Orland Historical & Cultural Society

160 rpm. George P. Watson (1871-1926) was an American singer and vaudeville artist. "He is considered to be one of the first American singers to record yodel songs and to celebrate greater success with them." He made numerous recordings in both English and German for various labels during his career. "In keeping with the vaudeville tradition, most of his recordings were novelty songs." Joseph Kleinfelter Emmett (1840-91) was an American stage actor and vocalist famous for his German dialect. He went by J.K. Emmett or Emmet. If you go on YouTube, you can hear this and other wax cylinder recordings. The sound of these vintage recordings are interesting as they are played on the vintage Edison equipment c. 1910.

History Mystery - 1 June. First day of the new month means time to stump the OHCS Army of Historians with a new History Mystery. "Stumping" works sometimes but there often is someone who can come up with the correct answer. Taken in Orland, can you tell me about this photograph? For example, "where" and "what is being pictured" would be what is needed. Answer posted after 10 p.m. if not solved earlier.

Memorial Day 2021. Last week I received several "new-to-me" photographs of an uncle killed during World War II. I sent digital images of him to my two kids for viewing. My son responded indicating "how come I know nothing about this uncle!" Well, that was enough incentive to start researching on Dexter J. Russell (1919-1944). He was the sixth of seven children born to my grandparents in Merlin, Oregon. In June 1942, he was attending the Saint Mary's Naval Preflight School, Mo...raga, CA. This was one of four locations that the US Navy had selected and it transformed the small campus of 300 into one with more than 2,000 navy cadets and officers to train pilots for action against the Axis powers. From here, Ensign Russell went to the Naval Air Training Center at Corpus Christi, Texas where he served as an instructor. On 12 May 1944, he was aboard a Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibious aircraft when it crashed 15 miles northeast of the naval air station on the mud flats of Harbor Island, Nueces County, Texas. Also killed aboard the plane were Aviation Cadet Francis Joseph Tobin, 20 of Washington, D.C.; Aviation Machinist's Mate 2/c Benjamin Franklin Neves, 19 of Jermyn, Texas; Seaman 1/c Charles Edward McWilliams, 22 of Trinity, Texas; Ship's Cook 3/c Franklin Ernest Adams, 27 of Kingsville, Texas; and Steward's Mate 1/c Sammie Green, 27 of Cuero, Texas. My uncle was 24 years, five months and 11 days old at the time of his death. He is buried in the Granite Hill Cemetery, outside Grants Pass, Josephine County, Oregon. Today, the last Monday in May, is Memorial Day when we honor and mourn the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties. Dexter had four brothers who also served in World War II and as they survived the experience, I was fortunate to know them. My son will get the full researched story on his Great Uncle Dexter soon! See more

History Camp XXVI. The number of registered campers for the 2021 OHCS History Camp July 12-16 currently stands at 14. Seven vacant slots remain before the dreaded "Waiting List" is employed. Images are from the last camp in 2019. I have not shown any pictures of the campers inside the Museum as the close quarters inside the C.F. Schmidt House may force a change to this activity. You can see that the campers are using their notebooks and looking to find answers on the "Inside ...the Museum" worksheet. Two of the activities from Wednesday's "Day of Chores" are cranking the ice cream freezer and peeling apples. The apples will be made into applesauce and will be a topping choice on their dish of ice cream. The apple peeling is also a contest to see which camper can make the longest apple peel. The all-time record is 14 feet 1 inch back in 2013. Normally the length is in the 10 to 11 foot range but we had bigger apples in 2013! On Family History Day (Thursday), there is always an oral history session where an "interesting" or older adult is invited to be a designated "long lost relative." In 2019 John Friesen was invited to come and answer questions from the campers. Hopefully, the campers learn how easy it is to ask relatives to share their life stories. As you can tell, John is blind and the campers enjoyed seeing his rescued pet greyhound that came with him and his wife from their home in Sacramento. Will bring up dates as we get closer to the start of History Camp XXVI. See more

