Booths at the Carbon Canyon Regional Park's 40th Anniversary event today. |
Set in a clearing among nearly 250 redwood trees planted on space leased to the county from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which built the adjacent Carbon Canyon Dam, the confab featured such organizations as the state Department of Fish and Game, California State Parks and the Chino Hills State Park Interpretive Association, the Olinda Oil Museum, and others.
More displays at today's bash. |
Orange County Historical Commission member Pamela Harrell and former Olinda resident Jack Smith spoke about the Olinda Museum and the oil community in which Smith lived. In fact, his family in 1943 bought a home built by the Armstrong family, for whom a grove of trees at the northeast corner of the park was named.
The folks at the Olinda Oil Museum, including former Olinda resident Jack Smith and Orange County Historical Commission member Pamela Harrell, at their booth, with two of their displays at the left. |
Situated at the corner of Carbon Canyon Road and Traverse Street, which went a short distance to the south in what is now the park grounds, the home was where Smith lived while he was the last student to graduate from the Olinda School and up until he finished high school. He is a walking memory book of an oil town that has long been dismantled.
The live animal demonstration was really interesting and kept kids and adults engrossed while the presenters talked about a variety of snakes and reptiles.
A presentation of snakes and reptiles drew the attention of many attendees at today's festivities. |
A table provided by Orange County Parks featured collected items (all of which have been included in this blog over the last seven years), such as some two dozen postcards of La Vida and other canyon sights, mineral water soda bottles from the La Vida Bottling Company, maps of the Olinda oil field and a AAA "strip map" of a drive through Carbon Canyon; and more.
This blogger's display of historic real photo postcards, La Vida mineral water bottles, maps of Olinda and Carbon Canyon Road, and other items were available for visitors to enjoy. |
One of the two recently-installed display boards noted that a local bank, back in 1970, was giving away redwood seedlings to new customers, which has to be one of the strangest promotions imaginable, in light of the usual calendar, pen-and-pencil set, paperweight, and so on that were handed out.
Other than their smaller size and lighter color, these trees look like they could be from the northwestern reaches of California, where redwoods are natives. |
The park has many amenities, included a goodly number of tennis courts, lots of shelters for family picnics (there were at least two family reunions going on today), excellent playgrounds, and a nice lake.
Completed just within the last three weeks, this path fence provides for a nice addition to the beautiful redwood grove at the southeast corner of the park. |
Thanks to park superintendent Maureen Beckman and all the rangers, volunteers and others who put on this event. It was a lot of fun and who knows who'll be around for the 50th anniversary?
The approach to and from the grove includes a crossing at what is called "Coyote Pass" through the now-parched bed of Carbon [Canyon] Creek. The view here is back towards Carbon Canyon. |
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