Wednesday, July 7th, I had a most interesting visit from Mr. Fred J. Fehrensen Jr. Talk about interesting tales, here is one for the "book". The biggest trouble with this reporting is that one does not tell it all or really make the report near as interesting as the first hand account made by the "Pioneer."

    Fred Fehrensen, druggist bought the drugstore at the N.E. corner of Sierra Highway and E. Ave Q-9 in 1925 from a man by the name of Davis. The agreed price was $19,000.00 and he paid it off in 19 months. One of the reasons for this was that the Littlerock Dam was being built and the Drug Store was the headquarters for a lot of business. Which included slot machines, pin ball machines, etc. The phone number was #1.

    The drug store was also the headquarters for 15 years for the Automobile Club. Noah Berry made his headquarters there when he had his elaborate establishment up in Big Rock Creek. The drug store was also the headquarters of the Sheriffs office. Death Valley Scotty would hold "Court" there. He would not go any farther toward Los Angeles as his ex-wife was always on the look out for him to try to collect back alimony.

    An interesting thing Fred Feherensen told me that since there was no bank in Palmdale he would get $25,000.00 from the bank in Lancaster on a two day note so he could cash the checks for the men working at the Dam. Then on Monday he would go to the bank at Lancaster and pay off the note. Pay day was every two weeks. Naturally the men spent a lot of that money right at the Drugstore.

    A pot bellied stove sat in the middle of the floor of the store and that is how the building was kept warm in the winter. Every Friday Fred would have Ice Cream Cones for the kids in town two for a nickel. But his young customers came from many miles away. Often bringing their parents with them. Which, of course, made more business for the store.

    When the dam at Littlerock Creek was completed, it was 180 feet deep right down to bed rock. Fred made the remark that a year or so ago when the lake behind the dam was dry the County should have dredged out all that silt and sand and now they would have been able to store a great deal more water than is now stored there. When the dam was completed and the water was deep enough, several of the men got 9000 small trout and put in the new lake. They kept it closed for three years, then opened it to fishing, Mr. Mennig that spring caught an 11 lb. trout. Very fine fishing.

    Palmdale Reservoir had been built before Littlerock Dam. Some of the fish enthusiast went up to Little Lake and brought down Bass fingerlings to stock the Lake. Little Lake was then owned by Bill Bramlett former race driver in the once very popular races between Los Angeles and Phoenix.

   Fred Feherensen and Fred Alley organized the Palmdale Gun Club which was the forerunner of the Palmdale Fin and Feather Club. Fred still belongs to the Club and enjoys fishing there at the lake, and does very well.

    In those early days, Mrs. Rosa McBrians owned the Palmdale Hotel now the Pearland Hotel. She sold it to the Wycoff's who still own it and operate it. Address 38428 8th St. E. Clark and Hannah Moore owned the Palmdale Inn at the N.E. corner of Sierra Highway and Palmdale Blvd. Fred reminisced that there were only two lights in town, both lanterns, on the outside of the Palmdale Inn and the Palmdale Hotel.

   An orchestra was formed by Joe Martin, Fred Fehrensen, Sylvia Taylor and Shorty Lindsay who played for dances at Dick Frahm's dance hall (now a used furniture store) on 8th St. E. just south of the Pearland Hotel. Fred said that they would play till midnight then stop and Dick Frahm would put on a big midnight "feed". Then the orchestra would start up again and they would play and the people would dance till 5 a.m. Who said our "Old Timer's didn't have lots of fun and many activities going on?" Those were the days''

    Fred also told me of a professor Linstrom that organized a 30 piece orchestra that was really good. They played all over the valley for concerts dances and many other functions. Some people wonder what the small communities did and what the entertainment was. Now, we can realize from these reports that the people were very active and made history. Frank Gigliotti was the main trumpeter. Frank bought and lives on Sierra Highway where the offices of the old Cali-Valley Farms used to be in the early days. In the early days, the only water was at the rear of the Pearland Hotel. People would come in with their barrels on sleds or wagons and fill up.

    Bill Moore opened up a grocery store at the S.W. corner of 8th St. E. and Q-7. Bill Shuffelton had a blacksmith shop across the street on the Palmdale Plaza side. Buddy Redman is now the owner of the Plymouth agency in Lancaster.

    Also along with entertainment every Thursday night motion pictures were shown using the Presbyterian church that was then at the corner of Palmdale Blvd. and 9th St. E. S.E. corner where a gas station now is located.

    The drugstore was the central meeting place for the people in town. The Soda Fountain was always busy. People would congregate there in the morning about 10 a.m. to get their mail and have coffee or a coke. The stage stopped there and picked up passengers. Fred tells about getting up at 2 a.m. in the morning in the summer and repacking the ice cream so that it would be nice and hard when the customers came in.

    Fred was very active in the civic affairs of the whole valley. He is a charter member of the Kiwanis Club. Was active in the Masonic Lodge. Is a 52 year member of the Automobile Club. The then Bank of Italy with offices in Lancaster saw the abilities of Fred Fehrensen Jr. as a business man and asked him to be on the board of directors of the bank. Fred has all these years been on the board of directors and has been chairman for a long time.