History Camp XXVI. After a successful week of "advertising" on social media, we have 13 campers registered and one more "in a holding pattern." The first image shows a number of the history camp props in the storage unit waiting for transportation to the Museum and their day in the sun with the campers. If the camp number is divisible by five, the campers are presented with a T-shirt. The nice yellow shirts were for the 2019 History Camp XXV and featured a Queen Bee on the front while Camp XV had blue shirts with the city seal to commemorate Orland's Centennial of Incorporation. Included in one of the group pictures is a granddaughter who came 500 miles from her home in Oregon to learn about her father's hometown. Hopefully she will have a better appreciation of her dad's roots and some knowledge of this part of her family history.

Boots & Shoes on Fourth Street. John Mehl came to Orland in Aug 1882 and started the town's first cobbling shop on Walker Street. In the early 1890s, he had located his Boots & Shoe Store on Fourth Street next door (on the south) to the two-story A. Papst & Brothers (dry goods) and IOOF building (upstairs). Prior to retiring in 1920, Mehl sold his shoe business to James Melbourne Hinton (1884-1945) and his younger brother Horace Parker Hinton (1889-1947). The Hinton's were or...iginally from Kansas and had a business background coming from the Bay Area. On his World War I registration card, James listed his occupation as "Traveling salesman, Johnansen Brothers Shoe Company, St. Louis & San Francisco." Photograph of the Hinton Shoe Store is c. 1920. Louie Johnson Sr., who began his shoe repair business in 1914, would purchase the Mehl Building (built in 1920) on Fourth Street in 1930. After his service in World War I, Louie Sr. would open his shoe and men's clothing business on the westside of Fourth Street. The Hinton's seemed to have moved from Orland by 1930. Drawings are from the 1889 Hall Tract map of Orland. See more

236 Fifth Street. George Walter Sturm (1871-1962) was "one of the busiest men in town" as a visionary who had faith in the building of Orland and the surrounding community. He came in the horse and buggy days and worked on his vision of "Orland as Orland should be" for over 50 years. Sturm was born in Wheeling, IL and began his business career as a teenager in the Elgin watch factory in nearby Elgin, IL. In 1891, he moved to St. James, Minnesota where his father and brother A...ndrew had purchased farm land. In the early 1900s, the family had migrated to Langdon, ND and were investing in land and large grain fields. George came to Orland in 1909. The following year "attentive George" married University of Minnesota student Harriet Annette Peck (1879-1962) and brought her to Orland on their honeymoon. George in partnership with his brother, owned a large tract of land east of Orland but he soon became a successful real estate and insurance broker. The Sturm Bros. office on Fifth Street was a small building that was on the south end of the parking lot that is next to Pizza Palace [image of the Heritage Trail building is not the original Sturm Bros. building but a representation of his office; photo from 2018.] Annette Sturm was a charter member of the Orland Women's Improvement Club and George was active in fraternal and civic work. He was mayor of Orland for a number of years and was president of the Orland Unit Water Users' Association during the planning and construction of Stony Gorge Dam. He was a director of the CA Almond Growers' Exchange for 17 years, Glenn County Fair director, Orland parks and recreation commissioner, IOOF and Masonic member, and a deacon in Orland's Trinity Presbyterian Church. George and Annette--the parents of sons Wayne and Neal Sturm--both passed away at the Lancaster home on Chapman Street in the spring of 1962. They were fondly remembered for their steadfast interest in the growth and prosperity of Orland for 51 years. See more

