Anaheim's History, Before And When It Came To Be

The little red square is approximately where Anaheim would begin. 

This month marks the 168th anniversary of the founding of Anaheim. The reason for my posting this blog piece is in response to a post on Facebook from the City of Anaheim. It wasn't a bad post, it was just a post celebrating the anniversary of Anaheim's founding. They briefly mentioned the colonists founding the town, then quickly skipped over the Spanish rancho history instead turning our attention to the forgotten "native people" they claim lived on the land before anyone else.

Of course, I knew that last part was not exactly true, so I quickly chimed in and made my point, the post was supposed to honor the men and women who made Anaheim what it was. Plus, without Juan Pacifico Ontiveros selling a fraction of his rancho land to George Hansen on behalf of the Los Angeles Vineyard Society, there simply would be no Anaheim at all.  They sort of skipped that part, too.

Well, people suddenly came out of the woodwork arguing with me that I was wrong, that the Tongva tribe lived in Anaheim, and basically trying to do what has been popular the last 40 years or so,  rewrite our history.  Ever since history revisionist author Howard Zinn published his monstrosity, "A Peoples History of the United States," it has been an uphill battle trying to educate the masses and deprogram them from this overly embelished and demonized version of history that too many people seem to believe, where the white man is bad and everyone else is a victim. Sorry that just isn't how history was -- it was never that cut and dried, ever. Life is a lot more complicated than that.

Going back to the post, and the comments that ensued, I felt it imperative to write a blog post here on my Remembering Anaheim History blog, to point out that we cannot simply downplay the acheivements of others to appease the hurt feelings of those who did not make those acheivements themselves, or to be "inclusive," in regards to the founding of Anaheim itself.

Pre-Anaheim Era

Going back to Anaheim history -- or the history that predates it, we must go back to the Portola Expedition, when Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish Army Officer and the first Governor of the "Californias" traveled with Spanish missionaries through Alta California, from San Diego up to the San Francisco Bay area and back down to San Diego.

During this expedition they traveled through Southern California ending up along the Santa Ana river by late July, 1769. 

Juan Crespi's diary

Juan Crespi's diary 

Per the diary of Juan Crespi, who was a friar within the expedition group, he wrote:

"Friday, July 28 - About seven in the morning we set out, continuing our way to the northwest along the skirts of the mountains which we have on the right, to the north, and after traveling a league and a half  (approx 4.5 miles) we came to the banks of a river which has a bed of running water about ten varas wide (approx. 27.8 feet or 8.359 meters) and a half a vara deep.

It is not at all boxed in by banks. Its course is from northeast to southwest, and it empties through this place, according to the judgement of those who sailed to the bay of San Pedro. It apparently has its source in the range that we have in sight on the right, about three leagues from the road that we are following. The bed of the river is well grown with sycamores, alders, willows, and other trees which we have not recognized. It is evident from the sand on its banks that in the rainy season it must have great floods which would prevent crossing it. It has a great deal of good land which can easily be irrigated.

We pitched camp on the left bank of this river. On its right bank there is a populous village of Indians, who received us with great friendliness. Fifty-two of them came to the camp, and their chief told us by signs which we understood very well that we must come to live with them; that they would make houses for us, and provide us with food, such as antelope, hares and seeds. They urged us to do this, telling us that all the land we saw, and there was certainly a great deal of it, was theirs, and they would divide it with us. We told them that we would return and would gladly remain to live with them, and when the chief understood it he was so affected that he broke into tears. 

The governor made them a present of some beads and a small silk handkerchief, and in gratitude the chief gave us two baskets of seeds, already made into pinole, together with a string of beads made of shells such as they wear. I called this place the sweet name of Jesus de los Temblores, because we experienced here a horrifying earthquake, which was repeated four times during the day. The first, which was the most violen, happened at one in the afternoon, and the last one about four. One of the heathen who were in the camp, who doubtless exercised among them the office of priest, alarmed at the occurrence no less than we, began with frightful cries and great demonstrations of fear to entreat heaven, turning to all the winds. This river is known to the solders as the Santa Ana." ----

The quote I posted above was transcribed into English and published in 1927, by the Herbert Eugene Bolton, for the University of California Press. In this printing of the diary, there are footnotes all throughout the book that were added later, with names of locations familiar at the time it was published. In the part that speaks of this particular day in 1769, the footnote about the Santa Ana River simply states, "Still called by the same name. Camp was near Olive, east of Anaheim."   

The Friar didn't write that. Herbert Eugene Bolton did. This was to give perspective of where the missionaries were at any given point during their expedition based on landmarks that were well known by 1927.

