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Reproduced
essentially verbatim (some spelling corrections) from a copy of the
article
found in The Sentinel. The Sentinel was an Oak View newspaper
whose address was:
P.O. Box 504 - MI 9-1754 It was published weekly on Thursday by
Chuck and Faye Hill,
with advertising by Joe Colville
Thursday,
January 15, 1959, THE OAK VIEW SENTINEL
HISTORY OF THE VALLEY
THE ROAD TO OJAI
by Percy G. Watkins
(Ed. Note: Mr. Watkins continues his
recollections of the road to Nordhoff in the turn of the century
as it passed through the Oak View area.)
Looking south from the north end of the "Mesa" (Oak View proper) Red
Mountain appears as a back drop for the southern end. The south end
of the mesa (now owned by Henry Olivas) was owned by Ed Goodyear,
son of the man who owned the old Arnaz Adobe with a portion of
Rancho Arnaz as late as 1900. This ranch stretched (I believe) from
the Ventura River on the west to at least the edge of the bluff
overlooking San Antonio Creek on the east. And it extended from the
north line of land belonging to his brother John ( on the south ) to
land belonging to the Kennedy's on the north.
J. Logan Kennedy and his wife Netta had this second
parcel of land on the Mesa of about thirty acres. This thirty acres
was farm land, in addition to pasture land. I think it reached from
the edge of the bluff overlooking Ventura River to the San Antonio
Creek. Some of their land was east of the creek.
North of the Kennedy property, was land owned by a Mr.
Harter, an elderly man whom I believe was from Florida. He and his
wife lived on this ranch.
So much for the area of Oak View proper.
The old grade road north of Oak View ran parallel to the
railroad tracks at the Feraud house in what is now Santa Ana Vista.
The Feraud house was more modern than most of the houses in this
area. It has been improved and additions have been made to it, but
the old building is still there.
On the Feraud property, there was a small amount
of water from shallow wells beside the railroad tracks. Some hay and
apricots were grown on this part of the ranch north of Devils Gulch.
Mr. Feraud, I believe, tried to get a well in the river bed. He dug
by hand, but his efforts failed.
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