The Cross on Pagan Hill

Many years ago, when I was in third grade at Pacheco School, one of our assignments was to draw the landmarks in San Benito County. One was a cross on a hill, which I drew not paying attention to what Mrs. Apsley said it was all about and where it was. For many years I thought the cross was some where on Pacheco Pass. Even though I now know the landmark refers to the cross on top of Pagan Hill above San Juan Bautista, I still find myself scanning the mountains for a cross whenever I drive up Highway 156. Perhaps there is one up on Lover's Leap.

So, what about the cross? Pagan Hill, also known as Mount Holy Cross, was a sacred place for the Mutsun tribe. When the missionaries found that the natives went up to the spot to do their own religious practice, they, the friars, decided to erect a wooden cross as a way to convert the Mutsuns to Catholicism. This was around 1803. A farmer took down the cross about 50 years later. Flash forward about another 50 years when someone or some group put up at wooden cross in the same spot. In 1929, that was replaced with the concrete cross that we see today.

My Sources:
Mission San Juan Bautista by Historic American Landscapes Survey, National Park Service
California: A Guide to the Golden Golden State by Federal Writers' Project

A Bit of History at 401 San Benito Street

The past few evenings I have been enjoying Hollister by Joseph M. McMahon and Peter Sonné, which is part the Images of America series published by Arcadia Publishing. Have you read it yet? It's a wonderful introduction to the history of our area.

One of the things I learned is that the building on the southeast corner of San Benito and 4th Streets originally was a  business called the Hollister Rochdale Company. Then I pulled out The Historic Downtown Walking Tour booklet by Sharlene Van Rooy to find out that Rochdale was a grocery store and it collapsed during the 1906 Earthquake. The following year, a new building was constructed. Yup. That 106 year-old building is now the home of New Life Fellowship.

Note: So that FCC won't get on my case, the above link leads you to Amazon.com. And, if you happen to purchase Hollister via that link (or this link), I get a bit of change for my effort of referring you to the page. 

The Turret on Fifth Street

Don't you just love the old architectural styles of houses in downtown Hollister? Check out the turret of the Frankie Orr house across from the San Benito County Library, for example. Built in 1900, the house was designed by William H. Weeks, a well-known California architect who also designed the old brown-stoned City Hall (a few buildings to the east of the current City Hall), the Masonic Temple, and the original buildings of San Benito High School.

FYI: The links for the Masonic Temple and San Benito High School will lead you to the postcards I designed for Zazzle. FCC wants you to know that I receive a pittance of a royalty and referral fee for anyone who purchases the postcards.

Driving in a 1910 Model T

Can you imagine yourself behind the wheel of this Ford Model T Touring Car?

The car was built in 1910 in Michigan, which was the same year that Tiffany Motor Company opened for business. And, that is where this Model T was on display over the holiday season. (It may still be up.) According to the exhibit notes, Tiffany sold three of these 1910 Model T's. The notes also say that the car still runs!

T is For Takino, Japan

This beautiful lantern, which stands in front of the City Hall, is a gift to Hollister from Takino, Japan. The two were sister cities for over 10 years.

According to Wikipedia, Takino merged with two other towns in 2006 to form a new city called Kato.

I'm been going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

B is for Building

The Hollister City Hall in the late afternoon lighting

The City Hall building was originally the home of the San Benito County Free Library. Yes, it was a Carnegie library. In the 1990s, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. That means I'll be posting every day in April but Sunday.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

The Railroad in San Juan Bautista

Until the Southern Pacific built the railroad in Hollister in the 1870s, San Juan Bautista was the bustling metropolis in this area. But, that's a story for another time. In 1907, a railroad did eventually come to the mission city. Originally run by the San Juan Pacific Railway, it became part of the California Central Railroad several years later.

An E Clampus Vitus plaque (the photo above) on Mission Vineyard Road (next to San Juan Inn) marks the southeast portion of the railroad. Here's what the marker states:

The San Juan Pacific Railway was incorporated May 4, 1907, becoming the California Central Railroad in 1912. Some of the locals referred to it as the San Juan Terrific. Built to haul the expected large quantities of Portland cement from the old Mission Cement Company Plant nearby, the mainline extended 7.94 miles from Chittenden to San Juan Junction. Ceasing railroad operations in 1930, the track was ripped up after the last locomotive, Ocean Shore No. 5 was steamed up and shipped to Nevada in 1937. A narrow gauge 'road' reached the limestone quarry up the San Juan Canyon.

