Anaheim’s White House Restaurant - Untold History Uncovered

Gervais House- 1912 (APL Archives)

Sitting on Anaheim Boulevard near Vermont Avenue is the Anaheim White House. This award winning restaurant started in one of Anaheim’s early historic homes in 1981, as a last minute decision by the Stovall family. Originally, Jim and Barbara Stovall had acquired the historic property with the intention of tearing down the building and constructing condominiums in its place. It was said that on the evening before the demolition, Mrs. Stovall had a change of heart and decided to save the home and have it turned into a restaurant. It opened for the first time on December 31, 1981. By 1987, Chef Bruno Serato had purchased the restaurant and turned the White House into an exclusive and elegant dining establishment that continues to this today.

Although many have dined here over the years, including celebrities and even former Presidents, not much is known about the home’s early history, until now.  Please take a step back in time with me to see where this stately manor had its start and the first families who called this house, “home.”

Originally built in 1909, the first family to live there was original owners, the Gervais family. Dosithe Gervais was born in 1872, in Illinois, but came from French-Canadian immigrant parents. He and his wife, Alberta married in February of 1894. They brought their three daughters up in the home, Gladys, Violet and Dorothy. Dosithe Gervais was a farmer, and later went on to raising poultry.

Interestingly, I found that the Gervais daughters were prolific writers, often times winning writing contests that were published in the Los Angeles Herald. All three were avid writers despite their young age, and it appears as though the older two, Gladys and Violet were regularly published in a children’s section of the newspaper, known as the Junior Herald.  By reading their work, I was able to get a sense of their personalities, which were quite lovely. Tales of adventure and excitement, humorous limerick writing and short stories were common as well as letter writing contests. One such contest seemed to stand out during my research. Ironically, this published work by Gladys Gervais seems to go along well with the overall theme that this home would later adopt.

Los Angeles Herald, 2/6/1910

The February 6, 1910, issue of the Los Angeles Herald mentions young Gladys Gervais competing in a writing contest for a popular column at the paper known as “Letters to Aunt Laurie,” noting her as an “honorable mention,” and publishing her short blurb on the subject of former President Abraham Lincoln.

Gladys’ letter was under the subheading, “Walked Many Miles to Correct Mistake”:

“Dear Aunt Laurie,

When Mr. Lincoln was clerking in a country store, a woman who lived four miles away and who came to the store once a week for supplies, entered one day and gave an order. Mr. Lincoln gave her the goods and received the pay.

When the woman had been gone about an hour Mr. Lincoln discovered he had not given her enough coffee. She ought to have had four ounces more.  So he wrapped up four ounces of coffee and tramped four miles through the woods.

The reason I like this story so well is because it shows the honesty of Mr. Lincoln, and verifies the title, “Honest Abe.”—Gladys Gervais, Anaheim School, Grade 8, Age 14.

Although short, this peek into the young mind of Gladys Gervais shows the respect and admiration of our forefathers that she was taught by her parents.  The Gervais daughters were mentioned many times in archived newspapers for being listed on the honor roll at the Anaheim School. By the time their children had grown up and moved away, Dosithe and Alberta Gervais moved on as well in 1916.  I found that they moved around California over the years, eventually living in Atascadero. Their final resting place can be found at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, where both Mr. & Mrs. Gervais were laid to rest.

By 1916, the home was sold to George Waterman, who lived for a short time on the property. Soon the Waterman’s sold the home to a young doctor, who had just started his career in Anaheim a few years earlier.  Dr. John Truxaw and his family were the next residents of this beautiful home.

Dr. John Truxaw was born on August 4, 1883, in Gage County, Nebraska. His mother was from Iowa, while his father was an immigrant from Czechoslovakia who came to the U.S. to live the “American Dream.” It was in 1912, while finishing up medical school at the University of California that John Truxaw met Castilla Louise Wallberg, who was going to nursing school. By August 27, 1913, the couple were wed.  Dr. Truxaw moved to Anaheim in 1912, to start his medical practice which was located at 107 E. Center Street. 

Dr. John Truxaw (APL Archives)

Besides being the beloved Anaheim physician who saw to at least 3,500 births during his career, he and his wife also raised eight children.  Their names were John, Jr., Mary, Robert, Louise, Joe, Joan, Jean and Carol.  Dr. Truxaw's wife mentioned in her memoirs that her Buick had stalled out one day right in front of the home on Los Angeles Street. She came in to use the phone to call for a tow when she instantly became interested in the home. Every house she had been looking to buy was not to her standards and she really wanted that one. Unfortunately the house wasn't for sale, yet! After some serious begging to her agent, one day she heard news that the home was on the market. As soon as it became available the Truxaw's scooped it up and became the next owners. 

Apparently the former owners were taking too long to move out, and it was causing Louise to become very impatient, so she wrote them and basically stated that she would be living in the house with them if they didn't get out soon, because she was moving in. When moving day arrived she said they were literally moving things in the back door, as the old owners were moving out through the front door.  Louise's determination proved to be the best decision, as she spent many years in a lovely home that she adored.

From Louise Truxaw's Memoirs

At home, Dr. Truxaw had a small orange grove that surrounded the property. He also loved animals, including pheasants, ducks, chickens and turkeys, along with the family dog, a three-legged St. Bernard named Pancho. According to the family story, at one time the dog had been hit by a car and Dr. Truxaw refused to have the dog put to sleep. He made sure the veterinarian cared for him until he was well enough to be brought back to their family, where he was loved and managed to live just fine.  In a genealogical biography online, a nephew of the Truxaw’s, Micheal Winney wrote his memories while living with his aunt and uncle in the 1950’s. He mentioned that Mrs. Truxaw was an avid genealogist and enjoyed traveling to Iowa and Illinois to do family research. She was also very artistic, and her studio was upstairs across the hall from her bedroom. 

Dr. Truxaw’s career spanned four decades, as he watched the children he delivered grow up to have children of their own, and grandchildren of their own.  After a long fight with cancer, Dr. Truxaw succumbed to his illness and passed away on October 23, 1952. His wife remained in the home until her death in 1969. 