   Another story that Fred told me that he says is true fact. Hank Hunter ( that now owns the Dodge Agency in Lancaster) as a young man was a cowboy working for the Ritter Bros. out in Leona Valley. He homesteaded a section of land where Quartz Hill is now. He later sold it to Emil Ritter for 50› an acre. One day Fred saw a big cloud dust to the west and knew a rider was coming in. Here it was Hank Hunter riding in from over near the Godde ranch. He was thirsty and wanted a Coke. Ten miles for a Coke'

    The early school teachers were Sadie Pallett and Rose Kidd. Rose Kidd recently died at the wonderful age of 91. Jumbo Reynolds married the daughter of Emery and Rose Kidd. He owns the Reynolds Trucking Co. in Lancaster.

    Fred Alley had the Studebaker garage, T.W. Fisher had the Chevrolet Garage. Fred tells me that the son of T.W. Fisher (I hope I have the name right) is the Fisher that owns the Desert Inn and the Sand Sailer. It is always a pleasure to hear of the old timers or their children profiting from the increase of the value of their land that they worked so hard to keep.

    Other items of past interest Fred told me and I wish I could remember all of it, Malendia Vazinsky's father was killed by lightning while cattle herding. Cars often stalled in the dirt and mud at about where is now the X Motel. In Lancaster, after Fred had bought the drugstore on the corner of Lancaster Blvd. and Sierra Highway, he looked out of the store to see a man stealing a car. The local Sheriffs deputy jumped on the running board to arrest the man and the thief shot and killed the deputy, a Mr. Glidden. The thief then headed for Palmdale but he made the mistake of stopping at about what is now Ave. P. and was squatting behind a Joshua Tree when a car full of men with guns who had followed him found him. In the fight, the thief got his head shot off and that ended the episode. This sounds like a story out of Zane Grey's tall tales, but Fred says it is true.

    Hal Fertig owned that place on the hill just west of Fifth St. E. on Ave R. (It is run down now but at one time it was the show place of Palmdale. There was a beautiful peach orchard belonging to the place at the S.E. corner of 5th St. and Ave R. Mr. Fertig owned the pear orchard that started at Q-7 and ran clear up to E. Ave. Q on the east side of Sierra Highway.

   Owen Moulton's father had a large hardware store in the old brick building (torn down now) just east of the former Bank of Italy building at the N.E-. corner of 8th St. E. and Palmdale Blvd. Eavie Evans was the L.A. County Road foreman for many years. This was before George Lane became foreman.

   Mr. Folgate was a prominent rancher. His daughter, Winkie Folgate married Gordon Taylor, Liberty Folgate married Milton Wolf. Milton still owns the Palmdale Radio and T.V. Shop. A.A. "Hardpan" Jones has a son Earl Jones still living in Palmdale. Fred was laughing and telling about the old times and was saying that "Hardpan" Jones made a fortune hauling cars out of Amargosa Creek during the winter when the cars would get stuck in the mud and sand at the crossing, of the Elizabeth Lake Road and the creek.

   At the Drugstore, the ranchers would get into an argument about short pruning and long pruning. The boys in Littlerock were advocates of the long pruning. The Bones, Carrs, Sweets and Martins were for long pruning. Hardpan Jones was for short pruning. Sometimes he would get so mad that they could hear him shouting clear down to the Pool Room, several doors away.

    Fred was talking about many happenings. He wondered who ever got the idea of making a two lane highway out of Sierra Highway and paving it with concrete only from Vincent to Harold. (Harold is south of town just this side of Alpine Springs). Evidentially, Harold was an important place at one time, considerable business going on at that place is now only a memory.

    Bill and Berta Baker bought the Drugstore from Fred Fehrensen in 1940. Bill and Berta were a very interesting couple and did a great deal for the growing Palmdale. They were charming people and they were very much missed when they sold out years later to Don Hertel. We should have their story also I am sure it would fill a book and be most interesting as well as informative.

    Fred and his wife Margueritte were married in Los Angeles in 1914. Margueritte was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. McBrians that owned at that time, the Palmdale Hotel (later the Pearland Hotel) Fred told me that the rear part of the hotel was moved up here from First and Main in L.A. (I suppose in more than one piece.)

    Fred and his wife came up to Palmdale in 1918 and Fred worked for the Druggist here and then bought the drugstore in 1925.

    Fred J. Fehrensen and his wife now live in Mojave. Fred is now 79, active, well and very much interested in what goes on in Antelope Valley. I have only told a part of what he has told me. His story has been most interesting and informative. Much more could be written about all the things that happened here in Palmdale and south Antelope Valley

    I'm sure that many more people should tell their stories. The romance of these "Incredible Tales" is most inspiring. All the more so because they are true. To meet people yet that have lived a full life and are still well and strong is really wonderful. (IT MUST BE THE CLIMATE)
As reported by
J. Shelton Gordon

   True Palmdale pioneers were the members of the John Ritter family. They looked happy in 1904, but two years later they were amonh the last to admidt that, without water, it was useless to stay. They left, but they came back. And to this day it is not difficult to find Ritters still in Palmdale.