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Notes for a Talk by Helen M. Hathaway
 Helen M. Hathaway, 1990. |
The following text written by Helen M. Hathaway was taken from eleven 3x5 index cards, which were probably used for a talk given circa 1982. The text is mostly verbatim, with abbreviations expanded and any typos corrected. The notations for pictures are purposely left intact (for possibly useful future reference), although no pictures were found with the index cards. The hand-written text was extracted by Terry Hathaway, August 10, 2004,
The historical information included in this page has not been verified, but is presented here in its original form. When the index cards were put together Helen Hathaway had ready access to Richard (Dick) Hathaway and his historical knowledge and extensive collection of historical books, maps, documents, and photographs, plus the first-hand knowledge of her husband, Julian I. (Doc) Hathaway. Moreover, she lived with and around Jesse and Lola Hathaway and was on friendly terms with the Koontz relatives and other old time families of both Whittier and Santa Fe Springs. Thus, her comments offer a look into one of the residents of Santa Fe Springs during some of its more energetic and volatile times.
Santa Fe Springs today, as you know, is an industrial and commercial development area. Of course, it is an incorporated city with some rather impressive public buildings, a fair sized residential district, but with no central downtown shopping area as we are accustomed to think of “towns” or "cities" having. A few years after the 2nd World War, land in Santa Fe Springs began to be subdivided for homes with all the other developments necessary to a mushrooming population. This led to Santa Fe Springs being incorporated as a city in 1957. At that time it encompassed about 5 square miles, with an assessed valuation of $39 million. After a number of annexations, in 1978 its size had increased to 9000 square miles and a value of over $300 million.
If you have happened to drive by the corner of Telegraph Road and Pioneer Boulevard recently and seen the mirrored building rising there, you might think Santa Fe Springs is trying to rival Beverly Hills. How successful that will be remains to be seen.
So much for Santa Fe Springs today — which you can all see for yourselves. To me its real interest is in the fact that over the years it has had an impact on what we think of as the Whittier area. My only qualification for presuming to talk about Santa Fe Springs is that I have lived there for 45 years with a man who was born and grew up there. My remarks are in no way a formal history, but rather a little reminiscing.
Hathaway history began in Santa Fe Springs with Julian's maternal great
grand parents, Martin and Mary Koonts. His mother, Lola McCarric and younger
sister, Claudia, came to live with the grandparents after their mother died
in 1883. Grandfather Koontz and son William ran the only store in Santa Fe
Springs located on the SE corner of Telegraph and Norwalk Boulevard. The
family operated the store until the mid 1920's and also the Post Office.
[Pictures 1 & la]
In the late 1890's Jesse Hathaway, a young engineer, traveled thru Santa Fe Springs going from Pomona to Los Angeles and San Diego. He met Lola McCarric and they were married in1902. After living in Los Angeles for a few years they settled in Santa Fe Springs and became part of the ranching community. Various crops were raised in Santa Fe Springs then and some up thru the time of the 2nd World War, such as grapes, corn, wheat, barley, beans, cabbage, onions, alfalfa, sugar beets, peanuts and pumpkins. Also groves of oranges, walnuts, apples, peaches and plums. The land where our house now stands was a pumpkin field when Julian was small. The largest pumpkin in the world at that time was raised there. Julian and his two brothers had their picture taken standing on it. The picture was used to advertise the Los Angeles County Fair for a number of years.
When our home was built, there was a walnut grove on the land. When the boys were growing up they discovered for themselves that Indians had once lived on this land. One of the oil companies was digging a trench for a pipe line in front of the Hathaway home on Little Lake Road, now Florence Avenue, and uncovered 5 Indian skeletons. It was not determined whether it was a burial ground or some catastrophe of nature that buried them there. Two were sent to the Smithsonian Foundation. Over the years, particularly after a Santa Ana wind storm, the boys found a number of arrow heads. Julian found some pieces of pottery when he was leveling the property where our home is. A branch of the Shoshonean Indians, later known as the Gabrielinos, were the earliest known inhabitants of this area. (San Gabriel Mission — Father Sierra)
Following the time when the Missions controlled much of the land, came the period called the Rancho era. In 1974 Governor. Pedro Fages made the first private land grants, land in the vicinity of the San Gabriel Mission. The 2nd and largest grant was made to Jose Manuel Nieto (300,000 acres). 30 years later, Nieto’s descendants divided the property into 6 great ranches — Los Alamitos, Los Sierritos (Cerritos), Los Coyotes, Las Bolsas, Palo Alto, and Santa Gertrudes — our area. It was not until 1850 when California became a state that high taxes caused the rancho to be broken up and cattle grazing gave way to farming.
