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HUNTINGTON
BEACH HISTORY
By: Carolyn F.
Baily - 1981
The city of
Huntington Beach is situated on a
wedge-shaped mesa on the Pacific Ocean. In
its original state, the mesa was almost
surrounded by swamp land. Continued seepage
from widespread artesian wells combined with
the estuary of the Santa Ana River on the
south to form acres of peat bogs and willow
thickets. At the foot of the west bluff a
tidal lagoon harbored various water fowl,
shellfish and related fauna and flora. These
natural condition virtually isolated the
mesa from the valley, well into the mid-19th
century.
Archaeologists
have located sixteen sites of varying
antiquity on the mesa where Indians, called
by the Spaniards Gabrielinos, made
camp. One of these, a major camp and burial
ground, overlooked the Santa Ana River. It
was located on part of what is known today
as the Newland property, opposite Wycliffe's
4.6-acre plot on Beach Boulevard.
From 1542 to
1822, Spain ruled what is now California. a
few large land grants were made during that
period and when Mexico achieved independence
in 1822, the Mexican governors of Alta
California made additional grants. Among
these were the Rancho Los Alamitos and the
Rancho Las Bolsas, by Governor Jose
Figueroa. A Yankee trader, Able Sterns,
began lending money to the grantee of Rancho
Laos Alamitos and when the owner could not
pay the debt, Sterns acquired the Rancho.
His next acquisition was the 156,000-acre
Rancho Las Bolsas that included what later
would be called the city of Huntington Beach
as well as most of Orange County.
In 1862 Sterns
sold the Rancho to The Los Angeles and San
Bernardino Land Company. The land was then
placed under the agency of Sterns' Rancho
which acted as a Realtor. This set the stage
for rapid development of the Santa Ana
Valley, which eventually included the
founding of the city of Huntington Beach--a
unique story, so recent in history that some
of its participants are still living.
STERNS RANCHOS COMPANY
After
California was admitted to the Union in
1850, a Land Commission was established to
verify early surveys and proof of ownership.
The owner of the Rancho Las Bolsas, which
included modern-day Huntington Beach, could
ill afford the Land Commission's fees. So
Abel Sterns loaned the parties involved 50
young cows to meet the commission's fees and
cash for other needs. The interest on the
loan was five percent compounded monthly! In
little more than a year's time the interest
rate had caused the debt to double. On
February 14, 1861, the Rancho went at public
auction to Stearns for $15,000, making him
the wealthiest ranchero in the Santa Ana
Valley.
The year held
additional rewards for Stearns. On Christmas
Eve, 1861, rain began falling in the valley
and continued for four weeks. The swollen
Santa Ana River left its banks and when the
water receded, the river had moved from the
west bluff of the Huntington Mesa tot he
east bluff of Costa Mesa. Since the river
acted as the eastern boundary of the Rancho
Las Bolsas, Stearns claimed the added strip
of land for the Rancho. A survey was ordered
and filed with the Land Commission which
upheld Stearns' claim. Curiously, the only
remaining maps showing the old and new
boundary lines are copies made by a
16-year-old-boy. The originals were
destroyed when the Stern's home office was
razed in the great San Francisco fire of
1906.
Riding high on
financial and property gains, Abel Stearns
entered 1862 expecting even greater things.
But a two year drought set in causing the
loss of thousands of cattle. By 1868 Stearns
had suffered such financial reverses that he
had sold most of his land holdings to the
Trust which controlled the Stearns Ranchos
Company. the era of the large cattle ranchos
was on the way out. In its place came
agriculture, as ranchos were broken up and
generally sold in 40-acre farms.
Between 1894
and 1897, Colonel Robert J. Northam, manager
of the Stearns Ranchos Company, acquired
seven parcels from the company. His
activities as manager and as a landowner on
the Huntington Mesa are inexorably tied to
the Mesa's development.
THE
STANTON SYNDICATE AND PACIFIC CITY
Colonel Robert
J. Northam's ranch house was located where
the Huntington Beach Company stands today.
From there the view was grand. The mesa's
verdant barley and alfalfa fields,
interlaced with a chain of sparkling fresh
water pons, spread all the way to colorful
Shell Beach. Seed barley from the mesa was
sold to farmers who had purchased, drained
and cultivated the rich alluvium of the
swamps. Farmers fed the grain to their
cattle, and one by one, many farmers began
growing celery, an excellent money crop. Of
interest was the Colonel's use of a flag
system to signal prospective feed buyers.
When the flag was raised he was ready to
transact business; when lowered, it signaled
"no business at this time."
Early in 1901,
Philip A. Stanton and Colonel H. S. Finley
are reported to have looked down the mesa
escarpment to the lovely beach and rolling
surf, visualizing it as a perfect location
for a west coast rival to Atlantic City.
With the development of a resort city in
mind they formed a syndicate, The West Coast
Land and Water Company. Through it they
acquired 1,500 acres of land for $100,000
from Colonel Northam. On high ground
adjacent to the beach, 20 acres on either
side of Main Street were divided into lots
and streets. They named this 40-acre
development, Pacific City. To lend it an air
of life and permanency, they moved several
houses and a church on to the town site--the
houses from Newport, via the beach at low
tide, and the church from Fairview.