                Since then, the home has seen several other owners come and go, until finally Chef Bruno Serato purchased the property and brought it back to life again. Although this home is now a restaurant, you can see the love and care that has been put into it. I am sure if Dosithe Gervais or Dr. Truxaw were here today, they would see what a marvel this home has continued to be, now allowing thousands of people per year to feel the inviting atmosphere that the original families must have felt daily. That same feeling when you walk through those doors has withstood over 106 years, evidently showing that it will forever remain their home.----

(Copyright 2015, J'aime Rubio. All Rights Reserved)

Thank you Lisa Shaughnessey for the snippet of  Louise's memoir

A copy of this story will be provided to the Anaheim Historical Society for preservation purposes as well as a copy going to the Anaheim White House Restaurant for their own historical files.--- 

photo by Ed Wiesmuller - Copyright 2015

Ostriches in Anaheim?!

The thought of ostrich farms in Anaheim sounds quite odd to me, but history records prove that it did happen. In fact, there were quite a few different people who had ostrich farms within Anaheim and Orange County in the late 1800s.

Dr. Sketchley

Starting around 1883, a man known as Dr. C.J. Sketchley started the very first ostrich farm in Anaheim, California, on a 640 acre ranch that once belonged to Abel Stearns. A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Sketchley was the first to bring ostriches to California. 

They brought the first 21 birds to the farm from Africa. None of the birds were lost or died on the trip over, except for one female who killed her mate. Being that ostriches were so foreign to locals, Dr. Sketchley's farm became a magnet for hundreds of people daily, showing up uninvited to the farm to get a look at these enormous, flightless birds. Soon after opening the farm, Dr. Sketchley grew frustrated with the constant impositions that visitors made to his business. Constantly worrying about visitors and dogs coming on to his property and annoying the birds, or attempting to steal the valuable feathers, he started to charge $ .50 per head which would be the equivalent today of about $12 per person to visit, hoping to get rid of visitors. Unfortunately, that didn't do much good. Being that feathers were worth so much at the time, people risked their own safety by sneaking onto Sketchley's property to pluck feathers off of the ostriches in order to sell them.

L.A. Herald, January 29, 1887

In an interview for the New York Times in October of 1883, Sketchley was quoted saying, "when you ask me what are the greatest drawbacks I have met with I must answer dogs and visitors,  and perhaps the visitors are the worst."  Eventually, Anaheim became too much for Sketchley so he moved to a farm just outside of Los Angeles, leased by G. J. Griffith.  Later a rail line from Los Angeles to the farm was put in, and Sketchley gave in to allow a tourist attraction along with his ostrich farm located where Griffith Park stands today.


Dr. Sketchley wasn't the only one who went into the Ostrich farming business either....

Edward Atherton

The next fellow to come to Anaheim with ostriches on his mind was Edward Atherton. Another fellow South African, just like Sketchley, Atherton was well experienced as an ostrich farmer. 
Edward Atherton was born in Cape Town, South Africa on May 29, 1860, who was the son of Cape Town pioneer John Atherton, a native of Manchester, England.  His father, being business savvy, not only owned a farm of over 500 acres for grain, vineyards and stock, but he also owned two factories, one for distilling liquor and another for scouring wool. 

"The History of Orange County" claims that in December of 1886,  Edward came to Anaheim to acquire the 21 birds that had originally came to Anaheim a few years earlier. I had originally assumed, given this exact number, this was Dr. Sketchley's original birds but it doesn't appear to be so. It also states that upon arriving, Atherton learned that the 21 birds had grown to 46, after breeding. 

The book goes on to state the original 21 birds sent to Anaheim, came in 1882 after being in an exhibition in San Francisco in 1881. Then they were moved to Anaheim in 1882 by the California Ostrich Farming Company, managed by R.J. Northam.  Atherton eventually settled on a farm close to Fullerton and bought out Northam's interest in the business. Towards the end of his career in ostrich farming, he sold all but eight birds and kept most of his land for growing Valencia oranges and walnuts.   The wedding photo of Mr. Atherton and his wife can also be seen on the mural of the Chase Bank (fka Home Savings of America) at 101 S. Harbor Blvd on the corner of  Lincoln.

OSTRICH FARMER, EDWARD ATHERTON~ Born in Cape Town, South Africa on May 29, 1860. Edward Atherton came to California via Cape Horn. In 1886, Edward came to Anaheim and became one of the first Ostrich Farmers. He married Carolina Sellinger in 1897 and they had three children: Malcolm, Miranda and Dalton.

Edward Atherton at farm

 Ostriches Were Useful!

Although ostriches are not well tempered birds, they seemed to be useful for different things, such as delivering mail. Well, not exactly, but at least pulling the mail cart to deliver the mail! Honestly, I don't know how anyone managed to deal with these birds, as I had my own run in with an ostrich when I was just a teenager and I thought it was going to attack me. Let me just say, calling these birds grumpy is an understatement. They are very violent and prone to kicking anything they see. Somehow or another, they were able to use them successfully around town.

  MAIL BY OSTRICH!-- In this photo you will see Anaheim barber, Willard A. Frantz standing next to a cart and R.F.D. (Rural Free Delivery) postman Frank Eastman in cart on a dirt road, drawn by pair of harnessed ostriches named Napoleon and Josephine. (1896)



 Ostrich Racing?!

And let us not forget animal trainer, Gene Holter and his ostrich races. I found many advertisements in archived magazines and books for his many races of ostriches in Anaheim, and all over.

Apparently he had his farm at 8901 Kathryn Drive in Anaheim for a while. (Note: There are two streets with that name, one being spelled Kathryn and the other Catherine. I know, because I grew up on Catherine Drive in Anaheim, too.) It appears as if his races were during the 1950s and 60s.

Well there you have it folks, a brief but educational glimpse into Anaheim's past and it's strange intrigue over ostriches!