It is imperative that you remember that footnote, because it tells you exactly where the native tribe lived. Remember that Friar Crespi stated they, (as in the missionaries), made camp on the left bank of the river, that was the west side of the river. While the native tribe lived on the right bank of the river.  The right bank was on the east side of the Santa Ana River. That was not near the original settlement of Anaheim. We are talking about a distance of approximately 4 miles away.

Red Square: Original Anaheim Settlement Boundaries
Orange Circle: Olive, Orange, CA

First off, that area is known as Olive, just as the book notated, and Olive is part of the City of Orange - not Anaheim. 

Second, as I stated above, the original "Mother Colony" settlement was approximately between 3.5 to 4 miles miles west of the Santa Ana River, so it wasn't close to or on top of the site where in 1769, the expedition discovered the Tongva encampment.  Please see my comparison maps below. 

As you can see the red square in each map is where the settlement of Anaheim was started, the original "Mother Colony." The orange circle is the approximate location where the Tongva native tribe were living when Portola's expedition discovered them. Please compare the terrain below, as pointed out by the blue arrows. This shows you where each location was in approximation to the terrain. 

Red Square: Anaheim Colony
Yellow Circle: Native Encampment (right side of river)
Blue Arrow: Terrain matches both maps

Certain historical maps note a native camp Totpavit, which is said to actually be the location in Olive, while other maps have mistakenly named it Hutukgna, which as it turns out Hutukgna is actually a little further northeast, closer to present day Yorba Linda.

So, when the missionaries came through the area, they noted the trees such as alders, willows and sycamore along the riverbank. Why is that? Well, because of the water source of course. The California Sycamore grow along river banks and areas that often flood. So, why were there no trees near the actual Anaheim settlement? 

Because the area where Anaheim was to be located another 88 years later was considered a very dry area, and was several miles away from the river. Some writings even referred to it at times as a desert. Even the very early Anaheim High School Yearbooks discuss this, and how the land was basically dry grass and only scrub oak*, with no real water source to sustain life.  (*Note: Scrub oak is found in rocky soils, foothills, and dry interior climates of coastal Southwestern California). 

George Hansen knew if they could secure water rights from the river, with purchase of the land, he could dig a trench of water from the river to the settlement and irrigate the areas to cultivate it for proper agricultural work. 

Why hadn't it been done before by anyone else?

The natives did not have the know how to properly irrigate the area, so they lived closer to rivers or the coastline, and Juan Pacifico Ontiveros was just not that interested.  He was a very wealthy man and had a great deal of land. It was known that cattle and wild horses ran freely grazing the plains. Ontiveros had no desire to cultivate the land. In fact, he eventually sold the majority of the land surrounding Anaheim to Abel Stearns. If you don't know about him, you might want to read my blog on his story next. 

When the German settlers came to Anaheim, they worked very hard to make a settlement out of nothing. The Spanish and even natives that lived miles away called the settlement Aleman Camp, for the Germans who settled there. 

"50 men....known as the Los Angeles Vineyard Company. Each man purchased a share, which was valued at $750. They bought almost 1,200 acres of land, being a part of the Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana, and owned by Juan Pacifico Ontiveros, who they paid $2 dollars per acre. The tract was laid out in twenty-acre lots, and work was at once begun upon it under management of George Hansen, who was selected for their superintendent. He began leveling, building fences, digging ditches, etc. Expenses were $216 per day, a considerable amount for that period. 

George Hansen

The tract was one and one-half miles long and one and a quarter wide, fenced in with 40,000 willow poles, six feet above the ground and one and one-half feet apart; those were strengthened by three horizontal poles. These poles eventually took root and soon the colony was surrounding by a living willow wall. The whole was defended by a ditch four feet deep, six feet wide at the top, sloping to one foot at the bottoms. Streets were laid out through the tract, a gate constructed across the end of the main street and when this was closed it made the enclosure secure from invasion. Thousands of wild Spanish cattle and horses roamed the plains at that time and these would have devastated the growing vines and other crops unless so protected. These sturdy pioneers gave the name of Anaheim to their new found home, from the German, heim -- home-- and the Spanish, Ana -- a proper name. Home by the Santa Ana River. A ditch was dug to convey water for irrigation, seven and one half miles in length, and several miles of lateral were constructed. On each twenty-acre tract, eight acres of vines were planted the first year."---  History of Orange County, Page 53.

The main ditch or trench dug by Hansen from the Santa Ana river was not only 7 miles long, but there were 35 miles of subsidiary ditches from this and twenty-five feeders to those, as well.  They also went on to dig private wells within the community, and by 1879, they built an artesian well that was over 103 feet deep. They pumped the water up by means of an engine that forced the water into a large tank which was 35 feet high.  

The Anaheim Gazette, dated August 5, 1926 states:

"Previous to laying out the colony, in 1858, there were no trees about Anaheim except a series of scrub oak.....some of the old-timers planted sycamore trees and later on eucalyptus trees."

