Sadly, it's not a live version, but here's a little something from Miss Baker to get your Halloween off right:
« September 2009 | Main | November 2009 »
Sadly, it's not a live version, but here's a little something from Miss Baker to get your Halloween off right:
Posted at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I promised I'd take a little break from Miguel Blanco and do a little something different, so I took my girl out to a "haunted house," specifically Pasadena's Old Town Haunt. What I find intriguing about this is it is held in the 107-year-old Union Bank building. Now whether there really are "underground catacombs" or just a real tricked-out basement down there, I don't know. But it was a real good laugh and the psychotic deformed monsters they keep down there really throw themselves into it. On the way down Raymond Ave, I ran into this werewolf who was kind enough to pose with me before continuing his murderous rampage. Happy Halloween y'all.
Posted at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Folks, I am delighted to announce that the hangman ain't coming for Miguel Blanco just yet. At the San Marino Board of Education meeting last night, people were coming out of the woodwork to support the Michael White Adobe, and in a future post I'm going to be naming some heroes.
The news ain't all good - the board of education, and yes, I'm going to keep naming names, Jeannie Caldwell, Jeng Yen, C. Joseph Chang, Chris Norgaard, along with student member Carlee Beckler all voted unanimously to approve the environmental impact report. But they also granted a three-month stay of execution, so you won't see Raven Jake standing in front of a bulldozer at least until February.
In the meantime, it is imperative that we get some citizen action going, raise some money, come up with a plan. From what I saw last night, it looks like we still have a hell of a fight ahead.
But we got three months, and a lot can happen in three months. Maybe I can even post something that ain't related to my belated amigo, Miguel Blanco.
Posted at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Please come and show your support for preserving California's multi-cultural heritage:
Board of Education Meeting
Date: 10/27/2009
Time: 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: District Office Board Room
1665 West Dr., San Marino, CA 91108
Posted at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Fast Facts about the Michael White Adobe
Posted at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Folks, this morning I attended a meeting of the San Marino High School PTSA. The dang thing went on for three hours. The president, Mary Falkenbury, was kind enough to let me say a few words on behalf of saving the adobe, and I hope that I was able to convey a sense of the excitement I feel about Michael White’s story and the building as a center for the community. The rest of the time I was listening.
What I heard was that San Marino is getting pulled in a number of polarizing directions. There are New Residents vs Old Residents. You have City vs School. You have a median population age group that is getting older and enrollment in the schools is starting to drop. Everybody is worried about money. Elections are coming up.
The PTSA is caught up in all the pandemonium just like everybody else, and more or less are getting it to work. Why? Because, deep in their hearts, these ladies want what is best for their kids. They might disagree on some stuff, but basically they want their kids to be safe, to make good decisions and they support extracurricular activities just as much, maybe even more, than academics.
And their work shows. The school is clean, well-ordered and there is a happy chaos of synchronized activity going on. Preserving the Michael White Adobe might not be on the top of everyone’s priority list, but it fits in very well with the character of the school. Restoration isn’t an option right now – there really isn’t a budget for it, but its destruction is an unnecessary expense for the school to take on as well. I say, just leave it be. Let this storm pass. Heck, the school was founded on that building, and it still has somethin’ to offer everyone – a catalyst for hands-on learning, a rallying point for the community, a sense of continuity with past, present and future. It might just last another 165 years – and be telling us something about ourselves all the while.
Posted at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
If y'all are new to Raven Jake, welcome. All my recent posts have been about saving the Michael White Adobe, aka Casa de Miguel Blanco, which is in danger of being torn down by the San Marino Board of Education. Keep scrolling down, there's a lot of information to impart. This post its to showcase an improbable (but true) historical sidenote that happened right here in the San Gabriel Valley. The Pasadena Pirates, Michael White and Joseph Chapman aka Miguel Blanco and Don Jose Chapman.
So how much of a pirate was Michael White? The evidence turns on a fellow named Joseph Chapman [1794-1848], who had a remarkably similar story to Michael White. The two were friends and co-workers, and were probably associated as far back as their days as sailors in the “Sandwich Islands” also known as Hawaii.
It seems impossible now that not one, but two pirates, one American, one British, would be in the San Gabriel area, married to lovely señioritas and building boats and mills and such. But that is exactly what happened.
Our first narrative was taken from:
“The Searcher,” SCGS, February 1983
Pages 34 & 35
Donated by: San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society
The Spanish word "Don" denotes a nobleman or gentleman and is used as a title prefix to a Christian name. So this is the story of how the first Anglo of research record in Southern California became a "Yankee Don."