(Copyright 2014) J'aime Rubio, Dreaming Casually Publications

Photos: Anaheim Public Library Archives, Anaheim Historical Society
Sources:
Various newspaper clippings, L.A. Herald, New York Times, and History of Orange County.

Historic Anaheim Homes - Then & Now!

 This will be one of many posts to this blog showing "Then and Now" photos of some of Anaheim's beautiful historic homes. I have had the privilege to work with another fellow Anaheim history buff to compile these great photos to give you a glimpse at some of our local history.

Anaheim resident and history teacher, Ed Wiesmuller has caught the eye of many Anaheim history lovers lately. His new spin on an old favorite type of comparison photography has all the vintage flare with just enough history mixed in it to be entertaining and educational.  It was just last Summer when Ed decided to join in on the "History of Anaheim" group page via FACEBOOK, where he quickly dove in head first, immediately contributing his photography, Anaheim history knowledge and also added his own style to the group.

Ed's signature is his "Then & Now" photography of historic homes throughout Anaheim. This will be the first of several posts that feature Ed's photos, which usually feature one of his classic cars, along with historic information on the homes. This unique and very interesting style used by Mr. Wiesmuller, captures the Vintage aura that many of us "Anaheim'ians" love so much.

THE BACKS RESIDENCE

188 N. Vintage Lane

The Backs' house originally stood on Los Angeles Street (now Anaheim Boulevard) and Lincoln Avenue. Built in 1902, this house belonged to early Anaheim residents, the Backs family. The moving of this home in the late 1980s ignited a law suit that allowed many of the other Anaheim historic homes to be moved and restored to their former grandeur.  To read more about the history of the home, see L.A. Times article from 1986, click here.

THE FISCUS RESIDENCE

902 W. Broadway

This home was once the residence of Joseph Fiscus, a walnut and citrus rancher, and was originally located at 1001 South Los Angeles Street (now Anaheim Blvd.) at Vermont Street. It was later moved to 902 West Broadway.

Note from J'aime Rubio: My mother used to babysit at that house in the early 1960s, and she always said the house was creepy!

THE BOEGE RESIDENCE

500 N. Clementine

One of the first homes built on this tract, the Boege home cost a reported $8,000 at the time it was constructed in 1922.  Designed by architect, Frank Benchley for Vice President of  First National Bank and City Treasurer, Charles Boege and his family. This 7-room house was considered one of the most costliest of the time. Thankfully this home still stands in its original location.

THE DUCKWORTH RESIDENCE

521 N. Lemon St.

Built in 1922, this was the home of William E. Duckworth.  William was the son of  J.W. Duckworth, the postmaster of Anaheim.  A member of the Degree of the Woodmen of the World, Duckworth was also a local fuel and feed merchant and land developer. This home is still in its original location.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE POSTS........

(Copyright 2014) J'aime Rubio, Dreaming Casually Publications

Photos:  Archived Photos c/o Anaheim Public Library Archive Collection
              Newer photos c/o Ed Wiesmuller, All Rights Reserved.

Enid Rimpau & The Mystery on Zeyn Street

"Chapter 1--

Nestled in the quaint historic district of Anaheim, sits a majestic home originally constructed for a member of the Rimpau family, one of Anaheim’s earliest families.  Designed in 1915, by architect, Charles Trudeau, the home was a wedding gift from Theodore “Robert”  Rimpau to his new bride, Enid. Their love story has been shrouded in just about as much mystery as the tragic events that took place in the home itself. 

 “Robert,” as he was best known, was born on October 11, 1882, to parents Adolph Rimpau and Natalia Carillo. His legal name was Theodore R. Rimpau, no doubt named after his paternal grandfather,  an Anaheim pioneer.  Enid Williams was born in Pueblo, Colorado, sometime in February of 1892, to parents William S. Williams and Catherine Ferguson.  Enid’s father was originally from Boston, Massachusetts, while her mother was a native of Ohio. 

             Some point after the turn of the 20th century, the Williams family moved to California, settling in Los Angeles.  Enid’s mother, Catharine eventually separated from her husband after the move to California. The 1910 Census shows that Catharine and Enid were listed as one household. Enid, who was barely 18 years of age, was listed as “single,” while her mother was listed as a “widow.”

Why Catharine listed herself as a widow we will never know for certain.  More than likely Catharine did not want to explain why she was still married but living alone, given the time period. Although the census did not show Enid as having any occupation, her mother was listed as a “promoter” for a mining company.

It appears that Enid wouldn’t stay with her mother for very long, as records indicate that she married Charles Stone of Glendale, at the courthouse in Santa Ana, on September 21, 1910.  Some newspapers of the time state that the couple lived in Long Beach during their marriage. Within a year, Enid could see that she had made a huge mistake.  Charles’ “intemperate habits” were cause enough for Enid to file for a divorce in 1913, when she finally left.

Enid wanted a fresh start, as far away from Charles as she could travel.  Given the fact that she watched her own mother show strength and independence by leaving her own husband during the early part of the 20th century, must have given Enid the gumption to venture out into the world on her own, knowing she could do it, too.  But where would young Enid go?

On July 31, 1914, Enid’s divorce decree was finalized, and she became a free woman again. The small, newly settled town of Anaheim, famous for their citrus trees and walnuts, seemed to be just what Enid needed to start over.  Once she settled in, she took on two jobs to support herself.

First, she worked at Weber’s bookstore and then also at the millinery store, which designed hats.  It is unknown when exactly she met Robert Rimpau, but I assume she must have crossed his path at some point during a visit to Miles Grocery store, where he worked as head clerk.

Enid was thought of as attractive, with a “sunny disposition and pleasing manners,” and one who easily became friends with anyone that she met.  It didn’t take long before Robert wished to court Enid and propose marriage.  As a gift to his future bride, Robert Rimpau hired architect Charles Trudeau to design “one of the finest dwellings” in Anaheim, according to an archived newspaper clipping provided to me by long time Anaheim resident and history enthusiast, John Marshall. The house, located at 503 N. Zeyn Street, reportedly cost Robert Rimpau $3,000.00 to construct.