Number Please. Through the efforts of early retail businessman Ira Edgar Mecum (1867-1940), the Orland telephone exchange opened in 1895 with lines from Orland to Newville and Paskenta. The switchboard was in Mecum's store and initially connected 25 telephones. Miss Winnie Brown was the first operator who also attended to the duties of postmaster and clerk. Farmers had to maintain their wires up to the company line. The Sunset Telephone Company (later Pacific Telephone Compa...ny) was located in the Hicks & Chaney Hardware Store. In 1910, Lloyd Gay, of the Anderson & Gay Electric Shop, installed a switchboard near the Mehl Building (old Johnson's Shoes building) on Fourth Street for the Glenn County Telephone Company. For the next half dozen years, the two companies forced Orland businesses to maintain two telephones. These two companies merged in the late 1910s and then became a part of the Northern California Telephone Company in the 1920s. This seven county business was sold to the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company in 1930 for $1. Telephone operator Leona Barnacascel (1927-2008) is pictured second from the left. See more

Fourth & Walker. On the northwest corner is the Barceloux-Iglick Building. George Albert Barceloux (1877-1949) was the son of Peter Barceloux--Willows pioneer--and came to Orland in 1907 where he became affiliated with the Bank of Orland and was President for many years. His sons would develop and operate for many years the Barceloux Brothers Auto Supply at this location. Samuel L. Iglick (1854-1932) was born in Schrimm, Prussia (Germany) and immigrated to the US at age 16 a...rriving in New York on 7 Nov 1870. He attended the Columbus Medical College, Ohio and was a 1888 graduate coming to California and being licensed here in 1891. He was a naturalized citizen and married his second wife Augusta "Gussie" Belle Latimer (1865-1933) in Willows on 26 Aug 1907. From Wigmore, we learn that, "Dr. Samuel Iglick, country physician of the old style, leader in civic affairs for a quarter century, died following an accident in his line of duty. The 72-year old physician answering a night call, missed a turn on the winding road south of St. John. Though badly injured, he walked to a neighboring farm house and was taken to see the patient he had been called for, then collapsed and was rushed to Woodland and died four days later of the injuries he had received in the accident." Dr. Iglick was elected and served on the very first city council in 1909. Dr. Iglick and wife Gussie are buried in the Cimarron Cemetery, Cimarron, Gray County, Kansas. The Barceloux-Iglick Building was constructed in 1909 and housed important early Orland businesses. For example, on the ground floor, the Orland Drug Store was operated by Michael Harrington when he first moved to Orland from Willows. The U.S. Post Office was in the west half of the building and Dr. George Rawlins had his dental office upstairs. Image is of Dr. Iglick and the Barceloux-Iglick Building can be seen behind the mansard roof in these 2018 photographs. See more

Fifth & Walker. We have arrived at the southeast corner of Fifth and Walker Streets which is now the parking lot for Farwood but once was the site of the Kandy Korner. Wigmore tells us that, "Orland came near burning up on the night of August 20, 1925 when the old landmark, the Kandy Korner, a relic of the days of wooden buildings, located at the corner of Fifth and Walker, went up in flames. The fire threatened the entire block and the heat broke plate glass windows in the H...icks building across Walker. Operated by Mr. and Mrs. Josef Sperlich, the Kandy Korner was a favorite soft drink spot, and its place has never quite been filled in Orland since that night." Josef Francis Sperlich (1855-1933) was born in Austria and came to the U.S. in 1882. He became a naturalized citizen in St. Louis, MO on 3 Oct 1888. In 1895, he married Laurka "Lulu" Maud Green (1877-1956) who had been born in the new town of Orland, the daughter of John Vickery (VIctor) Green (1835-98) and Catherine M. Helm Green (1836-93). Josef is listed as a barber in the 1900 and 1910 censuses but both Josef and Lulu were operators of the Kandy Korner by the 1920 census. He was retired by 1930 while Lulu was a "sales lady in a Department Store." See more