Romantic legend has it that the Buenos Aires raiders, Bouchard's Insurgents, lost one of its swashbuckling crew in an attack upon the Ortega Rancho near Santa Barbara in 1818.
Don Ortega, aided by Don Lugo and their vaqueros, caught the pirate as he leaped from a boat, cutlass in hand, bent upon obtaining loot. But the real story is very different. The prisoner proved to be Joseph Chapman, a Yankee shipbuilder who had been shanghaied in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) and was not a pirate at all.
He was taken down the coast to Los Angeles and placed on probation. Because men of skill were badly needed he was put to work in charge of a squad of men taking lumber out of Church Canyon in back of Mount Wilson. This period of impressment and probation were attested to by Joseph Chapman and early records.
In 1820 we find him employed in Santa Ynez where he built the first grist mill in California. That year he also obtained from Governor Sola the King's amnesty to Anglo-American prisoners.
In 1822 he was baptized at San Buenaventura Mission as Jose Juan. He was married that same year on November fifth to Maria De Guadalupe Ortega, daughter of Vicente and Marie Aubonea Sanchez Ortega at the lovely old mission of Santa Ynez that later attracted the Danish settlement of Solvang.
After his marriage to Guadalupe Ortega he became known as Don Jose Chapman. An 1834 census indicates these figures: Don Jose, age 40 born in Boston; wife Guadalupe age 35 born in Santa Barbara; children, Jose Dolores Chapman 10, Jose Juan 9, Maria Rita 7, Maria Ignacius 6, Maria Guadalupe 3. All the children were born in Santa Barbara.
In 1824 he moved his family to Los Angeles where he bought a house and some land near San Gabriel and planted a vineyard of 4,000 vines. He still continued to work as a jack-of-all-trades at the mission and was a great favorite of the friars. In fact, Father Sanchez marveled that one so long in Baptist heresy could be such a good example of Catholic piety to older Christians.
In 1829 he obtained certificates from leading men of all classes and asked for and received Mexican naturalization in 1831. In the meanwhile he built a schooner for the mission fathers for use in otter hunting off Santa Catalina Island, and served on occasion as surgeon.
Don Jose Chapman's most notable and last achievement, however, was the building of the old Plaza Church in Los Angeles. It is still standing today and is called Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels.
In 1836 he moved to Santa Barbara and in 1838 was the grantee of the Rancho San Pedro. In either 1848 or 1849 our "Yankee Don" died and his widow became claimant for the Rancho. Some of his descendants still live in Ventura County. Among early pioneers none was more popular or colorful.
Great! Let’s take a break and revisit what Kielbassa has to say about Michael White’s “Pirate Period:”
He was sailor by trade and may have visited Baja California as early as 1817. Afterward, he made several voyages between the Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands) and Mexico's Pacific coast. The British ship, Dolly, brought White to Alta California in 1829. He soon became a Mexican citizen, as did most Anglo immigrants at the time in order to marry and hold property. He was given a Mexican name, Miguel Blanco, which is the Spanish form of Michael White.
White may have first settled in the San Pedro area, although there was no permanent settlement there at that time of his arrival. San Pedro was part of the Rancho Los Palos Verdes, owned by the Sepulveda family, and was a desolate place. His living in San Pedro is supported by his name appearing on early records as being one of the ship builders of the Guadalupe, which was constructed there at Goleta Point in 1830.
White, along with former pirate, Joseph Chapman, constructed the schooner, Guadalupe from the remains of the brig, Danube, which ran aground in a storm on Christmas Eve, 1828. The vessel was built for the padres of the San Gabriel Mission to be sold to sea otter traders. White sailed the Guadalupe to Mazatlan and returned in 1832.
Upon his return from Mexico, White married Maria del Rosaria Gullien, who was a daughter of Dona Eulalia Perez de Gullien, the old matron and bookkeeper at the San Gabriel Mission. Following his marriage, White set up a small store at Rancho Los Nietos, a short distance south of the mission.
Smuggling was a common practice along the California coast in the 1830s. Mexican authorities imposed high tariffs upon imported goods, which were desperately needed by the citizens of the province. The settlers in California were neglected by Mexico and there was no industry, so there was a heavy reliance upon trade with foreign vessels and smuggling was generally accepted by the citizenry. White may have been involved in a smuggling scheme in San Francisco in 1833. Although a man named White was accused of this illegal deed, it has never been determined that the implicated individual named White was the same as Michael White.
________________________________________________________________________
This third narrative is from the California Missions Resource Center
http://www.missionscalifornia.com/stories/good-pirate.html
The story of Joseph Chapman, the pirate who stayed and helped build Alta California's mills.