The pair were married on July 5, 1915, in Anaheim, and moved into their beautiful new home shortly thereafter.  Its grand décor and impeccable design was built to please Enid. From the exquisitely constructed staircase and ornate light fixtures in the entry way, to the built in bookcases and romantic fireplace in the sitting room, every detail showed that Robert Rimpau spared no expense to make his new bride happy. 

             A shocking event took place on Sunday, October 17, 1915. Enid and Robert Rimpau attended mass at St. Boniface church, where they then departed separately after the services. Robert claimed he had some errands to run, so Enid went home by herself.  After returning home within an hour, Robert stated that he came to find his wife dying from poison.  He called several doctors to the home, and the first to arrive was Dr. Truxaw. 

 The doctor believed that she was already too far gone from cyanide poisoning and there was nothing that he could do to reverse the effects, and so Enid passed away. Dr. Truxaw ascertained that the vial used to poison Enid was still quite full, enough to kill several more people. 

According to the Santa Ana Register, Enid was found in an upstairs bedroom, along with a suicide note that read, “I am a failure. God forgive me and bless you.”   There was no “official”  inquest done on her death, therefore no one verified as to whether or not the alleged suicide note was even written in Enid’s own hand.                                                                                              

 The newspapers reported her death according to Coroner Winbigler’s statement, ruling it a suicide without allowing a proper investigation into her death, and virtually smearing her name as having gone “temporarily insane.”   The Santa Ana Register stated that for several weeks Enid had shown signs of despondency and melancholia leading up to her death.  The Anaheim Gazette  also claimed that Enid’s friends stated that “at times she had been morbid and melancholy without any known cause, consequently it is supposed that she was mentally unbalanced.”    

Interestingly though, the same article then goes on to say, “the friends with whom she lived, declared she was always even tempered, independent and self-reliant, and never showed any signs of a diseased mind.”

 It also stated, “friends who saw her in the store Saturday night observed no difference in her demeanor, and many who talked to her after the Sunday morning service declared that she was in her usual spirits at the time.”

Enid was a very independent woman, and even after marrying Robert, she still worked at Weber’s bookstore.  Yes, she had made remarks that she was alone a lot and that she would rather be working than be alone at the house, meaning that her husband was not spending much time with her. That didn’t necessarily mean she was suicidal. It just meant she was lonely at home, and perhaps she missed her husband.

An insurance man by the name Al Nowotny came forward claiming that just days before Enid died, she had asked him if a life insurance policy would pay out in the event of a suicide. He explained that it would not pay out unless an entire year had lapsed.

If such a conversation had taken place, why would she have decided to go through with the act of killing herself, especially if more than likely any insurance policy she may have had might not have covered her suicide?  There was never any mention as to whether or not Enid even had a life insurance policy to begin with. This tidbit of information published in the newspapers seemed even more strange.

             After Enid died, her body was taken to Backs and Terry’s Undertaking to be prepared for burial.  Her body was brought over to her father-in-law’s home at 412 E. Center Street, for her viewing.  On Tuesday, October 19, 1915, Enid’s funeral took place at St. Boniface Church, and the eulogy was given by Father Dubbel, the same person who officiated over her wedding just three months earlier.   The Knights of Columbus were in attendance and acted as pall bearers; E.E. Brus, Leo Sheridan, L.B. Webber, Al Erikson and Ben Dauser.

                After the services, Enid was laid to rest in a crypt inside the Anaheim Community Mausoleum at the Anaheim Cemetery, on Sycamore Street. 

        Enid Rimpau is not interred in the Rimpau family crypt as most would assume. The Rimpau family crypt is a private crypt on the grounds of the cemetery.  The Community Mausoleum, where she is interred, is the oldest public mausoleum in the State of California and located at the other end of the cemetery.

                 If you visit Enid’s wall crypt you will find that  the marker on her crypt has the wrong year of birth. You see, Enid fibbed when she married Robert. She was not twenty-two years old, but in fact she was twenty-three. When Enid married Charles Stone, she claimed to be nineteen years old, although she really was eighteen. The census records from 1900 and 1910 verify that she was born in February of 1892, therefore when she died  her age was in fact twenty-three years and eight months.

                 So the question remains, how did Enid meet her demise? Yes, we could believe that she was just so miserable in her life that the only way she could escape was to end it. Unfortunately, I have always had a hard time believing this. Her very character, which was long since established in the community along with her past actions in life, prove that she was not a quitter.

                 She left an abusive husband and started a new life on her own. She worked two jobs to support herself and yet always kept a kind and humble demeanor, making friends with just about everyone she met.  Does that really sound like someone who would just give up? If she was unhappy with her marriage to Robert, what was stopping her from leaving him?

Considering the theory that Enid didn’t kill herself,  then who poisoned her? I have often wondered what the Rimpau family thought of Enid. Could it have been someone within in the Rimpau family, who may not have approved of Robert marrying a divorcée ? Maybe it was even her own husband, Robert Rimpau. Another thought, possibly it wasn’t the Rimpau’s at all, but perhaps her ex-husband Charles who may have caused her death?

Had someone poisoned her, then how was it done?  Was she forced to swallow the cyanide or did she drink unknowingly, such as from a glass laced with poison? If she was poisoned that way, the killer would have probably taken the small vial of poison and conveniently placed it near her along with a “suicide note,”  to make the scene believable as to not draw suspicion. 

            If Enid was truly suicidal, wouldn’t she have downed the entire vial, to guarantee her death was sure and fast? But instead she lingered, and died in a most horrible way.

            Another possibility is that when attempting to commit suicide, after tasting  the foul poison on her palate, she found that she couldn’t compel herself to drink any more, leaving the vial still quite full, but having ingested enough to be a fatal dose. I have come to the conclusion that there is no way to know for certain what exactly happened that day in 1915. Enid took those answers with her to the grave.