February 25 to March 3 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: Trains and Railroads 

The Railroad in Tres Pinos

What you're looking at is Highway 25 in Tres Pinos. You're looking west from a hitching post at the 19th Hole Booze and Food. Tres Pinos is a quiet little village, but over a 100 years ago, wowza!

Back in 1873, the Southern Pacific ran a line to Tres Pinos. Soon the town became a busy shipping center for hay, cattle, and grain. The railroad also shipped quicksilver for the New Idria Mines. The railroad ran two passenger and two freight trains daily, states the Inn at Tres Pinos Web site.

According to the go.to/tres pinos web page: "Among the businesses in downtown Tres Pinos were seven enormous grain warehouses, a scale house, six saloons (one that was illegal), bullfighting arena, and large hotel (as well as rumored bordellos)."

The story goes that initially the Southern Pacific planned to build the railroad to Paicines, which back then was the original Tres Pinos. What we know as the town of Tres Pinos today was then called Paicines. After laying railroad lines to Paicines, the Southern Pacific no longer wanted to go further. The railroad somehow got the two communities to switch names by 1874 so that it can say it completed its objective: Build a railroad line to Tres Pinos.

The Southern Pacific dismantled the railroad line in 1944.

February 25 to March 3 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: Trains and Railroads 

The Old Train Depot

The theme this week, February 25 to March 3,  is Trains and Railroads. . .

You can find this plaque, which was placed by two chapters of the E Clampus Vitus, in front of the old train depot at the east end of Fifth Street. It states:

Hollister Train Service

The Tres Pinos branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad began train service to Hollister on July 13, 1871. Train service was a main reason the population grew from 300 in 1870 to over 2000 by 1873. Besides passenger service, major commodities shipped have included hay, produce and beer. The final passenger excursion occurred on October 30, 1955. The depot, originally constructed in the late 1860's, was fully restored by the Rodriguez family in 1991. 

Today, the depot is home to a restaurant and a few other establishments. Click here to see a photo of how it looked in 1968. And, here's what it looks like a few years ago.

2013 Hollister Motorcycle Rally

2011 Hollister Motorcycle Rally (unofficial)

Yes. The Hollister Motorcycle Rally is officially on this year. The last one, a financial disaster managed by the City of Hollister, was in July 2008. Not that the motorcycle rally really disappeared. For four years, bikers continued to trek to Hollister over the July 4th weekend to pay homage to the Birthplace of the American Biker.

So, it's back. July 5 and 6. Promoters and supporters are happy and excited. The word is that bikers can park themselves on main street and not in some distant lot from the original site where the 1947 riot took place.  For details about the rally, head over to the official Web site.

And, if you're interested in some history about the annual Hollister Motorcycle Rally, check out these links.

• It's Back! Hollister Bringing Back Rally in 2013  
• The Real "Wild Ones" The 1947 Hollister Motorcycle Riot  
• "The Gang's All Here" by Mark Singer in The New Yorker

 Today marks the end of this week's theme: Bikers, Motorcycles, and Hollister.  

 

The Sullivan House

One of the historic buildings at the San Benito County Historical Park is called the Sullivan House. It was named for the original owner, Mary Sullivan. Her brother, Michael Shea, a carpenter for Colonel Hollister, built the cute cottage for her around 1868. The house was located on San Felipe Street, near the Miyako Japanese Restaurant. It was the first building to be moved to the historical village.

To read more about the Sullivan House, check out this page at the San Benito County Historical Society Web site.

To learn more the San Benito County Historical and Recreation Park, check out this page.

February 4 to 10 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: San Benito County Historical Park

Hose Cart #2

In 1875, the young town of Hollister established a fire department that consisted of 69 volunteer firemen. The fire department created two hose companies and one hook and ladder company to serve the town as well as the surrounding area.

The hose barns, or fire stations, were built near the north and south borders of Hollister where fires were likely to range the most. Hose Cart #1 was put up on North Street, while Hose Cart #2 was erected in Swope Alley.

Until a few years ago, you might've stumbled upon the small wooden fire station #2 as you wandered through Swope Alley. Today, you can view Hose Cart #2 at the historical village in the San Benito County Historical and Recreation Park, just south of Tres Pinos on Highway 25.