Timothy Carroll

If it had not been for Anaheim's first nurseryman, Timothy Carroll, we wouldn't have the abundance of plant life in Anaheim at all. He came from Ireland to Anaheim in 1863, and purchased 500 acres of land to raise alfalfa and fruit trees. It was by Mr. Carroll that many of the orchards and groves came to acquire their trees, and many of the foreign trees located all over Anaheim, including the famous Moreton Bay Fig Tree located in Founder's Park at 400 West Street. In fact, many of the citrus, pine, palm and all the vegetable root stock came by way of Mr. Carroll and his "Evergreen Nursery." He was also a very knowledgable engineer who became very rich for his invention the Carroll Sugar Beet Dump. He passed away at his home in Anaheim on September 20, 1912. 

So, in ending this little blog post, I have shown you that no, the Tongva people did not live on top or even in the general proximity of the original Anaheim settlement, they lived on the other side of the Santa Ana river, in present day, Olive.  I have also shown you the hard work that went into creating a town from the ground up -- making something out of nothing, literally, and how no one gets to downplay or take that credit away from the hardworking men and women who came to this land and made it on their own. Let us never forget the true pioneers of Anaheim, the original immigrants of the Los Angeles Vineyard Society who created the Mother Colony. ----

(Copyright 2025- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Victory in the Face of Cancel Culture - Anaheim High School Prevails

 

Today I sit at my desk with tears in my eyes and joy filling my heart. Today marks a point in Anaheim High School history that proves that there are still those who love Anaheim, its history and who have retained true school spirit for their high school.  

First and foremost, for those students who chose to vote to keep the Anaheim Colonist name, as well as the mascot, I want to take this moment to sincerely say "THANK YOU!!"  

Thank you for listening to reason, for weighing out the facts and for making your choice to preserve the school's history. When the school decided a century ago to use the Colonists (originally "Mother Colonists") as their mascot, they did so with pride of their heritage. 

The pioneers who came to this area and built a proverbial paradise out of a dry desert. The hard work that they broke their backs achieving, the values they held high and the strength and determination they had to make something from virtually nothing was honored by the school the very day they chose the their mascot, so that they would never forget where they came from.

Thank you students of Anaheim High School, who have honored a century's old decision, and in essence you too are honoring our founders now as well. The term Colonist is not a bad thing. It never has been. And with the passing of time, and each class that comes and goes, no matter what cultural background you may be, if your family or ancestors came from another place to make a better life for themselves, they too are Colonists. Be proud of that. Hold your head up high. Because there is nothing to be ashamed of by that.

A group of people had chose to demonize the very meaning of the word, when if really researched thoroughly you can find that the word derived from the Latin "colere" simply means: "to inhabit, tend or guard."  It also means "a group of people of one nationality or ethnic group living in a foreign city or country." There was never any mention of oppression, racism, genocide or theft in any of those definitions. Someone just decided to make up their own interpretation of the word to suit an agenda.

I am happy to see that their movement didn't work. But we cannot give up, because they will try again down the road. They always do. What we can do now is educate others on the truth about Anaheim history and the Colonists. To shine a light on the facts, because the more informed a person is of the facts the less likely they will jump to conclusions based on conjecture and opinions.

If you would like to know more about the true history behind the Colonists name, please read my blog here:  https://anaheimhistory.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-origins-of-anaheim-high-schools.html

I hope that this small victory today shows that not everyone believes in this "cancel culture" society. Honestly, I think people are getting tired of it because if you allow others to find fault in one person, place or thing, before you know it, you will find fault in everything. Then where will that leave us?

I couldn't be more proud of the students today, and their choice to preserve Anaheim High School's namesake. Thank you again, you made history today as you were saving it! 

J'aime Rubio (Copyright 11/10/2021) 

Youtube Screen Shot Photo Credit : Marivel Bermudez

Remembering The Mystery of Anaheim’s First Fallen Lawman

By: J’aime Rubio

A somber event in early Anaheim history is the long forgotten story of death of Marshall Charles Lehman. Born in Danzig, Prussia in 1827, by his early 40’s he found his way to the Anaheim area. The census records for 1870 show Charles living with his young wife, Caroline, 18, and their one-year-old daughter, Emily. At the time that the census was taken, Charles listed his trade as a carpenter.

By 1871, Charles decided to run for the town Marshall, and his election campaign pit him against another fellow lawman, David Davies. While fighting over the seat as town Marshall, the two began a feud so bad that the newspapers covered it, and Davies had threatened to kill Lehman if he won. By May 6, 1872, the election was over, and Charles Lehman was the last man standing, having been duly elected to serve the public as an officer of the law. Only two months into his term, Marshall Lehman would meet a tragic end that to this day has never truly been solved.