            The current owners of the house, Tracey Drennan and Thomas Gaul, came across the history of home while searching the address on the internet. They had looked at over 40 houses on the market before they came across the Rimpau House. After doing a search on Google, they came across my original blog on Enid’s story.  The couple later made contact with me. They revealed that it was Enid’s story that intrigued them even more and consequently convinced them that the house was the perfect home for them!

“The house was in bad shape,”  Drennan recalled.  “It had such a sad character about it. It had been neglected and damaged by the previous owners, but it was love at first sight for us. We knew there had to be a lot of restoration involved, but we appreciated the history behind the home and saw the potential in what it could become again. We closed in December of 2013, and moved in March of 2014.” 

Although a great portion of the home had been neglected for so many years, Tracey mentioned that parts of the home were still intact, such as the closet under her staircase which still has the home’s original wallpaper.

             Tracey and her husband, Thomas bought the home through Anaheim’s famed realtor Meghan Shigo, who specializes in the town’s historic homes. Keeping the homes  historically accurate and preserved is part of the Mills Act Program which Megan is very passionate about. Through the Mills Act, the current owners have restored the Rimpau house to its original grandeur, once again breathing life back into this beautiful home.

                I remember seeing the house on Zeyn Street many times while riding in the backseat of my mother’s Oldsmobile when I was just a child. Even just in a passing glance on a trip to the park, the house seemed to lure me in, though I never knew there was a story to discover hidden behind its very walls.  It wasn’t until I was an adult, and a mother myself, that I noticed the house again on a trip with my children to Pearson Park.

              I felt that yearning to explore the home once again. I asked my grandfather, George Mac Laren, about it and he directed me to the Anaheim Library to do some investigating. It was there that I satisfied my curiosity and unraveled a mystery. I fell in love with the home, just the same as the current owners. There is a certain air of mystery and familiarity that has always drawn me to the Rimpau home.

Enid’s death was my very first in-depth historical investigation which spiraled me into the world of historical investigative writing that I am known for today. In many ways,  Enid is responsible for pushing me in that very direction. Although she never knew that her life, or tragic death, would in turn, change someone else’s life so many years later.

          The desire that ignited inside of me and the drive that fueled my tenacity to research, all started as one tiny spark that lit into a flame. That spark started when I became enamored by the home at 503 N. Zeyn Street and grew as I learned of the tragedy of Enid Rimpau’s mysterious death.  With that in mind, I felt it was only right that Enid’s story be my very first chapter in my book, so that she no longer remains one of the “forgotten.”---

Originally published in 2006, revised in 2014 on blogger & revised once more with added information and republished in book form in 2016.---

From the book "Stories of the Forgotten: Infamous, Famous & Unremembered," by J'aime Rubio (Copyright 2016).  

To Purchase your copy on Amazon click here:  https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Forgotten-Infamous-Famous-Unremembered/dp/1523981172

 

Who Was Abel Stearns?

Although Abel Stearns did not live in Anaheim, he owned most of the land surrounding it. His story is one that is part of Orange County history as well as Anaheim history because later decisions and choices he made directly affected Anaheim for a period of time.

A native of Massachusetts, Abel Stearns was born to parents Levi and Elizabeth Stearns in 1798. Both Stearns' parents were descendants of the Old English families who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1600s. According to author Phil Brigandi, Stearns was orphaned at the age of 12, where he became a sailor and traveled the seas eventually ending up in Mexico where he gained his Mexican Citizenship there. This was a key factor in his success when he moved to Los Angeles and became one of the biggest land owners in Southern California.

By 1831, Stearns had a warehouse at the port of San Pedro, his own stage coach line that ran from San Pedro to the pueblo at Los Angeles and he also had a 3-story Flour Mill on N. Spring Street in Los Angeles. It was said that in 1835, after an altercation over a keg of brandy, Stearns was stabbed in the face with a knife, permanently disfiguring his face. People often made jokes about his appearance as being "Caro de Caballo" (horse face) when he wasn't around.

Although he had some set backs, it did not stop him from becoming one of the richest and successful men in the area. It appeared as if he wasn't content with the empire he was slowly growing, so in 1842, Stearns made a huge purchase of Rancho Los Alamitos (28,000 acres).

As time went on he continued to purchase many ranchos, one by one. Eventually acquiring so many that by 1860, he was considered the most important land owner in Southern California. One of the ranchos purchased by Stearns was that of Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana which surrounded Anaheim. Although Juan Pacifico Ontiveras broke off and  sold 1,165 acres of the the same rancho to George Hansen for the Anaheim Colony, Abel Stearns bought up most of the acreage surrounding Anaheim, a whole 21,000 acres of it. At his peak, Stearns owned 200,000 acres of Los Angeles County, making his the biggest "Land-and-Cattle Empire in California" (quoted by Historian, Robert Glass Cleland.)

Besides being a merchant and land owner, Stearns was involved in politics as well, having served as a member of the Los Angeles Common Council, representing California as a State Assemblyman and being the Supervisor of Los Angeles County as well.

Unfortunately, Stearns was remembered for not only his accomplishments, but also his mistakes. Known for being a very difficult businessman, Stearns made a lot of enemies. It appears that Stearns was quick to foreclose on people who owed him debts. It almost appears as if he might have loaned money knowing that the person or persons could not make the payments, so he would collect any way he could. Mostly, a lawsuit would ensue and he would seize the persons land or any valuable property. This continued for a very long time, giving Stearns a not-so-nice reputation.

During the Gold Rush, Stearns was making a pretty penny off of the miners up north who needed to be fed. Cattle owned by Stearns went from selling for $4 for their hide and tallow, to selling them for $75 on the hoof a piece. Unfortunately, as the Gold Rush dwindled down, so did the demand for beef, but Stearns was spending more than he was taking in. As he continued to hold a bad reputation for being unreasonable with people who owed him debts, suddenly he became the debtor and the tables turned for him. To make matters worse, the drought of  1863-1864 the land had become dry, the cattle died from lack of water and food and this plummeted Stearns deeper into debt.

