Society director Bob Palazzola uncovered this gem from the April 1979 the Costa Mesa Historical Society Quarterly. It paints a colorful portrait of early Costa Mesa. Note the reference to A Slice of Orange by Edrick Miller in the final paragraph. The book is essential reading for local history fans.
By Dave Gardner, Society President
On June 5, 1935, a Stinson SM-6000 Trimotor made an unscheduled landing at the Joe Volck residence on the northeast corner of West Bay St. and Harbor Blvd. There were no serious injuries.
The Sunday Speaker Series is on hiatus until September. But history never rests. Many notable events in Costa Mesa history happened in July. On July 22, 1769, Portolá first entered Orange County. 41 years later an expedition member and his nephew (José Antonio Yorba and Juan Pablo Peralta) received a land grant for Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. Costa Mesa sits on the southwest portion of the rancho. Costa Mesa’s first church, the Fairview Methodist Episcopal Church,…
The Santa Ana, Fairview, and Pacific Railroad was one of the shortest-lived railroads in boom-era Orange County. In March 1889, the Santa Ana River overflowed at Fruitland, washing out a portion of the nine-month-old tracks, and the small repairs were never made. The town of Fruitland was near the intersection of present-day Harbor and Warner. It is called a phantom town because it was never officially registered. In addition to the town of Fruitland, the right of way survey…
Costa Mesa incorporated on June 30, 1953, 65 years ago this month. While this is Costa Mesa’s official “birthday,” other dates are worth remembering, too.
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The big day is finally here. It’s June 30, 1888, and you’ve been invited to board Fairview No. 1 for its maiden voyage from Santa Ana to the new town of Fairview.
May 22nd marks the 90th anniversary of what was called “one of the warmest elections ever held on the Mesa.” At issue was an attempt in 1928 to annex 6,000 acres of property to Santa Ana. The strip would have run due south from that city to the Upper Newport Bay, and would have included Delhi, part of Paularino, and most of Costa Mesa.
College Center is a $2 million shopping complex that first opened in 1965 on the corner of Harbor and Adams near OCC and home to Costa Mesa's first high-rise.
Those of you who have visited our museum may have seen our harmonium reed organ. However, of those who have seen it, only a percentage have read the story posted above it explaining how we obtained it. Even if you did read it, there is still part of the story you haven’t heard.