A History of Oxnard

A HISTORY OF OXNARD
by Jeffrey Wayne Maulhardt
A publication of
Oxnard Historic Farm Park

Thank you for your interest in this HPNbooks publication. For more information about other
HPNbooks publications, or information about producing your own book with us, please visit www.hpnbooks.com.

A HISTORY OF OXNARD
by Jeffrey Wayne Maulhardt
A publication of
Oxnard Historic Farm Park
HPNbooks
A division of Lammert Incorporated
San Antonio, Texas

CONTENTS
3 A HISTORY OF THE OXNARD PLAIN
77 BIBLIOGRAPHY
79 SHARING THE HERITAGE
137 SPONSORS
138 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
138 ABOUT THE COVER
First Edition
Copyright © 2018 HPNbooks
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing
from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to HPNbooks, 11535 Galm Road, Suite 101, San Antonio, Texas, 78254. Phone (800) 749-9790, www.hpnbooks.com.
ISBN: 978-1-944891-61-9
Library of Congress Card Catalog Number: 2018964217
A History of Oxnard
author: Jeffrey Wayne Maulhardt
managing editor: Daphne Fletcher
contributing writers for “Sharing the Heritage”: Daphne Fletcher, Sid Shapira, Marcus Matthews, Joe Goodpasture
cover design: Jeffrey Wayne Maulhardt
cover artist: Lisa Kelly
HPNbooks
chairman and chief executive officer: Jean-Claude Tenday
publisher and chief creative officer: Bernard O’Connor
president and chief revenue officer: Ron Lammert
project manager: Daphne Fletcher
administration: Donna M. Mata, Melissa G. Quinn, Kristin T. Williamson
book sales: Joe Neely
production: Colin Hart, Evelyn Hart, Tim Lippard
Craig Mitchell, Tony Quinn, Chris Sturdevant
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
2

A HISTORY OF THE OXNARD PLAIN
E A R L Y
C A L I F O R N I A
California’s history can be divided into four phases: Native American, Spanish, Mexican and
American. Each period overlaps and affects the other in profound ways.
The Native Americans of this area were known as the Chumash who at one time populated 7,000
square miles of southern California from Malibu up to the northern shores to Monterey. There were
three groups: the inland, coastal and island natives. Each group developed specific skills and trading
between the groups was essential to their long existence in the area.
They had many villages in today’s Ventura County: Muwu, a word meaning beach, near Mugu;
Wene’mu, at the beaches of Hueneme; and Shisholop, at the mouth of the Ventura River.
Known for their craftsmanship, colorful baskets, swift moving canoes and resourcefulness as
fishermen as well as gatherers, the Chumash were a peaceful people who embraced the Spanish
when they first arrived on these shores.
The origins of the name California came from a novel written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo,
Las Sergas De Esplandian. Originally published in 1510, the novel describes a paradise inhabited by
black Amazons and griffins that were ruled by a Queen named Calafia. When one of Hernando
Cortez’s officers by the name of Jimenez reached Lower California during the 1533-4 expedition
and found several pearls off the coast, he is said to have remembered the lavish land described by
Montalvo and soon after, the name of California began appearing on the maps used by Spanish
explorers. Some of the first maps showed California as an island.
A few years later, in 1542, Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo landed on the shore of Point Mugu, marking
the first encounter of a representative of Spain with the Chumash culture. Cabrillo, a Portuguese
who sailed for Spain, reported the Chumash were very friendly and showed no signs of hostility.
But it was sixty years before Spain sent its next explorer, Sebastian Viscano, who sailed for King
Phillip III. Viscano’s main goal was to further explore the coast of California, add some information
to the existing maps and check on Russia’s possible advancement down the California coast in their
hunt for sea otters and other animal skins. With the departure of Viscano, the Chumash were safe
from foreign intervention for another 150 years.
❖
Old Boney Mountain serves as a backdrop
for a Chumash hut at the Satwiwa Native
American Center in Thousand Oaks.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
3

❖
Above: A John Calvin Brewster photo of the
Mission San Buenaventura which was
founded in 1872.
Below: Ventura County split from Santa
Barbara County in 1873 and included
19 ranchos.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
4
It was not until the Spanish began their
expansion up the coast of California with the
formation of the mission system that the
Chumash began to see significant changes in
their lives.
By 1782, life for the Chumash was about to
change forever. Under the direction of Father
Junipero Serra, the San Buenaventura Mission
became seventh in the chain of twenty-one
missions, and the second mission to be built
within the Chumash territory.
The Chumash of this area received their
meals at the mission, but once they began to
receive favors from the church, conversion to
the Catholic faith became mandatory. The
church was also intolerant of the native
customs and many Chumash fell victim to the
strict rule of the priest. Soon, a dependence on
the mission developed and the remaining
Chumash groups became weakened from the
increasing migration to the mission.
During the Spanish period all lands
distributed during this period remained vested
in the crown of Spain. In addition to the
mission land of San Buenaventura two other
land grants were approved, Rancho Simi
consisting of 113,000 acres to Patricio, Javier,
and Miguel Pico in 1795; and the 48,600 acres
Rancho El Conejo granted to Jose Polanco and
Ygnacio Rodriguez in 1803. Later, Jose de la
Guerra y Noriega claimed part of this rancho.
By 1820 the whole of California was home
to twenty-five ranchos, from San Diego to
Sonoma. i Originally there were four districts,
each with a presidio or fort: San Francisco;
Monterey; Santa Barbara; and San Diego. Los
Angeles eventually separated from Santa
Barbara to form a fifth district.
The Mexican period, 1822 to 1848,
approximately twenty-six years, is the shortest
of the four historical periods. The Mexican
period was an extension of the Spanish period,
yet with significant changes.
During the last days of the Spanish rule, the
population of non-natives in the southwest—
Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California—was
a mere 3,500. ii Another estimate for California
alone is 3,500. iii The Spanish government tried to
encourage the expansion into these claimed
territories by offering free land and other
assurances. Many of the first colonists were sent
from the jails of Sonora, Mexico. iv
With the replacement of the new
government, the Spanish governor of
California, Governor Sola, declared their
allegiance to Mexico. So did the priests and
neophytes of the San Buenaventura Mission.
Two important changes occurred during this
time. First, the new government passed the
Mexican Colonization Law in 1824 which set
up rules for partitioning the land and in 1828
the Reglamento or regulations was approved
giving the power to grant land to the governor
of California, which became a revolving door
during the Mexican reign with fifteen
governors in twenty-four years.
Land was offered in measurements of
leagues, or 4,428 acres and most grants
consisted of multiple leagues up to 48,000
acres. The intent was to divide the land among
the surviving Mission Indians, but the majority
of the ranchos were granted to Californios. To
apply, the applicant had to provide a map
(diseno) of the area, fill out a petition, and pay
twelve dollars to cover the cost of the
transaction. v
The land was to be used for
cultivation or grazing and a home was to be
established within a year of grant approval.

By 1834 the missions secularized 1,000,000
acres once controlled by the Franciscans.
The priests were allowed to keep the church,
their quarters and their garden. The land
was to be divided up as communal pasture,
a town plot and individual plots of land for
the Indian families. One half the mission lands
were granted to the neophytes of thirty-three
acres of arable land. In addition, one half of the
mission herds were divided proportionately
among the neophyte families. However,
most Indians either were put to work on the
ranchos or went to live among Indians in
the interior. Many never received land or
were willing to dispose of it for little or
no compensation.
In Ventura County, nineteen grants were
approved. Unfortunately, as the incoming
population slowly grew, the Chumash population
rapidly died. By 1839 the Chumash population
had dwindled down to less than 300. vi
Yet despite the high number of land grants
made throughout the southwest, the actual
number of people per land was still very
low. Many people who applied for land grants
never took up residences on their land.
A prime example involves rancho El Rio de la
Santa Clara O la Colonia, which translate
to The Colony by the Santa Clara River. This
land grant, which today is all of Oxnard
and Hueneme, originally consisted of 44,833
acres. The land was petitioned by eight Mexican
soldiers in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado
and was intended as a colony movement. The
eight families who applied for the grant were
headed by Captain Valentin Cota and included:
Leandro Gonzales, Rafael Gonzales, Salvador
Valenzuela, Jose Maria Valenzuela, Vicente Pico,
Rafael Valdez and Vicente Feliz. Rafael Gonzalez
and his family took up residence on the land
and built several adobes. vii His brother Leandro
or most likely his children may have also built
an adobe on the Oxnard Plain.
The grantees petitioned California governor
Juan Alvarado in 1837 and the land was granted
on September 28, 1840. However, the grant
came under dispute many times including 1843
when the California Land Commission rejected
the claim. It was declared valid three years later.
Many of the Colonia grantees were related
through blood or marriage. Valentin Cota
married Mara de La Luz Gonzalez, a sister of
Rafael and Leandro Gonzalez. Valentin’s sister,
Maria Josefa Cota was married to Jose Maria
Valenzuela. His brother was Salvador
Valenzuela. Rafael Valdez was married to Rafaela
Pico who was the sister of Vicente Pico. Vicente
Feliz was married to Filomena Valenzuela, sister
to Jose Maria and Salvador Valenzuela.
The parents of Rafael and Leandro were
Rafael Gerardo Gonzalez, born around 1746
from Sinaloa, Sonora, Mexico and Maria
Tomasa Quintero, from Alamos, Sonora
Mexico. They married in 1785 at the Mission
San Buenaventura. Rafael Gerardo Gonzalez
came to California in 1769 with the Portola
Expedition. He served as a soldier at the
presidio in Santa Barbara and also served
some time at the presidio in Monterrey,
California. Each presidio in California hosted
approximately 30 soldiers, several corporals, a
sergeant and led by a lieutenant. It was during
his tenure as a soldier in February 1897 that
he came across two Chumash boys who
allowed the crows to eat the corn they were
supposed to be protecting. Gonzalez reacted
by flogging the boys. The Chumash in turn
invited Gonzalez to a feast and served the
unsuspecting soldier to a fatal helping of
poisoned fish.
Leandro Gonzalez was the older of the two
Gonzalez brothers. He was born in Santa
Barbara in 1792. He married Benita Josefa
Guevera in 1824 at Mission San Inez. Leandro
was the administrator and majordomo of
❖
A diseno map of El Rio de Santa Clara o la
Colonia encompassing 44,883 acres.
IMAGE COURTESY OF BANCROFT LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
5

❖
The Gonzales Adobe at 835 Laguna Street,
Santa Barbara, built in 1825.
Mission Santa Barbara from 1840-1883. He
lived in the majority of his life and was still in
Santa Barbara in 1850. He hired Bruno Orella
to work on the Colonia property where the
Gonzalez brothers built a series of adobes to
help them tend to their cattle. In 1858 Orella
married Leandro’s daughter, Mercedes Gonzalez
but three months later Leandro died. His
widow Josefa Guevera Gonzalez inherited half
Leandro’s property and Mercedes and her
siblings inherited an equal one sixth of the
remaining half. Mercedes sold her portion to
Dwight Hollister in 1867. Hollister lived in
Sacramento and leased the 633 acres out and
soon it was rented to Peter Donlon. The next
year Leandro’s son, Ramon, sold the remaining
portion of his family’s rancho to William Rice
from Contra Costa County for $20,000 or
$4.00 an acre. By 1870, Ramon was listed as a
cattle trader and his estate was worth $4000.
By 1880, he was listed as a proprietor.
The grantee with the greatest legacy on the
Colonia Rancho was the family of Rafael
Gonzalez. Rafael was born shortly after his
father was poisoned. He followed in his father’s
footsteps and became a soldier for the presidio.
He was fifteen in 1812 when a series of
earthquakes shook the ground for several
months destroying the mission church as well
as the entire La Perisima Mission.
Rafael enlisted as a soldier in 1816 and spent
his early service years as a guard at the Santa
Inez Mission. Rafael was also on guard in Santa
Barbara in 1818 when word that the pirate
Hipolyte Bouchard and his crew sacked and
burned the settlement in Monterrey and that
they were soon to sail to the southern coast. By
the time the pirates arrived in Santa Barbara
they were only interested in an exchange of
prisoners before they headed to San Juan
Capistrano to continue their rampage.
In 1825 Rafael married the sister of his
brother’s wife, Antonia Gueverra. He built an
adobe residence at 835 Laguna Street. Originally
the area where the home was built was referred
to as “Las Isletas”, because the high ground was
surrounded by swamp of a lagoon, or laguna.
Built in an L shape, the house had seven rooms
and two one room wings. The main section was
90 feet by 18 feet with two feet thick walls.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
6

Rafael served ten years as a soldier and was
promoted to corporal. By 1929 he became the
alcalde of Santa Barbara. An alcalde was a civil
official with judicial, executive and legislative
duties. By 1836 he temporarily relocated to
Mission La Purisima and took over the
management position. This was one of several
drought years that affected Gonzales and his
brothers whose cattle had been reduced down
to 400.
In 1838, Rafael Gonzalez was appointed
administrator for Mission San Buenaventura by
Governor Alvarado. Though he was illiterate he
was well respected for his judgment and he
relied on his secretary Raymundo Carrillo to
help with the clerical work. As administrator
every asset had to be accounted for as were the
credits and debits. In July the mission reported
2,200 head of cattle, 1,670 sheep, 799 horses,
35 mules, 65 goats, 13 barrels of wine, 5 barrels
of brandy, and various quantities of wheat,
corn, peas, hides, tallow lard, iron, and soap.
Another duty was to discipline the Mission
Indians which he had to defend to the governor
in a 1941 letter after a complaint was lodged. His
letter stated that he inflicted heavy punishments
(like his father) only for serious offenses, and he
believes there is no other way. He offered to resign
but his explanation was not challenged.
Rafael resigned in February 1942 after
nearly four years in charge to attend to his
private business. He has gone down in history
as one of the better administrators of the
California missions. He returned to the
position of alcalde at Santa Barbara in 1945.
By 1850 Rafael Gonzalez is listed in the
Santa Barbara census at the age of 54 while his
wife, 52, with nine children ages 10 to 24, one
child adopted, and owned $5000 of property.
He was one of twenty-seven households to
own at least this amount out of the 170
households recorded in the entire county that
included the current Ventura County.
The 1860 census lists his occupation as stock
raiser and the value of his real estate at $4,500
and his estate worth $30,000. However, another
series of droughts in 1857-1858 and 1863-1864
cost him a lot of his cattle. Also, his brother
Leandro died in 1858. The value of land was not
increasing and the population in the county was
only slightly increasing. He sold a portion of his
land to Jose Lobero in 1864. He sold another
portion to Juan Camarillo in 1865. His son Juan
Gonzalez retained fifty acres of the rancho in
1867 near the corner of present day Gonzales Rd
and Oxnard Boulevard where he raised horses
and grew lima beans. His sister, Maria de la Luz
Sinforiana Gonzalez, also received 50 acres.
By 1870 he was listed to have no occupation
however his real estate listed at $2000 and
estate at $600 yet the 1877 Great Register
published in 1877 but listings from 1875 lists
him as a vaquero at 78 years old. By 1880 he
returned to live with his daughter, Salome
Francisca Ventura de Ramirez at the adobe at
835 Laguna St, Santa Barbara. Salome lived in
the home with her husband Cristobal Ramirez
and their family. She lived at the residence until
her passing in 1923. The adobe was sold to and
restored by Anna Louise Murphy Vhay and
John David Vhay. The Vhay’s purchased land off
the 900 block of Garden Street and sold
portions to other artists who formed an artist
colony El Caserio Lane.
The adobe was designated a National
Historic Landmark in April 15, 1970. Currently,
the building serves as the home to Randall
House Rare Books and Fine Art.
❖
A tintype photo of two unidentified men
from the Gonzales family archives.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
7

❖
Above: Thomas Scott of Pennsylvania
purchased several Ventura County
ranchos, including the majority of the
Colonia Rancho.
Below: When the oil development in Ojai
stalled, Thomas Bard switched gears
and subdivided the Colonia Rancho into
farm properties.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
8
While Valentin Cota resided in Santa Barbara,
he most likely ran cattle on the Colonia rancho.
Jose Valentin Cota was born in Santa Barbara in
February 1794. His parents were Mario Antonio
Cota and Maria Ignacia Velerade Rivera. He
married Maria de la Luz Gonzalez in 1817. Two
years later his father was clubbed to death by the
mission Indians at San Buenaventura. This may
have influenced Valentin’s brutal flogging of one
of the natives while serving as a corporal of the
guard at San Inez Mission 1824. This in turn
sparked a revolt by the natives at several of the
missions including San Inez, Santa Barbara and
La Purisima. He lived in Santa Inez in 1842 and
resigned in 1846. Valentin was listed as a
“ranchero” in the 1850 census with a land value
of $5000. In 1860 he is listed as a farmer with
$700 worth of real estate and $500 for his
personal estate.
The war with Mexico began in 1846. For many
years the Californios felt neglected from the
capital of Mexico that lay 2,000 miles to the south.
Debate among the leading citizens was who to
align themselves with be it England, France, and
the United States, or to seek independence.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed
on February 2, 1848, officially ending Mexico’s
short reign over California and it became a
territory of the United States. The population of
California by this time was 6,900 persons. viii The
Native population was still close to 150,000 and
the non-native, non-Hispanic population was a
little over 900. However, the discovery of gold
from the American River in early 1848 led to
President Polk’s announcement to the nation on
December 1848 and by the next year, the
49niners were born. Ninety thousand migrants
sought out the gold fields. While few of the
miners struck it rich, many stayed, and
the 60,000 residents required for statehood
was satisfied.
The treaty did recognize the Spanish and
Mexican land grants. By September 9, 1850,
California became the thirty-first state. The
Board of Land Commissioners was created by
Congress under the Act of March 3, 1851. The
ownership of the Colonia grant soon came into
question. By 1854, the Commission had rejected
the original land grant. In three more years, the
ruling was reversed, confirming ownership of
the massive grant to Valentin Cota and the seven
others, including Rafael Gonzalez. The land was
also claimed by the widow of Joseph Chapman,
Guadalupe, daughter of the Ortega family of
Santa Barbara, though her efforts proved to be
unsuccessful. The total acreage of the land was
now recorded as 44,833.40 acres.
The next big change of ownership of
the Colonia land was in 1864 when Thomas
Scott purchased over 70 percent of this granted
area, 32,100 acres, for $150,000, in addition
to purchasing the ranchos of Canada Larga,
Ojai, Los Posas, Calleguas, and San Francisco,
near Piru.
Scott was a native of Pennsylvania and he
earned his fortune working in the railroad
industry. His California land investment was
made for the purpose of developing an oil
industry. Scott sent one of his employees, Thomas
Sprague to oversee the operation. A little later,
Thomas Bard replaced Sprague. In addition to
seeking out oil, Scott also hoped to bring the
western terminus of the railroad to the west coast.
By October 31, 1868, Bard’s name appears
on the deeds to Scott’s lands. W. H. Hutchinson,
who wrote a definitive two volume account of
Bard’s life entitled Oil, Land and Politics, claims
that Bard never actually purchased Scott’s
Colonia land because when Scott died some
thirteen years later, Scott’s heirs were surprised
to learn they still owned a large portion of the
Colonia land. Hutchinson explains that Bard did
gain a transfer of title to the land, but he was
merely acting as an agent to the sale of the
properties, for which Bard received a five per
cent commission on all sales, leases and rents.
Bard immediately sold (for Scott) large
portions of land to some of the plains’ first
farmers, including Michael Kaufman, Jacob
Gries, Peter Donlon, William I. Rice, Louis
Pfeiler, James Leonard, and James Saviers. But
when squatters began encroaching on Bard’s
land, he stopped selling and turned his attention
to surveying the land for the purpose of
establishing definitive boundaries. The squatters
even won a temporary victory in 1870 when the
courts agreed the land had been fraudulently
surveyed. Over 100 squatters settled on 17,700
acres located at the southwest portion of the
Colonia land that Bard believed to be his. Two
of the squatters, William E. Barnard and Henry
P. Flint, even set up the first mercantile shop in

what became the town of Wynema. This led to a
further conflict between Bard and the squatters.
Bard retaliated by putting up a fence around the
area that was to lead to his proposed wharf,
which denied the storeowners the means to
receive any shipments of goods. The squatters
made their disapproval known by knocking
down part of the new fence, which led to a near
hanging. After a long day and night of tension,
the disagreements were put aside and left in the
hands of the courts. In little over a year, Bard
came out on top.
It wasn’t until 1872 that Bard felt he’d
gained enough legal ground to once again sell
portions of the Colonia. By this time, land
leasing and share cropping proved to be more
practicable among the early farmers of the area.
The legal battles of the Colonia lands did not
officially cease until February 1878. This came
after many dollars had been spent on extensive
surveying fees, referee fees, and sheriff costs.
Thomas Scott was not the only owner of the
Colonia during these early years. Rafael Gonzales
sold 1,000 acres to Jose Lobero in 1864 and
another few thousand to Juan Camarillo.
E A R L Y
A G R I C U L T U R E
Commercial agriculture in Ventura County
did not begin until the late 1860s. The cattle
industry lived and died with the varying
levels of precipitation, the final blow came
during the drought years of 1863-64 when
nearly 15,000 head of cattle perished due to a
lack of grasslands to feed upon. Many of the
original land grantees were forced to sell their
lands they originally retained when California
joined the Union in 1850. Squatters began
looking for government land to homestead.
Thomas Scott purchased many of the ranchos
in anticipation of an oil industry after he
became aware of some reports from Benjamin
Silliman after his visit to Ojai and Ventura area
in 1864 in which he witnessed “rivers” of oil.
However, reaching the buried reserves proved
frustrating to several supervisors including
Thomas Bard who arrived in Ventura from
Pennsylvania in 1865. After nearly two years
of little progress in drilling for the big payday,
Bard was ready to return to Pennsylvania and
even sent a rider to Los Angeles with a
telegram of his resignation on December 8,
1866, that announced his resignation to take
effect on January 10, 1867. However, Scott did
not acknowledge Bard’s letter and Bard
continued with his oil duties through February.
In March 1867, something occurred that
changed the direction of commerce for many
years to come. German born Christian Borchard
traveled to the gold fields of northern California
before settling in San Joaquin Valley to farm and
raise stock. After the floods of 1866 wiped out
his livelihood, he traveled south and ended up
on the south side of the Santa Clara River. He
and his son John Edward Borchard planted 30
acres of barley and 30 acres wheat only to
realize the wheat was susceptible to rust while
the barley flourished. His initial crop set the
path for an evolution of the land and the growth
of agriculture on the future Oxnard Plain.
Meanwhile, Thomas Bard reiterated to
Thomas Scott in another letter in April 1867
that he was determined to return home to
Pennsylvania. Then he met with Captain W. E.
Greenwell of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and
the two camped out together for a few days.
Greenwell pointed out to Bard the desirable
qualities of the area that became Point Hueneme
for a wharf site. Soon after, Thomas Bard
withdrew his resignation request and began his
plans to build a wharf near the former Chumash
resting ground near “Wynema” to accommodate
his next venture of subdividing the large
ranchos into smaller ranches.
Christian Borchard sold his northern
California holdings and on October 28, 1867,
paid $3,200 for 1000 acres of the uncultivated
land on the south side of the flowing Santa
Clara River known as El Rio de Santa Clara o la
Colonia, translated to the Colony by the Santa
Clara River. He purchased the land from Jose
Lobero, who was married to Maria Clara Cota,
daughter of Valentin Cota, one of the original
grantees of Rancho Colonia. However, Lobero
purchased his Colonia land from another
original grantee Rafael Gonzalez. Christian
Borchard and his family stayed in Rafael’s
“adobe Viejo” until they could build a wood
structure. The first wood frame home was built
by James Leonard who bought an adjoining
1000-acres to the west of Borchard and also
purchased from Lobero in the spring of 1868.
❖
For the Borchard family’s 150th anniversary
in Ventura County, Poseidon Brewing Co
created a lager beer made from Oxnard’s
first crop, barley and featured the first
farmer, Christian Borchard.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
9