Stanton sold
his interest in the company in 1902 to three
businessmen who collaborated to buy out the
West Coast Land and Water Company and
stimulate interest and growth in Pacific
City. Their plan included securing mass
transportation to the town. Pacific City was
still essentially isolated from the valley,
except for a wagon trail that snaked over
the mesa, and from other beach towns at high
tide. Therefore, they sought out one man,
Henry E. Huntington, setting the stage for
the next step in the founding of Huntington
Beach.
PACIFIC CITY BECOMES HUNTINGTON BEACH
The men who
purchased Stanton's interest formed a new
syndicate that permitted unit holders of the
original Stanton syndicate to retain their
interest and take stock in the new company.
Several did, including Colonel H. S. Finley.
Although the
site of Pacific City held great promise, it
lacked easy access for prospective citizens
and land speculators. The syndicate, headed
by J. V. Vickers, approached Henry E.
Huntington, owner of the massive interurban
electric railway in southern California, and
asked him to extend the Long Beach line to
Pacific City. In return, Huntington was
offered a large block of stock in the new
company, free right-of-way along the ocean
front, one-twelfth of all subdivided land
lots and one-fifth interest in all ocean
front bluff property. The company would be
named The Huntington Beach Company and, the
coup de grace, Pacific City would be
renamed Huntington Beach. Huntington agreed
to extend the Long Beach rail line.
On Monday,
July 4, 1904, a crowd estimated at 50,000
witnessed the dedication of the city of
Huntington Beach and the arrival of the
first Pacific Electric red cars. Following
the dedication 11 beeves provided dinners
for all while eager customers besieged 52
real estate agents for lots.
The Company
invested heavily in city improvements. A
generator was built to provide electricity.
Telephone service operated from 6 A.M. to 9
P.M. Sidewalks, curbs and gutters were
built. A pavilion, an indoor plunge and a
hotel were constructed. Parks and a nursery,
providing free plants to residents, were
among the major projects undertaken
Within a year
the surge of growth declined. The Huntington
Beach Company was in debt and the community
lay in economic doldrums. At this juncture
an event occurred that brought much-needed
cash to the Company. Encyclopedia
Americana adopted a promotion plan
offering the purchaser of a Student's
Reference set a free lot as a bonus. A total
of 420 "hillside and . . . canyon" lots were
purchased for this purpose from the
Huntington Beach Company. Little did each
"bonus" recipient know that in less than two
decades his lot might be worth a fortune.
DISCOVERY OF OIL DEFERS DREAM OF RESORT TOWN
Evidences of
gas and petroleum in the Huntington Beach
area date back to prehistoric days. Indians
used pitch from the bogs to waterproof their
baskets and reed boats. The Spaniards added
to this the use of oil for fuel and
medicinal purposes.
As the area
came under cultivation, wells were dug for
water. Colonel Northam drilled a well on the
eastern slope of his property in order to
irrigate an alfalfa field that extended east
to Adams and Beach Boulevard. More gas than
water came in so the water could not be
pumped. The flow of gas was directed into
his house where it was used for light and
heat for many years.
In 1919
representatives of the Huntington Beach
Company met with Standard Oil and leased 500
acres to Standard for exploratory drilling.
Standard's
"Bolsa Chica" No. 1 is considered to be the
Huntington Beach Discovery Well. It came in
as a gusher producing 2,000 barrels per day
(B/D). Development of six areas and five
major booms followed, putting Huntington
Beach on the map as California's fourth
largest oil field.
The initial
boom, located in the Golden West-Garfield
area, lasted from 1920-1923. From 1922-1926
the low yield Barley Field area was
developed. The second boom began when the
Lower or Main Zone of the 17th Street
Townlot area was tapped in 1926. On the
Pacific Coast Highway, Wilshire Oil drilled
"Huntington Beach" No. 15, producing 4,800
B/D! Excitement ran high over the production
and the indication of the Offshore Tidelands
pool. Hundreds of wells were drilled along
the coast highway using McVicar's whipstock
tool for directional drilling. The third
boom was on.
A forest of
derricks had arisen around and in the town,
but more were to come. In 1936 the Five
Points area was developed. This was followed
by a resurgence of activity in 1943 and the
drilling of "Mize" No. 1 in the Townlot Tar
Zone that triggered the fourth boom. A dozen
years later the last boom occurred with the
development of the Southeast Townlot
Extension. During this period oil was
discovered on the property where Wycliffe's
new offices are being completed.
Unfortunately, the wells on the property are
no longer productive!
THROUGH SEVEN DECADES
When Philip
Stanton sold his interest in the West Coast
Land and Water Company in 1902, Colonel H.
S. Finley opted to join the new syndicate
that formed the Huntington Beach Company. It
was Finley who, as a boy of 16, had copied
the map and notes, the only surviving
evidence of the 1862 survey of the Stearns
Ranchos Company. And it was Finley who owned
the land upon which Wycliffe's international
offices are being built.