By 1865, Michael Reese forced Stearns to sell his favorite piece of land, Rancho Los Alamitos. The $20,000 debt Stearns owed Reese gave Stearns no other choice but to hand over the very first and most favorite ranch he had bought. As time went on, Stearns grew more and more desperate to secure cash and would mortgage the other Ranchos he owned just to support his lifestyle. Eventually, all that money ran out and more of his land was now owned by his debt collectors.

When it seemed like there was no way out, in came Alfred Robinson.  Robinson was an old friend and business associate of Stearns and he took the opportunity to make a deal with Stearns to buy and help sell his existing Ranchos. Along with four other partners, Robinson would form the Robinson Trust, which came to be a very prosperous real estate firm.

On May 25, 1868, Stearns signed the deeds to over 175,000 acres to the Robinson Trust with the arrangement that (a) the Robinson Trust would market and sell the properties, (b) the Robinson Trust would pay Stearns $50,000 cash up front to pay off his debts, (c) pay him $1.50 per every acre of land sold and (d) he would own one-eighth interest in the firm.

It should have been a great business deal, right? Well, unfortunately Stearns didn't follow through on his end of the bargain. After the deal was made, Robinson Trust (managed by: Alfred Robinson, Charles Polhemus, Edward Northam, Edward Martin and Sam Brannan) had a difficult time selling the property because Stearns continued to act as if the land belonged to him. He continued to rent land for animals (particularly cattle, horses and sheep) to graze on and made arrangements to sell the property on his own and at his own price, instead of letting the firm sell it. If that wasn't bad enough, Stearns tried to rent out portions of the San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana Rancho that no longer belonged to him. He also rented out other pieces of land he had deeded away, and took money at 10 cents per head of sheep to graze all season. For the areas surrounding the Anaheim colony this would have been terrible, as the sheep were eating all the grass to its roots, leaving the land barren and undesirable.  It seemed there was no end to the nightmare Stearns was causing Robinson, until August 23, 1871 when Abel Stearns died.

After Stearns death, the land surrounding the Anaheim Colony was quickly bought up and settled, allowing the area to flourish which also helped Anaheim itself flourish as well. Abel Stearns is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.


(Copyright 2014- J'aime Rubio )

Findagrave
Anaheim Public Library Archives 
Orange County Chronicles- By Phil Brigandi

http://www.laokay.com/halac/RanchoLosAlamitos.htm

A Forgotten Murder, Patrick Henry Dillon

A story that I am quite certain has been forgotten in time, is the murder of Patrick Henry Dillon. Not much is known about Patrick Henry Dillon, just that he was an Irish immigrant who lived in Anaheim at the time of his death. I tried to find him in the census records, but apparently he wasn't living in Anaheim or Los Angeles during the previous 1870 census. I did find several Patrick Dillon's all over California...so anyone of them could have been him.

On July 8th, not the 7th as the cemetery records claim, Patrick Henry Dillon was murdered while taking a nap under a tree on the outskirts of town. Some reports claim he was passed out drunk, while others say he was just asleep. Either case, while he was sleeping, a man by the name of Vicente Valdez (other accounts name him as "Rodriguez") snuck up on him.

Valdez had went to the neighboring house of Mrs. Culp and taken an axe from her property. He then attacked the then sleeping Mr. Dillon, crushing his skull with every blow from the axe. After the dastardly deed was done, Valdez took the axe and put it back at Mrs. Culp's house and took off with the money he had stolen from Dillon's pockets and the boots off of his feet.

APL Archives

After getting away, Valdez attempted to pawn Dillon's boots at one of the vineyards, asking for a trade for "Aguardiente" (a very strong alcoholic drink). Suspicion rose about where the boots came from, and Valdez fled. When the body of Dillon was discovered, Deputy Sheriff Richard Barham took it upon himself to make sure that the murderer was tracked down and brought to justice.

On July 10, 1878, just two days after the murder, Valdez was arrested and brought to jail. According to the newspapers of the time, the town was hell bent on vigilante justice but Sheriff Braham, "eluded the vigilance of Judge Lynch, and lodged the prisoner safely in jail."

Newspaper Article

By August, Valdez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison by the District Court.  As for Patrick Dillon, sadly it seems that he has been forgotten. No photos of him exist to my knowledge. Perhaps some long lost relative out there has one somewhere. He was buried in the Anaheim Cemetery at Section: CP Block: 6 Lot: 46 Space: 1, but the Anaheim records and the Orange County records misspelled his name as "Pabrict" for whatever reason. How they got Pabrict from Patrick is beyond me, but now his story has been found and told.

I have contacted Findagrave to correct his name, so that he can be remembered properly. Although we may not know where he came from, we know where he had been, Anaheim. This town was the last place he called home. Why he was sleeping out there under a tree in the vineyards is not known. Perhaps he worked there and was taking a nap. Perhaps he was drunk and passed out. Who knows?!
But he didn't deserve to die the way he did.

Rest In Peace, Patrick Henry Dillon. You are not forgotten.

 (Copyright 2014- J'aime Rubio)

Sources:
Orange County Cemetery District Records
Findagrave
Sac Daily Union -July 8, 1878,  July 9, 1878
Los Angeles Herald- July 10, 1878,  August 17, 1878
Anaheim Public Library Archive Photo of Vineyard--

Captain Max Von Strobel- The Mystery Behind Anaheim's First Mayor

Anaheim Public Library Archives

Like all good mysteries, there must be twists and turns at every step to engage your reader or audience. In my quest as a historical investigator, sometimes I have unearthed the most amazing mysteries that seem like they were ripped from the pages of the best mystery novels.

When I first started researching Maximilian Von Strobel's history, it was only because I was interested in writing about the first mayor of Anaheim. Little did I know that during the process of researching his life and death, that I would uncover a story so intriguing and shocking, that it is easy to imagine now why he was literally erased from Anaheim history so long ago.