Early in the 18th century, many of the countries in the Spanish empire in the Americas began a struggle for independence. Mexico in 1810, Argentina later the same year, Paraguay in 1811. Catholic priests like Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla (known as the Padre de la Independencia) supported the movement.
Hidalgo was captured in March, 1811 and shot, but the struggle continued on. It took until 1821 before Mexico, the headquarters of New Spain, won its independence.
During these years of struggle, Spanish resources were diverted, and the missions in Alta California had to become more self-sufficient to survive. More ominous, there was a real threat that California would be attacked. The ports of Callao, Peru and Guayaquil, Equador were attacked in 1816.
The most likely source of trouble was a privateer flying the flag of a country that was fighting Spain. Privateers were privately owned vessels armed and equipped at the owner’s expense and authorized by a belligerent party to appropriate or destroy enemy property.
Just such a threat materialized along the California coast in 1818. In October of that year an American ship, the Clarion, arrived in Santa Barbara from the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). The ship’s captain was a friend of the presidio commandant, Jose de la Guerra y Noriega. He warned Don Jose that an Argentinean backed privateer, Hipolite Bouchard, was planning an attack.
The Spanish presidios, missions and pueblos were put on high alert. The Governor ordered that lookouts be posted at twenty-five strategic locations along the coast. (As always, the actual work fell to the Indians).
Hopolite Bouchard, with two heavily armed ships and 350 men did attack in November, 1818. The pirates landed in Monterey and torched many of the buildings (though the Royal Presidio chapel was spared). Several of the attacking force were captured during forays in the surrounding countryside.
The Spanish network along the coast mobilized for further attacks, although it wasn't clear where the pirates would strike next. Indians were recruited and trained as a militia at several missions. Coastal missions like Santa Cruz were evacuated.
On December 14, Bouchard stuck again, this time at San Juan Capistrano, burning the king's storehouse, the soldiers barracks and the governor's house.
This proved to be the last attack. The pirate raid was over, but its aftermath was just beginning. Several more men from the attacking force were captured or deserted in Monterey and San Juan Capistrano during the melee.
One of these men would go on to make an unusual contribution to Alta California over the next thirty years.
Joseph Chapman (c. 1784 -1848). was an American carpenter and blacksmith who hailed from Maine. He was impressed into service by Captain Bouchard in the Sandwich Islands. Chapman participated in the attack on California and was taken prisoner at Monterey.
This 'reluctant pirate' was imprisoned for a while and then freed to build a fulling mill (a process used to soften woolen fibre) at Mission Santa Ines, the ruins of which still stand.
Chapman was a clever fellow, gifted at anything mechanical. He oversaw the building of a grist mill for Mission San Gabriel (located in San Marino), and he prepared timbers for the construction of the first church in Los Angeles. The mill he built near San Gabriel is now a museum. (This isn’t actually true – RJD)
Chapman was baptized at San Buenaventura in 1822, and that same year married Guadalupe Ortega of Santa Barbara with whom he had five children.
In 1824 Chapman bought land in Los Angeles and developed a vineyard, but still continued to do odd jobs at the missions, being a jack-of-all-trades, who apparently could make or repair anything that was needed.
Joseph Chapman was a great favorite of the friars. He became a naturalized citizen and a grantee of the San Pedro Rancho. The historian Hugh Bancroft says of him "among all the earliest pioneers of California there was no more attractive character, no more popular and useful man, than Joseph Chapman the Yankee."
This 'good pirate' died in 1848.
Hipolite Bouchard had been dead for over a decade and his end was not as favorable. After his raid on the California coast Bouchard made his home in Peru, where he retired with the rank of captain. In reward for his services the Peruvian government gave Bouchard two ranches. On January 6, 1837 the local papers reported "Navy Captain Hipolite Bouchard, of more than 60 years of age, was suddenly killed by his own slaves two nights ago at seven, for which reason he did not express his last will nor did he receive any sacraments."
And so pirate Hipolite Bouchard came to a bad end, showing that you can’t get away with that kind of thing forever.
Here’s some other stuff we’ve discovered from all this reading: Remember that one about the Old Mother Grapevine in San Gabriel? The there is an affidavit that the vine was planted by someone named David Franklin Hall of the Michael White Ranch in 1861?
Now that’s kind of a strange coincidence. I can’t say where Michael White’s vineyards were, but his adobe was a ways off. I still think that vine came with the mission!
And how about when John Windell Woods wrote that: Four daughters survived Dona de Guillen, one marrying one Ora Lopez, son of Claudeo Lopez, builder of the Old Mill; another Michael White, an American, and another a Mr. De la Ossa.