On July 21, 1872, at around 6 p.m., Marshall Lehman was called to Samuel Goldstein’s saloon, the Anaheim Brewery to stop an altercation that was taking place out back. According to the newspapers of the time, David Davies and another man, only known as Horton, had been playing cards in the brewery when a fight ensued over who won. During the fight, Horton managed to reach over and steal Davies’ pistol and then began shooting at him. That was when the fight was taken outside to the vacant lot between the brewery and Macy’s harness shop. It was around that time that Marshall Lehman arrived to intercede in the melee, but was fatally wounded when the pistol discharged, piercing Lehman’s abdomen, through his liver and lodging near his spinal column. He was rushed to Dr. Higgins’ drug store and later was moved to Mrs. Brown’s residence nearby where he remained until his death two days later.

Prior to his passing, Lehman was adamant that it was Davies who had shot him, not Horton, despite the fact that the authorities had originally believed Horton had fired the fatal shot. After the Marshall had been wounded, Horton had made a run for it, hiding out in the Lorenz vineyard where he was eventually caught. Both Davies and Horton were taken to jail, and held on $5,000 bonds. Davies being charged with “murder”, while Horton was charged with “assault with intent to commit murder.”

After a jury in Los Angeles acquitted Davies on all charges, he returned to Anaheim and took over as the town Marshall. Horton, was never charged for the murder of Charles Lehman leaving the entire case officially unsolved. Another strange thing to note about this story is the rumor that spread over time that Marshall Lehman had, on his death bed, gave his infant daughter away to the unmarried daughter of his friend, Vicenta Carillo claiming that his wife was too young to care for their child.

According to the census records, the Lehman’s had one daughter, Emily who was born around 1869. But according to stories passed down for years, it was an infant daughter, Mary who was given to Vincenta Carillo’s daughter. Edelfrida Carillo, the unmarried daughter mentioned, was only 18 years old when Marshall Lehman died, while his wife Caroline was 20 years old. The only connection I could find between the two families is that they were literally next door neighbors, so I assume the families were close.

Still, the question remains, why would Marshall Lehman give away his young child to the next door neighbor’s unmarried daughter, who was still just a child herself? Also, was Emily and Mary the same child or were they two completely different children? If so, what happened to Emily? And could that have contributed to Marshall Lehman’s choice to give Mary away to his neighbors? So many questions, so little answers to find.

Marshall Charles Lehman’s grave can be found in the Pioneer Section of the historic Anaheim Cemetery, towards the back near the original entrance. Originally just a wooden marker was all that was left to remember him by, but over time the elements had even destroyed that, leaving Lehman’s final resting place an unmarked spot in the cemetery for over 100 years. Thankfully, in 1996, he was given the honor that should have been afforded to him over 124 years prior, a proper marker for his grave. Now you can visit Marshall Lehman, and pay him his respects, the first law officer in Anaheim to die in the line of duty.

(Copyright, J'aime Rubio, 2018, Originally published in Annual Newsletter for the "Anaheim Historical Society, Circa 2018)

Sources:

United States Census, 1870

Marysville Daily Appeal (July 18, 1872; July 25, 1872)

Sac Daily Union (July 23, 1872)

Daily Alta California (July 23, 1872)

Southern Californian (July 27, 1872)

Orange County Register (July 23, 1996)

Photo Credit: Findagrave & APL Archives 

The Origins of Anaheim High School's "Colonist" Name - Fact Vs. Fiction

Anaheim High School, 1929

Today marks a huge point in my career as a historian and investigative journalist. In fact, it feels like I have come full circle in many different ways. You see, I was born and raised in Anaheim. This is my hometown. My love of history began here. My love of research began here in our Anaheim Library. My love of solving mysteries or getting to the root or origins of a story began here. You could say, all that I am as a historian came to be, because of this wonderful town.

So today, I post what will probably be one of the most important blog posts I have posted on here to date. Why? Because I am going to make my best effort to explain to the world the history of Anaheim High School's "Colonists" origin and settle the debate over the "Colonist" name once and for all.

One might wonder, "How can that be subject be that important?"  

Oh, but it is. 

You see, a very small group of former students from Anaheim High started a petition a little over a week ago on Change.org's website accusing the Colonist name to be racist, oppressive, to represent genocide, rape and theft. They claim that the mascot represents the Colonists from the New World, whom they feel are guilty for wrongs done to the native peoples over 400 years ago.

Their petition was so emotionally driven with hate, in fact, the artwork they posted was not only debase and degrading, but downright slanderous, accusing our early settlers of Anaheim of such heinous acts such as rape, murder, racism and looting.

When I first read their petition, I was immediately upset that anyone could come to that conclusion when there is absolutely no basis in fact to back up such a claim. I cannot deny it, I was angered by the disrespect they were showing not only to the school itself, but to our forefathers who founded Anaheim. 