As elusive as can be, Captain Maximilian Franz Otto Von Strobel seemed to pop up in only small spots in our history here in Anaheim. The fact that no one seemed to know much about his life or death, and most of the history books left him out all together, it piqued my interest even more. In 1987 Opal L. Kissinger and Elizabeth J. Schultz helped solve one mystery, what Max looked like. After coming into contact with a lady by the name of June Hord, they were able to acquire the only photograph known to exist today of Max Strobel. She also added what history she knew of his life which was mentioned in the article "Father of Orange County Loses Some Mystery" by Richard Buffum/Los Angeles Times (February 22, 1987).

The history that seems to be known is that Max Strobel was originally from Bavaria and had a huge list of talents or trades you could say. He was noted as being a soldier, engineer, cartographer, linguist and orator.  In the article I mention above, it is stated that before Strobel settled in Anaheim, he came west with John C. Fremont's second expedition and that he also traveled with William Walker in his insurrection of Nicaragua and later abandoned his military career.

Well, this information really started to make my head start spinning and I started to wonder what other secrets Mr. Strobel took to the grave with him.

We know that Maximilian Franz Otto Von Strobel came from Bavaria, was said to have been involved in many military operations, was very well educated in many trades and fields of work. It is also mentioned that he came from an aristocratic background in Europe. But Anaheim residents only know him as the first mayor of Anaheim.

It is claimed that Max came to Anaheim in the late 1860s. According to the Census records of the time 1870, Max reported his occupation as being a "Surveyor" and his real estate property as being worth $4,000 and personal property worth $250.00. This was a lot less than Theodore Rimpau's property values, which is listed on the same census page, showing the Rimpau real estate being worth $14,000 and his personal property being worth $8,000.

In 1870, Strobel was elected the first mayor of Anaheim and lobbied the State Assembly to create a new County to separate Anaheim from Los Angeles County.  His idea? That the southern portion of Los Angeles County, to which Anaheim was still part of, would now be known as Anaheim County- with Anaheim being the County Seat. Unfortunately, Los Angeles lobbied against the bill and its San Francisco interests supported Los Angeles' stand on the matter, virtually killing the bill and defeating Strobel.

It was soon after this defeat that Strobel became even more determined to separate Anaheim from Los Angeles, so he goes to the people, creating his own newspaper "The People's Advocate."  It is here that Strobel uses the means of the media to push his agenda, creating divisions in Anaheim. The newspaper only lasted a mere two years. He also came up with the idea for the Anaheim Street Car Company (horse drawn trolley cars) although he could not raise enough funds to get it started. The idea did remain in residents minds though, since Theodore Rimpau later helped get the ball rolling in 1887.

Literally no more mention of Strobel or his family could be found after his death in 1873. Even his death notice was very vague and no mention of a funeral or cause of death. It appeared as if he literally was forgotten as fast as the news spread that he had died. It seemed so strange, that a man who had put so much into trying to change the town, becoming mayor, running a newspaper and even his strange death could be wiped clean from Anaheim's history.

This made me wonder even more...

•  What was it that they wanted to forget? 
•  Why was Max left out of the history? 

Upon my further researching, I contacted a source of mine in London, England to try to find out just how Max Strobel died. The British archives online do not mention his death in the papers at all. Some records I found on our American archives state that he died in Anaheim while others say Amsterdam. So why the mystery in all of this? Well, according to what I found, Max was on business and was actually about to have a big meeting with British investors who were about to purchase not only Catalina Island, but southern properties in San Diego County, but Max never made it to his business meeting. Instead, he was found dead in his hotel room. There is no mention of how he died, or where he was taken for burial. I could not find any record of him being brought back to the U.S. so the location of his remains, remain a mystery.

The article mentioned earlier in the L.A. Times stated that he was working as an agent for James Lick when he died. Perhaps he was, although the information I have found leads me to believe he was working for many other people as well.  For one, I found that Max was also working for a man known as John Forster (aka Don Juan), one of the largest land owners in California. It is mentioned that not only was Max Strobel in Europe in 1873 to sell Catalina Island, but that he was promoting the idea to have English settlers come over to San Diego County, (Rancho Santa Marguerita) to colonize in the very same way that Anaheim was started.

You see, Max Strobel was not who everyone thought he was. I don't think anyone really knew him completely. Yes, he worked as an agent in many transactions that I could find on record, but there was still more to him that many didn't know, and if they did, that is probably why they erased him from history.

I don't believe that Max died of natural causes that day on February 17, 1873 in his suite at the Threadneedles Hotel in London. No, I believe that Max's past caught up with him and that more than likely he was murdered. The last time his name had been mentioned in London papers was in 1855, causing a big scandal and many suspicions of him had been raised.

JUST WHO WAS MAX STROBEL?

You see, about 15 years before he found himself in Anaheim, Strobel was mentioned in England's newspapers, suspected of working for the Russian Government as a spy in the United States.

Wait, it gets even more interesting...

Other records, which was documented testimony of Strobel himself during the trial of a man named Hertz, who was tried and convicted for recruiting men in the United States to enlist for service under the English Government, tells another tale.

You see, Strobel was hired to be a Captain in the new "Foreign Legion"  working for the British Government under the power of  Sir Gaspard Le Marchant, Lt. Governor of Novia Scotia.  His job was to recruit able bodied men in the United States, from the ages of  18-40 for an army that would be under the British command.

"They devised a plan of violating the national sovereignty of the United States."--("Papers Relating to The Treaty of Washington.") In fact, the whole idea was that they would recruit these men for a new army or "legion" that would travel within the borders of the U.S. or outside of the U.S. but acting under the command of England. The men were to be sent to Halifax under the guise of working on the railroads, but would then be enlisted and trained in the new military outfit assigned to them. They were promised to be paid $8 weekly, room and board, clothing expenses, and offered that if they give up 3-5 years of servitude to the crown that they could be given land in Canada or offered passage back to America or to their home country.