Well, the name “Claudio Lopez” has a familiar ring to it, because of what we read about the Old Mill:
It was Fray Zalvidea who built the Old Mill by Wilson's Lake [in Lacy Park] and which for many years was an object of romantic interest. This mill was built in 1810-11 under the supervision of one Claudio Lopez, who stood grimly over the reluctant aboriginal while he toiled at his unaccustomed labor.
But the original mill was superseded by another built in 1821-22 by one Joseph Chapman for the mission; an adventurous buccaneer or pirate, who by good luck was captured by Spanish Californians and somehow acquired their friendship. He eventually married the daughter of a large land owner, became a substantial citizen and landed proprietor himself - a romance of itself.
So Lopez built the Old Mill, and Chapman built the New Mill, which, sadly, is no longer with us, and we don’t know anything about how the Chapman’s and the Lopez’s got along. Interesting 6-degrees-of-separation, though.
You’ve got the Old Mill, The Old Mother Grapevine, The Michael White Adobe, Olvera Street (well, really La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles) and pirates all in one post.
Folks, we got a lot of history at stake here. Write some letters, go to the school board meeting on October 27 and let’s save the Michael White Adobe.
Posted at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
For you late-comers to Raven Jake, welcome. There's a whole lotta information here, especially about the Miguel Blanco / Michael White Adobe, so just keep scrollin' down the page. You'll be sure to find something of interest:
What is the Michael White Adobe? Here's the brief story: "The adobe was constructed in 1845 by Michael White, a European sailor who adopted the name Miguel Blanco and became a Mexican citizen so he could own land in California, which was under Mexican rule at the time. White's mother-in-law was Eulalia Pérez de Guillén Mariné, who worked at the San Gabriel Mission and owned land that eventually become part of Pasadena, South Pasadena and San Marino." Miguel Blanco’s (pictured at left) adobe is one of the oldest buildings in the San Gabriel Valley and his story is a triumph of multiculturalism set in the 1840s - a critical juncture in the history of our state. His mother-in-law, Eulalia Pérez de Guillén Mariné (photograph right) was, in her day, the most influential woman in Southern California. The Adobe is located at: 2701 Huntington Drive, San Marino, CA 91108
Why does the Michael White Adobe need to be saved? The San Marino School District, including board of education members Jeanie Caldwell, Jeng Yen, C. Joseph Chang, Karen Preston and Chris Norgaard, want to knock down this 164-year-old adobe to expand their high school swimming pool. Yes, you read that correctly. San Marino High School was founded around what was then a 100-year-old adobe. The sports fields have completely engulfed the old building. In the past few years the school district has spent $35 million on infrastructure to the high school, and exactly $0 on the adobe (which is actually pretty well preserved - it isn't just a ruin) and now that they're out of money, it's called an "economic downturn," and they want to pave it until funds become available to expand the pool. What? Exactly! The Michael White Adobe is about to become another casualty of “progress.”
How can I help? First, educate yourself! The relevant documents are posted on http://ravenjake.vox.com/ If you are able to volunteer, organize or have more questions,
e-mail: [email protected]
Second: write some e-mails. The San Marino Board of Education members are Jeanie Caldwell, Jeng Yen, C. Joseph Chang, Karen Preston and Chris Norgaard. Let them know you think this is a bad idea. They are stealing history from our grandchildren!
Third: Attend the board of education meeting on October 27 (Tuesday).
THIS MAY BE OUR LAST CHANCE TO SAVE THIS HISTORIC BUILDING
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.. Location: District Office Board Room
The address for the San Marino Unified School District is:
1665 West Drive., San Marino, CA 91108
What else do I need to know? Lots of things! For instance, there is no reason to destroy the adobe RIGHT NOW. The San Marino Board of Education could simply table the Michael White Adobe’s upcoming date with a bulldozer indefinitely. This would allow the community to become involved with the project and decide what other options - moving the adobe, restructuring the existing pool and sports fields etc. would be viable.
You should also know that virtually every historical and preservation society in Southern California is against this act of historical violence. For example, heavy hitters Michelle C. Messinger, the CEQA [CEQA: The California Environmental Quality Act] Coordinator of the local government unit OHP's [Office of Historic Preservation]furnished us with a copy of the CEQA letter for the Michael White Adobe project at San Marino High School.
