People came and went at Manzanar; like the old timers, the
Sheperds, from 1870 to the break-up of their large cattle ranches.
Apparently, in the overall period 1900 to 1920, they came in from Tonapah
and Goldfield, down from Washington's apple country, and up from Whittier,
where they were neighbors. Before 1900 it had been referred to as Francis
and, I believe, to be Romeo Ashur Wilder, who was from the Central City -Grand
Island, Nebraska area, came down from Washington about 1900 and suggested
the Spanish name "Manzanar" (apple grove) for the locality. R.
A. Wilder was an excellent husbandsman (farmer), and provided a good
income for his wife, Elsie, and later, a daughter. Manzanar was started
with about 500 acres of apples, peaches and pears. At one time there were
probably 2500 to 4.000 acres under cultivation, much in alfalfa, there
were drains all over the place, which had required miles of trench with
inverted tile buried, to drain off the water, the latter was usually
turned into pasture areas.
I had occasion to attend the Big Pine grammar school in
1914. for but ten school days (where we were informed the Redwoods were
the oldest living things). Jim Butler, from Goldfield-Tonapah, had been a
discoverer (a prospector there) and had sold his claims, and now ran the
Butler Hotel at Big Pine. In the sanitary facilities there were signs:
"Don't forget to pull the chain, Los Angeles needs the water".
Following these ten school days, I transferred to Manzanar
School for another few days in the spring of 1914. It was a new school
then. I don't think there were more than 35 pupils at the Manzanar School,
except in 1914 and 1915. In 1914, the surveyed roads were laid out and
graded. Before that, they traveled in all directions. We drank from any of
the various creeks, without worry about pollution. I didn't know the word.
It was so quiet at Manzanar. at times, that one could watch for the
"Slim Princess" leaving Owenyo and note the plume of vapor when
the whistle was sounded. It seemed a couple of minutes before the sound
arrived (it was probably 40 seconds). I doubt if there are any recordings
of the sounds of the Slim Princess, the Keeler to Mina "fast
express". I still remember the sounds of this true
"rattler".
In 1914-1916, the Hatfields were running the general store
and post office at Manzanar. Later, they sold out to the Robert Bandhauers,
there was a sign (billboard) near Hatfield's Store and P.O., with the
legend: "Manzanar, where the big red apples grow". Families I
remember at Manzanar were: a Mr. Myers (who came over from the Goldfield
area and bought an orchard across the road, east of the R. A. Wilder
place), the Newbys (north, towards Independence - the two girls rode
horseback to school), the Grahams (near the Wilders), the Hatfields and
Daphne Hatfield, the Laceys (south of the Wilders), the Strohmeyers (the
girls were in 1st grade in 1914 - they now live in Independence), the Jess
Hessions (they attended the Independence Methodist Church occasionally),
the Cornelius girls (Armenta and Viola), the Lafons (I knew Sam and his
sister), Charlie Bevis (also came over from Tonapah). a man they called
"Bee" Smith who was in the honey business, and Mr. Butterfield
who hauled the mail from Manzanar Station, using two mules. I think he was
a bachelor.
About that time. it was cheaper to ship 35-pound or
50-pound boxes of apples to the Goldfield-Tonapah area, by parcel post
than by freight or express, because the airline distance was the basis for
parcel post charges.
In 1916, I attended the Manzanar School again from
mid-January to the end of the school year. That summer I hoed out many a
weed for the R. A. Wilders, they raised corn midst the apples. Only one
room of the school was used in 1916, and Miss Nordyke was the teacher.
Ruth Gladys Wilder was born in 1916. When Ruth's approaching birth was
eminent. R. A. arranged for a private car to transport his wife over the
Southern Pacific, from Owenyo to Los Angeles, the trip was without
incident and Ruth arrived "on schedule", as did the private car.
Manzanar and George's Creek were never classed as towns.
They were localities. There was a school at George's creek. I never
attended, but on a visit, we found the kids during the noon hour, fishing.
They wrapped their trout in burlap and left them in the creek until time
to go home.
It is surprising how many of the Valley residents now are
unaware of the ranches and farms on the East side of the valley, from Lone
Pine Station towards Big Pine. An examination of an old U.S.G.S. map will
confirm this. Indeed, no buildings are shown, in 1905, over around
Manzanar, but a few are shown near the Reward Mine. A tour of the area
over that way will show a large abandoned ditch which had been used for
irrigation water. I remember the collapsing ranch barns over near the
Reward School, which was on the south side of the road between Manzanar
Station and the Reward Mine (also called Eclipse Mine). I remember the
dried-out alfalfa fields over there that seemed to survive, unirrigated.
In 1915-1916 the winter was very wet, so that might have helped, the
Reward School used a very large Geography Book, showing Oklahoma Territory
and Indian Territory. Apparently, in those days, places were abandoned and
were not often vandalized.
The Wilders had a good team. "Mollie" and
"Joe", and occasionally he borrowed a horse. "Major",
from a ranch east of Owenyo. When my family, (except my father who was in
Colton), used the Wilder buggy to go from our "shack" (it was!)
near the center of Manzanar to Owenyo, in late August of 1916. Major did
the honors, pulling the buggy. My mother tied him to a nearby telegraph
pole, as my brother and sister and I unloaded. A few moments later, the
Owens Valley "Passenger" Locomotive came chuffing along to
couple up, and Major headed for his home, with the buggy quickly turning
to kindling as the dust flew. Jim Wilder was Romeo's brother and Jim was a
Southern Pacific employee in those days, at Owenyo. He would use the
company "velocipede" from Owenyo to Manzanar Station and I
occasionally drove the buggy to the station (about dark) and got him. At
the time, he was getting acquainted with his sister-in-law's (Elsie's)
neice, Mabel, whom he later married. Mabel was a teacher at Independence
for many years.
In 1919,1920, and 1921, I worked for the Wilders as a farm
hand, in vacation time (or after graduation from Colton High School in
1921). It was about this time that "Stub" Lydston arrived in
Manzanar from Whittier. He lived, with his family, across the road from
the Wilders, there was even an Earl, from England, (they called him Lord
Paget). Johnny Rotharmel managed the Earl's 100 or so acres. One summer
about 1919, Jim Wilder, Johnny Rotharmel. Romeo Wilder and I were getting
in some hay for the stock, and Paget, who was on a visit from England,
volunteered to help. As I remember, he speared a gopher snake and was
quite upset. Johnny Rotharmel later married one of the Manzanar teachers,
a Miss Merkel.
In 1921, the Wilder's home, a frame structure, burned to
the ground. It was replaced with a cement block structure. I helped make
many of these, in a small, handworked mold.
In the various visits I made to the Manzanar area, I
encountered new faces and missed old ones. I don't know when the Manzanar
picnics got started, probably in the teens. After "The City"
dried up the area, the Manzanar picnics were held in southern California,
at or near Downey, and other points. I attended one in 1938, which may
have been one of the last.
{*Copied without permission from Saga of Inyo County
©1977 by Chapter 183, Southern Inyo American Association of Retired
Persons.}
