Places I will never visit ……no. 2 …..Los Alamos .... another story from Cheryl Mansfield Heisler

Now I am back with another in the series Places I will never visit,* and again it is from my friend Cheryl.

She and her family live in Orcutt California, and Los Alamos is “another little town just 10 miles south of us”.

I got it confused with that other Los Alamos, known for its  atom bomb, which is in New Mexico.

So, with that cleared up here is Cheryl’s story

“In 1839, José Antonio de la Guerra, a son of José de la Guerra y Noriega received the Rancho Los Alamos Mexican land grant. 

The hills above Rancho Los Alamos served as a hideout for bandito, Salomon Pico, whose escapades were popularized by the character "Zorro".

During the U.S.'s centennial year of 1876, Thomas Bell along with his nephew John S. Bell, and Dr. James B. Shaw (all from San Francisco), purchased acreage from Rancho Los Alamos and neighboring Rancho La Laguna. Both families allocated a half square mile from each of their new ranches to create the Los 

Alamos town site with "Centennial Street" as the central thoroughfare.

The Los Alamos Valley prospered and grew quickly serving as a popular stagecoach stop from 1861–1901. 

The Union Hotel opened in 1880 to serve overnight travelers. 

The narrow-gauge Pacific Coast Railway also ran to Los Alamos from San Luis Obispo between 1882–1940. 

Oil was discovered at the Orcutt field in hills north of Valley in 1901, and in the Purisima Hills south of the valley at the Lompoc Oil Field in 1903, providing more economic prosperity. 

The town flagpole at Centennial and Bell Street was dedicated in 1918. 

The Chamber of Commerce was active from 1920–32 and instrumental in forming a lighting district, obtaining telephone service, street paving and mail service. 

Residents today still pick-up their mail from the Post Office downtown, as no street delivery is available.

Los Alamos, California, is home to the last standing Pacific Coast Railroad Station, and is now also home to various wine tasting rooms, fine dining establishments, and antique stores.”**

And that is it, other than to say thank you to Cheryl who I am hoping l will offer up some more places, which I know I will never get to visit, even though California is on my wish list.

But then so is New England, Ontario and British Columbia, as well as heaps of laces in Europe.

Now given that Cheryl and Steve  travelled to lots of places this year, I am confident this will not be the last story.

No pressure then.

Location; California, 

Pictures; around Los Alamos, 2021 from the collection of Cheryl Mansfield Heisler

*Places I will never visit ……no. 1 ….. that other California …………Orcutt, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2021/08/places-i-will-never-visit-no-1-that.html

** Los Alamos, California,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alamos,_California

Places I will never visit ……no. 1 ….. that other California …………Orcutt

 An occasional series looking at places I doubt I will ever visit.

Like most of us I have heaps of family, friends, and acquaintances, scattered across the globe, some of whom I doubt I will ever get to meet.

And so, while we exchange messages and get to see each other via facetime, I will never stroll down their street, take in their favourite bar or restaurant or discover the historical sites which make up their community.

All of which has led to the series, where I invite people I know to share some pictures of their town and offer up a bit of its story.

Cheryl who lives in Orcutt, California was the first to accept the invitation.

Looking at a map of southern California, it is  roughly half way between San Francisco to the north and  Los Angeles to the south and in between there are all those familiar places, including San Jose,  Monterey, and Santa Barbara.

While to the east there are a shedload of National Parks and Forests, like Yosemite, Death Valley, and plenty more.

I have to confess my knowledge of California is pretty much derived from the Beach Boys, and American films and television, and pretty much limited to the bog cities.

So Orcutt fascinates me.  My Wikipedia tells me  “Orcutt is an unincorporated town located in the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Orcutt is named for William Warren Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Departments of the Union Oil Company.

The population of Orcutt was 35,262 at the 2010 census, up from 28,830 at the 2000 census”.  

The weather is warm, with dry summers and “has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate”.

Sadly, it doesn’t offer much in the way of history, other than that, in 1904 the company he worked for  instructed him to create a town, to house the growing workforce needed for the booming Santa Maria oil field, and despite Orcutt's objections the company insisted on naming the new town, Orcutt, after him.

What strikes me as I roam the town, courtesy of Google Street maps is just how much open space there is within the town boundaries.  As if the houses are almost an afterthought, and the place is waiting for more to happen.

It is the classic small US town played out in countless films and novels.

And Cheryl has added, "We live in the unincorporated area of Orcutt. There is a tiny little town of Orcutt as well. 

They have been renovating it over the last few years and there are some cute little places to eat? 

A small grocery store, a gas station, and a few little fun stores. During the time we’ve lived here, there has been so much development, we are almost blended with the city of Santa Maria. So our official title is the Orcutt area of the Santa Maria Valley. How confusing is that?  Leave it to California.

And I have included pictures of  Arroyo Grande. It is 20 miles north of us..  One of them is of Steve at Naughty Oak Brewery.

Living on the Central Coast of California, one of our favorite little places to visit is the quaint little village of Arroyo Grande. One recent afternoon, we decided to go on a little jaunt. It’s only about twenty minutes north of us.

Arroyo Grande, which translates to Big Gulch, was established in the late 1800s. Many of the buildings have been preserved and it’s not hard to imagine what it was like in the early days.