❖
Charles J Daily arrived in 1885 and
soon took over as supervisor for the
Patterson Ranch.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
10
Bard’s first sale went to Michael Kaufman on
November 2, 1868, for 160 acres. Kaufman’s
five daughters were as big an asset as his newly
acquired acreage. Each would marry a
prominent farming family that would unite
hundreds of cousins for decades to come.
Among the families the Kaufman sisters
married included John Edward Borchard who
married Mary Kaufman; Fridolyn Hartman
married Kathryn Kaufman; Justin Petit married
Frances Kaufman; and Louis Pfeiler married
Carolyn Kaufman. A fifth daughter, Lizzie, was
estranged from the family after an altercation
with her mother and Lizzie’s abrupt marriage
to the Kaufman’s foreman, Joseph King.
Bard’s biggest sale was to J. D. Patterson
from New York. Patterson purchased nearly
6,000 acres for grazing purposes as well as
barley production. Among the early ranch
hands to work at the Patterson Ranch were
Charles J. Daily, his brother Wendell and their
father Charles Wesley Daily. The Dailys
eventually purchased several acres in
Camarillo where they became innovative
farmers and community leaders.
Also working at the Patterson ranch were
George and Herbert Eastwood, each earning
$35 a month. Herbert eventual entered public
service as a council member in 1909 and by
1920 he became the mayor of Oxnard with a
second term in 1942.
Other early farmers who purchased acreage
from Bard in 1869 included Jacob Gries and
James Saviers who bought 682 acres at $15.00
an acre; Peter Donlon bought 533 acres at
$13.25; William I. Rice paid $13.50 for 1,762
acres; James Leonard purchased 1,000 acres
from Bard but after the boundaries were
reestablished he received 838 acres. Dominick
McGrath receive 1,337 acres of the 877 he
originally purchased.
Many of the early farmers leased their land
before having enough money to purchase. This
was the case for Jacob Maulhardt, Gottfried
Maulhardt, and Johannes Borchard. The
Maulhardt brothers traveled from Germany in
1867 to escape the Prussian Wars and join
Christian Borchard in California. They leased
1,200 acres from Juan Camarillo for fifty cents
per acre and by December 23, 1872, paying
$12,310 or $10 an acre to Juan Camarillo.
Camarillo had purchased several thousand
acres from Juan Gonzalez in 1864.
These first farmers grew mostly barley
and corn with many of the larger ranches
raising sheep and hogs. However, wild
mustard covered the uncultivated land.
Christian Borchard took full advantage of the
invasive plant. There are several theories on
how the black mustard was introduced to
Southern California. The most common belief
is that Franciscan friars spread the seed to
mark the trails that became the El Camino
Real, while many of the trails date back to the
Chumash who traveled the trails for centuries.
Another theory on how the plant was
propagated was from the importing of sheep
and cattle that carried the seed in their fur or
stuck to their hide.
The sight of the wild mustard plant rising 6
feet in the air and covering miles of
uncultivated land was an encouraging sign for
the first farmers looking to plant a new life.
After modifying a Mayberry grain header,
Christian Borchard harvested 25 tons of wild
mustard plant at two cents a pound. In 1870
he produced 5,710 sacks that weighed 265
tons and gave him a profit of $1,075 and
bumped him into the top ten listed in the
Products of Industry in Ventura County.
In spring of 1878 the Ventura Free Press
published a series of articles that chronicled

the location of all of the ranches in Ventura
County. The Ventura Signal answered with their
report the following January. These two were
combined for a quarterly publication by the
Ventura County Museum of History & Art in
2002. From these pages the following
information can be shared to show the
condition of agriculture in the first decade of
farming in the 1870s.
For Ventura County in 1878 there were
39,710 acres planted to barley, 15,596 acres in
corn and 5,671 acres planted to wheat. Also
present among many farms were livestock
including 8,250 hogs in the west county alone.
Sheep were also abundant. The Patterson ranch
had 2,500; Henry Arnold 1,100; Thomas Rice
and Jack Hill raised 2,076 sheep; Christian
Borchard, 1,000 sheep; Doolittle, Metcalf & Co
raised 5,000 sheep on a large portion of the
Guadalasca Rancho they leased from William
Broome; Henry Arnold on the Conejo 1,100;
Johannes Borchard 1,000; The Arnolds 1,100;
H.W. Mills 1,200 sheep; Blanchard and Bradley
2,000 sheep.
The Ventura Signal series of articles was
much more detailed and showed a growth of
activity in the eight months since the rival
paper’s publication. The livestock count was
growing with 24,000 head of hogs, 55,000
sheep; 1,000 Angora Goats; 2,000 horses and
1,400 cattle. Dominick McGrath added 1,200
sheep to his river bordering land as did John
Scarlett who added 1,500 head of sheep.
Humble beginning is something else these
articles pointed out. Jacob Maulhardt’s “model
ranch” was described to include 240 acres
in barley, 25 acres of corn, 50 tons of
pumpkins, 50 head of hogs, 200 chickens, 38
horses and geese plus 3 acres of fruit trees
and a 2-year-old vineyard of 1 acre of a choice
variety of imported grapevines. He also built a
home at a cost of $3,000 that contained a
dancing hall of 15x24. The writer concludes,
“Our purpose in thus going into details is to
illustrate what may be done in Ventura County
by a little pluck and well directed energy; a few
years ago, Mr. Maulhardt came here with a wife
and three children and not a cent in his pocket;
he rented the land the first year at fifty cents
per acre and went to work; next he bought 400
acres, paying $10 an acre.”
Martin Laurent also started out renting from
Thomas Bard. In 1879 he planted the majority to
barley and 5 acres to corn, and 6 acres to wheat.
Other examples of the early farm work were
recorded in a ledger kept by John Edward
Borchard who worked with his father Christian
Borchard. The younger Borchard was born in
Iowa in 1847 shortly before his father headed
for the gold mines of California. He had little
opportunity to get any formal schooling due to
his family’s frequent travels. Yet, he kept a
ledger with entries of names and how much
they were paid of the first farm workers in the
area. Some of the names included: mikel
kaufman (Micahael Kaufman); james lenart
(James Leonard); gotfreat moulhart (Gottfried
Maulhardt); jabop moulhart (Jacob
Maulhardt); Others who appeared on the
ledger included wilyam suttor; oliver whitton;
august huihting; tommas morcel; gimmy and
big mack. Who these later names refer to is
anyone’s guess.
Most of the workers appeared to be paid for
cutting barley. “Jackop cut 95 ackors (acres) for
$189.70 and another 9.75 for stacking. Sutter
cut 53 ½ ackors for $80.25 and gotfreat cut 54
½ for $81.75 while james leanart cut 160
ackors for $320.”
Borchard also loaned $100 to Whan
Camarilo (Juan Camarillo).
Referring back to previously mentioned
1878 and 1879 articles and the names of the
first generation of farmers included Dominick
McGrath who was ranching 700 acres at the
time and would add several more ranches over
the years to give the family the distinction of
the longest continuous farm family in the
county. This portion of land was passed down
original land grantee Rafael Gonzalez to his son
Ramon who sold the land to William Rice in
1868. Rice then passed the property on to his
son Archibald Rice who sold to Dominick
McGrath on May 1874 for $12,000.
By 1879 Dominick had 300 acres in barley
at 20 sacks an acre with the balance in grazing
land. He had 1,200 head of sheep, 20
American horses, 300 hogs, 20 head of cattle
and a 25 x 40-foot barn.
John Scarlett from Ireland farmed 700 acres
next to the Santa Clara River of which he
cleared 40 acres for farming. He raised 350
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
1 1

❖
Right: Archie Connolly, who was born in
Ireland and migrated to the east coast of the
U.S. at the age of eighteen, relocated to the
west coast and eventually purchased land in
Oxnard and Conejo Valley.
Below: The James Leonard house was the
first wood structure built in the Oxnard
Plain, c. 1868. It was torn down in 2005.
acres in barley, 6 acres in corn, 1,500 head of
sheep, 12 American horses, 300 hogs, and
“cows enough to supply his table with plenty
of milk, cream and butter.”
Scarlett also had a well that was originally
drilled by William Rice and was 30 feet deep
and sent a 7-inch stream of water over the top
of the pipe which is 10 feet above ground. The
overflow ran through the adjoining McGrath
ranch and formed a deep lake, a half mile long
and 100 feet wide on which a boat was kept
for duck hunting.
James Leonard farmed 1,000 acres and his
ranch contained an immense barn of 40 by 75
feet, a granary and seven buildings in all that the
paper described “has more of the resemblance
of a village than the home of a quiet farmer.”
Leonard had 700 acres in cultivation and
threshed 9,000 sacks of barley from 450 acres
with 80 acres in corn, 100 head of hogs, 30
head of cattle and 40 good horses. Leonard is
also credited with building the first wood frame
home on the Oxnard Plain in 1868.
Mark McLoughlin farmed 350 acres with
160 acres in barley and produced 2000 sacks,
20 acres of corn, 75 hogs, 15 head of cattle and
100 trees of different varieties of fruit.
Archie Connelly’s ranch of nearly 300 acres
was east of McLoughlin’s, that majority planted
to barley. Connelly originally worked for James
Leonard then Jack Hill as well as the Snodgrass
and Donlon ranches before striking out on his
own which he did successfully for forty years.
He married Lizzy Cloyne and they produced
thirteen children.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
12

Peter Donlon with 300 acres in barley, 20
acres in alfalfa, 15 acres of corn for his 300 hogs,
16 horses, a 16-by-40-foot granary, a 40-by-80-
foot barn, and a two-story house with a balcony
running around the second story. Peter Donlon
married Catherine “Kate” Cloyne, both from
Derry Shanogue, County Longford, Ireland.
They traveled to the United States during the
Potato Famine time in Ireland in the 1840s and
landed in New York. The settled in Dublin,
California, in Alameda County. Peter ran a hotel.
In 1870, Peter sold his holdings and bought 533
acres from Thomas Bard for $13.25 near the
town of Wynema (Hueneme). The property
bordered present day Ventura Road on the west
near the Naval Battalion Base to Saviers Road on
the east. Within ten years Peter Donlon was
cultivating 300 acres of barley, 15 acres of corn,
20 acres of alfalfa with 300 hogs and plenty of
horses and cows to the ranch. Like most ranches,
he also planted two acres of a variety of fruit.
Thomas Cloyne farmed 180 acres in barley
and rented an additional 120 acres from Hollister
for barley and 20 acres of corn for his 100 hogs.
He also had 1,400 head of fine stock, most likely
sheep. He built a barn at 32 by 64 feet.
Anton Maulhardt grew 300 acres in barley,
25 acres to barley hay, 45 acres in corn, and
100 tons of pumpkins.
Cyrus Sondgrass planted 140 acres to barley
and 20 acres to corn, a 400-tree orchard of
variety of fruits and 400 hogs.
Thomas Rice farmed 470 acres in barley
and another 900 acres with John Hill. He also
had 150 in corn, 12 Morgan horses and an
additional 100 head of horses and 2,500 head
of sheep in partnership with Hill. Thomas A
Rice was born in Jackson County, Missouri in
1849. His parents, William and Louise Rice,
came west in 1859, driving 1,000 head of
cattle along the way. They settled in Contra
Costa County where the parents remained.
However, William purchased several thousand
acres of land from the Gonzalez family, of the
original grantee, in the late 1860s. By 1870,
sons William Ish Rice and his brother
Archibald Rice were farming near the river
bottom. Thomas Rice relocated to the area in
1883. His father, William Rice, Sr., purchased
another 338 acres from James Saviers, which
was given to Thomas. This property would
later become the grounds for the Oxnard Sugar
❖
The Thomas Cloyne home near presentday
Saviers Road and Channel
Islands Boulevard.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
1 3

❖
Top, left: James Young Saviers.
Top, right: Martha Saviers.
Below: Louis Pfeiler and Mary
Kaufman Pfeiler.
Opposite, top: The Borchard Cousins—left
to right: Cincinnati Henry, John, Mary
Borchard Ayala, John Edward “Ed” and
Caspar Borchard.
Opposite, bottom: Rancho map, 1878 El Rio
de Santa Clara o la Colonia. The Bard
parcels were leased lands belonging to
Thomas Scott.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
14
Factory. Thomas Rice owned an additional 900
acres that was located off current Rice Ave,
between the 101 highway and near Fifth
Street. He had a fishpond that was sometimes
used by the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church for
their baptism ceremonies.
James Young Saviers raised 900 acres of
barley, 700 acres of wheat on the Simi Rancho.
He also put in 200 acres of corn and had 3 acres
of orchard and 500 grapevines plus strawberries
and his ranch sported a blacksmith shop.
Saviers first came to California with John C.
Fremont in 1845 and traveled to southern
California with the troops in 1847.
Following the fever of the Gold Rush, Saviers
and ten others crossed the plains in 1850 and
ended up in Hangtown, California, giving
mining one year before picking ups stakes and
relocating to Shingle Springs, Amador County,
where he opened up a shop to service the influx
of gold seekers. By 1860 he led a train of 60
wagons back to California, including his brother
John Young Saviers, and settled in Yuba County
for the next three years. He next settled in
Contra Costa County. Saviors traveled to Santa
Barbara County in October 1869. They soon
realized they needed relief from the strong winds
that could easily wipe a summer’s crop. About
the same time as Ellwood Cooper was importing
eucalyptus in the Santa Barbara/Goleta area.
Saviers established a nursery at the ranch and
began importing red and blue gum trees that
served as the first set of windbreaks in the
county. Saviers also built a massive barn, 48 by
70 feet, big enough to store 90 tons of hay and
stable 38 horses.
Louis Pfeiler grew 240 acres in barley and
50 acres in corn. He had a neatly painted
cottage house surrounded by blue gums,
pepper and cypress trees. He also grew 60 acres
of fine grape vines. His home was later
relocated to downtown Oxnard as part of
Heritage Square.

Michael Kaufman cultivated 320 acres with
300 acres in barely and 20 acres in corn.
Caspar Borchard grew 140 acres in barley
and raised 160 hogs and rented an additional
85 acres in to grow corn.
Johannes (John) Borchard, cousin to John
Edward Borchard and brother to Caspar
Borchard, came over in 1871 from Werxhausen,
Germany. He traveled with his wife and two sons
only to lose his six-year-old after a rough Atlantic
Ocean crossing and then burying his 9-monthold
upon his arrival in the area. Yet he went on
to donate the land for the original St. John’s
Hospital in Oxnard along with a donation of
$20,000 to help build the hospital in 1914. Back
in 1879 John farmed 400 acres that produced
3,669 sacks of barley and raised 1,300 sheep.
His neighbor to the north was Gottfried
Maulhardt who sold 200 acres of his 400-
acre ranch to Caspar Borchard yet was able
to plant the majority in barley at 20 sacks
an acre. His cottage house is the only
remaining house from this time period
and was described as, “His neat little cottage
house is hid away among acacias and other
ornamental; trees and flowers. An abundance
of water is raised by an Althouse windmill.
It carried up into a 4000-gallon tank, 30
feet high.” To accommodate the church
services, Gottfried Maulhardt built a brick
winery. The Ventura Signal January 11, 1879,
issue confirms Gottfried association: “A
small vineyard of 250 grapevines of the
choicest varieties.”
The largest of the ranches was the Patterson
Ranch, nearly 6,000 acres owned by J.D.
Patterson from New York. A portion of the
ranch was farmed in 1878 by John H.
Thompson and the remainder was run by Mr.
Cook and a few years later by Charles J. Daily.
At this time, 1,000 acres were considered
waste land due to the marshy conditions. Cook
was able to plant 1,000 acres in barley, 160
acres in corn and was stocked with 2,500
sheep, 1,500 hogs and “a considerable number
of horses.”
While barley remained a staple crop for the
early farmers, they were always on the lookout
for a crop that would bring in more income. The
introduction of lima beans to Ventura County
started a long tenure with the crop.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
1 5

❖
Above: The Leonard/Callens bean threshing
outfit, c. 1910.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOE DONLON.
Below: Threshing barley on the Patterson
Ranch circa 1900. Barley was the first and
most abundant crop from 1867 to 1890s.
The story of the lima bean in California
begins in 1855 when the seed was first
advertised by H. McNally Company in the
northern California newspaper Alta. In 1859,
an article appeared in the magazine California
Culturist and the author encouraged the
planting of lima beans for vegetable gardens.
A decade later in the late 1860s Robert
McAlister was farming 40 acres in Carpenteria.
In 1872 he came across a bean that would
change the agriculture of portions of southern
California. There are two stories on how he
came across the influential crop. One story
claims he met his brother who arrived on a
ship that was docked in the Santa Barbara
harbor. McAlister was invited to have a meal
aboard an anchored vessel that was traveling
from Chile to San Francisco. The second story
substitutes his brother for an old acquaintance.
From here the story merges. Though the bean
is native of Guatemala, it was at the port of
Callao, Peru, and from its surrounding
hillsides that the plant thrived and where the
cook obtained his quantity. After enjoying a
meal with the crew, McAllister obtained a
“hatful” of the large bean.
The soil and climate proved friendly to the
plant. After perfecting the cultivation of the
bean, he named the legume lima bean, in
reference to its place of origin. He planted the
seed in his garden without staking up the plant
or establishing irrigation and he produced a
bumper crop. He shared the seeds with other
farmers including Henry Fish and Henry Lewis
who farmed on the hillsides of Carpenteria
near the ocean. Lewis perfected a strand that
he marketed in Ventura County with Frank
Barnard as the Lewis Common Lima. He
rented 260 acres near Camarillo in 1889. The
following year he leased 300 acres in Montalvo
for a ten-year period before returning to
Camarillo in 1901 to plant a large portion of
the Adolfo Camarillo ranch in lima beans. By
1906 he purchased over 8,000 acres that
Joseph Lewis continued to farm for the next
several decades.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
16

Another Lewis, William Leachman Lewis,
later the mayor of Ventura, is said to have
planted lima beans on land near Santa Paula in
the early part of the 1880s. Several farmers in
the Montalvo and Ventura area, including
George Faulkner, also experimented with
growing lima beans. Leachman Lewis became
encouraged by the success of his crop and is
said to have leased part of the Scarlett ranch,
next to the McGrath ranch to grow beans on the
Colonia Rancho. Here, Lewis planted the first
commercially grown lima beans of the south
side of the Santa Clara River. ix
Up to this time in the 1880s, barley, corn,
and wheat were the major crops of the county.
Achille Levy, a produce broker in Hueneme,
was a member of the San Francisco Produce
Exchange and had a respectable knowledge of
the market value of produce. Levy received
word from his connections in the mid-west
that a new strain of barley was being developed
and that the market value of the price of barley
would decrease. Levy was known to spend up
to $200 on Western Union communications to
stay on top of the market. x News of the certain
drop in barley prices alerted Levy to keep his
eye on a replacement crop.
Levy soon placed an ad in the local paper
advertising the sale of the beans for planting. By
1887, close to 6,000 acres were planted in beans,
resulting in 4,500 tons or 140,000 bags. In
1890, Levy sent twenty-two freight cars from San
Pedro to the eastern cities. The cars carried a
message from future lima bean capital. Hanging
from the cars were large signs that read: “Beans
from A Levy, Hueneme, California.” Thus, Achille
Levy earned the title of the “Bean King” and soon
the Oxnard Plain earned the reputation of being
the Lima Bean Capital of the World.
However, most farmers had dedicated their
land to lima beans. Albert F. Maulhardt, along
with Jacob Maulhardt, M. Cannon, D. Lewis,
H. F. Clark, P. S. Carr, T. G. Gabbert, and J. E.
Borchard all joined together to form a Lima Bean
Association in October 1896. With an over
production of the crop, prices for the lima bean
were falling fast. The price of lima beans
dropped from 5 cents per pound in 1890 to 2 ½
cents in 1895. xi The estimated losses for 1895
were over $1,000,000.
The county was ripe for a new cash crop.
H E R E C O M E S
T H E O X N A R D S
The Oxnard name has English origins. An
early version of the family name is Oxenherd. xii
The early Oxnards herded oxen on the English
countryside. The first Oxnard to stay in
America and the first in a long line of Thomas
Oxnard’s was born in Durham County,
England, and came to Boston around the year
1725. Thomas was a merchant and later the
provincial grand master of all the Masons of
English North America.
Thomas Oxnard IV married Adeline Brown.
They raised seven children including the four
Oxnard brothers. Robert Oxnard was born in
New Orleans in 1853. Benjamin Alexander
Oxnard was also born in New Orleans in 1855.
By 1859, and with the impending Civil War
on the horizon, Thomas Oxnard sold out
his sugar interests in New Orleans traveled
back to Marseilles, France, for a short period,
where their third son, Henry Thomas Oxnard,
was born on June 22, 1860. The family
returned to the Boston area in 1861, and
fourth son, James Guerrero Oxnard, was born
in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Staying close to the sugar business, Thomas
Oxnard IV engaged in sugar and molasses
merchandising. Sometime after 1862, he built
the Oxnard Sugar Refinery at 103 Purchase
Street in Boston. However, the success of the
❖
The Oxnard Brothers portrait, 1919. Shown
are (from left to right): James, Robert,
Henry, and Benjamin.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
1 7

usiness fluctuated. Thomas Oxnard IV
brought his son-in-law, Richard Sprague, into
the sugar business. In 1867, Oxnard sold his
interests in the factory to Nash Spaulding &
Co. Two years later, in 1869, Thomas Oxnard
moved to New York.
During the time of the family’s relocation to
New York, sixteen-year-old Robert Oxnard
moved to Cuba to work for the sugar firm
Zaldo & Co. After serving nearly a five-year
internship in Cuba, Robert returned to New
York in 1875. He was able to help finance the
purchase of the Fulton refinery for $85,000.
Benjamin graduated from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1875 and
served as the technologist in the business. He
studied mining engineering because it offered
the most chemistry. Ben also joined the family
at the Fulton refinery.
Henry T. Oxnard was schooled at Harvard,
where he graduated in 1882. Another alumni
and friend from Harvard, Theodore Roosevelt,
would cross paths with Henry many times in
the coming years. Roosevelt even made a
special effort to visit Henry T. Oxnard and the
sugar factory grounds in May 1903 during his
trip through the state. Roosevelt’s trip was
scheduled for a 9:00 a.m. visit to Ventura, but
he insisted on making a brief stop in Oxnard,
backing the train from Montalvo to Oxnard to
see his friend’s factory. xiii
Out of college, Henry served as sales
manager for the family business while his
younger brother James worked as the chemist
after he graduated from Columbia in 1883.
By 1887, the Fulton refinery closed after
being absorbed by the American Sugar
Refineries Company, headed by Henry O.
Havenmeyer. Havenmeyer formed a sugar trust
with the acquisition of seventeen of the
twenty-three sugar companies in operation at
the time. The brothers were split up. Robert
was sent to San Francisco to take control of the
California division. xiv
Benjamin Oxnard took over management of
the two New Orleans refineries, the Louisiana
and Planters Sugar Refining Companies, which
were also part of the trust. James followed and
worked as the chemist.
Henry was not interested in being part of the
trust. Previously, his brother Benjamin had
traveled to Europe with Henry Howell to fulfill
several objectives—one being to “learn about the
manufacturing process of making sugar from
beets.” xv Ben had a quantity of raw beets shipped
to the Fulton refinery in the early part of 1887,
before the refinery was sold. The Oxnards were
successful in refining the raw beets. Henry
decided to pursue the beet sugar business. He
traveled to California to observe the activities of
the first successful beet sugar refinery—the
Alvarado factory. Henry also traveled to Europe
to study beet production methods.
In 1890, the United States recognized the
potential of the beet industry with the success of
the Alvarado and Watsonville factories. To
encourage the growth of the beet industry,
Congress waived the import tax on beet sugar
machinery. xvi The Department of Agriculture had
previously promoted the growing of the
sorghum plant for its sugar potential but saw no
improvement in the development of the crop. At
the request of Lewis S. Ware of Philadelphia and
his successful pamphlet campaign, the interests
switched from sorghum to beets. Then, through
the efforts of Henry T. Oxnard and his brother
James, the beet industry received some favorable
legislation. The country’s first national legislation
to encourage the beet industry, the McKinley
Tariff Act of 1890, brought a bounty of two cents
per pound on all sugar produced in the United
States, thus guaranteeing a market for the sugar
producers of the country. The tariff became
effective on April 1, 1891. In addition to the
bounty, the bill allowed for duty-free admittance
for beet seed and machinery from Europe.
The Oxnards greatly benefited from this
legislation. Henry and James—and, a little later,
Robert Oxnard—banded together to develop the
beet sugar industry. Benjamin stayed with the
sugar trust in the East, which dealt primarily in
cane sugar, and was later joined by his brothers
in his sugar ventures. Joining the Oxnard
brothers in their beet sugar endeavor were
investors W. Bayard Cutting, R. Fulton Cutting,
James G. Hamilton, C. Kennedy Hamilton and
James and C. Kennedy. The largest backer was
R. Fulton Cutting, who contributed $4.5
million, followed by James Oxnard, who put in
$2 million; the smallest investor was Henry
Oxnard, at $1.5 million. xvii
They formed the
Oxnard Beet Sugar Company (ABS Co.).
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
18

The ABS Co.’s first two beet sugar factories
were built in Nebraska, in Grand Island (1890)
and Norfolk (1891).
Henry planned to build a factory near
Chino, California, because, at the time, he
thought California was the only place he could
grow the beets. However, on his return to New
York, he stopped off in Nebraska to see a friend
and fellow Harvard alumni and learned that
the locals were growing a European sugar beet
with great success. He was offered free land to
build a factory, and Nebraska authorized a onecent
bounty for each pound of sugar, which
guaranteed the farmer a minimum return on
his investment. Grand Island became home to
the Oxnard Beet Sugar Company. xviii
The Grand Island factory in Nebraska
operated successfully for the next seventy-four
years. It would earn the title of the oldest beet
sugar factory in America still operating within its
original walls. Not until 1965 did those original
walls come down. Corn-based sweeteners and
obsolete equipment contributed to the decline
of the Grand Island factory.
The Norfolk, Nebraska, factory was not as
successful. In 1905, the Norfolk factory was
moved to Lamar, Colorado, and was enlarged
to five hundred tons. After five campaigns, in
1912, the factory was dismantled, with the
evaporators sent to the Oxnard factory.
❖
Above: The Oxnard Hotel in Nebraska
in 1890.
Below: The Chino Factory built in 1891.
COURTESY OF SISTER JOSEPH CECILE VOELKER.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
1 9

❖
Bottom, left: A political cartoon from the
Chicago Chronicle June 24, 1902
depicting Teddy Roosevelt displaying his
disapproval of Henry Oxnard’s gaining
sugar power with the government.
COURTESY JAMES & THORNTON OXNARD.
Bottom: right: The Hiram Snow ranch and
the Charles Blackstock barn off
Gonzalez Road.
The Oxnard’s first factory in California was
also built in 1891, in Chino. The ABS Co.
bought land from Richard Gird. In 1882 Gird
purchased the 42,000-acre Rancho Santa Ana
del Chino land from descendants of the Lugo
family. By 1887, Gird had subdivided the
rancho into small ranches and the 640-acre
town site of Chino. Gird next began actively
courting Henry Oxnard to build a factory on his
land over a two-year period. An agreement was
made in December 1890. Gird, with plenty of
land to offer, gave Henry Oxnard 2,500 acres
for the factory site and land for beets, and he
guaranteed an additional 2,200 acres pledged
by local farmers for beet production and up to
5,000 the following year. xix With the one-cent
bounty from the government for the growers
that Oxnard helped legislate, the conditions to
build a sugar factory were favorable.
Inspecting the Chino factory on behalf of
the United States for the purpose of checking
the official weight of the beets was James
Alexander Driffill. Driffill worked for the
government until the tariff was abrogated on
October 28, 1894, by the Wilson bill, after
which Driffill found employment at the Chino
factory and later became a major player in the
development of the community of Oxnard.
The Oxnards had a plan to develop ten
factories, but with the change in the tariff,
expansion would have to wait a few years.
When McKinley and the Republicans
gained political victories in 1896, the Dingley
Tariff proved an easy victory for Congress. This
latest tariff taxed imports as high as 57 percent.
This helped raise the price of sugar, which was
good news to sugar producers. Within two
years of the tariff’s enactment, twenty-four
factories were built, bringing the total to thirty
beet factories in operation in the county. xx
The competition came from cane-producing
countries like Cuba and the Philippines. With
Teddy Roosevelt leading the charge with his
Rough Riders to protect $50 million in
American-owned property in Cuba, Henry
Oxnard fought against preferential duty on
Cuban sugar, seeing it as a threat to the growing
beet industry. Roosevelt eventually won;
however, the demand for sugar continued to
increase to satisfy the beet industry. xxi
A similar legislation was passed in favor of the
citrus industry as well. Hiram K. Snow from
Tustin and later Oxnard was sent to Washington
by the Lemon Growers of Southern California in
early 1897 to lobby on behalf of the citrus
growers. After five months of negotiating Snow
was successful in getting a one cent tax on foreign
citrus thus helping accelerate the growth of the
industry in Ventura County. His son Hiram K.
Snow, Jr., carried on the crusade from his ranch
off Gonzales Road and the citrus industry grew
alongside the sugar industry. Snow was also one
of the first to introduce walnuts to the area that
were abundant for fifty years in the area.
The Oxnards built several more plants: the
Oxnard factory in 1898; the Rocky Ford,
Colorado, factory in 1900; and the Las Animas,
Colorado, factory in 1907. Both the Rocky Ford
and the Oxnard factories proved to be
successful ventures, but the Las Animas factory
operated for only ten years, and by 1920, it had
been dismantled.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
20