Fifth & Walker. The building at the southwest corner at Fifth and Walker became the core around which Orland's early business section grew. Hubbard William Clabourn Nelson (1830-1900) was a '49er from Tennessee who found success in the mines. He came west over the Santa Fe Trail with a party of 107 other gold seekers that included his father--Dr. W.W. Nelson who would open the first hospital in Sacramento. H.W.C. Nelson was one of the earliest settlers coming to northern Col...usi County in the early 1850s. He raised grain and livestock with partner Thomas McClanahan on both sides of Stony Creek east of present day Orland. He became among the wealthiest in the immediate area. The partnership lasted until 1877. In 1887, Nelson was instrumental in the formation of the Bank of Orland, serving for a number of years as its vice president and board member. The directors authorized the construction of the brick building in the spring of 1887 with the bricks being produced in the Plaza District. The Bank of Orland was the town's leading financial institution for 40 years. The Bank of Orland was sold in late 1927 and on 23 Jan 1928 became Security Bank and Trust Company, Orland Branch. All officers and employees continued in their positions in the new organization. The building was purchased by the City of Orland c. 1940 and used as City Hall from June 1943 to March 1986. Building is the current Honeybee Discovery Center and is being beautifully restored by Terri Barr. Photos from 2019. See more

Fifth & Walker. Across the street from the Hicks & Chaney building, is the old Scearce & Frank building. The second image shows the building when it was being used by the Western Auto Supply Company--commonly known as Western Auto. Western Auto was a retail chain that supplied automobile parts and accessories (tires, bicycles, firearms, lawn mowers, home appliances). It began as a mail order business in 1909 in Kansas City, MO with the first retail store in 1921. There were a...t one time 1200 stores across the U.S. Western Auto was sold to Beneficial Finance Corporation (1961-85), then Wesray Capital Corporation (1985-88), Sears Roebuck (1988-98), and finally owned by Advance Auto Parts (1998-2003). The company was defunct in 2003 but the name was used for several additional years. E.W. Johnson was the Orland manager after his service in World War II. The store was at the northwest corner of Fifth and Walker Streets. See more

ATHS. Weather feels like summer but it is a perfect fall day to go out to the Jerry Porter Memorial Show on County Road 24 east of the airport. Safety precautions are being taken by the Northern California Chapter of the American Truck Historical Society which is putting on the event. Hope you take advantage of this outing. Afterward you could swing over to Country Pumpkins to pick up some goodies at their "store" and a pumpkin or two. A day designed for being "out-n-about."

ATHS. The Northern California Chapter of the American Truck Historical Society will host their annual Jerry Porter Memorial Show tomorrow (17 Oct 2020) at 7061 County Road 24 (Porter's Welding) which is a short distance southeast of the airport. The event starts at 8 a.m., although trucks have already started to arrive. There will be BBQ burgers and hot dogs available. This one day event "will look very different from previous shows" because of health and safety precautions being taken. The OHCS has had several "cooperating" activities with this past ATHS event but they are not appropriate this year. Images are from the 2019 show. Hope to see you there tomorrow.

Fifth & Walker. William Chaney (1865-1933) was born in Ogdensburg, New York but was educated in Minnesota and engaged in farm work as a young man. Later he would work in the hay and grain business before entering the furniture and undertaking profession. In 1909, Chaney and his young family came west where Mrs. Chaney's folks were living in Orland. In Jan 1910, Proctor Knott Hicks (1883-1936) purchased the T.J. Hicks Company from his father and took in Chaney as his partner.... The new enterprise would be known as "Hicks & Chaney" and would carry a full line of furniture, plumbing, implements, and hardware items including windmills, milk separators, and John Deere plows. The undertaking parlor would be in the northwest portion of the building opening onto Fifth Street. On 6 Dec 1910, P.K. Hicks married Mary Frances French (1873-1949) and Hicks and Chaney became brother-in-laws in addition to being business partners. Built in 1910 on the site of the old T.J. Hicks building at the northeast corner of Fifth and Walker Streets, the new two-story building was made with concrete blocks produced locally. The building would also house Orland's Post Office, the first office of The Orland Unit newspaper, The Rochdale Store, and the reading room maintained by the Orland Women's Improvement Club that would lead to the establishment of the Orland Free Library. The hardware store entrance would be behind the white trucks in the 2009 photographs. Because of the historical significance of this building, the owner (Floor's By Ray) had the structure evaluated by an architect/historian firm from the Bay Area. With the results in hand, the data was taken to the City Council and the Hicks & Chaney building was designated as Orland's Historic Building #1. Several years later, the OHCS (which had assisted in the process with Floor's By Ray), contacted the same firm and had an evaluation done on the Alta Schmidt House at 936 Fourth Street. Again, it was deemed of historical significance by the architect/historian and it was designated as Orland's Historic Building #2. The 1947-48 Glenn County Directory lists the Hotel Palms at this address. A number of other firms have been and continue to be in business in the historic Hicks & Chaney building. See more

