Chino Hills Historical Society Presentation This Monday: Before Chino Hills State Park

This Monday the 8th at 7 p.m., at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive, across from Ayala High School, the Chino Hills Historical Society hosts a presentation on some history of the area that became Chino Hills State Park, as well as some of the park's history.

If you've been in this amazing local resource and wondered how Rolling M Ranch, the park's headquarters and where there is a great campground, or Telegraph Canyon got their names, you can learn that by attending the talk.

San Bernardino Guardian, 20 September 1873.

If you didn't know that an international airport was proposed for much of the parkland, come on by and hear more about that, as well.

Paul Spitzzeri will discuss some of what the land was used for prior to its preservation and Hills for Everyone President Claire Schlotterbeck, who was deeply involved in the movement for the establishment of the Park, will share some of that story, as well.

Chino Champion, 20 October 1971.

We hope to see you there!

Chino Hills Historical Society Presentation: Before Chino Hills State Park

On Monday, 8 June at 7 p.m. at the Chino Hills Community Center at 14250 Peyton Drive across from Ayala High School, the Chino Hills Historical Society presents a free talk on the some history of the area that became Chino Hills State Park.  

The discussion will include uses of the land by ranchers like Fenton Slaughter, Frank Pellissier and Christopher Hendra and his Rolling M Ranch, while Claire Schlotterbeck, president of Hills for Everyone and a key figure in the preservation of the property in the face of a proposed airport that led to its purchase and creation as a state park, will discuss how that all came together and its ongoing history.

We hope to see you there!

Tres Hermanos Ranch Hike: The Namesake of Tonner Canyon Road

Following the Tres Hermanos Ranch Hike, in which more than 600 persons participated and walked most of the way along Tonner Canyon Road, some history of namesake Patrick C. Tonner can be found in the first part of a post on The Homestead Blog.

Soquel Canyon History Presentation Next Monday for Chino Hills Historical Society

Next Monday, 9 February at 7:00 p.m. at the Chino Hills Community Center at 14250 Peyton Drive, the Chino Hills Historical Society holds the first of three meetings for 2026, with the topic for the presentation being some history of Soquel Canyon, which lies adjacent on the south of Carbon Canyon.

Redlands Citrograph, 26 May 1900.

The presentation will cover some 150 years including an early reference to an outlaw's hiding place, the 1880s oil boomtown of Petrolia, the canyon's use as part of long-standing Chino Ranch Ride, and decades as a location of weapons testing by Aerojet Corporation starting during the Cold War years. 

We hope to see you there!

Chino Hills Historical Society Talks for 2026

The Chino Hills Historical Society has issued a press release detailing its three meetings for 2026, including the first presentation on Monday, 9 February on some history of Soquel Canyon, which is adjacent on the south to Carbon Canyon and merges with it at Olinda Village in Brea.  The talk will go as far back as the 1850s and also discuss the oil boomtown of Petrolia, the Chino Ranch Ride, and some more modern history.

On Monday, 8 June, there'll some discussion of some of the history of what, in the 1970s and 1980s, became Chino Hills State Park, including its long use for livestock grazing.  Lastly, on Monday, 12 October, the focus will return to Boys Republic, the institution for troubled teens that has been in Chino Hills for nearly 120 years, with rarely seen photos and a focus on Clyde Doyle, who had a long relationship with the facility and served many terms in the House of Representatives.

We hope you can join us for these talks on local history!

Sleepy Hollow 100th Anniversary Presentation Video Now Available

In October 2023, the Chino Hills community of Sleepy Hollow, nestled in the midst of Carbon Canyon adjacent to the border with Brea and Orange County, marked its centennial with a celebration at the Sleepy Hollow Community Center (which is now deemed surplus property and is likely to be sold, not having been used since this event).  

This included a PowerPoint slide presentation and summary of some of the neighborhood's history, reminiscences from long-time residents and descendants of Sleepy Hollow founders Cleve and Elizabeth Purington, a display of photos and artifacts and, despite a car crash along Carbon Canyon Road at the summit (this spot just hit again a few days ago with internet and phone service affected, though not electricity), a generator was quickly secured to power the event.

A Chino Hills Historical Society talk took place the following day at the city's community center and included the illustrated talk, the Purington and long-time resident recollections and displays.  Not only was there no power outage, but the evening was recorded and, along with the St. Joseph's Hill of Hope presentation shared yesterday, is now uploaded to the City of Chino Hills YouTube channel.  

Thanks to everyone involved in the recording and editing of the video, which can be viewed here.