These petitioners not only went forward with promoting such nonsense and hate filled rhetoric, they started to get a following of other students who signed their petition, simply believing their theory at face value without checking the facts for themselves.

I started a counter-petition and within only 2 days, I managed to not only match but surpass the number of signatures that took their petition 8 days to reach. To date, my petition is still leading strongly by at least 1,000 or more signatures.

Still, that is not enough, so, I am here today to give you the facts. To share with you the reasons that the Colonist name was chosen, and to give you a run down on the history of the mascot over the years so you can come to your own conclusions and form an educated opinion yourself.

The Beginnings of Anaheim

In Anaheim, the term "Colonist" has always represented the early settlers who founded the "Mother Colony" of Anaheim. The Los Angeles Vineyard Society which was established specifically for this purpose, sent George Hansen to the area to purchase a small amount of land (1,160 acres) from Juan Pacifico Ontiveros in 1857. Ontiveros owned the Spanish Land Grant  "Rancho San Juan Cajón de Santa Ana" which consisted of 35,971 acres in its entirety. The Ontiveros family had been deeded that land from Mexico, by Governor Juan Alvarado in 1837. 

From its very beginnings, Anaheim consisted of German, European and Hispanic settlers, many intermarrying within the community. A good example was Petra Ontiveros, daughter of Juan Pacifico Ontiveros, who married Augustus Langenberger.  Langenberger came to the United States from Germany in 1849. In 1850, Augustus married Petra. He also became the very first merchant in Anaheim's history. 

Another example is the Rimpau family. Theodore Rimpau also came from Germany, arriving to California in 1848. He traveled from San Francisco to Los Angeles, where he eventually became very good friends with the Alcade of Los Angeles, Don Francisco Avila, who was also one of the richest ranchers in Los Angeles. A native of Sinaloa, Mexico, Don Francisco owned the "Rancho Las Cienegas" and the the Avila Adobe on Olvera Street (which is the oldest standing house in Los Angeles). 

After asking Don Francisco for permission to marry his daughter, Theodore Rimpau and Francisca Avila were married December 23, 1850 at the Church known as "La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles." After the marriage, Don Francisco put Theodore in charge of many responsibilities in the family, including supervising the family estate while living in Los Angeles. By the mid 1860's, the Rimpau's moved from Los Angeles to Anaheim settling there and establishing roots that would last generations.

Anaheim's First Schools

To be technical, the first official "Anaheim High School" was established originally in 1898, when the very first students attended high school classes in an upstairs room on the second floor of the Central School; However, I must add that there were students living in town who attended school in Anaheim even before then.

Back in 1860, the first school opened in an adobe structure that was located on a lot owned by Augustus Langenberger, one of Anaheim's earliest Colonists. The first group of students were as follows: Ernesto Guillermo Frederico "Fred" Langenberger and his two sisters, Carola and Regina; Tomas and Felipe Yorba; Elmina and Louise Lorenz; and Pifanio and Antonio Burreuel.  Anaheim's first school teacher was Fred William Kuelp.

Matilda Rimpau c/o APL Archives

The first person to earn a high school diploma in Anaheim history in 1880, was none other than Matilda Rimpau, daughter of Theodore Rimpau and Francesca Avila. By 1901, the funds had been appropriated to construct and finish an actual school dedicated solely to the older grades, making it the very first Anaheim High School building in town. The first location was located at 608 W. Center Street (later Lincoln Avenue). The building was later sold to the elementary school district in 1911, and even later one in 1937 it was demolished and became the site of Fremont Junior High. The newer site, where AHS currently is located at 811 W. Lincoln Avenue was built in 1912.  

Going back to the subject at hand, as you can see, from Anaheim's very beginnings it was a mixture of European and Hispanic culture and many of the descendants of the original settlers were of mixed heritage being both of Hispanic and European (mainly German) descent.

Why the Colonists?

It has been well known by long time residents of Anaheim that the reason for naming the mascot at Anaheim High School was after the Colonists who moved to the area in 1857, who set up the "Mother Colony."

At no point whatsoever was the term Colonist meant to represent the New World Colonists or Pilgrims who came to America in the 1600's.

The Latin word colere, from which the word Colonist is derived, simply means : "to inhabit, tend or guard." In English, the definition of a Colonist is "a settler or inhabitant of a colony."  It can also mean, "a group of people of one nationality or ethnic group living in a foreign city or country."   There is no mention of oppression, racism, genocide or theft anywhere in those definitions. 

What people might not know is that originally the mascot for the school was actually called the "Mother Colonists," as you can plainly see by my attached photos below of various news clippings from the early 1920's. From the beginning of using the term Mother Colonists, leading up to the mid 1920's, it stayed the same.  

