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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, November 6, 1958 THE OAK VIEW SENTINEL
The Road to Ojai
by Percy G. Watkins
South of Oak View, after leaving Rancho
Arnaz, the Grade road went north to the Staire Ranch, with its barn
& drying equipment visible on the right of the road.
Nearby stood a two-vat prune dipper,
apricot pitting shed, tracks with fruit cars, permanent smudge
houses and a dry ground. These occupied the land on which the home
of Mr. Springer is located. There was only a hay field where
Courtney Richards, has his chicken ranch, 410 Old Grade Rd.
Nearly half of the land of the Staire
Ranch was devoted to prunes, about half to apricots, the rest to
olives.
North of the drying plant, just about
where Walt Shiernbeck lives, (139 E. Oak View Ave.) stood a building
used to store dried fruit. This belonged to a Ventura banker named
Walker, ( I believe he was the father of Harley Walker, who was once
the president of the Union National Bank). This ranch was planted to
prunes mostly. Hay was grown along the lower end near the railroad
tracks, and near the fruit house, east of the road and south of
where the Gardens Water Co tanks now stand. This ranch was crossed
by the road.
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