St. Joseph's Hill of Hope Presentation Video Now Available

Last October's presentation for the Chino Hills Historical Society on some of the remarkable and little-known history of the St. Joseph's Hill of Hope community, which has been on more than 400 acres in the hills adjoining Carbon Canyon on the north for more than a half-century, was, unfortunately, unaccompanied by illustrations because of technical issues at the meeting room in the community center.

Thanks to the City of Chino Hills, however, a recording was made in late November at City Hall and has been edited and just recently uploaded on to the City's YouTube channel.  Appreciation is extended to Valerie McClung, who made the arrangements, and Edward Chan, who handled the recording and editing, for their work on the video, as well as to Roberta and Michael Haag of St. Joseph's Hill of Hope for taking part in both the live and recorded presentations.

Check out the video here.

Chino Hills Historical Society Commemorates Los Serranos Country Club's 100th Anniversary This Monday the 9th

This coming Monday the 9th @ 7 p.m., the Chino Hills Historical Society offers presentations to commemorate the centennial of the Los Serranos Country Club.  Join us at the Club, 15656 Yorba Avenue (Los Serranos Country Club Drive coming in from Soquel Canyon Parkway to the south), for this special 100th anniversary event.

In April 1925, a group of Long Beach investors, having purchased the Home Ranch and adobe house built by Joseph Bridger, opened Los Serranos and hoped to draw golf enthusiasts from greater Los Angeles to go out to the beautiful rural setting and enjoy the sport and atmosphere.  Despite a significant investment and substantial publicity, the Great Depression led to a change of ownership and the club was plagued by financial issues for years afterward.

After a brief period as the Black-owned Valparaiso Recreation Center and more changes in ownership, Paul Greening, who owned a few thousand acres in the Chino Hills area, bought the property and, in 1953 leased the Club to tennis champion Jack Kramer and partners, with Kramer becoming sole lessee eight years later.  Over seven decades later, the Kramer family continues the operation of a century-old Chino Hills institution.

There will be a pair of talks, including by David Kramer, one of Chino Hills' Unsung Heroes for 2025, as well as a display of photos and other artifacts related to the Club's history.

La Vida and Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resorts Talk Tomorrow

Here's a last minute reminder that tomorrow night at 6 p.m. at the Yorba Linda Public Library, 4852 Lakeview Avenue, just north of Yorba Linda Boulevard, a presentation will be given on some history of the La Vida and Carbon Canyon mineral springs resorts.

La Vida was by far the better known of the two and operated on the Brea portion of Carbon Canyon near today's Olinda Village community for some seven decades between the 1910s and 1980s, including many years in the production of mineral water of many flavors promising myriad health benefits, while the much lesser-known Carbon Canyon resort ran during the 1930s and 1940s just over the Orange/San Bernardino counties line in the little hamlet of Sleepy Hollow.

In addition to the talk, dozens of artifacts, including postcards, bottles, bottle openers, an ashtray, a motel room key, a bottle crate and many photographs, will be brought for display, as well.  So, if you've missed prior presentations for the Chino Hills and Orange County historical societies, considering joining us tomorrow might (rain showers and all).

Chino Hills Historical Society Presentations for 2025, Starting Tomorrow Night

From the Chino Hills Historical Society:

Get ready for some great presentations by local historian Paul Spitzzeri in 2025!  

The next meeting of the Chino Hills Historical Society is coming up on Monday, February 10 at 7:00 pm at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive.  

Join us for our presentation: Village People – The People Behind the Names of Gordon Ranch and Laband Village.  Residents of Chino Hills frequently see the “village” signs reading “Gordon Ranch” and “Laband Village,” but have you ever wondered what’s behind those names?  Join us as Paul Spitzzeri shares some of the fascinating history of Huntley Gordon and Walter Laband, owners of large ranches in the northwestern parts of town.

Please save these dates for our upcoming meetings in 2025!

 Monday, June 9, 2025 

To the Fore!  A Century of Community and History at Los Serranos Country Club

2025 marks the centennial of the Los Serranos Country Club and this presentation covers some of the remarkable history of the club, including the those who struggled to keep it viable during its first quarter-century and the Kramer family, who have been successful as owners for more than 70 years.  Paul Spitzzeri and David Kramer will share the Los Serranos story with plenty of photographs and memorabilia of this longstanding Chino Hills institution.

Monday, October 13, 2025

Cult or the True Catholicism?  St. Joseph’s Hill of Hope

St. Joseph’s Hill of Hope has been mostly hidden from view, deep in Carbon Canyon, for more than a half-century. This religious compound was established in the late 1960s by Frances Klug after the Vatican II reforms in the Roman Catholic Church.  Join Paul Spitzzeri as he discusses some of the history and mystery of the site, long the subject of a raft of rumor and spates of speculation.