These days, the buildings are used for antique shops, clothing shops, hair salons, various eating establishments, etc.  It doesn’t take long to meander through Branch Street, but it is usually relaxing, friendly, and not too crowded.

The suspension bridge is the only one of its kind. Originally built in 1875 with no sides!  Sides were added in 1911, and it lasted until 1995 when it was destroyed by a flood. It is now fully restored. Only 5 people at a time can cross.

On the other side of the bridge there is a museum, and house used as a wedding venue, and a quiet little neighborhood. 

We didn’t see many roosters on our recent trip, but during the less busy months you see many wandering around the streets and park area.  It’s not unusual to have one shoe up at your feet while your eating, hoping you drop something". 

Location; Orcutt, and Arroyo Grande, California

Pictures; Orcutt and Arroyo Grande, 2021, from the collection of Cheryl Mansfield Heisler

*Orcutt, California, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orcutt,_California

Food from the World ..... no 3 .....from Cheryl in California ....Clam Chowder

The new series exploring food from around the world, with a mix of recipies from friends and the history underpinning their dish, and just what food can tell us about the past.

And today, Clam Chowder which Cheryl says, "here on the Central Coast of California, the chowder is thicker and many times it is served in a sourdough bread bowl. 

I make my own sourdough bread these days, so I serve it toasted on the side.  

My son says it’s his favorite meal I cook. My favorite place to get it from a restaurant is Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach, California.  We always get it in a bread bowl to go, and sit on the sand while we eat it".  

4 slices of bacon

5 green onions, sliced thin

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

Clam juice

3 cups half and half

3 Tablespoons flour

Sprig of Rosemary

3 cans chopped clams

Fry bacon in pan until crispy. Remove bacon and crumble for garnish. Sauté onions and celery in bacon drippings until tender. Meanwhile, cover potatoes with clam juice, add Rosemary sprig and simmer until tender.  Add flour to onion and celery mixture and cook for a couple of minutes. Add some of the half and half and stir until it starts to thicken. Combine with the potatoes and add additional half and half. Add clams. Stir until heated and thickened. You may add more or less flour to make it the way you like it.  I serve it with bacon and green onion slices sprinkled on top. 

Location, California

Picture; Cheryl's Clam Chowder , 2021, From the collection of Cheryl Mansfield Heisler  

Boring pictures after the lock down …. no. 14.... California

Now, I thought we had done with the series Boring pictures after the lockdown, afterall in most places things are beginning to edge back to what they were, but Robert has confounded that idea.*

And that is partly because he was looking for the most boring scene, on the most boring of nights, and because in California, like other states in the USA, lock down can still be very real.

The original brief was that the picture should be by you and be boring.

And Robert who once lived in Chorlton but now resides in Ventura, near Los Angeles has delivered with  this one of his backyard, adding "Boring scene at night".

Location; Robert's back yard

Pictures; Robert's back yard, Ventura, California, from the collection of Robert Levy

*Boring pictures after the lockdown, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Boring%20pictures%20after%20the%20lockdown

Boring pictures after the lock down …. no. 8.... California

So, as we edge to a relaxation of lock down, the new series is launched.

Boring pictures after the lock down, invites everyone who is out and about to offer up their own photograph. *

The only qualifications are that it should be by you and be boring.

And Robert who once lived in Chorlton but now resides in Ventura, near Los Angeles offered up this one of his backyard, adding "I’m going to need to work on this one. I’ve never gone out to take deliberately boring photos. It is a challenge though . I love the concept.
That one is from inside our back yard .I took it last week".

Location; Robert's back yard

Pictures; Robert's back yard, Ventura, California, from the collection of Robert Levy

*Boring pictures after the lockdown, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Boring%20pictures%20after%20the%20lockdown

The Californian Century …….. ten fascinating stories ... on the wireless

"Stanley Tucci imagines the story of modern California as a movie screenplay, tracing the dramatic history of the state from Hollywood to Silicon Valley.*

His screenplays tell the stories of ten women and men who built California. It's a high risk, high reward state. A place where, if you make it, you're on top of the world. But if you don't, there's a long, long way to fall.

Here is the men who lied and lied and lied again to bring water to arid LA, and the story of the superstar revivalist preacher who was as big as Chaplin – before she disappeared without trace. 

We'll also hear about the genius who first brought silicon to Silicon Valley, right before he became a passionate eugenicist - Silicon Valley's dirty little secret".

And my own favourite to date …… Episode 5, The Good Fight, "the story of Leon Lewis who hunted down Nazis on the streets on LA in the 30s and 40s.

With its aircraft factories and shipyards, California consumed ten per cent of the US war budget. That made it a prime target for Nazis hoping to disrupt the war effort.

Leon Lewis swung into action, infiltrating LA's Nazi groups. Meanwhile, California drew in more people and money than ever before, sowing the seeds of its post-War economic success.

In all there are ten episodes, of the real story of California: a story littered with dead bodies, disasters and duplicity.

Academic consultant: Dr Ian Scott, University of Manchester

Written and produced by Laurence Grissell"

Picture; A view of the Vincent Thomas Bridge, a suspension span connecting San Pedro and Terminal Island, The Port of Authority at English Wikipedia, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publishes it under the following licenses: w:en:Creative Commons
attribution share alike his file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

*The Californian Century, Radio 4, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fq4f