S U G A R B E E T S C O M E T O
V E N T U R A C O U N T Y
John Edward “Ed” Borchard was already
growing sugar beets. Thomas Bard’s
biographer, W. H. Hutchinson, wrote, “J.E.
Borchard had long raised manglewurzels to
tide his livestock through the winters, and a
box of his finest and sweetest specimens was
sent to the Chino refinery, probably in 1895.
This brought him an invitation to visit the
refinery at its expense which he accepted
accompanied by Albert Maulhardt. ”xxii
Accompanying Borchard and Maulhardt to
the Chino factory was J.E. Borchard’s son
Henry, who was attending St. Vincent’s College
in Los Angeles at the time. Albert was a recent
graduate from the same school. After a tour of
the Chino factory, the men were given some
seeds to take back to Ventura County. Also,
Albert took with him the lessons learned from
Richard Gird’s successful bid to bring a sugar
factory to Chino, California, which included
free land for the site, water and transportation
to and from the factory, a pledge for dedicated
acreage for beets and education for farmers on
the culture of beet production.
In 1896, Albert Maulhardt began a series of
plantings, including five acres on Bard’s land.
Using seed from the Chino refinery. Bard paid
Albert to plant, cultivate, thin, harvest and haul
the crop to the railroad at Montalvo, where it was
shipped to Chino. Four acres were harvested in
October and yielded ninety-one tons, paying
four dollars a ton. The net profit was eighteen
dollars an acre. Hutchinson reports that Bard
estimated “a sugar refinery at Hueneme would
increase the return per acre to forty dollars,
which was better than grain or even lima beans,
and sugar beets had the added advantage of
being less subject to market fluctuations.” xxiii
To get the Oxnards to commit to the project
of building a factory, Albert traveled to San
Francisco to meet with Henry Oxnard. He was
able to persuade Oxnard to return with him to
view the area and witness the commitment of
the locals toward establishing a sugar industry.
Maulhardt worked with the local farmers
and planted two hundred and fifty acres in
small lots (Half an acre to five acres) in over
two hundred different locations in the valley
and had nine tenths of it planted by his own
men to insure proper work, giving private
instruction as to the care of the tests, besides
giving lectures on the subject on various
meetings and through the press.
On June 18, 1896, the Ventura Independent
reported that Louis Hatche, general agricultural
manager, along with N. R. Cottman, manager of
the Chino Sugar Company, accompanied Albert
Maulhardt to various locations throughout the
county where Albert had the crop planted. The
men examined the soil and climatic conditions.
They visited crops in Springville, Calleguas,
Somis, Las Posas, and Del Norte. It was
❖
Left: Ed and Mary Borchard’s home was
located near the corner of Ventura and
Gonzales Road.
Below: Albert F Maulhardt was instrumental
in establishing the sugar factory in Oxnard.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
2 1

❖
A sugar contract postcard sent out
by Maulhardt.
determined that Calleguas and Colonia were the
“best adapted for profitable sugar beet culture.”
The three major costs for manufacturing the beets
would be fuel, water and limestone. Both fuel and
water were in abundance, and it was learned that
limestone could be produced in Ojai.
Previously, it had been known that most of the
land south of the Santa Clara River was too high
in alkali and salt content to produce a successful
grain crop, but this same soil proved to be a fertile
home to the sugar seedling. The areas of marshy
acreage could be salvaged by installing clay pipes
to drain the soil into a culvert.
A deal to build a factory was not
consummated after the 1896 campaign but the
government was about to make things easier
on the sugar manufactures. The Dingley Tariff
of 1897 called for a higher tax on imported
goods, including sugar, thus encouraging
domestically grown sugar. A rash of sugar
factories was on the horizon. One of the first
to benefit from the new tariff was Ventura
County. The farmers had already done their
homework, and they were ready for the big
test. A second season of beets was planted
throughout the county under the supervision
of Albert Maulhardt. At the close of the second
year of successful beet production, local
farmers were looking to close the door on a
deal. The October 8, 1897 Ventura Free Press
states the attitude of many of the citizens at the
time: “It is reported that the Oxnards (of sugar
fame) are to pay Hueneme and vicinity a visit
later this week or beginning next week. We
sincerely trust that they have the plans for our
(?) factory with them, as the matter seems to
be ‘hanging fire’ too long already.”
Getting either the Oxnards or Claus
Spreckels to build a factory was beginning to
look like it was just a matter of time. By
inviting Spreckels, the farmers were protecting
themselves and possibly playing a bargaining
chip against the Oxnards, who some felt were
demanding too much to build the factory.
These demands led to a split between Thomas
Bard’s involvement and the Oxnards’. Among
the several conditions the Oxnards were
demanding from landowners was a donation
of one hundred acres for a factory site that
would be located “one to two miles in an
easterly or southeasterly direction from the San
Pedro schoolhouse.” xxiv
(The San Pedro
schoolhouse was located at the corner of
present-day Wooley Road and Rose Avenue.)
In addition to land, the Oxnards further
stipulated that a right of way was to be
provided from the Southern Pacific Railroad
for a spur to the factory site and from that
point to the ocean. A final request was for land
to be provided at the ocean for the
construction of a wharf. xxv
The Oxnards also wanted a guarantee from
the farmers that they would dedicate twenty
thousand acres to beets for the next five years.
On the Oxnards’ end, they would build a $2
million facility and guarantee the farmers
$3.25 per ton for beets with a sugar content of
12 percent, plus $0.25 per ton for each
percentage above that mark.
To accommodate these demands The
Ventura Beet Growers Union was organized on
July 29, 1897. Thomas Rice was chosen as
president; Gotthold E. Kaltmeyer, treasurer;
Albert F. Maulhardt, secretary and the
Committee on Business included Justin Petit,
John G. Hill and Jacob Maulhardt.
On October 22, 1897, the Ventura Free Press
made the big announcement:
BEET SUGAR FACTORY—Oxnard Brothers
Willing to Erect One in Ventura County
A DEFINITE PROPOSITION SUBMITTED
A $2,000,000 Factory Offer Provided,
20,000 Acres Are Pledged to Beets,
a Factory Site and Rights of Way to
Railroad and Water Front Given. xxvi
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
22

The article explains: “That such a
proposition has been made, is due almost
entirely to the energy and ability of Mr. A.F.
Maulhardt, who has been striving for some
time to bring about such a consummation, and
after a conference with Mr. Henry T. Oxnard,
in Los Angeles, a few days ago, the following
proposition was presented to him.”
According to the website www.in2013.com,
$2 million in 1897 translates to approximately
$56 million in 2017.
While the newspaper gave Albert F.
Maulhardt “the lion’s share of credit for the
present state of affairs,” several other men
throughout the county also saw the potential of
the project and were “willing to leave their
business affairs and and to spend time and
money in trying to secure this great boom for
Ventura County. Messrs. J. E. Borchard, J. B.
Alvord, Jacob Maulhardt, T.A. Rice, Mark
McLoughlin, D. T. Perkins, H. K Snow, Jr.,
Major Carr, A. Levy, L. Lehmann, E. P. Foster,
James Leonard, J. S. Collins and others equally
as well-known were indefatigable in their efforts
to bring the project to a successful culmination.”
For two years, sugar beets were grown
and tested by Albert Maulhardt and his crew.
The results of his experiments were very
favorable. The highest percent of sugar per
beet during the 1897 season was 32 percent,
double the amount of sugar found in beets
grown in other parts of California. xxvii
Many
Ventura County fields produced 21 to 23
percent sugar, which again far exceeded the
sugar content of other areas.
Albert kept meticulous records of his beet
production efforts. He broke down the cost per
acre of a thorough plowing ($1.75), the cost of
planting ($2.25, including price of seed),
thinning ($2.50) and topping and hauling
(depending on tonnage). The results from Albert’s
two-year experiment included a profit per acre,
after expenses, from $34.00 to $70.00. xxviii
The November 1897 Ventura Free Press
reported: “The site of the proposed beet sugar
factory has at last been made public. The factory
will be four and one-half miles distance from
Hueneme, and on that piece of land known as
the old J.Y. Saviers tract. Surveyors have been
on the ground every day this week and it is
understood that about 60 teams are engaged
shortly to haul gravel from the river bed for the
concrete foundation.”
Henry T. Oxnard formed the Oxnard
Construction Company. Its first assignment
was the Colonia factory, which became the
Pacific Beet Sugar Company in 1897. The
Oxnard Construction Company would
eventually build five factories: Oxnard was
completed in 1898; Ames, Colorado, in 1899;
Rocky Ford, Colorado, in 1900; Caro,
Michigan, in 1900; and Croswell, Michigan, in
1902. The Oxnard Construction Company also
was responsible for the design of the Hamilton
City factory in 1906, but the core of the
company had been disbanded by that time.
The Pacific Beet Sugar Factory originally
consisted of four brick buildings: a warehouse,
laboratory, powerhouse and offices, with a fifth
building constructed in 1910. The main
❖
The construction of the sugar factory
began in December 1897 and completed
by August 1898.
COURTESY OF MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
2 3

❖
Above: Office buildings at the factory.
PHOTO BY RAY NUNN.
Below: The two smokestacks measured
150 feet and could be seen throughout
the county.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
24
building was 400 by 130 feet, and though it
rose three stories high, five different levels
could be detected from the pictures taken of
the main structure. The roof trusses were made
of steel and covered with galvanized steel. xxix
The name of the factory went through three
changes: the Pacific Beet Company in 1898,
the American Beet Sugar Factory in 1899 and
the American Crystal Sugar Company in 1834.
The two Colorado factories, Rocky Ford and
Las Animas, also operated under the name of
the American Beet Sugar Factory.
With the factory site completed, the two
150-foot smokestacks became the icons for the
Oxnard skyline. Visible from all corners of the
forty-four-thousand-acre Rancho Colonia, the
tall smokestacks introduced the surrounding
area to the big changes ahead.
The Oxnards also purchased the 5,576-acre
Patterson Ranch in July 1899 from J. D. Patterson
for $499,000. Located between present-day
Ventura Road in Oxnard and the Pacific Ocean,
the ranch consisted of two hundred draft horses
and nearly three thousand head of cattle. xxx
A
team of agronomists was employed to ready the
soil for growing sugar beets. Over thirty miles of
tile drains led the excessive water from the
ground to a pump near the ocean. The water was
then pumped out to the ocean. xxxi
Serving as
president of the Patterson Ranch Company was
Robert Oxnard, while J. H. Rathborne served as
the first secretary and treasurer. James A. Driffill
became the registered agent for the company, and
Charles J. Daily stayed on the first two years as
superintendent of the ranch before deciding to
farm for himself in Camarillo. Daily was replaced
by John Roupp of Chino. xxxii
The other large land purchase was the
Springville Ranch. This 1,500-acre ranch was
located five miles east of Oxnard, near
Camarillo. The six thousand acres to the south
of Springville Ranch were purchased separately
from Thornhill Broome, who lived in Chicago
and worked for the Chicago Stock Yards
Company. The negotiations for this purchase
were aided by Herb Eastwood and would
require Eastwood and American Beet Sugar
Company (ABS Co.) representative John
Rooney travel to Chicago to negotiate. For all
of these lands, the ABS Co. paid $1,089,612.
After his involvement with the factory in the
early years at the turn of the century, Henry T.
Oxnard spent the majority of his time on the
East Coast. Robert, however, made frequent
visits to the area from his San Francisco home.
He regularly participated on the American Beet
Sugar bowling team at the Oxnard lanes. As
vice-president of the company in November
1917, Robert Oxnard made a speech at the
annual factory barbecue. In the speech,
Oxnard reminded his audience that nineteen
years earlier, lima beans were selling for two
and half cents a pound. Beets were $4.50 a ton
and had doubled in price since that time.
As requested by the Oxnards, the farmers
donated one hundred acres for the site. The land
used to belong to the Saviers family, but Thomas
Rice purchased a portion of this ranch in 1888. It
was located 3½ miles from Hueneme and 3½
miles from El Rio. Albert F. Maulhardt got the local
farmers to underwrite the cost of the 100 acres
bought from T. A. Rice, north of Wooley Road and
east of Saviers Road. The sugar company paid for
the land and for the right of way, collecting later
from the farmers by deducting 15 cents from the
price of each ton of beets. xxxiii
The property deed for the Oxnard factory
site was dated November 15, 1897. T.A. Rice
sold Henry T. Oxnard one hundred acres of
Subdivision 31 of Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara

o la Colonia for $25,000, which works out to
$250 an acre. xxxiv
In 1897, prior to the paper’s announcement
of the town’s name of Oxnard, the incoming
superintendent, James A. Driffill, was given the
mission of developing the housing plans and
supervising the construction of the new
factory. “He dubbed the place ‘Oxnard’ for the
convenience of the Post Office, as well as for
the railroads.” xxxv Yet not everyone was ready to
accept the Oxnard name for the area. The
name of the town was Oxnard, but an official
name was still five years away.
A T O W N I S B O R N
The Oxnards’ next purchase was from Jack
Hill. On December 3, 1897, the Ventura Free
Press revealed that Henry T. Oxnard of New York
purchased thirty-one acres from Hill for $6,453.
Oxnard also paid Hill and his wife $40,000 for
two-thirds interest in their three-hundred-acre
ranch. The properties were located to the west
of the factory site, and it was here that Major J.A.
Driffill would lay out the town site of Oxnard.
Also on December 3, 1897, the Ventura Free
Press described the factory’s progress: “Work at
the factory site is progressing rapidly and the
force of men is increasing daily. Three crews of
surveyors have been out for the past two weeks
perfecting the lines for the drainage ditch and
spur railroad.”
In January 1898, the Colonial Improvement
Company drew up plans for a city. Major James
Alexander Driffill was president of the company
and superintendent of the sugar factory. Driffill
was born in Rochester, New York. While in New
York, Driffill began a long association with the
military. He joined the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of
the National Guard. During the Spanish-
American War of 1898, Driffill organized a
company of volunteers in case there was an
attack on the western shores of Ventura County.
He even used the sugar factory warehouses as
his armory.
He began work at the Oxnards’ Chino factory
as the revenue officer for the United States
government on July 1, 1891. His job was to
determine how many pounds of sugar the
factory produced in order to earn the two-cent
bounty per each pound of sugar. Driffill gained
the respect of the Oxnard workers thanks to his
loyalty and honesty toward his job. He found
employment with the Oxnard family at the
factory in 1893, working as a purchasing agent
and storekeeper. xxxvi
When the new factory
began taking shape in Ventura County, Major
Driffill was appointed manager. One of his first
duties as supervisor during the building of the
factory was to see that the crew worked
diligently. To make sure they did not become
sidetracked by the temptations of alcohol,
Driffill approached the board of supervisors in
December 1897 and requested that the board
deny any license for the construction of a saloon
in the neighborhood of the factory: “The work
that had to be done required men of clear head
and a steady hand.” xxxvii
In addition to his head position at the
factory, Driffill served as the original vicepresident
of the Colonia Improvement
Company. The directors of the company were
N.R. Cottman, John G. Hill, Carl Leonardt,
Ernest R. Hill and Lewis W. Andrews. C.
Portius served as the original secretary.
The first mention of the new town was
reported by the Ventura Free Press on January 7,
1898: “The surveyors began yesterday at the new
townhouse which will probably be known as
Bayard.” Two weeks later, the same paper
announced, “The new town on January 21, 1898
is to be called Oxnard in honor of Henry T.
Oxnard.” The article also mentioned that there
would be an opposition town a short distance
south of Oxnard. This never materialized.
Also on January 7, 1898, only three months
after the Oxnards pledged to build their $2
million factory, the Ventura Free Press made a
❖
James Alexander Driffill set out the town
site of Oxnard in January 1898.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
2 5

❖
Above: Lucy Levy was known for
her philanthropy.
Below: Richard Haydock (back row left)
started as a teacher, then principal, and
later, superintendent of schools. In between
he became the first mayor of Oxnard
in 1903.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
26
reference to the future town site located half a
mile from the factory site.
The town became a boomtown. By February
1898, the town site had been graded, and cement
sidewalks were laid out. xxxviii From this point, the
factory site and town site grew simultaneously.
As the sidewalks of the town were being formed,
the cement foundation for the main building at
the factory was completed, as were the derricks
needed for hoisting the structural irons.
Approximately 182 iron columns were hoisted
inside the building structure. The next step was
the excavation for the two immense lime kilns.
The two kilns would be able to handle 360 tons
of lime rock at each charge.
The February 10, 1898 edition of the Ventura
Independent referred to the factory as the “Colonia
factory.” After inspecting the main building, the
large crowd returned for the dancing part of the
afternoon: “At this time the dancing, with Charlie
Donlon as floor manager, began. The Ventura
City Band furnished excellent music for the
occasion. A feature of the dancing was the prize
waltz. Miss Jessie Bates was awarded the first
prize, a handsome $5 fan; Mrs. Will Willoughby
was awarded the second prize, a case of fine
perfumery. Supervisor Crane, C.G. Bartlett and
Adolph [sic] Camarillo were the judges.”
Richard Haydock recalled years later that,
on New Year’s Day 1898, there were only three
houses within the future town site: J.G. Hill’s
ranch home, Charles Thatcher’s residence
(Thatcher farmed on the Hill ranch) and J.Y.
Saviers’s home at what became the corner of
Sixth and the Boulevard. xxxix
Within the first six months, starting in the
spring of 1898, the bustling town grew to
several hundred people with hotels,
restaurants, merchandise stores and more. The
first home in the new town was built by Ed
Abplanalp and located at Sixth and D Street.
Achille Levy purchased the house in early
1899 and moved it to a lot on Fifth Street and
opened an office for his banking business. Levy
came to Hueneme in 1873. Levy began
venturing into the agricultural commodity
business. He sold grains, beans, barley, honey,
fruit and livestock to the growing farming
population. By 1889, Levy ventured into
banking. He cofounded the Bank of Hueneme
and served as the first vice president. By 1900,
Levy moved to the two-year-old town of
Oxnard and began operating as Bank of A.
Levy, first out of a wooden building then by
1901, a two-story brick block.
Lucy Levy was the wife and partner to
Achille Levy. The union was arranged by a
marriage broker and they were married in
1882. She became involved in the growing
community by participating in the newly
established Ventura County Fair. In 1891, Lucy
took charge of the cooking entries and by 1895
she was the chairwoman for the department of
Flowers and Plants.
Other activities included establishing a
library, planting trees along the main streets,
adding sidewalks. Later, Lucy helped the
returning veterans of WWI, which Lucy did by
serving on the board of the Ventura County
Red Cross. A few years later, after the
devastating St. Francis Dam disaster that killed
385 people near Fillmore and Santa Paula,
Lucy was contacted by the Red Cross and
immediately drove to the devastated area to
offer blankets and food.
Serving as “The Bank of Lucy,” Lucy even
extended personal loans to help young farmers
get their start. One such successful farmer
was Mike Vujovich who was loaned money
to purchase 400 acres he put to walnuts, sugar
beets and lima beans. After her husband
passed away in 1922, her son Joe took on
the responsibilities as president. Joe never
failed to admit that he relied heavily on his
mother’s influence in keeping the Bank of
A. Levy growing. Lucy Levy not only helped

her son and her husband in their endeavors to
be successful, she also helped hundreds of less
fortunate who benefited from her generous and
caring spirit.
Joe Levy had a passion for buildings styles
that lead him to design a new bank building
that incorporated Greek architecture features
including rounded arches, high window and
Doric columns. Completed on May 23, 1927,
the building remains as one of Oxnard finest
examples of its bygone eras. In recent years,
the building was meticulously restored by Al
and Rebecca Barkley for their business, Barkley
Insurance & Risk Management.
Houses began appearing as soon as a town
was projected. Ed Abplanalp built the first one
at the corner at Sixth and D streets. He had six
men that worked so rapidly they slept in the
place the first night it was so nearly finished.
Fred Joeneks ran a brickyard in what later
became Chinatown. xl
The first brick building was constructed by
S. M. Wineman and was occupied by the
Chicago Store, Ben Virden’s drugstore and
William Fowler’s Exchange Saloon.
In addition to new buildings, it seemed that
anything that that could be moved from the
surrounding communities was taken apart and
relocated to the new town. The Ventura firm
of Brakey and Son began a long history of
moving buildings in Ventura County. Many of
❖
Top: The first Bank of A Levy bank building
was complete in May 1902 and located at
the northeast corner Fifth and B Street.
Middle: The second Bank of A. Levy building
was completed in May 1927. It was designed
by Joe Levy who was inspired by the strength
and beauty of Greek architecture featuring
Doric columns and rounded arches.
Bottom: A view of Fifth Street looking
towards Plaza Park c. 1926.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
2 7

❖
Below: Tokens for discount was common
practice in the early Oxnard years. For
Saloons a token for a free drink guaranteed
a return customer. Pictured are tokens from
Lagomarisno’s bar, David Cohn’s Saloon and
Charles Reiman’s.
COURTESY OF JIM HELTON
Bottom: Christian Science Church built in
1902 and originally located at C & Sixth
Street. It was moved to Second & D and
finally to Heritage Square where it serves as
a community hall and wedding chapel.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
28
the local farmers were also employed to move
some of the buildings. Using a twenty-four
horse and six beet wagons, Brakey and his son
John started out from Ventura with one of the
many buildings he moved to the new town. By
the time he got to the Santa Clara River, he had
added forty-four more horses, bringing the
total to sixty-eight horsepower. John Brakey
explained several years later, “It took two hours
to get the 14 drivers and swampers all set for
the signal to pull and when we finally gave the
word the horses took off on a run and almost
upset the house in midstream.” xli
From Montalvo, Brakey moved Jack Hills’
barn, which became a boardinghouse with
Whiteside’s florists and Ellis Market on the
ground floor. The former barn’s new address
was 318 South Fifth Street. xlii
Also from
Montalvo came the Adams Apartments. Three
cottages from Hueneme and seven from
Saticoy all came across the riverbed and settled
down for the next fifty years on A Street
between Third and Fourth Streets.
Businesses also relocated to the boomtown.
From Hueneme came Wolff and Lehmann,
a mercantile store. Wolff soon sold out, and
Waterman joined the ranks. Also leaving
Hueneme were John Steinmiller’s Harness
Shop; Harry Witman, hardware dealer and
plumber; Jake Diefenbach, tailor; Poggi’s
Drug Store; B.F. Korts, butcher; the Sim
Meyer’s Phoenix Saloon; and the Glenn
Brothers livery stables, Achille Levy,
commodity broker and banker.
From Saticoy came the West Saticoy City
Hall building. Ben Virden moved his drug
business from Saticoy. Dr. G.A. Broughton
also left Saticoy for the prospects of a new
town. Rufus F. Stewart moved his blacksmith
shop from El Rio to the corner of Fifth and
B Street. xliii
Another move to the new town was the
original Pleasant Valley Schoolhouse. J.H. Bell
purchased it. Bell added a second story, and
the building served as a boardinghouse.
Several churches were also moved into
town to try to balance out the seven saloons.
From Saticoy came the Presbyterian building.
The Methodists had a shorter move from El
Rio. The Baptists would have to be content
with meeting in a railroad car. xliv
Even from as far away as Chino came many
new citizens and businesses. Louis Brenneis
began his long association with Oxnard after
packing up his blacksmith shop in Chino.
He became the first fire chief in Oxnard.
Andrew McNaughton was a night watchman
who met an unfortunate fate a few years later.
Samuel Naumann brought his plow and family
and the Naumanns began a hundred plus
commitment to growing a variety of crops on
the Oxnard Plain.
The first physician to open up for business
was Dr. Broughton followed by Dr. A. A.
Maulhardt. Dr. Maulhardt’s first office space
was located on the second floor of the Oxnard
Hotel at the corner of Fifth and C Streets.
Joining Dr. Broughton in 1903 was his
brother-in-law, Dr. William Livingston. In
1908, Livingston opened a hospital on B Street
with Dr. A.A. Maulhardt and Dr. R.D. Potts. It
was in 1914 that Livingston was awarded a
fellowship by the American College of
Surgeons and traveled to Europe. He stopped

over in Freiburg Germany and spent time with
Dr. Carl Gauss and learned about a new child
birthing method called Twilight Sleep. He
returned to St. Johns Hospital and became a
mentor in the practice for many doctors
including Dr. Floyd Swift and Dr. Herman Rey.
Many other people and businesses would also
leave Hueneme, which went from a thriving port
town to a quiet seaport in less than a year after
the arrival of the sugar beet factory. Even the head
schoolmaster, Richard Haydock, would make the
move to the new town. Haydock became
superintendent of the newly formed Oxnard
School District, which replaced the original San
Pedro School District. A few years later, Richard
Haydock was chosen as Oxnard’s first mayor.
The progress of the town was reported in
the local papers on a daily basis. Charles
Outland referenced the Ventura Free Press
articles. xlv Some of the highlights include:
• March 18, 1898: New butcher shop; beet
planning begins; depot building progresses;
El Rio blacksmith R.F. Steward moves to the
corner or Fifth and B Streets; Lehman and
Waterman building started.
• March 26, 1898: Post office to be established
in Oxnard; Lehman and Waterman open
Oxnard store.
• April 1, 1898: Factory clubhouse completed;
Ralph Hill to be postmaster of Oxnard.
• April 8, 1898: Ventura County Board of
Supervisors grants three saloon licenses;
eight hundred eucalyptus trees to be planted
around the sugar factory; first religious
service held in Oxnard under the direction
of Reverend Furneaux of Saticoy.
• April 15, 1898: Sidewalks all finished except
“from the square in the center of town.”
• April 22, 1898: Post office opened but no
stamps for sale.
• April 29, 1898: “Numerous Accidents”: sugar
factory construction workers have a bad day,
one man killed; American flag flies from the
top of the sugar factory chimney.
• May 13, 1898: Loose livestock create
problems in Oxnard and the beet fields;
E.T. Bond to have charge of the railroad
station.
• May 17, 1898: The Cash Store opens,
Oxnard’s first general store and soon
renamed Lehmann and Waterman.
• June 3, 1898: Opening of Reiman Hotel a
“howling success”; Lagomarsino Building
nearing completion.
• June 10, 1898: First child born in Oxnard
to Mr. and Mrs. Wennerholm.
• June 24, 1898: Sugar factory nears completion.
• July 1, 1898: Colonia Improvement Company
sets out ornamental trees in the plaza.
• August 5, 1898: Fires kindled for the first
time in factory furnaces.
• August 12, 1898: Church services held in
German at the “Tabernacle”; grand opening
ball at the Reiman Hotel; Henry Oxnard
in town.
• September 2, 1898: Beets coming in rapidly,
with four hundred cars a day being shipped
to Chino (probably forty cars).
• January 7, 1899: The first newspaper Oxnard
Courier’s first edition.
• January 29, 1899: Orders given for immediate
enlargement of Oxnard Beet Sugar Factory—
Facility will have the capacity to handle 2,000
tons of sugar per day (San Francisco Call).
• February 21, 1899: Oxnard Fire
Department established. President, J. A.
Whitmore; Vice President, Fred Baruch;
Secretary, J. B. Cryer; Treasurer, Bank of
Oxnard; Foreman, Louis Brenneis;
Assistant, Ed Abplanalp.
• April 1899: first brick buildings constructed
for E.T. Tesnerat and Wineman between A
and B Street. Contractor Fred Engstrum.
• July 1899: Patterson Ranch 5,576 acres sold
to the Pacific Beet Company.
• August 19, 1899: Sugar Factory opens
its operations.
• August 19, 1899: 50 people a day come
to Oxnard.
• August 22, 1899: First carload was bought
by Lehmann and Waterman.
• August 23, 1899: Bank of Oxnard opens.
Directors included Henry T. Oxnard, E.C.
Howe, L.W. Andrews, Herman W. Hellman,
Jacob Maulhardt, J.A. Driffill and J.A. Graves.
• September 1, 1899: Oxnard Hotel opens
its doors.
• November 11, 1899: Odd Fellows Oxnard
Lodge #89 instituted—Oxnard’s first
fraternal organization.
The two-story Oxnard Hotel was the largest
and finest hotel between Los Angeles and San
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
2 9