 

Chino Hills Historical Society Talk Monday Night on Mineral Springs Resorts in Carbon Canyon

This is a reminder that Monday the 14th at 7 p.m., the Chino Hills Historical Society hosts a talk at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive, called "In Hot Water: The La Vida and Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resorts."

While La Vida Mineral Springs on the Brea side of Carbon Canyon is somewhat known, the Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs in Sleepy Hollow in the Chino Hills portion is all but forgotten. Paul R. Spitzzeri will share some of the history of these two health resorts, so join us for this discussion of our local history.

Chino Hills Historical Society Presentation on the La Vida and Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resorts

From the Chino Hills Historical Society: 

The next meeting of the Chino Hills Historical Society is coming up on Monday, October 14 at 7:00 pm at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive.  Join us for the last presentation of our 2024 series focused on Carbon Canyon history. The topic is In Hot Water:  The La Vida and Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resorts.

Carbon Canyon got its name for presumed coal deposits, but it was best-known through the 20^th century for its mineral springs.  This presentation looks at the well-known La Vida Mineral Springs Resort in Brea near Olinda Village, which offered hot mineral water baths and pools, a motel, café and a bottled-water plant. Its carbonated water was widely sold in many flavors and was promoted for its many purported health benefits. Nearby, just within San Bernardino County in Sleepy Hollow, was the far lesser known and shorter-lived Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs, which had baths, lodging and food. Today, the latter is completely gone, except for concrete tub remnants, while little is left of La Vida. Paul R. Spitzzeri will share some of the fascinating history that has flowed from the two sites.  He always mixes stories and interesting history for an enjoyable evening.

Carbon Canyon Talk for Chino Hills Historical Society on 10 June

Chino Hills Historical Society Presents:

Camp Kinder Ring to Purple Haze, Part Two

Monday, June 10, 2024 (Rescheduled from June 17)

 

The Chino Hills Historical Society will host a presentation by Chino Hills resident and historian Paul R. Spitzzeri at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 10 at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive.  (Rescheduled from June 17.)

 “Our 2024 meetings focus on Carbon Canyon history,” said Denise Cattern, President. “Paul R. Spitzzeri, our local historian has put together a series of talks on the subject.”

The June 10 Chino Hills Historical Society meeting will continue the “Camp Kinder Ring to Purple Haze” series, “Part Two” – about the history of the site off Canyon Hills Road where Ski Villa was located, Canyon Hills Country Club, the Ponderosa Bar and Motel, and Purple Haze, where counterculture was in full swing in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Mr. Spitzzeri has invited special guest Ingrid Wicken, of the California Ski Library in Norco, to attend the meeting to share her knowledge about Ski Villa. 

On Monday, October 14, the next presentation will be “In Hot Water: The La Vida and Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resorts.”

Mr. Spitzzeri has lived in Chino Hills for 27 years. He is the Museum Director at the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum in the City of Industry, where he has worked since 1988. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree in history from California State University, Fullerton. He has also published local, regional and state history in many journals and anthologies. His book, The Workman and Temple Families of Southern California, won a 2009 Award of Merit from the

American Association for State and Local History. Since 2008, Paul has maintained the blog www.carboncanyonchronicle.blogspot.com. He also writes a monthly column about local history for Champion Newspapers.

 The Chino Hills Historical Society is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization funded through memberships and donations.  Sign up for the Historical Society’s email list by sending an email to chhistory@aol.com. For additional information, please send an email or call (909) 597-6449. 

Sleepy Hollow Centennial: Historic Photo #1

Following up on the Sleepy Hollow 100th Birthday commemoration held a couple of weeks ago, we'll be sharing historic photos of the community that were part of slide presentations during that festive weekend.

This first one, provided by long-time neighborhood residents Dee and Ron Nadeau, is a great panorama,  likely from the 1930s or 1940s, of the south side of the tract and taken from an elevation called Lookout Ridge for an obvious reason.

Courtesy of Dee and Ron Nadeau. Click on the image to see it in a separate window.

Several of the structures are still standing, especially at the right of center along Hay Drive as that street does a switchback up the steep slope of the hill as well as one residence on the aptly-named Grandview Lane at the center, just to the left of the largest building in the photo.  As many of the houses were weekend cabins, the 1930 census counted just 40 residents in Sleepy Hollow, while the 1940 enumeration saw just a 15% increase to all of 46 denizens.  