In 1859 John Downey, who was Governor of California 1860-62, acquired title to Santa Gertrudes. Later formed Santa Gertrudes Land Company. A man named J. E. Fulton bought several parcels from them and in 1874 while digging an artesian water well discovered sulfur water on his land. By 1878 he had built a 2 story hotel for tourists who came to be cured by the mineral waters. Stages brought guests (about 409 annually) from the Railroad terminals in Los Angeles. He had 8 small bath houses with verandas piped with hot and cold sulfur water. Main hotel boasted gas lights, ladies parlors, billiard rooms, sumptuous gardens.
The Los Angeles & Anaheim Railroad, now Southern Pacific, was the 1st line completed through Santa Fe Springs. In 1898 the depot was called Fulton Wells. The California Southern Railroad, now Santa Fe Railroad, completed its tracks thru Santa Fe Springs in 1889. They promoted the town as Santa Fe Springs.
A Mr. Hawkins created an extensive private residence — 35 acres of 3000
fruit trees — large frame house, carriage barn, 4 story water tower and an
aviary. In 1890 the property was sold to W.A. Nimock, who created a botanical show place. One
old Carob tree still exists from which cuttings have been used in many
countries of the world. During the time the Hathaway boys were growing up,
this property belonged to the Slushers. On this site there is a foundation
which some believe to be a fort built when the Spanish owned California.
Others think it may be a foundation of an old adobe.
[Pictures #2,
3, 4 (water tower)]
In the decade before the oil boom in Santa Fe Springs a number of
families were living there raising their children. You will recognize some
of the names: The Alphonso Bells, the Batsons, the Alexanders, the Weisels,
Bill & Roy Houghton, the Slushers, the Clarks, Leland and Fayette Lewis,
Materns, Nordstroms, Earl & Leona Myer, Journigans, Crawfords, Kecks among
others. The children of these families were attending Little Lake-School in
the same school house where Julian's mother had attended.
[Pictures
5, 6, 7, 8]
Little Lake Road and the school were actually named for a small lake that lay between Lakeland Road and Telegraph on the west side of the Hathaway property, about where Pioneer Boulevard is now. It was fed by a spring on the line between the Hathaway and Slusher property. It was about 1921 that the lake began to dry up. Other things that people remember — the John Baker winery over by the Santa Fe tracks — was the father of Leona Myer; also the Foix place where the community often gathered in summer for one of their lavish barbecues.
The popularity of the hot springs began to dwindle around 1915 and gave out completely when the oil boom came. The presence of the oil was first confirmed by a well drilled in 1919 on the Marius Meyer property in Sunshine Acres. This was not a big well, however. The real boom began with Bell #1 in 1921. It came in for 2500 barrels a day. The oil boom brought drastic changes to Santa Fe Springs almost overnight. What had been a quiet, neighborly community with gracious homes and gardens, outstanding groves and farm crops, became a forest of derricks and the population swelled to 2000.
Not only workers but promoters, gamblers and prostitutes thronged to the fields to cash in on the black bonanza. The Mexican families settled in the main town site were bought out and their shacks demolished. Promoters came in and set up big tents and sold interests in the wells. People were brought in by bus, given free dinner and perhaps entertainment and then given a sales pitch. Some promoters were more ethical than others. I mention a few that may be familiar to you: C.C. Julian, E.A. Parkford, Paul Getty, Oscar Howard, William Gibbs McAdoo.
By the end of 1924, 81 million bbls had been pumped from the fields. Historically speaking, Santa Fe Springs holds a firm place in the history of oil in the U.S. By 1929 Santa Fe Springs was the state's largest producer of oil. Today with the major part of the field in a water flood unit, it is producing 40-50,000 bbls a month. When the water flood was started about 1975 the field was producing about 30-35,000 bbls a month.
Along with all this production, there has been some waste. The blowouts
and fires were almost inevitable. They were very spectacular and could be
seen and heard for about 20 miles away. One fire burned out a whole block
and another closed the highway for more than a month.
[Picture]
Now the water flood and new methods have changed the appearance of Santa Fe Springs again. The derricks are gone. No longer are they silhouetted against a sunset sky or a moon at night, a picture that held some romance for those who lived with them and accepted them as a way of life. Now there are even fewer pumping units standing, and more land is free for other development.
There are two little “candid camera” notes that you might be interested in. Julian says that Clark Gable ruff-necked on Hathaway #1 for a time in 1921-22. Also Walter Knott was first in business in Santa Fe Springs, in partnership with a Mr. Preston. They had 20 acres on Little Lake Road where they raised berries and sweet corn. Mr. Knott sold out to Mr. Preston and bought 15 acres in Buena Park.
The influence of Santa Fe Springs on the economy of this area seems quite obvious. But there were other effects also. The families who felt pushed out by the oil boom have had an influence, too. Alphanso Bell developed Bel Air. The Alexanders, the Batsons, the Nordstroms, the Lewis and the Myer families have contributed a great deal to the character and growth of Whittier. Those who remained have helped to stabilize Santa Fe Springs through all its ups and downs. Santa Fe Springs will always have its problems, but we are grateful it also has its strengths.
Helen M. Hathaway (deceased), Terry Hathaway.
Terry Hathaway.
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