According to "One to Twenty-Eight: A History of Anaheim Union High School District," written by Louise Booth (1980) it states, "The school officially adopted the Colonist symbol and flag (designed by Clayes*) in 1928, in keeping with the Mother Colony heritage."

* long time Principal, Joseph A. Clayes

Another lesser known tidbit of history is that although many high school's throughout the country had nicknames per se, it wasn't until the mid to late 1920's that school's started actually adopting mascots or logos.

It appears that it was in 1928, when the acting Principal Joseph A. Clayes brought the attention to the school as to why the Mother Colonists were so important to our history when he says:

"The spirit of the true Colonist still lived, when in 1857, a group of 50 men set out from San Francisco Bay and crossed the mountains to the Santa Ana River, bringing the nucleus of the Mother Colony. This later developed into the city we love, whose romantic name was developed from the linking of the beloved word "Home" and "Ana", the patron saint of the river. How appropriate, then, that we, the descendants of these sturdy men, should adopt a title that means so much to every true American heart and resident of our Mother Colony- The Colonist."

This is the same year they introduced the logo on the inside of the yearbook. By the mid to late 1920's the school dropped the "Mother Colonist" name and shortened it to just "The Colonists."

By 1929, the Colonist also appears on the cover.  According to Melvin Aguilar, aka. "Mr. Colonist", (Student Body President, Class of 1975) who has been collecting Anaheim High School yearbooks for decades, the 1929 yearbook's foreword explains the reasoning behind the name "Colonist."  (The attached photos below were given to me to use by permission from Melvin Aguilar.)

Foreward: 1929 Yearbook

AHS 1929 Yearbook

 The Foreward reads: 

"We have chosen "The Colonists" as our school name. We would now consider the significance of this name and find what is our right to bear it.

It is true that Anaheim was founded by colonists who braved the dangers and hardships of the desert, men who in spite of untoward circumstances overcame all obstacles and established homes and constructed our town. These men are our forebearers, and we stand in reverence as we contemplate their struggles and their victories.

Their work is done. It now remains for us to carry on. Are we willing to endure hardships, to suffer deprivations, for the good of others? Have we in us the qualities that make for noble, honest, sturdy character? Have we that persistency that surmounts all obstacles? 

As colonists, we have chosen as the motif for the art work of our year book the desert and its symbolism. Our forefathers knew both the beauty and the dangers of the desert, and we can but wonder how much their contact with and conquering of the desert had to do with the sturdy character they revealed.

We follow in their wake, enjoying the fruits of their labors, but we, too, would have that sturdiness of purpose, that dependability of character for which they were recognized. As they overcame the desert and made it blossom as the rose, thus would we overcome the difficulties that lie in our way, and so shape our lives that we may be of the greatest service to mankind."--- Miss Bella J. Walker, Yearbook Advisor. 

Inside of the 1929 AHS yearbook

So as you can clearly see, the school's reference to "Colonists" at Anaheim High School was not about the early Colonists to the New World. It was named after the early settlers who came here in 1857 to start Anaheim, their "Mother Colony." These settlers came to a barren area and built it up, first by cultivating the land and growing vast vineyards. Then when the blight of 1884-1888 took out over 400,000 grapevines, they had to think fast and chose to plant citrus trees which later became what Anaheim was best known for, orange groves.

Besides the orange groves, Anaheim's early settlers had success with chili peppers, sugar beets, walnuts, cabbages, potatoes and strawberries. Had it not been for Timothy Carroll, Anaheim's first nurseryman, most of all our trees would not be here today, including the famous Moreton Bay Fig tree that stands tall at Founder's Park on West Street, literally backing up to the property of Anaheim High School. Timothy Carroll brought that tree over from Australia in 1876, and it was planted by the Horstmann family.  Both the tree and the Mother Colony house, the oldest house in Anaheim, sit on the same land just behind the high school.

The Anaheim Gazette, dated August 5, 1926 states:

"Previous to laying out the colony, in 1858, there were no trees about Anaheim except a series of scrub oak.....some of the old-timers planted sycamore trees and later on eucalyptus trees."

So, Ms. Walker's explanation of the Colonists conquering the desert makes absolute sense; They made the land beautiful with vegetation!

The Logo

There has been at times through the years "logos" or artist interpretations of the Colonists that have been portrayed on emblems for the school on banners, yearbooks and such, some of which portray what look like a pilgrim, but this was not the origin of the namesake for the high school. 

So one might ask why have the man on the cover of the yearbook (logo) look like a "Pilgrim" instead of a German vinyardist?

At the time of designing the mascot for the school the United States had just finished the first World War with Germany.  It is the writer's belief that the school board didn't want to offend anyone, given the time period and the possibility of residual anti-German sentiment that was still prevalent in the country, so they opted for what would have been a "safer choice" for a design. If the artist's depiction had looked like a German man in lederhosen, it might have sparked serious controversy at the time. We also have to take into account that it wasn't until the late 1920's that they even considered bringing back teaching the German language, so there was an anti-German sentiment going on there, no doubt. 