❖
Above: The American Beet Sugar Factory.
Bottom, left: The new roofline for the
Oxnard Hotel was rebuilt in June 1910.
Bottom, right: The original roofline for the
Oxnard Hotel was burned in 1910.
Francisco. It was designed by John P. Krimpel,
from Los Angeles. Krimpel also designed the
Masonic Lodge, the Oxnard Sugar Factory, the
Bank of Oxnard, and Oxnard Grammar School.
The lower floor of the Oxnard Hotel
included a lounge room and a spacious lobby.
The ladies also had a lobby of their own with a
fireplace and a view that looked out on a court
garden. The second floor contained twenty
sleeping apartments with an additional fourteen
located on the third floor, 5 bathrooms and
a bar. The main floor of the hotel featured a
20-by-30-foot dining room, 22-by-22-foot
kitchen, and an office. The interior of the
building was natural wood, oiled and
varnished, with rough plastering. The hotel
roof line was rebuilt after the 1910 fire and
eventually the hotel had rooms for 60 guests.
One month after the first sack of sugar was
delivered to Lehmann and Waterman, on
September 23, 1899, sixty-eight people signed
a petition in favor of incorporation. A dispute
arose over the boundaries that became a fouryear
stumbling block. In December 1901,
another meeting was organized at Engstrum
Hall on East Fifth Street. Richard Haydock was
elected chair, and a boundary committee was
set up that included James Driffill from the
factory. The recommendation was to keep the
city under one square mile. The consensus was
that this was too small an area.
The January 6, 1900, Oxnard Courier
summarized the first two years with the
encouraging article titled “Oxnard
Opportunities.” The area produced 23,000 tons
of beets in 1898 and over 10,000 acres were
planted for 1899. Over 700 men were employed
by the sugar factory. Business lots sold from
$300 to $500 and resident lots from $250 to
$350 per lot.
Local ads included Bank of Oxnard boasting
$50,000 in Capital. The Colonia Lodge charged
$1 per week. Saloons included The Owl, J.
Lagomarsino, The Reiman Saloon, The Oxnard
Saloon, The Peerless Saloon and The Castle
Saloon and George Hebert.
Blacksmithing was almost as popular as
the saloon business. The Oxnard Implement &
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
30

Carriage Works offered scientific horseshoeing,
general glacksmithing, and farm
implements, and was owned by J. F. Fulkerson.
Roche and Brenneis offered wagon and farm
implement repair.
I. M. Poggi and Ben Virden were the
druggists in town. H. W. Witman sold
Hardware, Tinware, Stoves, Rubber Hose,
Plumbing Fittings. The Wolff Restaurant
stated—The misses Wolff have gained celebrity
in Oxnard for their Delicious Home Cooking.
Lehman and Waterman offered a gold
watch to all who purchased twenty dollars of
merchandise, flour, or sugar.
The Oxnard Brick Yard was run by Fred
Joehnck and John Volkam. They arrived in
Oxnard in November 1898 and built many of
the first brick building in Oxnard. The red
burning clay was obtained from a surface
deposit from the property the brick yard had
rented from the Colonia Improvement
Company and was located on the south end of
the city. The brick was molded in a brick
machine and fired in a field kiln. Among the
buildings they supplied the brick for and built
was the Baptist Church at the corner of A and
Sixth Street in February 1900. After Volkam
passed away in 1903, Joehnck continued
manufacturing bricks. He suppled 200,000
bricks for the Santa Clara Church on E Street.
By 1909 the Oxnard Brick Yard produced 6.5
million bricks.
❖
Above: View of the street between B and C
Street from the Bank of Oxnard towards the
empty lot became the Carnegie Library that
was completed in 1907.
Below: Frank Borchard opened the Oxnard
Implement Company in 1900 and added
blacksmith J. W. Shillington in 1903.
Pictured is their Studebaker wagon
inventory along Fourth and C Street.
PICTURE COURTESY OF GARY E. BLUM.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
3 1

❖
Boundaries for incorporation as proposed in
September 1902.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
32
On May 6, 1902, Leon Lehman offered a
new proposal for cityhood. He suggested a
two-mile radius. This affected many of the
surrounding farms, and the opposing farmers
sent their lawyers to argue to their conclusion.
The two-thirds-square-mile proposal was
presented to the public, and 261 voted against
and 11 for incorporation.
After the failed election, a campaign was
begun to convince the public of the benefits of
incorporation. The final election occurred on
June 18, 1903. Held at the Cottage Hotel at the
corner of A and Sixth Streets, this time, 283
voted in favor and 13 against; 5 votes were
voided, and 25 had no preference. Under the
Citizens Ticket, five men were elected as trustees,
including Richard Haydock, a grammar school
principal; Jay Spence from the Bank of A. Levy;
O.J. Coen, an agent for the Southern Pacific
Railroad; Thomas M. Hill, a real estate and agent
and large landowner; and J.W. Parish, one of
Oxnard’s first building contractors. The city was
governed solely by the trustees until 1946, when
a city manager was added.
Richard Haydock became the first mayor of
Oxnard from 1903-1906. C.J. Elliot became the
city’s first clerk and Leon Lehmann became the
inaugural Treasurer. Haydock was followed by
Samul B. Bagnall, manager of People’s Lumber,
as mayor of Oxnard from 1906-1910.
Among the first ordinances passed were a
speed limit not to exceed eight miles an hour and
the prohibition of gambling within city limits.
Years later, the name of the city came into
question. A highly repetitive story recounts the
tale. One version was printed in a 1966 article
in PC: The Magazine of Ventura County on August
21, 1966, and shared by Mrs. James G. Oxnard,
niece of Henry T. Oxnard of Albuquerque, New
Mexico. In this iteration, Henry T. Oxnard
called Sacramento to offer the name of the city
as Sakchar, which is supposed to be the Sanskrit
word for sugar, though the spelling doesn’t
match up. The story goes on to say that the
telephone connection had so much static that
the request was not getting across, and in
frustration, Oxnard snapped and said to just call
the city Oxnard. Though the story is fun, the
facts are funny. Interestingly, the 1963 article
from the Oxnard Courier that initiated this tale
also contained the disclaimer that the story may
have taken historical license to re-create the
conversation, and not all Oxnard family
members subscribed to the theory.
Other names have been mentioned in the
press as potential names for the official city. It
was reported that Thomas Bard proposed the
name Anacapa. Another mention was Bayard,
which is a legend that refers to a magic bay
horse with supernatural ability to adjust the size
of riders. Bayard may have also been in
reference to Bayard Cutting, who was the largest
investor in the sugar factory though Henry
Oxnard did most of the political groundwork.
The incorporation year of 1903 saw the
growth of many businesses, buildings
and organizations. Two organizations that were
incorporated in March 1903 were the Sons
of Herman and the Knights of Columbus.
The German beneficial and social order Orden
Hermann Sohne (Sons of Germany) Oxnard

Chapter elected local blacksmith Louis
Brenneis as the group’s first president. Brenneis
opened a small blacksmith shop at the corner
of B and Sixth Street in 1898 and worked
primarily on beet plows and equipment.
He married Sophia Reiman and later raised
the Brucker children when their mother
passed away.
Brenneis skill as a blacksmith innovator
lead him to perfecting bean and beet planters
and cultivators that were sold throughout the
country. He later added orchard cultivators and
disk harrows. Within a short time, his business
grew to become incorporated as Brenneis
Manufacturing Company. After forty years of
exponential growth, Brenneis sold his
company to Allis-Chalmers who carried on the
business for several more decades.
Other officers for the Sons of Herman were
Fred Barunch as secretary, Joseph Sailer, the
master mechanic from the sugar factory and
later mayor of Oxnard, served as the cashier
and Dr. A. A. Maulhardt was elected physician.
The group hosted many gatherings and helped
many families for the next decade and a half.
However, with the U.S. at war with Germany
during the two world wars, the organization
fell silent.
However, the Knights of Columbus Oxnard
chapter continues it beneficial duties 115 years
and counting. The inaugural Grand Knight was
Charles Donlon and he and his posse traveled
to Los Angeles to participate in the initiation
ceremonies. Among the men who represented
the chapter were Juan Camarillo, Edward
Cosgrove, T.J. Donovan, A.C. Friedrich,
Thomas Gill, Sam Gisler, Henry Helmold,
Louis Maulhardt, T.F. McCarthy, Thomas
McCormick and Antone Revelon.
Also in 1903 after serving as principal at
Hueneme Grammar School, Charles Blackstock
passed an examination before the Supreme
Court of Los Angeles and began a private
practice. He also served as the city of Oxnard’s
attorney for several years. In 1946 he stepped
down from his lucrative practice to take a
modest paying job as Ventura County judge.
However, not all was groups experienced
the prosperity of the growing city. The
contracted laborers for the sugar beet fields
were Japanese and Mexican.
The Japanese population in California rose
from 2,039 in 1890 to 24,326 in 1900. xlvi As
many as 1,000 Japanese arrived in Ventura
County in 1898 to help harvest the area’s first
extensive beet harvest. With a housing
shortage for full-time workers at the factory,
the first Japanese took refuge in tents near the
beet fields. xlvii Most of the first Japanese to come
to Oxnard were recruited from Kumamoto
❖
Top, left: The Sons of Herman was formed
in February 1903. The following month the
society gathered at the home of Henry
Maulhardt. The society ceased activities
with the onset of World War I.
Top, right: The Knights of Columbus was
formed in March 1903 with Charles Donlon
elected as the inaugural Grand Knight.
Justin Petit was elected Deputy Grand
Knight and Thomas McLoughlin served as
financial secretary.
Above: Charles Blackstock.
Left: Japanese sugar beet workers on the
Patterson Ranch.
COURTESY OF SIR CHARLES.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
3 3

❖
Right: Japanese Methodist Church at 632 A
Street opened in 1908.
Below: Sophie Kohler and Japanese migrant
workers boxing celery c. 1910.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
34
Prefecture in Japan by labor contractor
Kusaburo Baba. Many other Japanese were
recruited from Okayama Prefecture. xlviii
In February 1903, 500 Japanese and 200
Mexican laborers formed the Japanese-Mexican
Labor Association (JMLA) to challenge the
Western Agricultural Contraction Company
(WACC) for better wages and other improved
conditions. The new union was led by Kosaburo
Baba (president), Y. Yamaguchi (secretary of the
Japanese branch), and J.M. Lizarras (secretary
of the Mexican branch). By not signing up for
the WACC and allowing for precious work time
to lapse during the beet thinning time, the JMLA
forced the WACC to make amends before the
laborers would return to work proving a
successful “strike” for the workers.
Baba’s other important achievement for the
new citizens of Oxnard was the organization of
the Methodist Mission Church. This church
became a gathering point for many prominent
Japanese families in Oxnard.
Though the Japanese community suffered
many prejudices throughout the city’s history,
many great community leaders emerged from
the adversity to establish successful businesses,
become accomplished farmers and raise
respectful families. Among the early Japanese
families who contributed to the community
were Asahi, Fugimato, Fugimori, Fujita,
Matsumoto, Nakamura, Nishimura, Ogata,
Okamato, Otani, Otomo, Takeda, Takasugi
and Tokuyama and Yanaginuma. Others who
came soon after included Akitomo, Fujiwara,
Hara, Iwamoto, Kodani, Kurihara, Masunaga,
Oysuki, Tagami, Tagayuma and Toyhara.
After the devastating earthquake in San
Francisco in 1906, the Japanese students were
required to attend a separate school. Tensions
arose between Japan and the U.S. government
that led to a “gentlemen’s agreement” in
1907, allowing the Japanese children to attend
public schools in exchange for a ban on
passports to the United States except for
certain cases. This created the “picture bride”
marriages that followed.
By 1909 the Japanese accounted for 42
percent of the agriculture labor force. They
soon began buying their own tracts of land,
creating a shortage in the workforce. By 1910
they were growing 60 percent of the sugar
beets in California. By 1913, things had
changed. The Alien Land Acts were passed,
limiting the number of years a noncitizen
could rent or buy land to three years. Asians
were considered noncitizens by federal law.
This was easily circumvented by many
successful Japanese farmers by renewing their
leases in the names of other family members.
The other early group to work in the beet
fields were the Mexicans, though their

numbers were much smaller than the Japanese.
The first wave of Mexicans who came to
Oxnard were from the central and eastern
Border States. Of the original seven hundred
men who banded together to form the
Japanese-Mexican Labor Association in 1903,
two hundred were from Mexico. Their
numbers increased several years later, when
the country experienced a civil war starting in
1911. By 1920, half of the labor force in the
fields were from Mexico. The Immigration Law
of 1924 severely cut back on the number of
workers coming from Europe, and again, a
steady flow of Mexican workers entered the
United States. By 1930 the Mexican population
in California was estimated at 250,000. xlix
Among the first workers from Mexico
to come to Oxnard was Don Eligio Jimenez,
who labored in the factory starting in
1900. The Zaragoza family also came around
this time. Mercedes Silveria, who came in
1905, claimed that there were fifty Mexican
families in the area when her family arrived
in Oxnard. l
The original Mexican population was
located near Meta and Fifth Streets. Many of
the original buildings were made of adobe
due to the scarcity of lumber. Wood structures
were added to the expanding area, and
Enterprise Street became home to much
of Oxnard’s early Hispanic population mixed
with newcomers from the laborer class. Among
the early families to inhabit this area were
the Ayala, Contreras, Dominquez, Dyer,
Frias, Gillespie, Gutierrez, Green, Lujan,
McManus, Morales, Ordonez, and Razo,
Reeder, Regalado, Riley, Rodriquez, Valles and
Wells families.
❖
A painting by Jack Miller of Enterprise
Street c. 1940s in front of the Contreras
family home.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
3 5

❖
Above: The Ordonez family group
picture taken in front of their home on
Enterprise Street.
Below: Bustling Wynema circa 1890s and
before the slow down after the establishment
of the sugar factory and the town of Oxnard.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
36
B E F O R E T H E R E W A S
A N O X N A R D
What became the Oxnard Plain was a large
marshy plain devoid of trees with the town of
Wyenma (Hueneme) on the south end,
Springville near present day Camarillo at
Central and the 101 Freeway and New
Jerusalem (El Rio) at the low crossing point
between Montalvo and the plain at the predammed
Santa Clara River.
Wynema was the hub of the plain because
of the wharf that Thomas Bard had built. With
the majority of the county growing barley, corn
and raising sheep, all roads led to the wharf.
The first reference to the area was from 1856
when Lt. James Alden traveled the coast as part
of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and labeled
the spot Point Hueneme. A few years later,
W.E. Barnard, H.P. Flint and G.S. Gilbert and
Robert Livingston established the Wynema
Lighter Company to transport goods to and
from waiting ships off the coast. Thomas Bard
formed the Hueneme Wharf and Lighter
Company and a war between the two factions
was established. Hiring A.J. Salisbury, Bard’s
900-foot wharf was completed. He laid out the
town site the following year and thus wrestled
back the name Hueneme. However, both
spellings would surface for several decades.
The name of the city of Port Hueneme has
changed as much as the direction of the city
itself. Originally, Wene’me was a “resting place,”
as the name translates, for the many Chumash
Indians who paddled up and down the coast
from Santa Monica to San Luis Obispo. Soon
after the establishment of the mission at San
Buenaventura, the “point” was abandoned by
the Chumash in favor of mission life. For the
next 80 years, Hueneme and the majority of
the 44,000-acre Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara
o la Colonia was vacant of activity, save for the

cattle grazing in the late 1850s by the original
grantee, Raphael Gonzalez and family.
It wasn’t until Christian Borchard and his
son, John Edward Borchard, planted the first
commercial crop, barley, in 1867, that a new
direction for the plain was established.
Pennsylvania born, Thomas Bard, who was
originally overseeing the development of
Thomas Scott’s oil industry in the Ventura/Ojai
area, envisioned a wharf to export the farming
goods as a potential agricultural industry. First,
Bard had to clear up a boundary dispute
brought about by vague border descriptions of
the Colonia Rancho. Scott, Bard’s boss, owned
a majority of the rancho, approximately 5/7ths
of the rancho, over 32,000 acres.
Unlike many of the Midwestern states that
offered homestead property of 160 acres, most
of California’s land was divided up during the
Mexican period of California ownership
between 1834-1846. Beginning in 1834,
California Governors handed out over 100
land grants, 17 in Ventura County. The grants
were large enough for livestock grazing,
usually 11 leagues, or approximately 40,000
acres. This created a land crunch for the
incoming Americans. The scarcity of land to
buy and settle led to land disputes. In the case
of Rancho Colonia, 17,000 acres came under
fire when squatters claimed a triangular piece
of land between Mugu lagoon and the slough
near Point Hueneme. The name of Wynema
was reestablished by one of approximately 100
men who formed the Squatters League and
were led by W.E. Barnard, H.P. Flint, G.S.
Gilbert, Daniel Dempsey and Robert G.
Livingston. Barnard and three partners
established the Wynema Lighter Company in
1870 to transport goods to and from the point
area and on out to awaiting ships. Barnard,
along with partner Flint and Gilbert, also
established the Pioneer Store. Further
establishing his position of power in the area,
Barnard became the first postmaster general.
Finally, Barnard became the correspondent to
the Ventura Signal, thus guaranteeing a
favorable slant for events in the area.
Thomas Bard, on the other hand, had his
work cut out for him. In addition to fighting the
boundary dispute in court, he had to fight to get
❖
Robert Livingston was one of the first settlers
of Wynema (Hueneme) in 1871 where he
opened a produce and mercantile store.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
3 7

❖
Right: Squatters map showing the 17,344
acres Thomas Bard fought to reclaim from
settlers who claimed it was public land open
to homesteading. After several years in the
courts, Bard won the battle on behalf of
Thomas Scott.
Below: The Hueneme Wharf built in 1871
was the only means for shipping goods for
the east county before the railroad crossed
the river in 1898.
Opposite, top: A view of Hueneme after the
exodus to Oxnard starting in 1898.
Opposite, middle: With the growth of
the citrus industry in the 1920s Hueneme
began rising from the dust of the
proceeding decades.
Opposite, bottom:The original lighthouse
was constructed in 1874 and served the
coastline until 1940 when it was replaced
with the current version.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
38
a foothold in the area he envisioned to be the hub
of the county with the planned development of
a wharf. By February 1871, Bard established his
own company to challenge Barnard’s company,
the Hueneme Wharf and Lighter Company.
Tensions between the established “squatters” and
Bard’s interests came to boiling point. In a move
that echoed the strategy of the squatters, Bard and
his men fenced off an area he intended to “squat”
in order to start his wharf. In May 1871, a near
“war” between Bard and Barnard, whose men
were equipped with rifles, was aborted when the
two men came to an agreement to settle the
matter in the courts. Bard proved victorious and
offered the “squatted land” for sale or lease to his
former foes. Bard’s diplomatic patience served as
a prelude to his later political ambitions, which
culminated in becoming a United States Senator
in 1900.
Things looked up for Bard in 1872. The
secretary of the Interior, Columbus Delano,
confirmed Bard’s claim to reestablish the
original boundaries of Rancho Colonia, thus
giving Bard the power to sale or lease the
17,000 acres of land in dispute. By June 1872,
Bard platted the town of Hueneme. The next
year, on January 1, Bard was among the
leaders, along with Angel Escandon and
William Dewy Hobson, to help break of the
southern portion of Santa Barbara County into
a new district, Ventura County. With this a new
Hueneme Township that included the plains
area south of the Santa Clara River. The name
was officially changed from Wynema to
Hueneme when it established its post office on
August 10, 1974. For the next twenty-four
years, Hueneme was the bustling hub for
agriculture activity in the county.
Soon Hueneme became the largest grain
shipping port between San Francisco and Los
Angeles. Sheep and later lima beans added to
the exports.
Soon after the wharf was extended to 1500
feet, things changed drastically for the wharf
town of Hueneme when the Oxnard brothers
decided to build a two-million-dollar factory
in the middle of the plain. By building the
factory, farmers switched to sugar beets, which
were shipped by rail out of Oxnard, bypassing
the town of Hueneme altogether. Soon,
businesses and homes and families were
transported across the fields to the new hub of
agricultural activity, Oxnard. Among the long
time Hueneme businesses that left were
Lehman & Waterman, general merchandise;
Harry Witman, hardware and plumbing; the
McCoy brothers, Restaurant and Saloon; I.M.
Poggi, druggist and B.F. Korts, the town’s
butcher. It took Achille Levy a few years to
relocate, but he did move his business within
a short time after the exodus.
For the next two decades, Hueneme became
a “glorified ghost town.” Weekends and
holidays were the exception after 1905 when
the Bakersfield & Ventura Railway laid tracks
from Oxnard to the beach community of
Hueneme. For .22 cents, you could get a round
trip ticket to the beach and back. Richard
Peacock, who owned a confectionary store in
Oxnard, rented a piece of land next to the

each from the Bard family and opened up a
beach resort. By the late twenties, Henry
Horsewood purchased the business and the
resort became known as “Horsewood’s” up
until the “hurricane” of 1939, when the resort,
boardwalk and wharf were all destroyed.
In 1922 two packinghouses for Sunkist were
built, one next to the wharf and the other next
to current day Ventura Road and the beach
road. This brought a little vitality to the area,
but not like the pre-sugar factory days.
Due to the efforts of Richard Bard, son of
Thomas Bard, came the formation of the Oxnard
Harbor District with plans to develop a deep
water port. In 1937 the voters approved a
$1,750,000 bond for its development. However,
the events of WWII derailed the long-time efforts
of Richard Bard and others to see the plans
completed when the Navy took over the harbor
and much of the beach area. The military
enlarged the port and adjacent properties were
purchased and what became the Naval
Construction Battalion Center was established.
The Oxnard Harbor District eventually
regained 120 acres plus an additional 600 acres
of private and public land to serve support
functions for the port. Today there are six deep
water berths that can handle nearly 600,000
metric tons of bananas a year. The port also
handles up to 270,000 autos per year including
BMW, Mini Cooper, Rolls Royce, Volvo, Land
Rover, Jaguar, Maserati, Ford, Hyundai, Kia,
Aston Martin, Mitsubishi, General Motors,
Honda, Acura, Toyota, Nissan and Tesla.
Not to be confused with the Port of
Hueneme, the name of the city of Port
Hueneme became official in 1939 and was
incorporated on March 24, 1948. Though the
growth of the city was slow, the boundaries of
the city were also affected by the surrounding
city. However, the population has still grown
to over 22,000 residents. The Hueneme
Sanitary District constructed a 650-foot pier in
1956. Another 300 feet were added in 1968
and portions of the pier have gone through
reconstruction over the years.
N E W
J E R U S A L E M
New Jerusalem was part of Rancho Santa
Clara del Norte consisting of 13,989 acres and
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
3 9

❖
Above: Simon Cohn’s mercantile store was
one of three stores between Hueneme and
Springville (Camarillo) for many of the first
residents of the Oxnard Plain.
Below: The building committee for the
original Santa Clara Church in New
Jerusalem (El Rio) in 1877 included
clockwise: Dominick McGrath, Thomas
Cloyne, Gottfried, Jacob and Anton
Maulhardt and Christian Borchard, center.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
40
was granted to Juan Maria Sanchez in 1837.
After the devastating drought of 1864 Sanchez
sold the rancho to the Schiappa Pietra
brothers, natives of Italy who owned a general
merchandise store in Ventura. A religious
group from Virginia, the Campbellites, the
Disciples of Christ, were traveling along the
Old Conejo Road in 1868 and believed the
area at the corner of the Santa Clara River and
the Old Conejo Road was government land
and such available for settlement. Once
established in a small wooden church, The
Corner became known as Jerusalem. After a
few years of small activity, the group moved on
but a stopping point was established.
The Ventura Signal referred to the area in
its 1877 postings as Centersville and later
news from the area was referenced to as
“Colonia Cullings.”
A few years later, Superior Court Judge J. D
Hines made mention to the picturesque area in
a 1879 speech as New Jerusalem in reference
to the first Jewish merchants in the area, the
Cohn brothers. It was not until Simon Cohn
established the first mercantile business that
the name became official.
Another significant addition to the New
Jerusalem area was the construction of the
first church on the south side of the river,
the Church of New Jerusalem, later called
Santa Clara Chapel. Many of the early
inhabitants of the agricultural community
were of Catholic faith and they would cross
the Santa Clara River at the low point at New
Jerusalem to attend services at the Mission
in Ventura. By 1876 the catholic farmers met
with Father Juan Compala and formed a
building committee to build a church that
included Christian Borchard, Dominick
McGrath, Thomas Cloyne, and the three
Maulhardt brothers, Gottfried, Jacob, and
Anton. On March 17, 1877, the faithful
celebrated the first Mass. Because of the large
German population at the time, the Father
Gelss of Los Angeles sang the Mass and
preached a sermon in German and Father
Farrelly from San Buenaventura addressed the
congregation in English and Spanish. For years
and continuing the tradition when the Catholic
Church was built on E Street in Oxnard the
Irish families sat on the right side of the church
and the Germans sat on the left. The Gospel
was read first in German then English. This
lasted until WWI when attitudes towards
Germans wavered.
With the widening of the freeway in 1954,
the chapel was moved from its original location
near the south side of the Ventura Freeway and

the Esplanade Shopping area to its current
location at the corner of the Rose Avenue
Bridge and the 101 Freeway.
The person most associated with the early
years of New Jerusalem was Simon Cohn. He
was born in Kempen, Prussia (Poland) on April
4, 1852. At the age of 21, he immigrated to New
York and by November 1873 he was in
California. He worked for his brother Morris in
Saticoy then got some advice from a local by the
name of Pap Smith who recommended he open
a mercantile store on the south side of the Santa
Clara River. His first store was a modest wooden
building, but by 1880 he was able to construct
a double building filled with every kind of
merchandise. On July 26, 1882, the New
Jerusalem post office was established, and Cohn
served as the Postmaster. He painted the official
name of the town on the side of his building.
On February 14, 1895, the office was changed
to Jerusalem only to change a few months later
on June 18, 1895 to Elrio for ten years until the
name was corrected to El Rio. However, the
Ventura County directory 1898-99 already
made the correction to the two words.
Cohn was joined by family members who
opened up businesses at the four corners.
His brother Leopold opened a saloon and
billiard hall; a second brother, David, ran a
saloon and billiards called the Silver Pitcher,
and brother-in-law, Michael Kujawaski owned
a second merchandise store. A third saloon was
opened by Max Gisler.
Cohn was also instrumental in establishing a
1,200 seat stadium on his property (today the
Financial Plaza Tower) built by Paul Staples
and F.E. Dolly Gray that served as home for the
boxing and wrestling matches for over 30 years.
Originally an open-air arena, a roof was added by
the 1930s and it was known as the El Rio Legion
Stadium and later just the El Rio Stadium. Events
were held there until 1954 when the freeway was
expanded and on and off ramps were built over
the stadium and other El Rio buildings.
John Donlon was the patriarch of the El Rio
Donlons and a cousin to the Peter Donlons of
Hueneme. At one time, Donlon raised three
thousand sheep, which he used to purchase 403
acres in the El Rio area near the river bottom.
The “El Rio Donlons” were also instrumental
in the early town of New Jerusalem. The first
Donlon to settle in the area was the Peter Donlon
❖
Above: The original site of the Santa Clara
Chapel was near the northbound lane of the
101 Freeway across from the Esplanade and
moved to Rose Avenue when the road was
widened in 1954.
Below: John Donlon with his wife Mary
Forrer, left.
IMAGES COURTESY OF MARY CAROLINE CHUNN.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
4 1

