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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 8, 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 as it passed through what is now know as
Oak View.)
THE MESA
In 1900, the only occupied home in Oak View proper was the Staire
House ( on Old Creek Road mentioned previously). Our family moved
into the Miller house in 1901. That made two occupied houses in Oak
View.
At a point a little north of the entrance of Oak Dell
Park ( in north Oak View ), the Nordhoff road went up a steep grade
and came down on the side about due east of where Dr. John Munger (
in Santa Ana Vista ) now lives.
Standing just south of the entrance to the Oak Dell
Park, one can look back over the area traversed by the Old Grade
Road. You can see far to the south the land that was owned by Ed
Goodyear (which Henry Clivas now owns). This land was known as "The
Mesa." Some of the people called it "Hard Scrabble."
The soil is poor and shallow. Hard pan lies under
almost all of it from a depth of a few inches to several feet. It is
stony, and, in those days, without water.
The Livingston house was due west of where the Ventura
River Municipal Water District buiding now stands. Only a hayfield
surrounded the house, no other buildings of garden. It was of the
typical up and down board construction of its day, and it was in
poor condition.
The Feraud Ranch produced hay and had a small vineyard
(wine grapes) and an apricot orchard on the part south of Devil's
Gulch. There were a few English walnut trees among the apricots.
part of the ranch extended into what is now known as Linda Vista
Knolls.
Dr. Staire dug by hand numerous wells in the barranca
that passes the post office building. All these attempts were
failures. There had been attempts on the Walker Place and the Miller
Ranch to dig wells by pick and shovel. Sherwood made several tries.
One across the canyon from the school house lacked but a few feet of
reaching water. Mr. Mahon afterwards drilled in the old hand dug
well to get a fair well. However, in seven years it dried up.
Dr. Staire had a good spring near the railroad tracks
from which he hauled water. Most people, however, hauled water from
Ventura River or San Antonio Creek in barrels or tanks.
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