The school wanted to honor the German Colonists of the 1850's, not the Germans of that time period, thus again, that is why I believe they used a safer choice at the time, a 17th century looking man in a hat with a musket. 

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I hope that all of this information I have carefully presented to you proves that the term Colonist in Anaheim history had nothing to do with white supremacy, racism, genocide or any other reason. History proves that these settlers who came and established Anaheim did not take part in any sort of genocide against the native peoples of this area, or any other groups of people for that matter. 

They also didn't "discover" the land they built on due to the fact that they purchased the land from Juan Pacifico Ontiveras in the first place. There was no conquering, no pillaging or plundering. Our "Colonists" were honored as namesakes at Anaheim High School because they set up their colony on land they purchased and built into the city that stands today.

It would be a complete disgrace to remove that name and dishonor the blood, sweat and tears they put into moving halfway across the world, coming to a new country to start a new life, and working hard together as a community to establish a new town out of literally nothing.

I think that the younger generation who believes in the hateful rhetoric spread by these petitioners, especially those who come from immigrant backgrounds, should be ashamed of themselves for disregarding this part of Anaheim's history just because they want to change a name to appease their cries for "social justice," a subject that really has nothing to do with this school or its mascot. 

To all the those who are complaining about the school's nickname, I ask you this:

Do you have any family members who traveled from another part of the world to come here for a better life?

Did your ancestors, grandparents, parents move to California to better themselves, start businesses and have better lives?

If so, then how can you demonize the representation of these people, immigrants themselves who lived here long before you ever existed?

These were people who worked harder than you or I will ever comprehend in our lifetimes. How can you sit here and complain about the school's mascot that allegedly offends you, when has absolutely nothing to do with you or your heritage? 

I do not believe that we should remove our history based on the assumptions and misinformation of the younger generation today, who think it is okay to remove something if it offends them, even if they are completely ignorant of the real history to begin with. 

The Colonist name does not represent anything negative in Anaheim history whatsoever, and I hope that the Anaheim Union High School District will dismiss the nonsense of Ms. Luevano and Daniel Allatorre De-Liva's claims.

Respectfully,

J'aime Rubio
Author, Historian and the founder of "The History of Anaheim" Facebook History Group, (and the granddaughter of a former President of the  Anaheim Historical Society.)

(Copyright 7/1/2020, J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

THANK YOU to Melvin Aguilar (Mr. Colonist) for allowing me to use the photos from your copy of the AHS Yearbook, 1929.

And thank you to everyone, including my "colleagues" who have helped compile info from the archives, and those who have added their knowledge and comments towards my counter petition on Change.org to save Anaheim's namesake. (link below)

https://www.change.org/p/anaheim-union-high-school-district-save-anaheim-high-school-colonists/exp/cl_/cl_sharecopy_23117479_en-US/2/833022529?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_23117479_en-US%3A2&recruiter=833022529&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

Some of my sources:
Santa Ana Register
3/1920; 3/6/1920; 11/8/1920; 2/19/1925; 10/18/1928
Los Angeles Times
5/9/1926
Anaheim Gazette
8/5/1926
Anaheim High School Yearbook, 1928 &1929
Forewards by: Ms. Bella J. Walker, and Joseph Clayes
"One to Twenty-Eight: A History of Anaheim Union High School District."-Louise Booth (1980)
"Early Anaheim"- Stephen J. Faessel
"A Hundred Years of Yesterdays"-- Orange County Historical Commission
"History of Anaheim" booklet - Anaheim Historical Society
"History of Orange County, California with Biographical Sketches"- Samuel Armor.
Photo of Matilda Rimpau from Anaheim Public Library Archives
other historical content can be found here: https://anaheimhistory.blogspot.com/

A Missing Son, A Lost Soldier

According to the May 28, 1914 edition of the Los Angeles Herald, a missing young man from Anaheim was finally found under sad circumstances. To explain it all, I must start from the beginning.

John Klassen was born to parents P.M. Klassen and Elizabeth Buller Klassen, both residents of Anaheim, but originally native of Germany. From a young age Johnny had dreams and ambitions to join the military, so when he finally became a young man that was all he thought of.

The newspaper doesn't give specifics on why he couldn't enlist prior but only that he was previously "prevented from enlisting because of his youth".  Could it have been his parents who didn't want him to go? For the newspaper stated he was 19 when he left.