❖
Above: The Max Gisler home in New
Jerusalem.
Below: Later James Cuccatto and family
took up residence and opened the Oxnard
Winery & Distillery.
family who farmed near Hueneme after traveling
from Ireland then to Dublin, California, before
buying 533 acres from Thomas Bard in 1870.
John Donlon was a cousin and came to the
United States in 1870 and settled in Alameda
County before traveling south to Ventura County
in 1875. In 1886 he married Mary Forrer at the
Santa Clara Church in New Jerusalem. It was
presided by Father John Pujol. They were the first
couple to wed at the church. As a farmer, John
Donlon raised lima beans, grain and barley. He
was also on the first board of the El Rio School
District, which was formed in 1885. He served
alongside Simon Cohn and John Grubb. Donlon
served for forty years.
The Gisler family were also a part of the
early settlement. Max and Josephine Gisler
raised twelve children. The Gisler family came
to the United States in waves. First came Max
and Sigmund in 1876. They worked as
sheepherders. Next came Mary and Leopold in
1877. The third wave came in 1878, Samuel,
Solomon and Gabriel and the rest followed in
1880: Edmund, Hannah, Max, Jr., Josephine,
Frank, Joe and Theresia.
The first piece of property Max Gisler
purchased was 6 acres in New Jerusalem from
Christian Borchard. They built a two-story
home next to the Santa Clara Church and a
saloon at the other end of the property to
compete with the two other saloons run by the
Cohn brothers. Max purchased an additional
55 acres that adjoined the property. Gabe
Gisler bought 90 acres in Springville, the soon
to be abandoned town near Camarillo, and
farmed this property. He married Margaret
Riemann. Frank and Joe Gisler leased then
purchased the 157-acre Clemmens ranch
near Gonzales Road and Oxnard Boulevard. Ed
and Sam Gisler purchased land in the
Camarillo Heights, but eventually relocated to
Orange County to continue farming. Theresia
Gisler married Charles J. Daily and they
farmed in Camarillo. Their home is now used
by the Boys and Girls Club of America. It is
located off Daily Road.
The Gisler family was like many of the early
families in Oxnard that fall under a similar
category, too big to cover all the contributions
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
42

of the many branches of the family. However,
the legacy of the Gisler family is also similar to
many families who came to Oxnard, namely,
they came here with little money, worked for
others and took advantage of the opportunities
the area had to offer and allowed their family
members to live a more comfortable life.
The George and Felicite Eastwood family
settled in New Jerusalem in 1876 and raised
eleven children, Herbert, George, John, Ernest,
Walter, Thomas, Louise, Alice, Grace, James
and Frank. George and his wife took turns
serving as the postmaster. George set up shop
as a cabinetmaker and upholsterer. Son
Herbert joined his brother George as a
cowhand for the Patterson Ranch, run by
Charles J. Daily, where he jumped up to $35 a
month. Herbert continued farming on his own,
became a real estate agent, purchased the
Oxnard Hotel and by 1920 he was elected
mayor. In honor of his many accomplishments
the city dedicated a 4.28-acre park between F
Street and Glenwood in his honor, The
Eastwood Memorial Park.
Before the town site of Oxnard was laid out
in January 1898, New Jerusalem and, by this
time, El Rio encompassed the area half way
between Hueneme and El Rio. The 1898
county directory listed 200 names with a PO
Box of El Rio with 120 listed as farmers.
Businesses included barbers: Bell & Castro,
Lazaro Ruiz; saloon and billiards: Leopold
Cohn, Gabe Gisler, and David Cohn who
owned the Silver Pitcher; general merchandise:
Simon Cohn, Galvin & Shorten, M. Kujawasky;
postmaster: Mrs. F. L. Eastwood; cabinet maker:
G. J. Eastwood; El Rio Meat Market, Herold &
Gammill; blacksmiths: G. E. Hodgkins, N. J.
Starks, and J. W. Shillington; restaurants: Jose
Lopez; dressmaker: Mrs. J.S. Lopez; harness
makers: A. B. Mills; groceries: I. L. Helmold;
restaurants and liveries: F. B. Ramirez;
physicians: J. W. Rue; and shoemakers:
Octaviano Moraga.
The Moraga family arrived in El Rio in the
early 1890s. Octaviano Moraga married Rosario
Andrade in 1871 and settled in Ventura for
several years. By the early 1890s, they relocated
to New Jerusalem where Octaviano farmed
with the help of his sons. They owned several
lots in New Jerusalem and built several homes.
In addition to farming and being the local
shoemaker, Octaviano also advertised in the
new Oxnard Courier paper in 1900 selling cords
of wood, walnut and grapevine wood for $5.00.
His son J. J. Moraga also offered cords of gum
wood for $7.50. The younger Moraga also
advertised his service in the paper for “Horse
Breaking.” He was “prepared to break any kind
of horse to work single or double, to drive or
do heavy work.”
Another longtime El Rio family arrived in
1899, the Luis and Micaela Villegas family
came from the mining town of Guadalupe,
Zacatecas, Mexico, with their five children,
❖
Left: Herbert and Irma Eastwood. Eastwood
was a two time mayor of Oxnard.
Right: Arturo Villegas and family owned and
operated El Rio’s first silent movie house.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
4 3

❖
The Hobson barn on the Bob Jones Ranch
off Vineyard. Photo taken by author just
weeks before the barn was lost to a fire
in 2005.
Arthur, Antonio, Ester, Luis, Jr., and Sara.
Several years later, Antonio and his two
brothers opened El Rio’s first Silent Film movie
house, Teatro Luz at the corner of Myrtle and
Colonia Avenue in El Rio. It was a family affair
with the girls selling tickets and concessions
with entry set at 10 cents for children and 15
cents for adults for Sunday night shows that
would also include local entertainment and a
raffle. However, with the introduction of
“talkies” in 1929, the rise in rentals and the
oncoming Great Depression, the movie house
was forced to close its doors.
It was during the 1920s that Jesus
and Jesusita Martinez settled in El Rio from
Saragossa, Durango, Mexico with six children
and add nine more: Alice, Connie, Edward,
Elsie, Eva, Frank, Gene, Fred, Hortensia,
Isabel, Martha, Mary, Randy, Ray, Roger,
and Rose.
Jesus Martinez started off by doing ranch
work and by the 1930s he bought a truck to
haul sugar beets from the farms to the
factory in Oxnard. By the mid-forties he
opened a market and gas station with his
sons he named Martinez Market and by
1950 he bought the old El Rio School
grounds off Vineyard with two buildings and
renovated one into a market that became
El Rio Central Market.
There was another Martinez family that was
busy in El Rio. Frank and Juan Martinez were
listed as the Martinez Brothers in 1908 directory
and ran a poolroom in El Rio. However, there was
plenty of competition at nearby Oxnard where
eleven billiard rooms were listed as well.
Other longtime residents who were listed in
the 1898 directory were laborers Francisco and
Jesus Olivas; Farmer Vicente Ortega and
laborers Valentin, Manuel, Jose M. and Jose
Antonio Ortega and Jose Grejeda.
Just north of the growing community of
El Rio was the 320 acre Hobson Ranch.
Originally the ranch was used to graze cattle
and raise hay. A barn was capable of storing
1,380 tos of hay. Starting in 1920, Roger Jones
worked as the foreman of the ranch. His son,
Bob, took over and by the 1950s he was raising
tomatoes. Bob eventually purchased the ranch
and was one of the first farmers to grow
strawberries on a large scale.
The Bob Jones ranch was a target of a strike
on April 15, 1959. Led by Cesar Chavez and
the Community Service Organization (CSO).
The protest was over being paid by production
“piece wages” instead of the going rate of .85
cents an hour. Chavez instructed the workers
to begin a sit down at 10:00 a.m. and by noon
the strike was settled, and the workers
regained their prevailing wage.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
44

T H E E A R L Y Y E A R S
The first decade of growth in Oxnard was
rapid. Two years into laying the town site, the
population for Oxnard and the surrounding
farms was approximately 1,200. After the first
wave of imported wood buildings to house and
service the new working population, several
craftsmen arrived to begin building the more
permanent structures. A young Thomas Carroll
arrived from Los Angeles via Nova Scotia to
work for Parrish and Gourley in building some
of the first brick buildings including the Bank
of A. Levy Block at the corner of Fifth and B
Street. He soon graduated to his own
operations and built many of the most needed
structures and homes in the area including the
ornate interior of the Santa Clara church
(1904), the Carnegie building (1907), the
pagoda building and grandstand at Plaza Park
(1910) and the original St John’s Hospital
(1914) on F Street.
After several failed attempts to incorporate,
Oxnard graduated to cityhood on July 3, 1903.
The first thing the new city board of trustees
did, led by Richard Haydock, who served as
Oxnard inaugural mayor, was to set up a series
of laws to create a model city. Compulsory
School Law stating that all minors under the age
of 16 years where forbidden any of the public
streets or alleys any time after 8:00 pm until 9
am from September 1 to May 1. The exception
is for times when the child is “needed in work
to replenish the family exchequer” or
accompanied by a parent.
With many young men employed in the
new city night life became a growing concern
for the more established citizens. A Gambling
Ordinance was created whereby it was
declared unlawful to use any house, room,
apartment or gambling house for the purpose
of using cards, dice or other devices used for
money, checks, credit, chips or any representative
value. Aimed at the poker games on which
many of the new residents spent much of their
factory dollars.
However, that did not stop gambling
altogether. China Alley became a base for
undercover gambling and other vices for
decades. At one time the Chinese population
topped 600, primarily young male residents
though other estimates are closer to 300 by
1918. The Chinese organized the second Fire
Department in 1900.
Located between Sixth and Eighth Street
and in between A Street and the current
Oxnard Boulevard, China Alley was a series of
restaurants, tea shops, laundry and dry good
shops, employment agencies and merchandise
stores. The 1908-09 Directory for Ventura
County listed some of the businesses in
Oriental alley. Some of the buildings featured
false fronts and had plenty of adventure behind
the sliding false doors. Many of the buildings
were equipped with bells, buzzers, secret
doors and hidden stairways. Many had
underground tunnels to escape the frequent
raids by law enforcement. Coletha Nicholson
Lehmann recalled her first impressions of the
Chinese businesses in the Ventura County
Historical Society Quarterly publication from
the Summer of 1978 edition. In an article
titled, “I Remember Those Things,” Lehmann
wrote about getting fireworks on the Fourth of
July as well as lichi nuts and coconut candy.
However, the night business was whole other
experience. Talking about the gambling
Lehmann recalled:
❖
Plaza Park pre-pagoda (1910) and post
Carnegie construction (1907).
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
4 5

❖
A later photo of China Ally c. 1950.
The Chinese had a unique system of
communication. Three of them on every block
would sit outside their small stores on boxes. As
you approached Fifth Street the first man, if he
knew you, would give the okay when it was all
right. They had false fronts to their stores; as
you walked along it looked as though there
were nice little places to buy tea, a teapot and
tea cups; but they we all so full off dust you
guessed there was not much business. The night
my brother took me we went into the teashop;
but as I looked up in one corner there was a
square hole and an eye looking right at me. A
sliding door then opened, and you went down
a hallway; after you walked a ways, there was
another one of those eyes which opened to the
lottery tables. Beyond the tables were all kinds
of gambling in operation. You could go down a
few steps to what was called an opium den.
Herbert Eastwood remembered the days
when he’d leave his office at City Hall at the
Carnegie building during the 1920s and he’d
spot an elderly Chinese man in the park who’d
already spotted him heading in the direction
of the alley. The man would signal an alert to
another lookout standing near the alley.
For a time, violence was reoccurring.
The most shocking murders occurred 1906
when night watchman Andrew McNaughton
was shot at close range in the early morning
hours. McNaughton caught Manuel Fabella and
Dolores Quintana trying to rob a Japanese pool
hall. Two shots were fired and, two trials later,
Fabella was convicted. During the third trial,
four years after the murder, Quintana confessed.
He had nervous breakdown and died in an
asylum five years later. However, McNaughton’s
murder led to an all-day raid following his death
ridding the area of the opium dens and soon
things quieted down for a short time.
Raids on China Alley were common.
Problems intensified after prohibition took
effect in January 1920. Bootleg liquor was
easily obtained, and the lack of regulation led
to several occasions of alcohol poisoning. Rum
runners floated their cargo onto the beaches at
night. For years, the fight against illegal alcohol
created an underground scene that took
decades to clear out.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
46

On August 7, 1924, Narcotic Agent Earl
along with Under Sheriff Walker plus four
Deputy Sheriffs conducted a raid at 711
Oxnard Boulevard. As Sheriff Walker entered
the building an “aged Chinaman pressed a
button, and this automatically shut the door
and imprisoned Under Sheriff Walker in an
ante-room.” The officer brought along a
sledge-hammer and was able to break through.
The officers found 75 men in a den along
with lottery tickets, a book of accounts and
other items.
The officers also discovered a “marihuana
(marijuana) plantation” hidden in a plot of
high corn in a backyard residence behind the
alley off A Street. The Oxnard Daily Courier
quoted Earl as saying “This is the biggest lot of
maruana (sic) we have confiscated. We call this
a plantation. Made into cigarettes that sale(sic)
for 30 cents each the value of the cigarettes
would be valued at $10,000.”
One of the more sensational busts occurred
in February 1926 and involved the federal
government, state and county authorities. At
the urging of local residents Ventura County
Sheriff Robert Clark contacted Captain James
Bond of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
Working alongside several Federal agents from
the Prohibition Agency in Los Angeles they
planned for a 6-week period and the raid
would involve 70 officers deputized by Sheriff
Clark. The raid nabbed 70 Oxnarders from 50
locations in China Alley and other areas of
Oxnard and El Rio. Arrests ranged from
narcotics to prostitution and the largest
number for processing or selling intoxicating
liquor. Never again was China Alley as active
as a red-light district. Residents made a
concerted effort and by 1929 the Alley was
much less populated.
Not everybody was focusing on the illicit
side of China Alley. Jack Miller, secretary of
the Chamber of Commerce in 1939 proposed
the idea of cleaning up the broken-down
portions and accentuating the cultural aspect
of the neighborhood making it a tourist mecca
and creating a mini Chinatown like San
Francisco or something resembling Olvera
Street in Los Angeles. With little momentum
and the world war around the corner, the idea
never materialized.
However, several short stories were
formalized by a local attorney turned writer,
Erle Stanley Gardener, author of the Perry
Mason mysteries. Born in Massachusetts,
Gardener made his way to Oxnard by 1911
and worked for I. W. Stewart. He soon
befriended the Chinese community by taking
on and winning several cases brought against
his clients. Gardener would have his clients
switch homes and businesses and once
arrested the victim would state they had the
wrong person. On one humorous occasion, a
Chinese man was arrested as Wong Duck and
in spite his rebuttals he was hauled off to jail.
When it was finally made clear of the mistake
the Oxnard Courier blasted the headline: Wong
Duck May be Wrong Duck.
Much of the lore about China Alley was
created during the wide-open days of the early
❖
Top: The county’s largest marijuana bust to
date from 1924 near China Alley.
Above: Robert Clark served as sheriff from
1923-1933 and spent a lot of time cleaning
up China Alley.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
4 7

❖
Below: Business card for Lucy Hicks for her
catering business.
COURTESY OF SUE CARROLL THOMAS
Bottom: Lucy Hicks with the Donlon boys,
Chuck and Dynes.
COURTESY OF BERT DONLON
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
48
town and developing city days. Prohibition
led to an increase in illegal activity but by
the late 1930s and 1940s the area was
relatively tame. The addition of the Navy
Battalion Base created an opportunity to draw
in new business for the remaining brothels.
One person who saw the opportunity was
longtime local cook, convicted bootlegger
and part time brothel operator Lucy Hicks.
Lucy arrived in the area via Kentucky where
she left at the age of fifteen, with stops in
Pecos, Texas and New Mexico where Lucy
worked for as domestic for the prominent
Feirro family. After a honeymoon in Los
Angeles with her husband Clarence Hicks,
Lucy’s next stop was Oxnard. Lucy soon made
a name for herself as a sought-after cook. She
won numerous awards in the Ventura County
Fair. In 1923 Lucy won first prize for her fruit
cake. In 1926 she was awarded first place for
her custard pie and second place for her
baking powder biscuits and her fruit cake.
Lucy returned to the 1928 Fair to capture first
place for her pumpkin pie.
Lucy was soon hired as a cook to prominent
farming families including the Donlon and
McGraths. Lucy was listed in the 1930 census
as a servant for the Charles Donlon family.
Lucy ran a catering business with Althea
Weston at the Elite Café, at 219 W Seventh
Street that specialized in Fried Chicken and
Group Home Cooking with free delivery.
In between awards, Lucy also made the press
during the frequent raids on China Alley, mostly
for selling liquor during this Prohibition period.
The October 8, 1927, Press Courier reported
Lucy and two others were arrested. Lucy
claimed that the officers roughed up the
suspects and the officers accused them of paying
bribes to chief of police Harry W. Johnson.
Rumors persisted that Lucy had gossip on many
top officials. Her attorney for this case as well
as a second bust the following year was Charles
Blackstock. Though she was convicted in each
case, her jail time was reduced, whether for
good behavior and good cooking is not certain.
By 1940 she was living a block from China
Alley at 662 B Street where the 1940 census listed
the age as 39, born in 1901. This was the first of
many deceptions to uncover in the next few
years. Adding several more cottages to her
“business” Lucy was ready for the influx of
customers looking for female companionship.
However, after one of her ladies contacted a
communicable disease, the whole operation had
to be checked out. It was then, in 1945, that the
public found out Lucy’s other lie—Lucy was born
in 1886, and more shockingly, she was a he, born
Tobias Lawson in Waddy, Kentucky. As a child,
Lucy’s mother took her to doctor and he advised
her to raise Tobias as a girl, which Lucy became
for next four decades, hence the 1901 date.
However, this was not the first time Lucy
was discovered. As Lucy Beasley, Clarence
Hicks did not find out until their honeymoon
in Los Angeles that his bride shaved each
morning for a reason. The Deming Headlight,
New Mexico newspaper from November 5,
1920 reported “Negro Discovers ‘Bride’ Is a
Man.” The article goes on to say rumors began
to circulate immediate that the bride was
peculiar and that she shaved every day. While
honeymooning in L.A. the groom complained

that his bride was acting suspiciously. When
arrested Lucy expressed her delight in the
deception practiced on Hicks. Lucy kept the
name but lost the groom and her next stop
became Oxnard where Lucy conducted a
twenty-five-year deception. Lucy didn’t file for
divorce until 1929 on grounds of desertion.
Lucy’s next husband, Corporal Ruben
Anderson, was well aware of Lucy’s gender.
After being questioned by FBI agents,
Anderson confessed to setting the scam. The
Galveston Daily News, January 8, 1946 reported
that Anderson enlisted in the Army in 1942
and was partner in Lucy’s business and was
aware of Lucy’s orientation. They married in
June 1944. Their plan was to collect the
government $50 a month allotment money
and open a bar and grill after the war.
During the trial, Lucy maintained her
position that she was a woman. She was quoted
on the local paper from the trial to have said” I
have lived, dressed, acted just what I am, a
woman.” Lucy is further quoted as saying “I defy
any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a
woman.” However, Dr. Hillary R Magnan proved
otherwise. Lucy was convicted of perjury by
stating she was a woman on the marriage license.
Anderson was charged with defrauding the
government of $1000. The case became a
national story. Time magazine ran a feature article
entitled Sin and Soufflé. Lucy was released from
county jail on May 10, 1946, with the provision
to wear men’s clothes. Lucy relocated to Los
Angeles where she passed away in 1954.
Much has been written about Lucy over the
years and one thing that stands out is that Lucy
had a lot of friends. Lucy was displayed as
flamboyant with bright, low cut dresses and a
variety of hats and high heeled shoes. Her wigs
included a long, black wavy piece, a short
piece, a bobbed one and for special occasions
a red shoulder length wig. Lucy was generous.
She gave liberally to her church St. Paul’s
Baptist Church and often took part in a reading
from the scriptures. She gave to the Boys
Scouts and the Red Cross. Lucy would offer,
“Just don’t ask where the money came from.”
Lucy purchased $50,000 in war bonds and on
her extended jail times Lucy would advertise
in the local paper to have her bills sent to
R. D. No. 2 Box 189 attention Lucy L. Hicks.
While there were many periods of increased
violence and illegal activity in and near China
Town, many of the people who lived and
worked in the area were law abiding and
productive. Later residents felt the area
received an unfair bad rap. While the Chinse
population dwindled, several remaining
families contributed to the cultural history and
improvement to the area. Hall Soo Hoo arrived
in Oxnard in 1917 and opened a restaurant in
1923. By February 2, 1929, he held a grand
opening for the Golden Chicken Inn. A few
weeks later the Golden Chicken Inn and the
Chinese Masonic Lodge the Bing Tong Lodge
hosted what the local paper described as
Chinese New Year Brilliantly Observed. After
a seven-course meal the guests moved a few
doors south to the Masonic Lodge where a
Chinese 6 Piece Orchestra played jazz while
guests danced. Among the many patrons were
Justin Petit and his daughter Ann Donlon, Mr.
and Mrs. John Petit, Hubert Eastwood, J. D.
McGrath, James McLoughlin, George Bartlett,
and William Heck and his daughters, Elisabeth
and Frances (author’s grandmother). An ad in
the Press Courier on June 24, 1929 offered
“Chop Suey and rooms for private parties.
Nearly ninety years later the restaurant still
thrives at 701 S Oxnard Boulevard.
Another famous restaurant was the Duck
Pond that featured a real pond and a long
boardwalk. It was owned by distant cousin of
Hall Soo Hoo, Soo Hoo Yee Ton and Soo Hoo
Jung Hall, better known as Mama Soo Hoo. They
arrived in the 1920s and by 1927 they took over
the restaurant and renamed it The Oriental Inn.
They had three boys and one girl, William,
Bartley, Edward, and Irene. While all four siblings
thrived in school, William made the biggest
impact. Upon returning from duty in World War
II, William bought a lot of Deodor Street.
However, a provision in the land purchase
prohibited William from building a home to live
in. Humiliated by the injustice, William set about
to make some changes in the bigoted ordinances
set in the past. His future efforts lead him to
become the first Asian to serve on the Grand Jury
in 1956 and by 1966 he became the first mayor
of Asian heritage to take office in the entire
United States when he served as mayor of
Oxnard from 1966 to 1970.
❖
Robert Kennedy and William Shoo Hoo.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
4 9

❖
Below: Students from the first school in the
San Pedro District.
Bottom: Students from the second San Pedro
School located near Rose Ave and Wooley.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
50
E A R L Y
S C H O O L S
San Pedro District, the first school district
on the south side of the Santa Clara River, was
petitioned on August 5, 1869, while still part
of Santa Barbara County. The three men who
signed the request were John G. Hill, Larking
Snodgrass and Archibald Rice.
The first school was completed on June 3,
1871, and was located on a one acre parcel on
the Michael Kaufmann ranch between current
day Oxnard Boulevard and Juanita Street, near
the present-day Robert J. Frank Intermediate
School. By November 1871 the first honor
roll was published and among the names
listed included three of the Kaufmann
children, Katie, Mary, and Michael. Others
included David Snodgrass; Mary, Helen, and
Jane Fay; Frank and George Bagley; and
George Glovner. The first teacher on the
Rancho Colonia was Miss Phoebe Woods. The
three inaugural trustees included Larkin
Snodgrass, G. A. Strickland, and Francis
Prince. With grades from first to eighth grade
available, as many as 76 students attended
throughout the year, though the average per
day was closer to 30.
By 1876 the teacher was Miss Hallie
Bradshaw and two years later in 1878 the
Ventura Signal posted the names of the new
trustees, J. E. Borchard, J. H. Conrad and Y. A.
Saviers. Enrollment was down to an average of
seventeen pupils.
By 1883, trustees included Thomas Rice,
Jacob Maulhardt, and Dominick McGrath, and
it was during their tenure that it was decided
to rebuild the San Pedro School closer to Rose
Avenue and Wooley Road on the Justin Petit
Ranch for $300. By 1889 the new San Pedro
School was built. The Trustees for the San
Pedro School District now included Daniel
Gigler, William Snively and Louis Pfeiler. By
1893 the trustees included Justin Petit,
Thomas Cloyne, and Carl Schmitz. The second
San Pedro school building was moved into
town in 1900 and served as the temporary
home for the first class for Oxnard High while
the high school was being built on C Street. It
next served as the Kindergarten building
among other classes until 1923 when a vagrant
set fire to the building.
Colonia School was the second school of
the San Pedro School District and it was
located in the “McGrath and Scarlett
neighborhood” off Gonzales Road closer to
present day Oxnard High School. The one-acre
lot was purchased in January 1884 from Julius
Bela Alvord, for the sum of $112.50. J. B.
Alvord’s home served as the temporary school
until a building was erected by 1886. Alvord
later purchased the Olivas adobe and 156 acres
in 1899.