Terri Geis, Ph.D. the Preservation Director for Pasadena Heritage, Roberta Martinez, the president of Latino Heritage , Tesa Becica from the San Fernando Valley Historical Society, Ann Gray of Balcony Press (architectural books) and Mike Buhler, the Advocacy Director for the LA Conservancy have all weighed in for preserving the adobe. You can see their comments here: http://tiny.cc/comments504
Here are a couple of news stories that present the school district’s side of the story:
http://tiny.cc/la_times
http://tiny.cc/rose_mag
But be aware that some of the arguments just don’t make any sense. For instance this: School board President Jeanie Caldwell said the adobe has been a school board issue since the 1990s. "It's a dilemma for us," she said. "Everybody wants it saved but no one wants to save it." Well, no one would have to save it, if it wasn’t about to be destroyed. It would have been nice to get some lead time too.
Or how about this? "I'm in favor of people fundraising for its preservation, but as a school board, we can't budget even a hundred thousand or half a million for the adobe," said school board member C. Joseph Chang. "We are a small school district, so we don't have big revenue." Except that this national blue ribbon school that has undergone $35 million of renovations in the last 10 years. Obviously the money was there, but they chose to spend it elsewhere.
You should also be aware that the building is well-preserved and not in any immediate danger of collapsing and injuring somebody. Refer to the photos at http://ravenjake.vox.com/
Although adobe homes were made from mud and straw, they have been moved before - the Hugo Reid Adobe was moved to its present location at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in 1958, however it required a lot of reconstruction. But why not just leave it?
This is what the San Marino High School website says “Let me quote something from PTA history in 1955 . . .“In the 1870’s, Mr. Joseph Heslop donated an old house and 2 acres of land on the South-East corner of Huntington Drive and Del Mar Avenue for use as school property. Mr. Heslop’s wife, Francesca, was the daughter of Rosario de Guilleu and Miguel Blanco, whose adobe house stands on our high school grounds today. From 1873 – 1890, the children of the Heslop’s, L. J. Roses of Sunnyslope, the Cooper’s, Dan Mulock’s, Pollar’s, J. Smith, and Colonel Winston attended this school.” http://tiny.cc/san_marino
Let's save the Michael White Adobe. Our future depends on our past.
Posted at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
A big shout out to Roberta from Latino Heritage for coming up with these two pictures. She is pretty sure that the picture of Michael White, who was of course, Miguel Blanco, was drawn by Clarence Ellsworth.
Next up is Banco's formidable mother-in-law Eulalia Perez de Guillen. That photo was owned by her great-great-great granddaughter, Victoria Cordova, and it is in the Bancroft Library at Berkeley. http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Now all of this conclusively points to what I was speculating about before - that the photo above is of the Blanco family and it was taken before June 8, 1878, when Dona Eulalia passed on. We may never know her age - 143 108, ... probably younger, but we do know what she looked like, thanks to Roberta.
Miguel Blanco is clearly the 4th person from the left, and Dona Eulalia is the lady sitting in front. Maybe the lady to the left of Miguel is his wife, Maria del Rosaria Guillen.
Posted at 07:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
And folks, I mean literally TODAY, October 11. We have to save this adobe, and time is running out. While we were peeking over the fence, one of the baseball moms, Joanna, came over to talk to us. She was proud to show off the adobe and comment on its uniqueness and we said "it's too bad your board of education wants to tear it down at the end of the month." What? Turns out that not even the PTA has been told that the San Marino Board of Education including these members (go ahead and feel free to send 'em an e-mail y'all, they're elected officials)
President | Jeanie Caldwell | November 2009 (term expires) |
Vice-President | Dr. Jeng Yen | November 2009 |
Clerk | C. Joseph Chang | November 2009 |
Member | Karen Preston | November 2011 |
Member | Chris Norgaard | November 2011 |
ought to be ashamed. In fact, if this plan goes through, I'll make sure that every time someone Googles Jeanie Caldwell, Jeng Yen, C. Joseph Chang, Karen Preston and Chris Norgaard their name crops up in conjunction with this act of historical violence. In fact, with term expirations coming up for Ms. Caldwell and Yen and Chang, they oughta start thinking about what their legacy is going to be.
As you can see, there's nothing wrong with the adobe except that this hideous collection of sports fields have grown up around it and they are now starting to crumble. If I had my way, I'd fill in the pool and plant a historically appropriate herb garden. Now that ain't gonna happen, so swim in peace kids, but the problem is not the adobe, it's lack of long-term planning. The adobe is the redeeming feature of the place and it's time to stop making rash decisions based on false economic expediences and start thinkin' about the long haul.
It's also time to stop trying to run a fasty past the school, the parents, the city and the community. It ain't gonna work.
And the address for the San Marino Unified School District is:1665 West Dr., San Marino, CA 91108, so make sure they know what you think about this.
Posted at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Recent Comments