In 1915,
Finley sold this property to C. G. Ward who
owned it until 1948. Between 1948 and 1953
the property changed owners twice and in
1953 Ralph E. Welch purchased the land.
Three years later he deeded over a portion
of it for use as Welch's Ready Mixed
Concrete Company and so it remained until
approximately 1969 when the plant was
dismantled and moved by Welch to another
location.
After the
discovery of oil in Huntington Beach,
drilling on geologic "highs" was common. Oil
speculators leased one of these "highs",
known locally as the Golden Dome, from C. G.
Ward. Mrs. Maud Brown, whose property
fronted on Quincy (now Adams), recalls that
a well on the Dome came in as a gusher in
the early '20s, "spreading casing-mud, rock
and crude oil over everything in its path."
Oilman Howard O'Brien remembers driving by
on Harrison (now Beach Boulevard) and seeing
the gusher. "My car wasn't affected," he
says, "but those passing on Quincy were a
sight to behold."
In 1931 the
"Turner" No. 6 well was completed, the first
of three wells to be drilled on that part of
the Dome mow owned by Wycliffe. "Diane" No.
1 and "Paul III" No. 1 were completed 26
years later. None of the wells were large
producers, "Turner" No. 6 being abandoned
within a relatively short time.
As production
declined, the other two wells were abandoned
also and the sites restored, opening the way
for future construction. With this policy
continuing in the Huntington Beach area,
former Mayor Alvin M. Coen anticipates that
"even a few decades hence" all signs of the
oil industry will have vanished. Then
Huntington Beach will realize at last its
potential as a resort city.
Huntington
Beach History from City of Huntington Beach
In 1895, the
Southern Pacific Railroad built a line to
Huntington Beach, connecting the farming
area to the Holly Sugar Plant which had
relocated to Santa Ana.
In 1901, Philip
A. Stanton and Col. H.S. Finley visited the
area and recognized its potential as a west
coast resort rivaling Atlantic City, New
Jersey. They formed a syndicate called the
West Coast Land and Water Co. They acquired
1,500 acres for $100,000 and began dividing
the area around Main Street into lots and
streets. They named their new development
Pacific City.
Eighteen months
later, they sold out to another group of
investors, including Henry E. Huntington.
Hence the city's new name. One of the first
things the new Huntington Beach Company did
was construct a wooden pier. The Pacific
Electric Railway also now connected the city
to Long Beach. The city's first telephone
system was installed. It operated from 6
a.m. to 9 p.m.
The city
incorporated on Feb. 17, 1909. The first
mayor was Ed Manning. The city saw its first
school built the same year.
In 1920, oil was
discovered, and the small village quickly
mushroomed into a full-fledged boomtown.
Pacific Coast Highway was constructed in
1925, opening up access to 8-1/2 miles of
virgin beach and ushering in the city's
gradual transition to "Surf City." By the
50's and 60's, Huntington Beach had become
the fastest growing city in the nation.
Today a population of approximately 200,000,
the city is world renowned for its surfing
and is becoming a destination attraction.
The Pier is one
of Huntington Beach's focal points. The
first pier, a 1,000 foot. long timber
structure, was built in 1904, five years
before the city's incorporation. In 1912,
winter storms nearly destroyed the pier, and
a $70,000 bond issue was approved by the
voters to build a new one. The new 1,350 ft.
pier was the longest, highest, and only
solid concrete pleasure pier in the United
States at that time. In 1930, the pier was
lengthened by 500 ft. with a caf'at the
end. In 1939, a storm destroyed the end of
the pier and the caf' After reconstruction,
it was re-opened in 1940. In 1941, the Navy
commandeered the pier for submarine watch
during World War II. In March of 1983,
storms severely damaged the end of the pier
and the caf' necessitating demolition and
closure of the end of the pier. In September
1985, the rehabilitated pier reopened with a
new two story "End Caf'" only to be washed
away again on January 17, 1988. The pier was
declared unsafe and closed on July 12, 1988.
In July 1990, the construction bid for the
new pier was given to Reidel International.
The new pier replicated the historic
architectural style of the original 1914
concrete pier, complete with arched bents.
The pier was built to withstand not only
wave impact and uplift, but also
earthquakes. Today, thousands of visitors
stroll along the pier and enjoy a meal at
Ruby's Restaurant at the end of the pier.
Huntington Beach
is rich in history with its beginning as an
oil town. Today, the Newland House still
stands proud at Beach Boulevard and Adams, a
reminder of the architecture as well as
furnishings of the early 1900's. Also of
great historic value is the City Gym & Pool
located next to Dwyer Middle School on Palm
Avenue. The building was constructed in 1931
and survived the 1933 earthquake, while
other buildings did not. In the 1960's, many
buildings were destroyed because they failed
to meet new earthquake standards. The School
Board chose to donate the facility to the
City of Huntington Beach. The city made
structural upgrades and it has since served
as a recreation center that has served the
community with a variety of programs and
recreational opportunities. The City Gym &
Pool was renovated using the original wood
in the gymnasium, and most of the fixtures
and windows were restored. The building was
rededicated on October 12, 2000.
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