For more information about the  historical village, check out this page at the San Benito Historical Society Web site. 

Want to read some more history of the establishment of the Hollister Fire Department? Here's a link for you to do so, which is at the Hollister Fire Department web page.

And, for a glance of the today's fire station, head over to this link on Take 25 to Hollister.

February 4 to 10 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: San Benito County Historical Park

A Vintage Sign

The Mobilgas Pegasus in the Cloud sign is a classic. Mobilgas (before it renamed itself as Mobil in 1963) introduced the red winged Pegasus in the 1930s. You can see the sign in its vintage glory at the historic village in the San Benito County Historical and Recreation Park. It's hanging on the outdoor wall of the first floor of the Ferrando House.

February 4 to 10 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: San Benito County Historical Park

Willow Creek School

The Willow Creek School is one of the several one-room schools that once existed throughout  San Benito County.  Built in the early 1870s, the Willow Creek School can be seen at the historic village in the San Benito County Historical and Recreation Park.

The school was built on the Melendy Ranch, which is a few miles north of the Pinnacles National Park. According to the local historians, the redwood lumber used for the school was brought over from Santa Cruz.

The Melendy Ranch donated the school to the San Benito County Historical Society, which moved the school to the historic village in the early 1990s. For more history and photos of the Willow Creek School, visit this page at the San Benito County Historical Park web site.

February 4 to 10 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: San Benito County Historical Park

The Cottage Bar

The Cottage Bar is one of the historic buildings at the San Benito County Historical Park. According to the E Clampus Vitus placard on the building, this was the first saloon to serve steamed beer in the area. The building is over 130 years old.

It was originally located at Cottage Corners, which was the area about where San Felipe Road and Wright Road intersect. If memory serves me, it stood on the northwest corner, which is now occupied by many of the blue tanks of Dassel's Petroleum, Inc.  Prior to being moved to the historic village, Cottage Bar was last owned by the Dassel family.

February 4 to 10 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: San Benito County Historical Park

Wind and Water

"Hello, Water Tank."

"Hello, Windmill."

The windmill and water tank display at the San Benito County Historical Park.

© 2012 Su-sieee! Mac. All rights reserved. www.take25tohollister.com

Looking Up: Mission San Juan Bautista

Up there on the cliff is Mission San Juan Bautista.  I took this photo from the original El Camino Real, which ran from Mission San Diego to Mission Sonoma. If I understood what I read, several feet below where I stood runs the San Andreas Fault. I am amazed that the mission has stayed up all these 200 years.

Do you see what looks like green benches below the fence? I was told that they are remnants of the bleachers for the once-upon-a-time annual San Juan Bautista Rodeo.

Rock and Rolling and Crushing

When the Husband and I drive around the county, I notice interesting cuts and gouges in the mountains. I always wonder how they were formed. In other words how Mother Nature did her work. The husband almost always tells me that what I'm looking at was created by a quarry.

How many quarries are (and were) in San Benito County? Quite a lot, it turns out. Check out this list of stone quarries compiled by Peggy B. Perazzo at Stone Quarries and Beyond. The list does not include sand or gravel quarries.

Local History

In the late 1860s, when Hollister was being formed, West, East, North, and South streets were the boundaries of town. This beautiful Queen Anne house at the corner of West and Seventh Streets stood at the growing town's western edge. The house, built in 1904 or 1906 (depending on the source), was originally the residence of someone who owned a harness and saddle shop.

Other local history tidbits. 
• San Benito County just turned 138 years old. The county was created on February 12, 1874.
• On March 26, Hollister will be celebrating its 140th year as an incorporated city.
• San Juan Bautista was incorporated in 1869, about 72 years after Mission San Juan Bautista was established.

History Links
To learn more about local history, check out these Web sites:

San Benito County Historical Society
About Our Town by Hollister Downtown Association
San Juan Bautista Historical Society
City of History by the City of San Juan Bautista
Vaquero Heritage Days
New Idria
Hollister and Bikers

P.S.  For those of you who were wondering about where I was on Tuesday's post, I was standing on Wright Road, between San Felipe Road and Highway 25 (or Bolsa Road).

Looking Up: Gable Eyes

Hot-looking Mediterranean revival eyes, don't you think?

You'll find this red tile rooftop on the colorful building at 910 Monterey Street, which was once upon a time the original Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.