Note also the little Pueblo-style cabin or cottage at the bottom right because just below that at the bottom of the photo is just a hint of Carbon Canyon Road.  Rosemary Lane is more discernible above that building, while off to the left center is another portion of Hay Drive, but in a largely undeveloped section.

Check back soon for the second installation of this little series of Sleepy Hollow Centennial posts.

Sleepy Hollow Centennial Commemorative Poster Available Now!

It was quite a two-day celebration of them 100th anniversary of the founding of Sleepy Hollow, with a community event held on Sunday afternoon and a Chino Hills Historical Society presentation at the city community center on Monday evening.

In addition to sharing historical artifacts, a carousel of great photos spanning most of the neighborhood's history, reminiscences of some long-time residents, and a slide-illustrated talk about the community, descendants of Sleepy Hollow founders Cleve and Elizabeth Purington came in from Hawaii, Oregon and elsewhere in California to take part and share memories of their years living in this remarkable Carbon Canyon enclave.

A great way to keep the celebration going is to have your very own limited edition commemorative poster by Sleepy Hollow resident and artist Lena Sekine.   This beautiful design evokes the feeling of residing in a special place and looks great in a gold-edged frame.  Included is a brief history of the neighborhood with a pair of very rare circa 1930s photos.

There were only 100 copies of this signed print, which can be yours for $22, so be sure to head over to Lena's Etsy store to get one before they run out.

Sleepy Hollow's 100th Anniversary Presentation This Monday the 16th

In October 1923, Cleve and Elizabeth Purington; Charles and Olga Hale; George Wanley; and Charles M. Witter filed the official tract map for the subdivision of Sleepy Hollow, nestled on 80 acres in Carbon Canyon on the southwestern edge of San Bernardino County at the border with Orange County.

That year marked the peak of a massive real estate boom in greater Los Angeles and Sleepy Hollow was unusual in that it was divided into small cabin lots for owners to build a get-away on rather than intended for a large number of full-time residents.

The community remained small, with under 150 persons through 1950, but it developed a tight-knit neighborhood spirit (sometimes literally with its Sleepy "Holloween" events complete with the headless horseman who chased the hapless and helpless Ichabod Crane in Washington Irving's 1820s story that spread the name and fame of Sleepy Hollow, New York) over the years.

With a local water district, woman's club, volunteer firefighting force, community church, stores and café, and more, Sleepy Hollow retained a distinct identity that is still maintained by those who live in its roughly 130 houses today, even as the relentless march of suburbanization has creeped up to the very edges of the community.

This Monday, the 16th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Chino Hills Community Center (14250 Peyton Drive, across from Ayala High), the 100th anniversary of Sleepy Hollow will be commemorated in a presentation sponsored by the Chino Hills Historical Society.  In addition to a slide-illustrated talk, there'll be some last-minute additions, so please be sure to join us for this slice of early Chino Hills history!

Chino Hills Historical Society Presentation Tomorrow on Shelley M. Stoody and the Double S Ranch, Carbon Canyon

Shelley Martin Stoody (1899-1961) hailed from a small Ohio town and came to this area in the early 1920s, opening a welding business with his father and brother in Whittier.  In short order, the firm, which relocated to Santa Fe Springs, became a major success by hard-facing tools with very durable alloys for oil drilling and other industrial applications, making Stoody a very wealthy figure.

As the business expanded, so did his interests, which included aviation, astronomy, fishing and hunting and raising purebred cattle.  A resident of fine houses in Whittier, Hacienda Heights, Palos Verdes Estates (from where he commuted to and from his plant in a helicopter!)  and Balboa Island (Newport Beach), Stoody also owned ranches in Nevada and Hemet (Riverside County) before he purchased nearly 500 acres in Carbon Canyon in the early 1950s.

He dubbed his new rural showplace the Double S Ranch and built an expansive single-story house, which still stands, at what is known as The Summit, overlooking his spread.  In addition to stocking the ranch with purebred Polled Herefords and building a more than 11,000-square foot show barn, where he housed his very expensive animals, Stoody laid out a landing strip and a hangar for his airplane.

Stoody quickly made a name for himself in the cattle business and drew a substantial crowd for a field meet and sale at Double S in 1960 before a terrible tragedy took place the following year, the aftermath of which included the ranch's sale to an Orange County syndicate that built the Western Hills Country Club, now in its 60th year of operation, on part of the property.