Of course this was treason, to turn against ones own country, so when the United States found out about this criminal behavior, many were arrested. I couldn't find out how on earth Max got away with this, but being that he openly testified in court, pretty much sealing the fate of Mr. Hertz, I think he was pardoned for any part he played in the whole thing.

The transcripts did more than tell me what Max was up to in 1855, but it also gave me a peek inside his head. You see, his literal word for word testimony was documented, and he answered a lot of questions.

By his own admission, Max Strobel stated that he was born and raised in Bavarria. He claimed that in 1849 he joined the revolutionists in Bavaria, working with the artillery. When Bavaria was defeated, he fled to Switzerland. He later traveled through France and England until 1851, when he secured passage to the United States in Havre. On May 13th he embarked on his journey across the Atlantic, arriving in June of 1851 to New York.


"I came to this country;  I was in New York several weeks, and then went to Washington, and there got employment in the Coast Survey Office. I was there until 1853, when I went out with the expedition to Oregon under Governor Stevens. I went up with him to Minnesota; I left his party out on the plains on Red River, and came back to Minnesota on the 7th of September, 1853, and came down to St. Louis, and started with Colonel Fremont on his winter expedition to San Francisco about this great Pacific Railroad. 

I have been assistant topographical engineer of Colonel Fremont. I left San Francisco on the 1st of May, 1854. I crossed the Isthmus, and came back with our Indians, and brought them up to Kansas again. From there I went back to Washington City, where I finished the maps for the works of Colonel Fremont, which I suppose are now before Congress.... I finished them in August 1854.

Then I received a letter of recommendation from Mr. Benton, to the different directors of railroads to secure me a position as engineer. I went with this letter of recommendation or letter of introduction to Missouri.  I took sick there, and was obliged to leave the valley of Mississippi, and come back to Washington City. When I came back to Washington, I was engaged in the Pacific Railroad office, at that time established in Washington, and was at work there until the 1st of February."--- Max Franz Otto Von Strobel-

It was after these events that he claims he was contacted by Mr. Crampton, who was working for Mr. Perkins and Mr. Hertz.


England or Russia?


During my research, I found affidavits that were filed from several men, swearing of the knowledge of  Captain Maximilian Franz Otto Von Strobel of Bavarria as working as a spy under the command by the Russian Government. One of the men testifying claimed that any and all statements made by Strobel were lies and that men in the same region of Bavarria who were in the artillery unit claimed no such man ever served by the name of Strobel.

In fact, on October 26th, 1855 a man testified to this fact claiming:

"Captain Max Strobel is, and has been for some months past, in the pay of the Russian Government, and is made use of by Russian officials in the United States; and he says that the amount he (Strobel) receives for the same has been openly stated, namely, the sum of twenty-five dollars a- week."  --- M.A. Thoman.

" Major Henry Jacob Tack, of Newark, New Jersey, United States, swears that before the revolution in Baden he was an officer in the Bavarian Artillery-that he knew every man in the said artillery— that he understands thut Captain Max Strobel gave out that he was not in the Bavarian Artillery at all. The Major, however, has a recollection that there was a man of the name of Strobel in some other branch of the army, in a subordinate capacity, who lay under a criminal charge."--- Henry J. Tack. per Charles Edwards

So just who was Max Strobel? Russian spy? Bavarian criminal? Or was he just an opportunist, that took advantage of every job he was offered, selling his allegiance to the highest bidder.

So what happened to Strobel after this whole ordeal?  How does he always seem to slip away without being jailed or convicted? Who knows!


SOLDIER OF FORTUNE?

By the the time the whole Russian/British spy thing had blown over, Strobel was long gone and headed down to Nicaragua with another "soldier of fortune," William Walker. Walker was a one time journalist, turned militia man from Tennessee who rounded up an army "The Immortals"and traveled south to Nicaragua to support Francisco Castellon from the Democratic party in Leon, who was fighting against the Legitimist party in Granada.

It was in Granada where Walker ultimately overtook the city, proclaimed himself the new President, and took control of the country of Nicaragua. He ruled for several years as a dictator, upsetting neighboring countries, who heard that he was interested in expanding his empire. Led by Legitimist Nicaraguans and other military from various South American countries, Walker was forced out of the country, only to be captured in Honduras in 1860 where he was later executed.

It seems that the company that Max Strobel kept was very dangerous. Why these parts of his life story have been kept in the dark so long is a question we will probably never get an answer to. I am sure the people who knew this story were ashamed and thus the reason why his life story was left out of the Anaheim history books.

Perhaps Strobel tried his hand at a somewhat legitimate lifestyle when he settled in Anaheim. But it is hard to say, being that he was under the employment of a lot of very powerful men in the state when he died.  I personally think that when Max Strobel headed back to London in 1873, he was probably aware that the trip would be risky. He had testified against men who were under direct orders from the British Government to recruit an army within the United States. I am sure there were many people in London who did not forget that. So who killed him? How would there be any way to know? I am sure Max Strobel made many enemies in his lifetime, which leads to many suspects.

What I also find very odd is that only five months after Max's strange death, his wife, Mary Strobel died. The newspapers do not mention how, whether it was suicide, natural causes or murder. It does make me wonder though.

The probate records show that several people took parts of Mary's estate after she died. I also found records with the City of Anaheim mentioning Mary Strobel's estate being situated where the "Little People's Park" is. I am not certain if this is the same person, but it seems likely. Perhaps that is where their home was located originally. 

In the end, the father of Orange County, the man who created the idea for Anaheim to break away from Los Angeles will be remembered with this blog. And Max Strobel's life and death will still remain that ever elusive mystery that we just can't seem to completely reveal.


(Copyright 2014- J'aime Rubio)

Congressional Serial Set: Succession of Intercourse, page 14 (1858)
English Newspaper Archives 
Papers Relating to the Treaty of Washington, 
Volume 1- By United States. Department of State (pgs 542-567)
Census Records,
LA Times archives (1987)
thenashvillecitycemetery.org/william_walker_article
Daily Alta California,