".

    Gradually other people that loved the open spaces, the pleasant rural surroundings have now become our neighbors. Among some of those are Grace Oliver, The Ross Amspoker's, The Fred Turner's, The A.F. Word Family, The Louis Deris Family, The Herbert Trosin Family, The Lockwood Family and many others. The count recently of the families south of Ave S was fifty. All of them good neighbors, gracious people and fine families. How could a person want for more than this result. Many other families have bought land in the Ana Verde Hills and just waiting for the right time to also build a well designed home. Where they may raise their families in pleasant rural surroundings that are yet very close to school and transportation.

    We had a fire at our place in April of 1967. The gabled part of the house was damaged so bad that I tore it down to the floor and rebuilt. Thus we have really a new house. But of course on the same site. On August 16 of this year we celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary. Twenty five of those years have been spent at our home in Ana Verde Hills; "El Rancho Del Lago Lindo". When we came, there were about 500 people living in Palmdale and about 100 crank telephones. We have had a great growth and this seems to be just the beginning. But maybe we can save Ana Verde Hills for those that still want a place for quiet graceful rural living.

   The area that we have assumed to be the Ana Verde Hills boundaries have been Sierra Highway to the east and Ave. S. to the north. Thus including in general the township known as T-5N, R-12-W. This including the area south of the ridge of the Sierra Palcma Mountains known as Peaceful Valley going south to approximately Vincent. It is surprising how densely populated this township is and therefore it is almost impossible to hunt in this area without being in violation of the hunting laws. In that persons are, too close to an established road or a residence to be legal. Thus owners are posting their property with no hunting signs and are also asking the supervision to close this, area against any hunting or shooting. The game has long since gone or been killed off so there is no reason for out of town people to expose the owners to the danger of getting killed by a stray bullet or carelessly setting another fire with disastrous results.

    New homes are being built in Ana Verde Hills by prominent local families and several more are in the planning stage. Recently, other executive residences have been built that have added to the prestige of this residential community that has earned the reputation of really being the "Bel Aire" of Antelope Valley, with its panoramic view of the Palmdale Lake and Antelope Valley. The high elevation of over 3,000 feet really envisions the statement of "The Mountains Meet the Desert. in Ana Verde Hills."

J. Shelton Gordon 1957 - President Palmdale Chamber of Commerce 1964 - President Antelope Valley Board of Trade

Viola F. Gordon 1956 - 1957 President of Antelope Valley Chapter Zonta International