Learn more about Stoody, the Double S Ranch and some of Carbon Canyon's mid-20th century history at a presentation for the Chino Hills Historical Society tomorrow night, Monday the 12th, at 7 p.m. at the Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive, across from Ayala High School.

We hope to see you there!

Carbon Canyon Historical Artifact #62: A Real Photo Postcard of Tidwell Oaks, Sleepy Hollow, ca. 1940

It's humbling when information put out on this blog is wrong, but at least catching the mistake and correcting it can always be done in this format, which is the case with today's featured artifact from Carbon Canyon history.  Unfortunately, articles in the Chino Valley Champion from March and October 2019 relied on the false info from this source.  Hopefully, anyone reading those will come across this post and see this plea for historical redemption!

In this case, there were a number of posts that stated that Tidwell Oaks, the store, tavern and service station operated in the early years of Sleepy Hollow by David and Velma Tidwell, was situated at the east end of the community, south of Carbon Canyon Road, where some apartments, shuttered now for a couple of years, are located now.

Actually, the couple purchased their two large lots at the center of the neighborhood where Carbon Canyon Road and Rosemary Lane meet not long after the community was developed in the 1920s and built their compound.  This was recently verified by finding reference to their ownership of lots 2 and 3 in Block 5 of the tract and then noting that on copies of the original subdivision map obtained years ago from the county archives.

The last entry in this "Carbon Canyon Historical Artifact" series, from June 2020, featured a real photo postcard of folks sitting in a large patio, bordered with brick and rock walls, with large oak trees for shade—this presumably in the back or side of the structures, as well as some of the history of the Tidwell family.  Today's post takes us out to Carbon Canyon Road and a view of the main building, a log cabin-like structure, with a gas pump out front and other buildings off to the west, or right.

Rosemary Lane is at the lower left between the caption of "Tidwell Oaks / Carbon Canyon" and the light-colored car parked next to the "cabin."  A couple of other vehicles are off to the far right and some of the houses on the hillside in view—the one at the top center with the three windows at the lower portion and the span of windows going from one side to the other is still standing.

As for dating this unused card, the cars definitely look to be from the late 30s or early 40s, but the AGFA/ANSCO stamp box also was used in the Thirties and Forties, so we're just going to go with circa 1940 on this one.  Today, there are a few little remnants, including remains of concrete steps, from Tidwell Oaks and there is a parking area for the Sleepy Hollow Community Center and the bus stop that mark the location, as well. 

A Bit Part for Local History in a Los Angeles Times Article on the Ball Family

I was surprised to get an email last week from Los Angeles Times reporter Andrew Greif, saying he'd seen the blog and other references with my involvement in local history and wanted to talk to me about Chino Hills history as context for his article on the return of LaMelo Ball to this area tonight as his Charlotte Hornets play the Lakers.

I spoke to Andrew for a while, sharing my recollections, as mentioned in a post here, of LaMelo's father telling me at their house almost twenty years ago that his older sons, Lonzo (who is, for now, with the New Orleans Pelicans) and LiAngelo (still looking for an opportunity to get to the pros) were going to be in the NBA.  I don't think the boys were older than maybe 6 and 5, though the post probably says they were younger, but I sure was struck by LaVar's confidence as he told me that while showing me his back-yard set up for training his kids.

I was further surprised when Andrew asked if I would agree to have my photo included in the article, but I met Gina Ferazzi out on English Road, which still retains the rural equestrian feel of days gone by, for a quick session, which included the published photo, in which I had to stare in the sun and had a bit of trouble keeping my sensitive eyes fully open.  There's that and my pandemic hairdo, but Gina is a very good photographer and I like her images of LaVar.

In any case, Andrew got in a fair amount of the area's history, as well as interviews with a number of residents and officials, and wrote a really good article, which you can check out here.

Chino Hills Historical Society Presentation on the History of Carbon Canyon Road

Hope to see you next Monday, 3 February @ 7 p.m. at the Chino Hills Community Center for a PowerPoint-illustrated presentation for the Chino Hills Historical Society on the history of Carbon Canyon Road.

The talk covers the opening of the road just over a century ago, its realignment and paving in the late 1920s, and some of the changes that have taken place over the decades.

This detail is from a 1920s Auto Club of Southern California "strip map" of "Automobile Roads Leading Into Brea & Carbon Canyons."

Carbon Canyon Road obviously led to the creation of early subdivisions like Sleepy Hollow and Mountain View Estates, was paved partially to allow easier access from Los Angeles and other areas to Los Serranos Country Club, and was increasingly important as an inland to coast route.

This will be the first of three talks for the Historical Society in 2020, so please come out and take in some of our interesting local history.