Among the students who transferred over
from San Pedro in 1886 and became part of the
first class at Colonia School were: Henry
Borchard, his future wife Kathryn McLoughlin,
William and Frank Borchard, Nellie and
Elisabeth McGrath, Henry Loty, Emma
Eggleston, Eva Saviors and Thomas
McLoughlin. Other names of families who
attended that first year were Scarlett, Gill,
Haddock Butterfield, Henry, Lewis, Stark,
Gonzales, Hodges, Moe, Revelon, and Olivas.
The first trustees of the Colonia School
District were John Edward Borchard, Dominick
McGrath, and Mark McLoughlin. The longestserving
trustee and graduate from the Colonia
School was Henry Borchard, who served forty
years from 1918 to 1958. The trustee’s jobs
included hiring the teachers and finding a place
for them to stay, clerical work including keeping
the budget updated, and building repairs.
A teacher’s salary at this time was fifty
dollars a month. The older boys were in charge
of the janitor work and school grounds. The
trustees at one of the nearby ranches supplied
the teacher’s room and board.
The school building was a one room,
wooden structure, with a dirt floor. A cafeteria
was eventually added in the 1930s, before it
was finally converted into another room. The
school housed grades one through nine.
School started at 9:00 a.m. and ended at 4:00
p.m. High school was not available until 1901.
Most of the boys attended St. Vincent’s College
(today Loyola Marymount) or Ventura Business
School on Main Street in Ventura.
Attendance at school was irregular. The
older boys would miss on days that they had
to pile beans or hoe weeds. The older girls
usually missed Mondays to help with the
weeks washing and ironing.
The subjects were the “three R’s”—reading,
writing and arithmetic. Latin and physiology
were also taught. The ninth graders were
introduced to algebra, geometry and some
trigonometry. Friday spelling matches were
also common.
In 1898, the Colonia School hosted eight
McGrath children, nine Borchards, six
McLoughlins, nine Connellys, four Scarletts,
and an assortment of other families’ children
including: Eggelston, Saviers, Moe, Revelon,
Gill, Haddock, Butterfield, Stark, Henry, Lewis,
Hodgers, Gonzales and Olivas.
Later graduates, from the class of 1955,
included Linnette Green, Nancy Hunter, Dorothy
Katsuda, John Lopez, Lee Mendez, Harold
Mitobe, Akira Noro, Dean Rogers, Leanna Turner,
and Josie Valencia. Dean Rogers served as the
president, Danny Bodle was vice president, and
Dorothy Katsuda served as secretary.
❖
The Colonia School was located off Gonzales
Rd near the current Oxnard High School.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
5 1

❖
El Rio School c. the 1890s.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
52
The Colonia School serviced the children of
north Oxnard for seventy-two years before
deciding to join the Oxnard School District in
1958. However, on a rain slick Easter morning,
a Standard Oil truck skidded off the road and
into two high voltage power lines causing the
circuit to the school house to spark and burn
the interior of the building. The thirty-five
remaining Colonia School students were
absorbed into the district sooner than
scheduled to finish out the year. The school bell
was salvaged and later dedicated at Freemont
Intermediate School where it rests today.
A third school to start within the San Pedro
School District was the Rio School which began
serving students in the El Rio, formerly the New
Jerusalem area, in the year 1885. The one room
school was in the middle of a cactus patch on
the Schiappa Preita property off Vineyard and
about a mile north of the El Camino Real Road
(current 101 Freeway). The early years taught
no more than 13 students and it wasn’t until the
1890s when the school was moved closer to
town that the population peaked at 70 students,
making a second room necessary.
The original trustees were John Donlon,
Simon Cohn and John Grubb. By 1895 the
District purchased two acres on the west side
of Vineyard and a four-room schoolhouse was
constructed with a central hall and a domeshaped
bell tower. With the development of the
town of Oxnard in 1898 and the departure of
several businesses, future plans for expansion
where shelved and it wasn’t until 1929 when
three more classrooms were added. A second
school was added to the district twelve years
later with the purchase of a two acre site in
Nyland and in 1948 the District developed a
10-acre site for a nine-classroom school off
Vineyard. The school district has produced
many successful students and teachers
including the popular John McGarry who
began teaching in the Rio District in 1959 then
became a principal in 1867 and graduated to
superintendent in 1980. By the time of
McGarry’s retirement the district was up to five
schools and growing. Today the Rios School
District offers nine campuses.
The Ocean View School District was
petitioned only a few months after the San
Pedro School District in September 1869 and
became official by September 19, 1970, with the
construction of the school less than a year later
on August 1871. The original one room school
house was built on the corner of Olds and
Hueneme Road and measured at 36 x 18 feet
and was equipped with desks for 54 scholars.
The opening day teacher was W.C. Merritt, Jr.,
who taught a total of 47 students throughout
the year with an average between 32 and 41
students per day. The original Trustees were
William R. Hill, Thomas E. Perkins and Mathew
H. Arnold. Their job was to hire the teacher,
provide lodging and maintain the building.

A typical day for the lower grades during
the 1897-98 school year as noted by teacher
Winfred Waite started at 9:00 with 10 minutes
of quotations followed by words in first,
second, third and fourth grades for thirty
minutes. Followed by a reading chart for the
whole class, then 5 minutes of calisthenics at
10:00. Next, ten-minute reading periods for
first grade and ten minutes reading for second
grade. Third grade read for 15 minutes. Recess
came at 10:40-11:00. After recess came
“numbers,” spelling and writing. After a half
hour lunch came language, music for fifteen
minutes, physiology and nature study. Recess
at 2:45 then language, reading and geography
before dismissal at 4:00. By 1910 phonics,
drawing, penmanship and history was added.
Corporal punishment preceded classroom
detentions. Otto Kohler told of a teacher who
used to send students who misbehaved to the
gum tress to select a switch to be used for a
swat. If the switch was not appropriate, the
teacher had an alternative.
By 1905 a new school house was needed. A
$3,500 bond was approved, and the Gilbert
Brothers built a two-room school building for
$3,264. However, electricity was still not
available and indoor plumbing was not added
until 1936. The school took on an expansion
in 1917 and Robert Naumann recalled starting
the school year in a barn for a few months. It
was during this time too that Naumann
recalled the name for hamburger was changed
to Liberty burger so as not to support the
German side of World War I.
The building was last used as school in 1959
but was consumed in a fire 1970. However, the
district continued to grow and added Mar Vista
Elementary in 1952 to accommodate the
growing population from the Point Mugu Navy
Base. Tierra Vista and Laguna Vista Elementary
schools were also added along with Ocean View
Intermediate School.
The parochial influence has also been
strong in Oxnard starting with the St. Joseph
Institute and St. John’s Lutheran School. The
committee that formed the St. Joseph’s
school included Father John Laubacher, Ed
Borchard, Adolfo Camarillo, Charles Donlon,
Henry Maulhardt, and Mark McLoughlin. The
dedication of the school took place in
November 1901 and second dedication came
in 1927 when plans for a replacement building
was announced and a new name was applied,
Santa Clara Parochial School.
The Evangelical St John’s Lutheran School
were an add-on room to the Church that was
located on the corner of Seventh and C Street.
It also opened in 1901 under the leadership of
Rev. Herman who taught a group of 20
students. Like St. Joseph’s, a shed was
constructed to house the horse teams of the
students who rode into town for school.
❖
Above: Ocean View School.
COURTESY OF FRANK NAUMANN.
Below: The Lutheran Church and School.
COURTESY OF FRANK NAUMANN.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
5 3

O X N A R D
G R O W S
❖
Above: Oxnard Train Depot off Fifth Street.
Right: Joseph and Katie Sailer and family in
front of the sugar factory.
Opposite, top: John Borchard, dark hat with
daughters Theresa Maulhardt, left, and
Annie Friedrich and family.
Opposite, middle: Rev John Laubacher was
the first of the Laubacher family to arrive
in 1898.
Opposite, bottom: Plaza Park postcard
1910. Note pagoda is only two stories. A
middle bandstand was added the next year.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
54
With incorporation in 1903, the growth
of the city accelerated adding schools,
churches, businesses and entertainment.
Oxnard opened an Opera House on C Street.
The Oxnard Courier advertised on February 9,
1906, for a February 16 performance of
roaring musical comedy and vaudeville
attraction Jerry From Kerry. Prices were for 25,
50, and 75 cents and could be purchased at
Virden’s Drug Store. In February of 1911 the
opera house began showing movies. An Edison
machine was purchased for $300. By the
1920s, complaints that the Opera House was
a firetrap proved true. By October 14, 1922, a
fire occurred destroying the interior. In January
of 1923, the city finally tore it down and
recycled the timbers.
By 1910 the population of Oxnard was
2,555. Joseph Sailer took the reins as mayor
for the entire decade. Sailer was born in Prutz,
Austria, in 1867. He traveled to America at
fourteen and landed in Chicago where he
apprenticed as a machinist for three years. In
1886 he traveled to California and found a job
as a mechanic at the American Refinery
Company in San Francisco where Robert
Oxnard worked. After the refinery closed in
1891, Sailer was transferred to the new Sugar
Factory in Chino where he helped install the
new machinery.
Sailer married Katie Schoeffel. They raised
three children, Katie, Joseph and Carl. By
1897, Sailer was sent to Ventura County to
oversee the construction of the sugar factory
being built in Oxnard. When he arrived in the
fall of 1897 he stayed in a bunkhouse until
they built a residence on the factory grounds,
which qualified as the first home constructed
in the area in connection with the development
of the city of Oxnard.
Sailer’s position at the Oxnard factory was
master mechanic but by 1915 was appointed
superintendent. Sailer jumped into the
political arena in 1908 when he joined the City
Trustees. By April 19, 1910, he began his tenyear
appointment as Mayor. It was under his
tenure that the city made tremendous progress
in establishing itself as a first-rate city. With his
experience as an engineer, he helped design
the city’s water and sewer systems. He also set

a curfew for saloons to close down at 11:00
p.m. He was mayor for the erection of the
historic pagoda downtown that was designed
to cover the water system at the park but also
served as a bandstand when a middle story was
added in 1911. In 1915, Sailer also made the
decision to raise the police force from one to
four. By 1920, Joe Sailer retired from his public
duties as well as his position at the factory. He
would enjoy another three decades of
retirement at his Simi Valley ranch where he
raised lemons and oranges. This did not stop
his weekly visits to Oxnard to attend church at
Santa Clara Church and enjoy a family dinner
his daughter’s home, Katie Sailer who married
John Diedrich.
Plaza Park was the center of town. In 1910
the Oxnard leaders decided to build a stage for
the center of the park to cover the water
feature. Architect Alfred F. Priest came up with
a design that featured a tile roof and a second
story bandstand. However, because of budget
restrictions a modified version sans the
bandstand was built by local contractor
Thomas Carrol and the bandstand took on the
reference of pagoda. Realizing the missed
opportunity to have an entertainment stage,
the city approved the bandstand addition and
the building was enlarged and the pagoda
reference remained.
The year 1912 saw the beginning of a hospital
with the opening of a temporary 6 room wooden
structure. Community leaders including James A.
Driffill and Charles Donlon approached Rev. John
Laubacher about building a hospital to serve the
community. Laubaucher joined forces with the
Sisters of Mercy and they began fundraising to
build the hospital that would be run by the
Sisters. The Sisters approached rancher Johannes
(John) Borchard who agreed to loan the hospital
$20,000 and donated a 10-acre parcel off F Street.
Rev. John Sylvester Laubacher was the first
of many Laubachers to come to Oxnard in
1898 to become an assistant to father John
Pujol at the Santa Clara Chapel in New
Jerusalem (El Rio). He grew up in Malvern,
Ohio, son of George and Anna Gange
Laubacher. Like many, he sought the mild
climate of west, he relocated to Colorado and
then California. Soon many of his family
members followed including Joseph, Benjamin,
Edward, Frank, Stella and Margaret. Another
sister, Bernadine, took on the name of Sr. Saint
John and served in Prescott, Arizona. His
mother, Anna, also relocated to Oxnard.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
5 5

❖
Above: The building committee for Santa
Clara Church 1904.
Right: The staff for St John’s Hospital,
c. the 1920s.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
56
Rev Laubacher’s appointment at Santa Clara
Chapel coincided with the development of the
sugar factory in Oxnard. Rev. John Laubacher
came to Oxnard at a time when the community
of Oxnard was just beginning and there was a
need for someone to take the lead in
establishing a church, a school, and a hospital,
all of which he accomplished.
As the town’s population exploded, he began
offering services at the newly constructed Pioneer
Hall. Soon after, he led the campaign to build the
beautiful and ornate Santa Clara Church,
completed in 1904. He was also instrumental in
establishing the St. Joseph Institute (1901) which
became Santa Clara grammar school and grew to
include Santa Clara High School. Father
Laubacher added a second Catholic Church to
Oxnard in 1915, Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Joseph Laubacher followed his brother Rev
John Laubacher to Oxnard. He came to
Oxnard in 1901 and started his own business
as barber. He opened the shop in the new brick
Levy building in 1902 where he stayed for four
years at which time he joined Thomas Hill in
his real estate and insurance business and took
on the insurance side of the business, which
was carried on by his family over 100 years
later. By 1917, he bought out Hill and a
hundred years later, grandson Tom Laubacher
continues in the industry.
Joseph also joined his brothers in their
farming ventures. In 1910 they bought sixtytwo
acres form H. K. Snow. After they sold the
property ten years later, they purchased 430
acres of the Patterson ranch. Their early crops
included lima beans, sugar beets and alfalfa.
Edward Laubacher arrived in 1909, purchased
159 acres and married into another farming
family when married Anna McGrath.
Hank and Don Laubacher of Laubacher
Farms continue the family farming tradition
into the twenty-first century growing celery
and berries and changing with the times.
The campaign to raise money for St. John’s
hospital carried on for many years after it
opened its doors in 1914. Charles Donlon was
a constant on the fundraising committee from
the beginning to the end. The 1919 committee
consisted of Donlon, Fred Noble, manager of
the sugar factory, Adolfo Camarillo,
rancher/banker, John Lloyd Butler, large land
owner from the Del Norte rancho, Charles
Perkins, rancher and former county supervisor
and Roy Witman proprietor of Oxnard
Furniture and Plumbing. They staged a
series of boxing matches at the Oxnard
Opera house with the proceeds going to the
hospital debt.
The hospital committee re-formed again in
1920 with Charles Donlon, Fred Noble,
rancher and banker Justin Petit, Henry
Borchard, Leon Lehman, ranchers Joseph
Friedrich, Joseph McGrath, and city attorney
Charles F. Blackstock.

The committee’s biggest fundraiser was a
barbecue at the home ranch of Charles
Donlon. Donlon called in all his chips by
inviting all potential donors and once he
entertained the crowd with good food, drink
and some lively dialog, he made a request that
each person in attendance make a commitment
towards the hospital’s long-time debt. Within
15 minutes, 17 guests donated $17,000. A
short time later, over $28,825 was raised and
for the first time in its history, St. John’s
Hospital was debt free.
On November 3, 1913, the residents of
Oxnard were treated to a major league game
when the New York Giants faced the Chicago
White Sox in an exhibition game at the
Oxnard Athletic Field located between C and
E Street near Ninth Street. The connection was
local farmer Fred Snodgrass who played
centerfield for the Giants. Snodgrass was the
grandson of Larkin Snodgrass who was one of
the first farmers on the Oxnard Plain. His son
Andrew Snodgrass was a Ventura County
Sheriff. Fred was born in Ventura but bought
a ranch in the El Rio area. It was during his
days catching for St. Vincent’s college that he
encountered guest umpire and manager of the
New York Giants, John McGraw. Impressed
with Fred’s skill and confidence he signed him
to a $150 a month contract to play for the
Giants in 1908. By 1913, the Giants and the
White Sox traveled together on a world tour
starting in the Midwest and continuing to the
west coast where Oxnard became the northern
stop after playing in Los Angeles. For the big
event, the city closed down for the Tuesday
afternoon game; the population doubled to
4,500 for the game; Snodgrass received a gold
watch from Judge Charles Blackstock; Future
Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson led
the Giants to a 3-2 victory.
❖
Above: One of the fans who watched the
Giants play the White Sox in Oxnard was
Joseph Eugene Doud. Doud went on to play
ball at Villanova Preparatory School in
Ojai in 1927 and was part of its first
graduating class.
Top, left: Charles Donlon
Middle: New York Giants centerfielder and
Oxnard native Fred Snodgrass led charge to
bring the Giants and White Sox for an
exhibition game in 1913.
Bottom: A panoramic view of the Giants vs
White Sox exhibition game at Oxnard
Athletic Field of E Street and Wooley.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
5 7

❖
Top: Adobe duplexes were built in 1917
during WWI during the work shortage.
COURTESY OF MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Above: Several ads from a 1915 edition of
the Oxnard Courier.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
58
On November 6, 1914, Joseph Ignatz
Friedrich, grandson to St. John’s benefactor
John Borchard and son to Joseph Francis
Friedrich and Anna Borchard, was the first
baby born at St. Johns to the Twilight Sleep
method by and guided by Dr. Livingston.
It was during the month of November that
the local paper ran an advertisement for the St.
John’s Hospital and Sanitarium: “A new
modern, thoroughly equipped, fire proof
building, offers an ideal home for individual
and the aged desiring a mild climate, quietude
and best of care at a reasonable rate.”
With the entrance into the First World War
in 1917 many young men signed up for the
battle in Europe. With another labor shortage,
the American Beet Sugar Factory constructed a
series of duplex buildings near the factory site.
Fred Noble took over as superintendent. With
wood rationing in effect, the buildings were
constructed out of adobe brick. The purpose of
the homes was to attract families from Mexico
that would settle in the area and help alleviate
the labor shortage caused by the war.
With the close quarters and massive troop
movements the conditions were ripe for a
contagious viral outbreak which began in the
winter of 1917 and spread to the United States
the following year. Dubbed the Spanish Flu
due to reported outbreaks there, the flu
originated in other parts of Europe. The spread
eventually reached the west coast and on
October 16, 1918, the local paper announced
the closing of places of public gatherings,
specifically, schools, churches, theater and
movie houses. Over 200 hundred cases of
influenza were reported in the area during the
first weeks of October. The largest number of
infected was at the sugar factory, where over
80 employees called in sick. A few weeks later,
on November 9, 1918, the city trustees closed
all “Saloons, Cigar Stores and Fountains.” li The
city Health Officer Dr. G. A. Broughton made
the request of the city’s supervisors to make the
official order, which they did.
Among the Oxnard citizens who lost their
lives to the epidemic were Hueneme rancher
John Burns, pioneer rancher William Reiman,
young Adolph Scholle and his father Ignatz
Scholle, twenty-two-year-old Dora Maulhardt,
Mrs. Albert Kohler, Luz Lopez, Henry Preston,
and Filiberto Olague and Rev. Johh S. Laubacher,
who sacrificed his health to aid those in need.
By 1920 population rose to 4,417. Herbert
Eastwood began his first run as mayor from
1920 to 1926. Elbridge Gerry Driffill served
from 1926-1928, A. B. Westfield 1928-29.
Driffill was a brother of James A. Driffill and was
a foreman at the American Beet Sugar Factory.
He later served as a justice of the peace.
Westfield was the superintendent of the Ventura
County Railway Company and a Master
Mechanic at the sugar factory. However, he
resigned abruptly in February 1929 to devote
his attention to his walnut ranch in Chino,
California. Ed Gill was elected to take his place.
Many abrupt changes were on the horizon for
this decade starting with Prohibition and ending
with the Great Depression. Prohibition officially
went into effect on January 16, 1920, and lasted
thirteen years. This effected many businesses,
closing some, changing other and creating even
more. In its heyday, Oxnard sported thirteen
saloons within a few city blocks. With the new
law, David Cohn, whose saloon was on the corner
of Fifth Street and today’s Oxnard Boulevard,
took a vacation to recoup and eventually leased
out his building by July to a druggist from Los
Angeles making it the fourth drug store in
Oxnard. John Lagomarsio converted his location
on B Street for the selling of cigars, candy and ice
and focused on his farming interests. Charles
Reiman leased out his building. Henry Meyers,

who opened his original saloon under the name
“Dad’s Old Place in 1905, then changed the name
to Meyer’s Saloon, leased his building to
McKinney and Rodriquez who planned to serve
sandwiches, ice cream and soft drinks then he
turned his attention to purchasing the Chevrolet
dealership for Ventura County which he
successfully did in April 1920. Frank “Dolly”
Gray rented his saloon building to a fruit market
and turned to selling insurance and real estate.
Oxnard saw its first home grown Olympian,
Clarence “Bud” Houser. Houser graduated
from Oxnard high in 1922. During this time,
he developed a discus-throwing style by doing
one and a half rapid turns in the circle before
release that has been copied by many later
athletes. He then enrolled at the University of
Southern California in Los Angeles, California.
At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris,
Houser won the gold medal for discus and
in the shot put. This was the last time an
athlete has won both the shot put and discus
in the Olympics.
He won national championships in the
discus in 1925, 1926, and 1928, and in the
shot put in 1921 (while still in High School)
and 1925. On April 3, 1926, in Palo Alto, in a
USC dual meet with Stanford, he set a world
record with a discus throw of 48.20 m. At the
1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam he was
flag bearer for the United States team. There
he retained his title in discus throwing.
At the same Olympics as Houser was
another Oxnardian, Peter Dwight Donlon.
Donlon, son of Charles and Laura Donlon,
participated as an American rower. He
competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics and
was part of the American boat, which won the
gold medal in the eights.
In July 1921 the Subdivision Realty
Company took a full-page ad to announce the
sale of lots for the Colonia Home Gardens. The
lots were portions of 4 adjoining ranches
Frances Kaufman, Arnetta Hill, William
❖
Above: Meyer’s Saloon was one of many
saloons in the county that had to find a new
business when Prohibition became official on
January 16, 1920.
Below: Two-time Olympian Clarence “Bud”
Houser, left of coach Berlin, lead the track
team to a record 1921 season.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
5 9

❖
The Cooper family: William and Hattie,
and their children, Mary and Estelle.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
60
Schmitz, and William B. Cooper ten-acre farm.
Cooper was a bean farmer, tax collector and
served as one of the area’s early sheriff’s
officers. He was also a census collector and it
was during his duty in 1910 that the road
running in from of his ranch was changed from
Maulhardt Road to Cooper Road.
For sale were quarter acres lots for $290 and
half acre lots for $580. Terms included $10 and
$15 down with the provision “No payment
when sick and no payment when out of work.”
All 112 lots sold out in a week selling to 73
owners. One of the investors was Pete Maria.
Maria arrived in Oxnard in 1909 from Portland
Oregon. He married Rita Andrade in 1917.
Andrade’s family had arrived in Oxnard in
1910. Pete Maria and others divided the lots
into smaller lots and sold them over the next
several years. Pete Maria sold lots to some of
Oxnard’s longest-standing Hispanic families.
Among the men to build the first homes in
Colonia were Calixtro Segovia, Aurelio Moreno,
Cecilio Barra, Jose Martinez and Julian Barajas. lii
Soon, the area boasted its own newspaper, the
La Voz de La Colonia, run by Jesus Jimenez. By
1923, Jimenez and A.V. Martinez had organized
Oxnard’s first fiesta, with parade entries from
every town in the county.
In 1938, Walther Lathrop with the Las
Colonia Associates subdivided a second portion
of the area to the north of Colonia Road.
By 1948, after the Second World War
necessitated the need for more farm labor, the
population of Colonia Gardens had reached
eight thousand. liii
Several beneficial organizations were formed
in the early twenties including The Union
Patriotica Benefica Mexicana and the Alianza
Hispano Americana. Jesus N. Jimenez formed
lodge No. 115 and a second lodge was formed
by V.A. Martinez as Santa Clara No. 128.
The Honorifica was organized in 1920 to
organize celebrations and was led by Emilio de
la Garza. Other civic leaders at the time
included Pedro Grajeda, Carlos Levy, Jose
Banales and J. T. Diaz. Grajeda helped organize
the Community Service Latin American Band in
November 1922 with the help of Paul Lehmann
and R. C. Beach. For a 1925 celebration
Ramona Ballesteros was crowned Fiesta Queen
followed by Petra Villegas. Other Queens
included Mary Nungarary and Isabel Ledesma.
Workers from the Philippines arrived in the
United States during the 1920s. There were
5,693 in the U.S with 3,300 in California, the
majority working in the Stockton, Salinas and
Watsonville area. By 1928 there were enough
migrants in Ventura County to form the
Filipino Brotherhood Association and in 1931
the Filipino Community of Ventura County
was formed. By this time there were over
30,000 Filipinos working the fields and
various jobs in California, the majority of
immigrants being male. However, the Tydings-
McDuffie Act in 1934 limited the number of
Filipino immigrants to 50 a year. This changed
after World War II and another wave of
Filipino immigrants associated with the Navy
arrived in the United States.

One family who got an early footing in the
area was the George Omo family. Omo
purchased a fish market on Oxnard Boulevard
in 1941 and converted into a pool hall. The
family opened Omo’s Market at 436 Seaboard
Ave (later renamed Colonia Rd in 1943). Omo
opened a second market in 1949 at 508 East
Date Street. Next to Omo’s Market 2 was George
Omo’s Motel at 512 Date Street. In between, the
family opened Omo’s Café at 166-169 North
Hayes Ave. The business offered a pool hall and
food eventually specializing in Chinese food.
In 1946 Valentine G. Omo arrived in
Oxnard after serving in the Salvation Army in
Hawaii for several years. By 1955 he opened
the Filipino Community Church at 127
Enterprise Street.
Hollywood came to Oxnard in 1920. The
blockbuster film, The Sheik made Rudolph
Valentino into the industry’s biggest star and the
film location in Oxnard became a destination
for tourists and then homeowners.
Previously, Douglas Fairbanks used the sand
dunes of the Leon Lehman Ranch to represent
the deserts of Algiers for his 1918 film, Bound
in Morocco. For this film, 150 actors and 10
train cars of special equipment and supplies
made their way to the shoreline for a two-week
filming session. The film was shown in Oxnard
at the Opera House in August of the same year.
For Valentino’s film, the sand dunes of the
Oxnard shoreline doubled for an Arabian desert
complete with two hundred artificial palm trees
that were later transported to the Ambassador
Hotel in Los Angeles that became the Cocoanut
Grove. By 1922, the film became the highest
grossing film in Hollywood’s early history.
Interest in the location of the film grew to the
point that two couples decided to develop a
beach colony to capitalize on the “The Sheik
craze.” Men’s hats were put in the closet in favor
of the slicked back look of Rudolf Valentino.
To capitalize on the tourist who made the
pilgrimage to the filming location, William and
Frances Lingenbrink and Bill and Alma Dunn
came up with a plan to sell 500 lots for $200
each with $25 down and $10 a month. They
❖
Top, left: The Filipino Sports club 1941.
COURTESY OF LILLIAN OMO ROMAN
Top, right: Rudolf Valentino posed as Ahmed
in the Sheik in 1921, which was filmed at
the local beaches.
Below: Omo’s Market opened in 1943
at 436 Seaboard Ave, later renamed
Colonia Road.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
6 1

❖
Above: An early map of Silver
Strand Beach.
Below: Hollywood Beach was developed to
capitalize on the many Hollywood films that
utilized the sandy shores as desert scenes.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
62
purchased 41.5 acres from the McGrath Estate.
The Hollywood Beach subdivision was
approved on June 4, 1924. They immediately
placed ads in the local paper offering lots for
$290 - $550. A competing subdivision at Silver
Strand Beach was recorded the following year
on October 3, 1925, by another group of
investors, Roland and Julia Casad. However,
Casad sold immediately to Lingenbrick. A
third subdivision followed, Hollywood by the
Sea. Located between Silver Strand and
Hollywood Beach and part of the Lehman
Ranch. This was the 80 acres and was
purchased for $100,000 by Fred J. Cutting
according to the Oxnard Daily Courier, July 30,
1926. The paper also summarized the many
films staged at the Lehmann sand dunes.
In addition to previously mentioned The Sheik
and Fairbanks Bound to Morocco, Hollywood was
aware of the sand dunes of the Oxnard beaches
as early as 1915 when four films were shot in the
area. Just Jim and The Black Box were filmed at
the same time and both utilized the Lehmann
Ranch for their desert scenes. The Broken Coin
and Under the Crescent were also filmed in that
year. Theda Bara portrayed Cleopatra (1917).
Helen Ware acted in Garden of Allah (1917).
Wallace Beery portrayed sheik Achmet Hamid
and the Oxnard beaches were the backdrop for
the Arabian Desert in the 1920 film The Virgin of
Samboul. The Forbidden Thing was also shot in
1920. Wanda Haley stared in Burning Sands
(1922) filmed on the McGrath portion of the
beach. Cowboy movie star Tom Mix also rode
saddle over the dunes in One Arabian Night
(1922). On September 1925 Cecil B DeMille
used the sand dunes of the Lehmann Ranch to
shoot his film Made to Love.
Though the sand dunes were eliminated with
the subdivision of the Lehmann Ranch there
was still valuable beach location of interest for
Hollywood. In January 1927 the Velasco Film
Production Company arrived at the Oxnard
beaches to film the movie Sands at the Sea using
the beach to represent the African coast line. A
mob scene required the use of 600 Mexicans to
be used as extras. The scene was to depict a
drunk mob, so the film director requested 120
gallons of prohibition liquor that were divided
into six cars. Each car was met by Sheriff Bob
Clark and his seven assistants, resulting in the
arrest of eleven men and a sober mob crowd.