No matter what the case, Johnny ran away to fulfill his dream and enlist in the Army, but when he got there he enlisted under a false name, John King.  Not knowing where he went and why, his parents were distraught over the disappearance of their son and searched endlessly, looking for him.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Johnny was waiting to be sent to the front lines. At one point he wrote his mother a letter telling her that he was in the Army and that he was okay, but he failed to mention that he was listed under a different name. So when his mother wrote him back, she was notified that there was no one enlisted under her son's name. Shocked and devastated, she started to look for him once more.

Eventually Mrs. Klassen was able to track down her son's whereabouts, but sadly it was too late. Johnny had died in the Army hospital in San Francisco. Apparently, he fell ill while he was waiting to be sent out to the war, never being able to fulfill his lifelong dream of being in the Army.

He was buried at the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio.

Courtesy of Carol (Find-a-grave contributor #46859893)

(Copyright, 2018 - J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com )

Memories of Stan Betz

This will be the first of many new types of posts on this particular blog. I have decided that it was time to give a platform to various residents (and former residents) who lived and breathed Anaheim history between the 1950's and 1960's growing up there. For my first contributor's post, I have chosen to share the memory John Lazenby, an Anaheim High School Alumni (Class of 1965) who recalls his memories of the famous custom car guru, Stan Betz. Enjoy! 

"MEMORIES OF STAN BETZ"

By

John Lazenby

Moving to Anaheim in 1956 from Santa Ana, like all 9 year old boys, I was fascinated with my new surroundings.  A new school, Horace Mann, new friends, and of course new adventures that would unfold.

I use to love to build model aircraft, especially model cars, on our patio during the summer.  There was a transistor radio that would be out there with me and the stations of choice were KFWB and KRLA. I always had a Bubble-Up or Pepsi Cola at my side.  I knew all of the songs that came across the air waves because of my love for music, and of course all of the DJs.  To this day I still have my KFWB Disc / Coveries Album with the "Seven Swingin’ Gentlemen."

Places I would buy AMT car models were Sav-On Drugs, and then there was Tiny’s Hobby Shop located in the Pickwick Hotel on Los Angeles Street just north of the City Library in Anaheim.  Tiny was just the opposite of his name being a rather rotund gentleman who sat in a chair and didn’t move much. What was really neat is that Tiny had model entries for awards that any kid, or I guess any adult, could participate in.  On a regular basis I would enter one of my efforts and occasionally win something.  A couple of those models are still with me in boxes all these years later.

The challenge was how to get to Tiny’s from my home which was probably a couple of miles away.  I had a bike but the agreement with my parents was that I would not ride that far, as they worried about me in traffic, which is hard to imagine what it was like then versus today.

Well of course, the temptation was too great and I had to get on the bike and make the journey.  I figured out what back streets to take to avoid as much danger as my young brain would muster up.  The final part of that trip would be heading down Chestnut St. towards Los Angeles St. which was the north corner of the Pickwick. What always struck me was a hot rod with louvers parked on the street just west of the bus stop on the back side of the Pickwick.  On occasion there was a fellow with white bib overalls sitting on the curb mixing paint.  He had the stuff all over himself and of course the curb and street.

John Lazenby's '63 VW parked at the curb where Stan Betz mixed his paint.

The more interesting thing about all of this was he had a “peg” leg with a rubber boot or cap on the end sticking out of one of the pant legs.  I would always stop, say hello, and admire the car and ask questions about what he was doing.  This was none other than Stan Betz, who at that time I thought to be an older guy, and I guess he was compared to me.  I never had the courage to ask about the leg but years later learned the story of how he ended up that way.  Also, I never realized then that he was a life long Anaheim resident and AHS grad.

Once my days of visiting Tiny’s ended, on occasion I would bump into Stan and different places and he always remembered me.  I had a friend that owned a sign shop in Orange and Stan was his neighbor so we would go over and look at his movie props.  Over the years he had acquired many of them, and some were historically significant in the movie industry.

Der Kleiner Panzer second clubhouse, located at the Pickwick Hotel. 

My last visit with Stan was at the AHS car show where I had one of my cars.  Stan was getting up there in years, and not quite as mobile, but he still got around and his mind was sharp.  Then in September of 2017, I learned of his passing and was sad, but on the same note was happy that I’d got to know him as a person and appreciate what a talented gentleman and classy act he really was.  Godspeed Stan, many miss you."- John Lazenby. 

NOTE: "The two photos attached are of my '63 VW sedan parked on Chestnut St. in the exact spot Stan would sit and mix paint.  The other photo is also on Chestnut St. at the Der Kleiner Panzer second club house located in the Pickwick Hotel.  That is me with the burgundy cords on at the front door.  Both photos were taken very late 1971 or early 1972."

To read more about Stan Betz and his contribution to Anaheim history please check out this article on the Anaheim High School Alumni Association's website:

http://www.anaheimcolonists.com/stan-betz/

(Copyright, Remembering Anaheim's History, J'aime Rubio. 2018).