Fourth & Walker. Construction of the Orland Hotel at the southwest corner of Fourth and Walker Streets, started Jan 1902. The building would contain a dining room, kitchen, large office, barbershop, and 27 sleeping rooms. Estimates were reported in the newspapers that the hotel would cost $20,000 and take 400,000 bricks to complete. In 1940, the Bullock Building--name used after it was no longer the Orland Hotel--was "modernized" to go along with the "push" to make the Orland business district have a distinctive modern appearance. The cupula was removed, the cupula corner remodeled, the two decker "forty-niner" porch removed, and the red bricks given a stucco coat. In the photograph, Walker Street is to the right and Fourth Street is on the left.

Orland College. Jay was asking about Orland College so I will make an attempt to give an overview of this topic. Prof. Jerome Patch came to the village of Orland c. 1880 promoting the idea that the community needed a "college." This would be a private school as there were no secondary schools in the area at the time so the student body would be a variety of ages. A town meeting was held and the Prof.'s efforts were encouraged by local businessman and landowners. He then set ...about walking from ranch to ranch to sign up subscribers to the project. Once enough cash had been raised, Patch then hired masons to help him build the two-story building on property given to the college by Albert Papst (east of Woodward Avenue as Walker Street ended at Woodward). The college was in operation from 1882-91. In Jan 1884, a suit was brought against Patch for not paying D.O. Lake who operated the college's dormitory (students and instructors came from out of town). The Orland Constable was sent to arrest Patch. The infamous confrontation took place with Patch in the belfry where he could ring the bell (to drown out the Constable's orders) and toss down Stony Creek rocks on the Constable. The two would spend a restless night in a second floor room of the college with a line drawn between the two. The Colusa County Sheriff would appear on the scene the next day and take charge of the Professor to answer for the charges brought against him. The college continued with a different head master until the public state normal school at Chico put the college out of business. The building then stood vacant until Oct 1910 when it was torn down. The bricks were used to build two houses on Fourth Street. Patch apparently died in Orland in March 1891. Papst would take back his land. In the group photo, the dormitory building seen behind the college was moved to the southwest corner of Fourth and Colusa Streets to be the first Hotel Royal. The historic school site marker is located by the steps to the Orland Grange Hall which sits on the site of the Orland College. A more detailed account of Prof. Patch can be found in "Orland's Colorful People: Book 1" written 2002 and reprinted 2020. See more

Colusa Street. The Royal Hotel was the "project" of Emanuel Bentz Kesselring (1848-1921). Born in Michigan, E.B. came to California with his parents who would operate a hotel at St. John, Colusa County. He would be recognized as the first area farmer to plant wheat on the flat tree-less valley floor. After several moves around the north state, E.B. and wife Anna Almira Springston Kesselring (1854-1927) moved to Orland and entered into the hotel business. They managed the Hote...l Orland (Fourth & Walker) and would later take possession of the old wooden Hotel Royal at the southwest corner of Fourth and Colusa Streets. The three-story Hotel was built next door in 1912. E.B. was a town trustee and high school board member while Anna would become the first President of the Orland Women's Improvement Club in 1909. In the c. 1920 photograph, you can see the edge of the original Hotel Royal (former Orland College dormitory) on the left hand edge and down the street, the Orland Opera House at the end of the block. I am sure some Facebook viewer will have a date for the fire that closed the structure. See more