Hollywood came to 629 Oxnard Boulevard
in when The Boulevard Theater opened for
Ventura County’s first talkie, My Man starring
Fannie Brice on March 21, 1929. The theater
was also Oxnard’s first Art Deco building. The
theater could seat 500 and on one side of the
lobby was a candy store and a retail shop on the
other. The ad for the first movie boasted “Our
Screen Talks and Sings Like Live People.”
Admission was 35 cents for adults and 15 cents
for children. At the grand opening Oxnard
mayor Edmund Gill spoke to the audience and
congratulated theater owners Messrs. Lewis and
Rector and the owner of the business George
Sunderman. He also read several congratulatory
telegrams, one from film star Al Jolson.
The Boulevard Theater was a viable theater
until the 1950s when Oxnard had more choices
like the modern Vogue Theater, designed by
William Glenn Balch in the Streamline Moderne
architectural style. With a capacity of 752 seats
and slanted floor and seat alignment to provide
unobstructed view of the big screen, the
Boulevard Theater was handed over to Spanish
speaking films in 1957 and became the Teatro.
By the 1990s the Teatro too lost out to
competition and by 1994, record producer,
engineer and mixer Mark Howard created a
music studio that became home to many
legendary recordings. Howard partnered with
musician/producer Daniel Lanois and they
added the1970s console John Lennon used in
making his Double Fantasy album. Though
Lennon never made it to Oxnard, Marianne
Faithfull, Chris Whitley, Billy Bob Thornton,
Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young,
and Bob Dylan have. The soundtrack to the
movie Sling Blade was recorded in the former
theater. The finishing touches to Emmylou
Harris’s album Wrecking Ball were delivered at
the Teatro. Willie Nelson even went as far as
using an image of the exterior the building for
his album he named after the recording studio,
Teatro. Neil Young shot a video “Wolf Moon”
from his Monsanto Years album that was also
recorded there. U2’s album All That You Can’t
Leave Behind also saw some production work in
Oxnard. Dylan began work on his Grammy
award winning 1997 album Time Out of Mind in
Oxnard before recording in Miami but returning
to Oxnard for overdubs and postproduction.
Returning to the movies, Gary Cooper made
an appearance in the 1930 movie The Spoilers
filmed in Oxnard, but the desert scenes that
brought the beaches its name were now home to
summer cottages and a film legacy. Hollywood
would make a return over the years but the
golden age of filming in the area was over.
1930 the Oxnard population was 6,285.
Edmund Gill continued as mayor until 1937
when former big-league baseball player, ranch,
business owner and banker Fred C. Snodgrass
took a turn for a year. Roy Guyer finished out
the decade.
Edmund Roy Gill was born in Canada in
1882 and traveled with his parents Alexander
Gill and Melinda Smith who settled in the
Springville area in 1886. Soon after Gill
purchased 640 acres off Laguna Road and
raised twelve children. Ed Gill grew sugar
beets which put him a precarious position
when he tried to informally mediate between
the cannery and Agricultural Workers
Industrial Union (CAWAI) and Southern
California Beet Growers Association (SCBGA).
Well documented by author and local
professor at California State University at
Channel Islands, Dr. Frank Barajas, in his
❖
David Lanois produced Willie Nelson’s
album Teatro and took the picture of the
former Oxnard Theater for the 1998 album.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
6 3

❖
Right: Beardsley and Son’s first location
was at 206 Enterprise St. in 1935 before
moving to current location 2473 Camino
Del Sol. Left to right: Robert Beardsley Sr.,
John Maulhardt, Norman Frost, Robert
Beardsley, Jr.
Below: The Mira Loma Flight Academy was
established in 1940.
book, Curious Unions. The strike was one of
many documented between labor union and
growers. The issue was for increased pay for
the laborers to coincide with the increased
profits to the beet growers, approximately
$2 million or an increase of 17 percent. The
strike was announced in August 7, 1933. Gill
called for the SCBGA to revert to the 1932 pay
schedule, end the use of contractors and not
recognize the union. As the stalemate
continued, Gill’s ranch became a target for
picketers that led to several arrests and the
CAWIU headquarters and strikers became
the target of intimidation and raids. While the
strike did not prevent the topping of the beets
the local packing houses took note and
increased wages 10 percent.
It was during Ed Gill’s third term as mayor
that he suffered a heart attack in December
1936. He was succeeded by Fred Snodgrass
who served for one year but resigned when he
moved out of Oxnard after he purchased a
citrus ranch in Ventura. Replacing Snodgrass
was retired contractor Roy Guyer who served
from 1938-1942. Guyer worked on a lot of
buildings on Oxnard including the art deco
movie house The Boulevard Theater which
later became the Teatro.
For those who survived the Depression the
Bank of A. Levy was instrumental in helping
families save their land, homes and businesses.
Joe Levy was willing to leand money to the
hard working. One way he knew who to trust
was something he learned from his dad,
Achille Levy. Joe would take a ride out around
town and the surrounding ranches and see
who was putting in the time. For many, it was
a happy sight to see Joe Levy coming around.
In 1935, one of Oxnard’s longest family owned
businesses was established, Beardsley and Son.
The company specialized is custom fertilizers and
customer care to fight off the competition and
remain viable eighty plus years later.
The Public Works Program (WPA) put
locals to work building a 1,980-foot runway
that Cal-Aero Corporation used for the Mira
Loma Flight Academy in 1940.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
64

The Oxnard Post Office at A and Fourth
Street was also constructed by the WPA in
1939 and included a mural depicting the
Oxnard Plain by well-known artist Daniel
Marcus Mendelowitz.
By the year 1940, the population was at 8,519
and the city limits covered 2.87 square miles. The
next 60 years saw the population grow 500
percent and top 180,000 residents by the time
Oxnard reached its centennial year, 2003.
The first change in population occurred a few
short months after the Japanese bombed the
naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. By February
1942, 343 Japanese from Ventura County, many
from Oxnard, were forced to relocate to isolated
camps throughout the United States. In addition
to lost business due to their absence, the Japanese
farmer had grown to great importance in
agricultural community. Approximately 10
percent, or 1,200 acres, were farmed by Japanese.
In addition, several crops were grown exclusively
by Japanese farmers, including: cabbage,
cauliflower, celery, cucumbers and bell peppers.
Though the installation of the navy base,
the third largest in the U. S., added
substantially to the population, there still
remained a shortage of farm laborers. The U.S.
government committed to a rearmament
program that called for the production of 50
thousand airplanes per year and ship building
that added 53 million maritime pieces, i.e.
ships, boats, submarines. All able-bodied
Americans were pulled from the farms and into
the factories and the military.
To make up for the shortage of labor, the
government came up with a temporary
solution to the problem, the Bracero program.
The Bracero treaty was signed in August 4,
1942. The program called for the American
government to protect the Mexican Nationals
in accordance with Executive Order No. 8802.
The U.S. and Mexican governments signed the
Mexican Farm Labor Agreement. Mexican
workers entering the U.S. were guaranteed
transportation, living expenses and reparations
as established in the Article of the Mexican
Federal Labor Law. Contracts were to be
supplied in Spanish and physicals were
necessary for employment. The Bracero work
force totaled up to 5million workers over the
next 22 years. The numbers started small, with
only 4,000 workers coming in the initial year,
but by 1943, 52,098 Braceros entered the
United States on a temporary basis to work in
the fields, orchards and factories of the United
States, helping the country produce the
necessary foods and goods to support the war
effort. The agreement was extended in 1951
with the Migrant Labor Agreement. The
program lasted twenty-two years and involved
five million braceros in twenty-four states and
averaged 200,000 workers per year.
❖
Above: A mural depicting the Oxnard Plain
by well-known artist Daniel Marcus
Mendelowitz at the Oxnard Post Office at A
and Fourth Street.
Below: Braceros off Rose Avenue 1950.
COURTESY OF BROKAW NURSERY.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
6 5

❖
Above: Workers from the Seaboard Lemon
Association 1949.
COURTESY OF PHIL ROBLES.
Bottom, left: Seaboard Lemon Association
ladies boxing lemons 1951.
COURTESY OF PHIL ROBLES.
Bottom, right: Jesus Navarro came from
Mexico with the Bracero Program in the
1940s then worked for John McGrath and
Leo Gisler.
COURTESY OF TONY NAVARRO
However, the Bracero program was set up to
aid in an emergency situation and after the war
ended in 1945, some of the local farm workers
found that they could not find work in the
fields or orchards because of the collusive
efforts of some farmers to use the less expensive
Bracero worker. Cesar Chavez was one of these
workers who spoke up about the discrepancy.
Cesar Chavez was born near Yuma, Arizona,
in 1927 to a farming family. His father, Librado
Chavez, owned a farm and ran a general store.
A series of droughts and the effects of the Great
Depression caused the Chavez family to lose
their farm in 1937. Librado Chavez and his
wife and six children joined the migrant
workforce that totaled 300,000 workers from
Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and other hard-hit
states. By 1938, the Chavez family began a
succession of moves that took eleven-year old
Cesar Chavez to approximately 65 schools
over the next several years. One brief stop in
1939 was Oxnard, California. The Chavez
family stayed in a storage building near the
corner of Colonia Road and Garfield Street.
Today, the site is commemorated with a plaque
and the site is listed Ventura County Point of
Interest No.9. He would return in 1958.
Over in Colonia Gardens Rudy Ruiz
and Robert Hinostro formed a squadron of air
raid wardens. After the war the group evolved
into Los Guardianes de la Colonia lead by
Hinostro to get the streets paved and eliminate
trash and make other improvements to the
community. Hinostro continued his
community leadership by becoming a captain
in the Oxnard Police Department.
Also after the war the Latin American Veterans
Club was formed, and Jess Sanchez was elected
president. One of the other groups established
was the social club Los Compadres organized by
Bill Jimenez and Carlos Diaz. The Latin American
Business began its long tenure in the community
when it elected Jesus N. Jimenez as president.
Other directors included Tom Romero, H.C.
Palomino, Victor Martinez and Angel Ochoa.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
66

The end of WWII brought back the interned
Japanese population. To the credit of these
strong-willed families, many returned to become
some of Oxnard’s most influential leaders. Nagao
Fujita grew up to be an effective lawyer and his
wife, Lillie, became a respected educator. Tsugio
Kato became a dentist then served on the city
council starting in 1972 and as mayor of Oxnard
from 1976 to 1982. The Moriwaki family opened
an electric motor business.
Nao Takasugi story is one that made Tom
Brokaw’s book, the Greatest Generation.
Takasugi was nineteen before being forced to
leave and with a handshake and a promise,
Ignacio Carmona took care of the store for four
years. Carmona changed the name to Los
Amigos but handed back the name and the
keys when Takasugi returned. Nao Takasugi
rose to the rank of mayor of Oxnard and later
a California Senator.
While the Otani family were not as
fortunate to hold on to their business, they
refused to give up. Toraichi and Shina Otani
opened a grocery store on Oxnard Boulevard
in 1908 and over time the business included a
barber shop and possibly a pool hall. After the
Depression the family branched out to include
a produce stand. After the war, the three sons,
including oldest son Izzy, Bow and Toby, tore
down the wooden building and rebuilt,
opening Otani Malt Shop. Izzy took his
passion for fishing and struck out on his own
and opened Izzy Otani’s Fish Market in 1952
at 608S A Street, Oxnard, and the family has
continued the tradition of fresh local fish for
over 65 years and counting.
Many Japanese families arrived a few years
later to develop the next generation of farming
on the Oxnard Plain. Among the families that
came are the Hiji, Hasegawa, Nishimura,
Tanaka, Watanabe and Nakamura. The Tanaka
Brothers began farming in Oxnard in 1951 off
Patterson Road. James Nakamura founded his
Berry Farm Growers in 1960 and has expanded
to include fruits and vegetables.
❖
Above: Toraichi and Shina Otani opened a
grocery store on Oxnard Boulevard in
1908. Son Izzy Otani took his passion for
fishing and opened Izzy Otani’s Fish Market
in 1952 at 608 S A Street. It is still
operating today.
Below: Nao Takasugi.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
6 7

❖
Hudson Fields and daughter, Sue, in 1947
at Public Housing Project off Wooley Road.
COURTESY SUE WOLFROM NAUMANN.
The Hiji Brothers started small and grew
big. Tsugio, Frank and Robert Hiji farmed a
mere 10-acres with their father Saheiji in 1950
and expanded their farming operations into
2,500 acres in various parts of California and
Mexico. Their farming history includes
planting a variety of crops, many introduced
by the Hiji brothers. They began growing
celery and soon added leaf lettuce, tomatoes,
green beans, cabbage and strawberries. They
also opened a nursery, Seaview Growers and
Cal Coast Machinery that offers John Deere
farm machinery in Oxnard, Paso Robles, and
Santa Maria. In 1969, they created Cal-Cel
Marketing to handle the distribution and
marketing for their farm operations. More
recently, the family has ventured into
commercial real estate development.
The family has given generously to the
Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles
and they donated to the Camarillo YMCA, that
named the Hiji Center in their honor, as well
as the Camarillo Library. Their more recent
donation was for St. John’s Hospital for the Hiji
Family Healing Garden, an area of manicured
paths and lawns, fountains, and other water
features. And not forgetting their farming
roots, the Hiji Brothers have donated freely to
the Oxnard Historic Farm Park.
The Nishimori family is another “new”
Japanese farming family. After arriving in
California after WWII the family farmed in the
Watts area of Los Angeles before it became a
housing development. Like the Hijis as well as
the Dullam families, the squeezed-out farmers
moved to Oxnard and stated Nishimori
Brothers. By 1975, Roy Nishimori founded San
Miguel Produce. Fifty years later, San Miguel
Produce grows specialty leafy vegetables like
kale, chard, mustard greens, collard greens and
dandelion greens.
Jack Yoshinobu Hirai is another internee of
the Gila River relocation camp. Yet Hirai leter
served for the U.S. Army during the Korean
War and retured to Oxnard to open his own
trucking business, Hirai & Son that operates
beyond his passing in 2003.
Yoshiro Katsura returned from interment to
attend UC Berkeley where he became the class
president and excelled in football. He later
formed Katsura Consulting Engineers and
worked on projects in Ventura and Los Angeles
Counties including projects along the
Grapevine and as far away as South Korea.
The Fukutomi Farms was established in 1953
and were one of the first to grow strawberries
using new innovative techniques in the field.
The Ito brothers farmed in Ventura off
Hueneme Road to the present time.
To accommodate the influx of the new
population of 6,000 incoming after the
establishment of the naval base, the Federal
Public Housing Authority announced in 1943
that it would build temporary quarters off San
Miguel and Dale Park off Wooley Road.
The 1940s saw three new mayors: W. Roy
Guyer, 1938-1942; H.H. Eastwood, 1942-1943
and Edwin L. Carty, 1943-1950. Population
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
68

was at 8,519. It was during Carty’s tenure that
the city cleaned up the notorious “China Alley”
for the last time.
Ed Carty wore many hats in his tenure
in Oxnard. He was a farmer, insurance agent, real
estate developer, mayor, supervisor and worldclass
hunter. Ed was born in Santa Barbara on
December 4, 1897, to Cornelius and Emma
Maulhardt Carty. Ed attended Ventura High and
became involved in many activities including
becoming the class president by the time of his
senior year in 1916. His senior horoscope
predicted he would “invent a pod-less bean.”
Ed farmed his 100 acres north of Magnolia St.
His first year he cleared $20,000 for growing lima
beans. Reality hit the next year when he brought
in $4,000. By 1920, he grew 25 acres to carrots
that became the first carrots to be sold outside
the state. Beginning in 1936 he began developing
his ranch. He chose family names for the streets,
Carty, Doris, from his wife, Robert, Roderick,
Douglas and Patricia St. for his children.
❖
Above: China Alley residence backed up to
721 South Oxnard Boulevard, c. 1954.
Below: Former mayor Ed Carty and his
wife Doris at their home off Roderick street
in Oxnard with big game trophies.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
6 9

❖
Above: Colonial House big postcard.
COURTESY OF JIM HELTON
Below: Many of Hollywood’s elite including
Marilyn Monroe and husband baseball
legend Joe DiMaggio frequented the
Colonial House off Oxnard Boulevard.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
70
By 1938, Ed Carty was offering $25 down,
$25 a month, for 25 years, for a five-bedroom,
hardwood floor home. However, he kept the
family ranch home, which had to be moved up
several feet in order for the streets to line up.
The home is still located on Roderick Ave.
Edwin built the Oxnard Motor Hotel and
the Colonial Drive Inn Café that he rented to a
young man from South Dakota via Beverly
Hills named Martin V. Smith. For Smith, it was
only a matter of time before he began his made
his mark in the area.
Other changes occurred in the decade of
1940. Martin V. “Bud” Smith emerged as the
most prominent developer on Ventura County.
The Smith family came to California in 1925
and by early the 1940s Smith was servicing
jukeboxes in restaurants and bars between Los
Angeles and Ventura Counties. One client fell
behind on payments and Smith was offered the
rickety-old drive-in stand in Oxnard. With the
financial backing of Ed Carty and with the help
of his mother, sister and wife Martha, Smith
was able to remodel the old building into
Oxnard’s premier dining establishment, the
Colonial House. The Colonial House became a
stopping point for many of the Hollywood
stars. As a member of the local Mugu Game
Preserve Duck Club, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper,
John Wayne, Bing Crosby and David Jansen
were also among the diners. Joe DiMaggio and
Marilyn Monroe were occasional visitors and
Smith recalled in a LA Times July 14, 1988,
article that “They would sit in the corner, look
into each other’s eyes and order martinis.”
After returning from the service in 1945,
Smith’s next investment was the Wagon Wheel

Junction that included a motel, restaurants,
business and commercial properties. After
building up the Wagon Wheel Junction, Smith
and several partners purchased the old sugar
beet factory site in 1959. He turned this
property into an industrial park. Smith’s other
projects included: the development of the
Channel Islands Harbor with the construction
of the Lobster Trap restaurant and a 300-room
hotel, 120-apartment complex with boat slips;
the Commercial and Farmers National Bank;
in 1970, the original Esplanade opened on
land Smith owned and later sold; and the city’s
first high-rise buildings, a 15 story and next a
22-story skyscraper.
January 11, 1949 was very significant. The
Oxnard Press Courier headline was:
SNOWFALL MAKES HISTORY. Snow in
Oxnard occurred for the first and only time in
Oxnard recorded history. Henry Knapke, who
came in 1898 confirmed that he never had seen
snow on the ground in the 50 plus years in
Oxnard. The January 10 paper reported snow
flurries in the area starting a 3:00 pm and by
midnight the steady snow fell for several hours
producing 2 to 5 inches of snow throughout
the city. The Oxnard Home Telephone
Company switchboard became slammed with
calls to family and friends to inform them of the
phenomenon. Most people were on a 12-home
party line causing the unwanted calls to wake
up the eleven other sleeping homes.
By 7:00 a.m. residents waiting for Ben
Virden to open his Nasons Store to buy
film which sold out by 9:00 a.m. Bill Clark
opened up Poggi’s Pharmacy at 9:00 a.m. to a
waiting line of film customers ready to buy up
the film stock. Half the students from the
Ocean View School showed up and the
students were so wild that Principal Elsie
Littleton let them go home. Students at
Roosevelt school were given an extended
recess to allow the students to experience the
snow. Students at Oxnard High did not
discriminate against their barrage of snowballs
at passing autos including one driven by C. E.
Pecht and a policeman.
Among the early residents of the area were
Antonio and Maria Lopez who came to Oxnard
as early as the 1940s after arriving in California
in the 1920s. For a time, Antonio worked at
Limco Del Mar and later at the sugar factory in
Oxnard. Their son Armando J. Lopez grew up
in Oxnard and went on to become a partner in
Plaza Development Partners; later, he was
involved with the development of the
Collection at River Park.
By 1950 the population jumped to 21,567.
A. Elliot Stoll served two terms in the decade
from 1950-51 and again in 1954-56. Stoll
served as a dentist in the Navy and began
his private practice after WWII. His father
Arthur H. Stoll was a general practitioner at St.
John’s Hospital after arriving in 1929. Among
mayor Stoll’s accomplishments was the
construction of the Ormond Beach sewage
treatment plant, elimination of wartime
❖
Top: Snow at the home of Leo Gisler at
2310 South Saviers Road January 11, 1949.
Above: The Diedrich children make a
snowman at their Rose Avenue ranch.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
7 1

❖
Above: The Weigel brothers at Plaza Park.
Below: The lima bean warehouse is
frequently mistaken for the Oxnard sugar
factory. Lima preceded sugar beets and
continued being a viable crop into the
1970s. Jim Gill, Paul Debusschere and Mike
and Brian Naumann are among the last to
grow lima beans.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
72
housing and development of city-wide storm
drainage program.
Between Stoll’s tenure was Rudolph Beck,
from 1951-54. Beck arrived in Oxnard in 1906
and worked as a cashier and office manager at
the American Crystal Sugar Company. His
wife, Carrie Snider Beck, helped establish the
Christian Science Church in 1907. Beck later
formed the insurance group Beck, Brown and
Dwire. He started his insurance business in
1920 and added partner Harleigh Brown in
1943 and Carl Dwire in 1947. When Beck
stepped down as mayor he had served thirty
years in government.
Agriculture in Ventura County was always
evolving to new crops. Also, with urban sprawl
in other parts of the state like Los Angeles
County, farmers came looking for ground to
keep farming. After World War II, the Dullams
were squeezed out. John Ernest Dullam,
immigrated to California from England in 1901
to farm with his uncle, Richard Watts. He leased
pastureland from the Hancock family near the
La Brea Tar Pits off Melrose Avenue. With the city
closing in on him, in 1919 he bought a farm out
in the country near what is now Sepulveda and
National boulevards in West Los Angeles. John
Fisher Dullam joined his dad and his uncle
Frank in farming. They moved to Oxnard in
1951 and leased 60 acres off Teal Club Road.
In 1958, John F. Dullam helped organize the
Oxnard Frozen Food Cooperative. Along with
Frank and John Vujovich, Milton Diedrich, John
Laubacher and A. A. Milligan from the Bank of
A. Levy, they purchased Ventura Farms for $3.5
million, which was formed in 1947 to handle
green lima beans. The cooperative was set up to
guarantee an outlet to handle crops year-round.
Dullam worked there until 1985.

Taking over the business was son John
Thomas Dullam. It has always been a family
business. For several years his sister Toni
Hooper worked in the office as has his wife
Linda, who was active in helping John grow
the business. Dullam leased 300 acres in
Oxnard off Etting Road. He has seen the
growth of the industry explode since 1975
when there were only 2,100 acres in
production. By 2011, there were 11,800 acres
planted to strawberries. The strawberry
industry in Ventura County reached $525
million in 2009. Working with the University
of California, Dullam was able to come up with
an improved strawberry. He explains, “When
we breed strawberries, No. 1 we are looking
for flavor,” he said. “No. 2 is appearance, color
and size. We breed for disease resistance, to get
away from as many chemicals as possible.
Then there is the ability to ship across the
world. To make all these factors come together
is nearly a miracle.”
The 1950s saw many of the servicemen
return to Oxnard. Healthcare needs also
increased. Chamber of Commerce President
John Borchard Maulhardt—grandson of
Johannes (John) Borchard, the hospital’s
original benefactor—called a special meeting
“in the interest of St. John’s Hospital,” involving
representatives of the Sisters of Mercy and other
civic leaders.
Vic Larson, a professional fundraiser from
New York, was hired, and his enthusiasm and
refusal to take no for an answer helped steer
the committee toward its goal. Adolfo
Camarillo, a prominent rancher/banker, served
as the honorary chair for the campaign.
The committee had raised more than
$360,000 before the drive culminated in a May
1950 rally on the hospital lawn. To help meet
the campaign’s goal, Dr. Cloyce Huff and his
fellow doctors pledged $50,000.
Dr. Huff quickly organized a group of
doctors and businessmen and formed the
Humanitarians. It took only four years for the
Humanitarians to raise $25,000 to fulfill the
hospital’s debt, but their work continued. The
heart and soul of this group for more than 40
years was Dr. Noble Powell. “The motivating
and enduring spirit of the Humanitarians
which has held the group together is Drs.
Cloyce Huff and Noble Powell,” said Pat
Holden, another former chairman.
Beyond the work of the Humanitarians, the
hospital still generated much-needed funds from
individual and family donations. To meet the first
$100,000, Joseph and Anna Friedrich donated
$31,500 to the hospital on February 23, 1951.
Eighty years after the first wooden building
served the community of 2,000 citizens on a
10-acre site on the outskirts of the city in
1912, a fourth incarnation of St. John’s was
established on a 48-acre parcel located at 1600
N. Rose Avenue, about three miles from the
333 North F Street location. This time, the
land was donated by another pioneer family,
John and Bette McGrath. The hospital now
serves as St. John’s Regional Medical Center
operated by Dignity Health.
❖
Above: Founding members of St. John’s
Hospital Humanitarians at a 1991
Fundraiser BBQ. Standing, left to right, Dr.
W. Cloyce Huff, James Reardon, Dr. Noble
Powell and Pat Holden. Sitting, Dr. Elliott
Stoll, Mike Laubacher and Jack Borchard.
Left: St. Johns Hospital at 305 North F
Street c. the late 1950s.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
7 3

❖
Above: Cesar Chavez, right, at his
campaign office on Hayes Street 1958.
COURTESY WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY.
Below: The American Crystal Sugar
Company blew the final closing whistle after
its fifty-ninth campaign at 3:00 p.m. on
October 26, 1958.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
74
Cesar Chavez returned to Oxnard in 1958 on
behalf of the Community Service Organization
(CSO) with the intention of opening a chapter in
Oxnard to assist the citrus laborers in the area.
However, Chavez found that there was a bigger
issue than what CSO was offering for the workers.
Chavez was met with the issue of job denial of the
laborers at the expense of the Braceros who were
favored over the local workers. Chavez took on
the challenge of forcing employers to hire the local
work force and the contract protection they were
promised, and the beginning of his life-changing
work was well on its way.
1958 also saw the closing of the sugar factory.
Nearly 400 seasonal workers and 80 permanent
staff were affected. The American Crystal Sugar
Company in Oxnard blew the final closing
whistle after its fifty-ninth campaign at 3:00 p.m.
on October 26, 1958, after a fifty-seven-day fall
campaign. The reason for the shutdown was
“high cost of modernization, the changing
picture of agriculture in our area and the long
freight hauls.” liv
By the factory’s last year of operation, the
local farmers supplied 25 percent of the beets
processed at the plant. Only ninety farmers,
utilizing four thousand acres, grew beets for
the factory’s final season. lv The majority of the
beets were shipped by rail to the Oxnard
factory, many from the Imperial Valley.
In sixty years of producing sugar in Oxnard,
the factory produced 39,525,436 one-hundredpound
bags.
On April 14, 1959, the Oxnard Courier
made a big announcement: “ACS Land Sold for
$1.5 Million.”
The 124-acre property, as well as the
railroad line from Oxnard to Port Hueneme,
was sold to four partners: Martin V. Smith, T.C.
McMillan, both from Oxnard, Ray G. Barnard
from Ventura and H.P. Skoagland of
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
On July 11, 1959, the Oxnard Courier
proclaimed: “Landmark Doomed—Wrecking
Crews Preparing to Tear Down Sugar Plant.”

The wrecking crew of Lipsett Steel Products,
Inc., took on the task of dismantling the
historic sugar factory. A crew of sixty men
dismantled approximately twelve thousand
tons of steel and over eight million bricks. The
bricks were sold and reused by the Custom
Craft Construction Company. Today, the two
remaining factory buildings are used by
Western Precooling to precool, store, and ship
produce throughout the United States.
Finishing out the 50s decade as mayor
was Carl Ward (1956-60). Ward joined Bob
Squires of Squires Chevrolet in 1940. Squire
established his dealership in 1922. After serving
as mayor Ward joined the Calleguas Municipal
Water District.
By the start of 1960, the population of Oxnard
was at 40,265. During the sixties, the city had a
new generation of leaders. Mayor C. E. Dave
Davidson served from 1960-1962 followed by
Robert Howlett from 1962-1966. However, the
biggest mayor victory of the decade belongs to
William Soo Hoo. Mentioned earlier, Soo became
the first mayor of Chinese descent in the United
States as well as Oxnard’s first native born mayor.
Known for attention to detail, Soo would take
part in many important decisions in Oxnard‘s
direction. Among his accomplishments was the
Cultural Arts Center, adding additional fire
departments and helping to develop the inland
harbor. However, one of the toughest decisions
was approving the demolition of dozens of
Oxnard’s earliest building, many beyond repair
yet once demolished lost for good.
From 1960 to 1970, the population was up
77 percent to 71,225. The decade began with
Oxnard’s first Hispanic mayor, Salvatore
Sanchez. Up next was former Oxnard police
Chief Al Jewell who served from 1972-1973
and again from 1974-1976
Jane Tolmach became Oxnard’s first female
mayor in 1973-74 after winning a spot of as the
city’s first female council member in 1970.
Tolmach championed environmental preservation
and continued her efforts after office with her
involvement in the Ormond Beach wetlands.
The seventies saw the rise in strawberry
production that accelerated in the eighties. By
1983, the city began promoting an annual
strawberry festival that has raised millions of
dollars for local charities. By 1989 there were
over 20,000 acres in strawberry production
and doubling thirty years later.
Oxnard experienced another first, when
Tsugio Kato, became the city of Oxnard’s first
Japanese-American mayor in 1976 to 1982.
During his term in 1980 the city’s population
reached 108,195.
In 1982 Nao Takasugi began a ten-year run
as Mayor. By 1990 the city’s population hit
142,216. Following in Takasugi’s impressive
footsteps was an equally dedicated servant to
the community, Manuel Lopez, Oxnard’s
longest tenured mayor from 1992 to 2004. The
millennial year of 2000 the population
increased to 170,358.
In the same year Mayor Lopez became the
first elected Latino mayor, Bedford Pickard
became the first African American to be elected
to Oxnard’s city council.
❖
Above: Los Angeles Dodger, Darryl
Strawberry, displays Oxnards latest cash
crop of strawberries.
Below: Two Oxnard mayors, Dr. Tsujio Kato
and Dr. Manny Lopez.
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E O X N A R D P L A I N
7 5

❖
Top: Jim Cooluris on his horse Warpaint
in front of Kit’s Palomino Club.
COURTESY OF CHUCK COVARRUBIAS.
Middle: Justin Petit house readied for move
to Heritage Square where the home becomes
the crown jewel of the historic homes.
COURTESY OF GARY BLUM.
Bottom: Oxnard Historic Farm Park is
Ventura County Landmark #165—The
Gottfried Maulhardt/Albert Pfeiler
Farm Site.
His wife, Irene, became the next Pinkard to
take office as a council member when she was
elected to office in 2008.
Following Mayor Lopez was another locally
bred Oxnardian, Tom Holden was elected
mayor from 2004-2012. A graduate of Santa
Clara High School, Holden is the grandson of
James Marsis who opened a Fruit Market at
140 West Fifth Street in 1906. Marsis was
joined by John Cooluris in 1907 and George
Marsis in 1908. Cooluris came to Oxnard in
1904 and opened the popular Oyster Loaf
Cage. His brother Pete joined him and later Jim
and Chris Cooluris opened Kit’s Palomino
Room in at 533 South A Street in 1948.
When Tom Holden took office as a
councilman in 1993, the population was
149,571. When he retired, the population was
over 197,906 (2010 number).
Another Santa Clara High School grad
became mayor in 2012, Timothy B. Flynn.
Flynn is the son of long time supervisor John
Flynn and followed in his father’s footsteps as
an educator and in politics. Tim Flynn was
elected to city council in 2004 then began a
door-to-door campaign for mayor with a slogan
that asked voters to “Believe in Oxnard. Flynn
has served three successive terms as mayor.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
76

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adler, Jacob, and Joseph Feher. Claus Spreckles: The Sugar King in Hawaii. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1966.
Bank of A. Levy. A. Levy: A History. Virginia Beach, VA: Donning Co., 1991.
Bloom, Vera. “Oxnard: A Social History of the Early Years.” Ventura County Historical Society Quarterly 4 (February 1956).
Dennis, Margaret Palmer. “History of the Beet Sugar Industry in California.” Master’s thesis, History Department, University of Southern
California, September 1937.
Fukuyama, Yoshio, Helen Yamamoto, Mary Johnston and the Ventura County Historical Society. “Citizens Apart: A History of the
Japanese in Ventura County.” Ventura County Historical Quarterly 39, no. 4 (1994).
Greenland, Powell. Port Hueneme: A History. Oxnard, CA: Ventura County Maritime Museum, 1994.
Guinn, J.M. Historical and Biographical Record of Southern California; Containing a History of Southern California from Its Earliest Settlement
to the Opening Year of the Twentieth Century. Chicago: Chapman Pub. Co., 1902.
Gutleben, Dan. The Sugar Tramp, 1961. Revised ed. Walnut Creek, CA, 1960.
Harris, F.S. The Sugar Beet in America. New York: Macmillan Co., 1919.
Hutchinson, W.H. Oil, Land, and Politics: The California Career of Thomas Robert Bard. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965.
McWilliams, Carey. Factories in the Field: The Story of Migratory Farm Labor in California. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1939.
Mervyn, Catherine. A Tower in the Valley: The History of the Santa Clara Church. N.p., 1986.
Oxnard, Benjamin, II. Unpublished ms., n.d.
Sheridan, Sol N. History of Ventura County, California. Vol. 1. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1926.
Strand, Paul, and Hakala Communications Inc. A Heritage of Growth: American Crystal Sugar Company and the First Hundred Harvests. St.
Paul, MN: American Crystal Sugar Co., 1998.
United States Beet Sugar Association. The Silver Wedge: The Sugar Beet in the United States. Washington D.C.: United States Beet Sugar
Association, 1936.
i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii
ix
x
xi
xii
xiii
xiv
xv
xvi
xvii
Land & Property Research in the United States, by E. Wade Hone, Ancestry Inc., 1997
A More Perfect Union - B. J. Armento, G. Nash, C. L. Salter, K. K. Wixson - Houghton Mifflin Co - 1991
Ranchos of California – Robert C. Cowen; page 10; 1977.
Ranchos of California – Robert C. Cowen; page 3; 1977.
Ranchos of California – Robert C. Cowen; page 4; 1977.
A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California - page 12; W. W. Robinson – 1965.
Oil, Land and Politics Vol. I - H. W. Hutchinson, page 163; 1965
Ranchos of California – Robert C. Cowen; page 10; 1977.
History of Ventura County, California – Sol N. Sheridan – Vol. I page 368; published 1926
A Levy, A History by Bank of A Levy; page 21; The Donning Company
A Levy, A History by Bank of A Levy; page 47; The Donning Company
PC, the Ventura County Weekly Magazine, August 12, 1966.
Press Courier, June 28, 1983.
Gutleben, Sugar Tramp, 10.
Oxnard, unpublished ms., ch. 3, 3.
Oxnard, unpublished ms., ch. 4, 10.
Strand and Hakala Communications Inc., Heritage of Growth, 27.
B I B L I O G R A P H Y
7 7

xviii
xix
xx
xxi
xxii
xxiii
xxiv
xv
xxvi
xxvii
xxviii
xxix
xxx
xxxi
xxxii
xxxiii
xxxiv
xxxv
xxxvi
xxxvii
xxxviii
xxxix
xl
xli
xlii
xliii
xliv
xlv
xlvi
xlvii
xlviii
xlix
l
li
lii
liii
liv
lv
Ibid., 18.
Strand and Hakala Communications Inc., Heritage of Growth, 20.
Strand and Hakala Communications Inc., Heritage of Growth, 27.
Ibid., 29.
Hutchinson, Oil, Land and Politics.
Ibid.
Ventura Free Press, October 22, 1897.
Greenland, Port Hueneme.
The $2 million price tag in 1898 translates into over $38 million one hundred years later, according to the inflation calculator
www.westegs.com/inflation.
Guinn, Historical and Biographical Record, 503.
Ventura Free Press, October 22, 1897.
Brandt, Cherie, “The Town that Sugar Built,” Reporter, July 10, 1998.
Gutleben, Sugar Tramp, 4.
Ibid., 5.
Oxnard Courier, December 14, 1901.
Oxnard Courier, July 25, 1948.
Deed Book 52, pp. 587–90.
Gutleben, Sugar Tramp, 53.
Gutleben, Sugar Tramp, 54.
Ventura Free Press, December 10, 1897.
Ibid., February 25, 1898.
Oxnard Press-Courier, September 24 and 25, 1948.
Roger B. Hatheway and Assoc., Oxnard Redevelopment Agency, January 1981.
Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1952.
Oxnard Press Courier, September 24, 1948.
Mervyn, Tower in the Valley, 36.
Ventura County Historical Society Quarterly 4, no. 2 (February 1959): 17.
Located at the Ventura County Museum of History and Art library.
McWilliams, Factories in the Field, 106.
Fukuyama et al., “Citizens Apart.”
Ibid.
McWilliams, Factories in the Field, 124.
Oxnard Press-Courier, September 24, 1948.
Oxnard Courier – 11/8/1918.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Oxnard Courier, October 1958.
Ibid.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
78

SHARING THE HERITAGE
H i s t o r i c p r o f i l e s o f b u s i n e s s e s , o r g a n i z a t i o n s , a n d f a m i l i e s t h a t h a v e
c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e d e v e l o p m e n t a n d c o n t i n u e d g r o w t h o f O x n a r d
Port of Hueneme, Oxnard Harbor District ................................................................................8 0
The Reimann/Pecht Ranch ......................................................................................................8 4
The Charles and Beverlee McGrath Family ...............................................................................8 8
The John McGrath Family ......................................................................................................9 2
The Thomas Francis McGrath Family ......................................................................................9 6
Joe McGrath ........................................................................................................................9 8
San Miguel Produce, Inc. .......................................................................................................9 9
The Jacob & Doretta Maulhardt Family ..................................................................................1 0 0
Boskovich Farms, Inc. .........................................................................................................1 0 2
The Friedrich Family in Ventura County ................................................................................1 0 4
The Laubacher Family .........................................................................................................1 0 6
Dr. Manuel Lopez ...............................................................................................................1 0 8
The Samuel and Rosina Naumann Family ...............................................................................1 1 0
The Thomas Gill-Catherine Donlan Family .............................................................................1 1 2
Pierre Martin Dufau ...........................................................................................................1 1 3
Plaza Development Partners, LLC .........................................................................................1 1 4
The Valles Family ...............................................................................................................1 1 6
AeroComputers, Inc. ...........................................................................................................1 1 8
Brucker Farms ...................................................................................................................1 1 9
The Gustav & Evelyne Maulhardt Family ...............................................................................1 2 0
Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau ...................................................................................1 2 1
The Coultas Family ............................................................................................................1 2 2
Oxnard Historic Farm Park Foundation .................................................................................1 2 3
Martin V. “Bud” Smith .........................................................................................................1 2 4
PrimeSkill Staffing Services .................................................................................................1 2 5
Beardsley & Son, Inc. .........................................................................................................1 2 6
Desti & Michele, of RE/MAX Gold Coast ................................................................................1 2 7
Healthwise Home Care Solutions, Inc. ....................................................................................1 2 8
Maulhardt Insurance Agency ................................................................................................1 2 9
City of Port Hueneme ..........................................................................................................1 3 0
City of Oxnard ...................................................................................................................1 3 1
BG’s Café ..........................................................................................................................1 3 2
Barkley Risk Management & Insurance ..................................................................................1 3 3
Tatum’s Garage ..................................................................................................................1 3 4
Oxnard Chamber of Commerce ..............................................................................................1 3 5
Lammert Inc. .....................................................................................................................1 3 6
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
7 9

❖
Top: There are more than 2,500 direct jobs
generated by port customers and for every
direct job five more are created regionally.
Middle: Bard’s Wharf, the original wharf
built by Thomas Bard, c. 1872.
Bottom: Richard Bard, the “Father of the
Port of Hueneme.”
PORT OF HUENEME
OXNARD HARBOR DISTRICT
In its more than eighty years of existence,
the Port of Hueneme has become one of the
most productive and efficient commercial trade
gateways for niche cargo on the West Coast.
The port moves over $9 billion in goods each
year and consistently ranks among the top ten
U.S. ports for automobiles and fresh produce.
Port operations bring $1.5 billion in economic
activity to the area annually, creating over
13,000 trade-related jobs. In addition, the port
generates more than $93 million in direct and
related state and local taxes each year.
The history of this vital economic engine
actually began in 1865 when the entrepreneur
and politician Thomas Bard arrived in Ventura
County. An oil and land developer, rancher and
community leader, Bard became the first president
of Union Oil and a United States Senator.
Bard built a wharf at Hueneme in 1871 and
laid out the plan for the township of Hueneme.
Bard’s son, Richard, was born in 1892 and his
tireless efforts to establish the port earned him
the reputation as the ‘Father of the Port of
Hueneme.’ Richard began campaigning for the
construction of a deep-water port at Hueneme
in 1925, but it took more than a decade for his
dream to become reality. Richard’s vision was to
create an economic benefit like no other for
Ventura County, a venue that would provide
maximum economic and social benefit to the
community and the industries it served.
Richard believed the best location for the
port was Hueneme but other nearby
communities such as Ventura also recognized
the economic benefits of locating a port in the
area and aggressively lobbied for the port to be
in their city rather than the small township of
Hueneme, which boasted a population of 500
at the time.
The long, intense fight over location of the
port, which began in the Roaring Twenties and
continued into the Great Depression of the
1930s, was waged in corporate boardrooms, in
the media, and in the halls of public power at
the local, state and national levels. Richard
decided to take the establishment of a harbor
district to the voters at the April 28, 1937,
election and on May 5, 1937, Sacramento
validated the vote creating the Oxnard Harbor
District. Creation of a Harbor District was
overwhelmingly approved by county’s voters,
winning ninety-six percent of the vote.
The boundaries would follow those of the
existing Oxnard Union High School District,
which at the time included the west county
communities of Oxnard, Hueneme, Camarillo
and Somis, and the east county communities
of Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks all the
way to the Los Angeles County line.
Governance of the new harbor district was
initially provided by a three-member board
of harbor commissioners elected at large
from the throughout the district. In 2018,
the district’s board consists of five elected
members: President Mary Anne Rooney;
Vice President Jess Herrera; Secretary Jess
Ramirez; and Commissioners Manuel Lopez
and Jason Hodge.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
80

With no prospects of obtaining federal or
state funding, the new district’s leadership
proposed a bond issue in the amount of
$1,750,000 to fund construction. On May 5,
1938, one year following Sacramento’s validation
of the district’s establishment, the bond
sale opened. In less than fifteen minutes, the
entire bond issue was fully subscribed.
Dredge work began the following January and
the official port dedication was a two-day
affair on July 6 and 7, 1940. In 1941 the
first ship to call at the new port was the
Margaret Schafer, which carried lumber from
the Pacific Northwest for the growing home
building industry.
The port was open only a short time before
it was taken over by the U.S. Navy for operations
during World War II and civilian benefits
of the facility were put on hold.
During the war, more than 150,000 tons
of cargo was shipped out of the port each
month, making it the second largest shipping
port for war material of any Pacific Coast
port. From mid-1942, when the Navy took
over, until the end of the war in 1945, the
port averaged one-and-a-half ships leaving
every day, carrying more than 7.5 million
tons of cargo on more than a thousand ships.
In 1945 alone the port handled 402 ships
carrying 3.1 million tons of war material. The
relationship established between the community
and the Navy during those years
continues today and the U.S. Navy and the
commercial port have remained valuable economic
partners for Ventura County.
Commercial operations along the port’s
Wharf #1 were reestablished following the
war, serving the fishing and construction
industries as well as handling general cargo.
Meanwhile, the township of Hueneme was
growing along with the port. In 1948, the City
of Port Hueneme was incorporated and the
municipality began to expand, fueled by the
increasing importance of the port.
Port operations were expanded to accommodate
the burgeoning off-shore oil drilling
operations throughout the 1950s and 1960s,
and in the summer of 1961, the port purchased
back its South Terminal. This was followed
later by acquisition of its North Terminal. In
1975, Oilfield Service and Trucking Company
(OST) opened its dockside offices at the port to
better serve off-shore customer demand. In
2017, OST celebrated its forty-second year of
continuous operations at the port.
The port experienced rapid growth in the
1980s and 1990s, growing to 120 acres of the
original 322 acre footprint. The Japanese
automotive firm, Mazda, arrived in 1977,
quickly followed in 1979 by Del Monte
❖
Aerial view of the Port of Hueneme looking
north towards Channel Islands Harbor and
Naval Base Ventura County.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
8 1

❖
Above: Today’s port, counting both exports
and imports, averages more than 25,000
automobiles a month.
Below: Container vessel Chiquita Progress
dockside on the South Terminal, Port of
Hueneme, 2017.
Tropical Fruit Company, which signed a deal
to begin unloading tropical fruit from Central
and South America. The world’s largest auto
transport carrier of its time arrived in 1980—
the fifteen-deck, 730-foot-long Jinmei Maru,
which could carry a load of 7,100 vehicles.
Over the next twenty years, the Port of
Hueneme became the port industry’s quintessential
‘niche’ port, specializing in the
movement of perishable cargos such as bananas,
cantaloupe, melons, pineapples, and other
fresh fruit. Hundreds of millions of boxes of
bananas have passed through the port since
1977, enough (if the single bananas were laid
end-to-end) to circle the earth nearly thirteen
times annually. Produce exports continue to
grow, and include local agricultural products
such as grapes, apples, pears and stone fruit.
World-class customers such as Wallenius
Wilhelmsen Logistics, BMW North America, Del
Monte, Maersk-SeaLand, GLOVIS, Chiquita,
Yara America and others have positioned the
port as an important player in the import and
export industry, with autos peaking at more than
338,000 units in 2016. More than six million
autos have transited the port since their first
arrival in the 1970s. Today, more than a third of
all new BMWs sold in the United States transit
the port. Recently with the arrival of SeaLand, a
Maersk Company, the port is experiencing a rise
in containerized operations.
The Port of Hueneme continues to be
owned and managed by the Oxnard Harbor
District, a non-taxing, special (state registered)
enterprise district as formed in 1937 by the
voters of Ventura County. The district operates
under the authority of the California Harbors
and Navigation Code and is independent of
any city or county. Today’s geopolitical boundaries
encompass the entire cities of Port
Hueneme and Oxnard as well as unincorporated
county beachfront land. Population within
the district is approximately 220,000. Thirty
commissioners have served on the board since
the district’s inception. The first female
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
82

Commissioner, Mary Anne Rooney, was elected
in 2010 and the second, Arlene Fraser, in
2012. There have been only nine CEO/Port
Directors, who were called General Managers
in the early years. CEO/Port Director Kristin
Decas became the first female director in 2012.
The port is headquartered at 333 Ponoma
Street, with a satellite office at 105 Port
Hueneme Road, both in the City of Port
Hueneme. The port owns additional parcels
in Oxnard to support dock operations and
works with other industrial real estate businesses
that have the capacity and growth
potential to help maritime operations. Port
customers and users own more than 300 acres
off-port to support their operations. In 2004,
the port purchased the Ventura County
Railway as a strategic investment to support
port multimodal logistics.
The port continues to maintain a strong
partnership with Naval Base Ventura County,
a relationship critical to our national defense
and essential to our local economy. To encourage
expansion and create effective messaging
to the community, the port adopted a robust
marketing campaign and innovative port
brand, which employs modern Internet platform
and other communication technologies
to connect with community and customers.
Port leadership works constantly to build a
future that combines the business needs of a
modern economy with environmental stewardship
and strong community ties. The port
proactively executes a board-adopted environmental
framework, implementing a rigorous
program that includes the use of alternate
fuels, shore-side power (electric power to
plug in ships), LED lighting, the very best
storm water management practices, and strict
clean truck initiatives. The Ventura County
Air Pollution Control District touts the port’s
recent dock electrification project and the
biggest air pollution reduction project in the
county’s history. These measures and more
make the port a strong steward of the environment,
improving the quality of life for the
community and region. In 2017, the port was
the first in California to earn certification
from Green Marine, a third-party environmental
validation organization. The port was
also voted ‘Greenest Port’ at the Green
Shipping Summit USA as well as receiving an
Environmental Stewardship award from the
Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
The port and its employees are very active
in various civic and community activities. The
port annually hosts a Banana Festival in celebration
of a diverse working port. Close to ten
thousand people attended the kick-off festival
in 2012 and increasing numbers visit the festival
each year since. The port also supports the
Oxnard Salsa Festival, the Channel Islands
Maritime Museum, the annual Santa-to-the-Sea
half-marathon, the Oxnard Christmas Parade,
U.S. Navy League, Oxnard Police Activities
Leagues, Oxnard’s Knights of Columbus, and
the Port Hueneme Historical Museum, among
others. The port is an active member of the
Oxnard and Port Hueneme Chambers of
Commerce, the Ventura County Economic
Development Association, the Economic
Development Collaborative of Ventura County,
and the Workforce Development Board of
Ventura County. The port is the holder of the
Oxnard World Trade Center License.
As the Oxnard Harbor District’s Board of
Harbor Commissioners look to the port’s next
eighty years, it intends to stay on course, capitalizing
on new opportunities and seeking
innovative, technically advanced, and smart
solutions that will continue to enhance its
strategic partnerships to maximize the port’s
trade potential and bring continued prosperity
to the region.
❖
Genesee & Wyoming locomotive
on Ventura County railroad
tracks, Oxnard.
PHOTOS BY OXNARD HARBOR DISTRICT.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
8 3

THE REIMANN/
PECHT RANCH
❖
Above: The Pecht family. Standing (left to
right): Moritz, William, and Elizabeth.
Seated: Joseph, Elizabeth, and Laura.
Bottom, left: The Frank Furrer family.
Bottom, right: Frances Borchard, who
married Anton Scholle.
The roots of the Tom Pecht Ranch date
back to the first generation of families in the
area starting with the Reimann family. Joseph
Reimann arrived in Ventura County in May
1881 from Rollshausen, Germany, south of
Hanover. He preceded his family’s arrival by
six months. By November 1881, Joseph’s wife,
Elizabeth, and their children, Moritz, Anna,
William, Elizabeth, and Laura, were anchored
in the Port of New York ready to take a train
across the country to Los Angeles. After
seventeen days crossing the Atlantic and
twelve days more crossing the states, the
Reimanns reached California. From Los
Angeles, the Reimanns took the stage route to
Ventura County. By August 1, 1883, Joseph
and Elizabeth were able to purchase a
seventy-five-acre tract of Subdivision 33 of
the Rancho Colonia from Thomas Bard, who
served at the “sale administrator” for the
estate of Thomas Scott. The price for the land
was $6,200 and was located off Rose Avenue
and Fifth Street.
By 1905, Joseph and Elizabeth deeded over
the ranch to their son, Moritz Reimann.
Moritz also owned 125-acres in the Del Norte
section. Moritz was married to Anna Scholle.
Anna was the daughter of Anton Scholle and
Franziska “Frances” Borchard, who were also
from Germany and settled in Ventura County
in 1883. Frances was a cousin to brothers
Johannes and Caspar Borchard as well as a
cousin to John Edward “Ed” Borchard. Anna’s
siblings included Edward, John and Ignatz
Scholle as well as half siblings Augusta and
Casper Wucherphennig. The Scholle Ranch
was located at the corner of the Old Conejo
Road, today the 101 Freeway, and Rice
Avenue and contained 200 acres and was
purchased by Frances Borchard Scholle from
Caspar Borchard and not far from the
Reimann Ranch. Moritz and Anna were
married in 1891 and produced two
daughters, Anna Bertha Reimann and Emma
Elizabeth Reimann.
Daughter Anna married Alexander “Sandy”
Furrer. The Furrers arrived in the area from
Switzerland in the early 1880s. They farmed
several hundred acres off Hueneme Road.
Sandy and Anna married in January 1914 at
Santa Clara Church, at which time Moritz gave
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
84

the Ditch Ranch (now Rose Avenue) property
and a newly completed house to his daughter
and son-in-law as a wedding gift. They had
two children, Maurice, who died at the age of
thirteen and Ann Estelle Furrer. Sandy, as a
gentleman of his era, always drove his Massey
Harris tractor (which was given to the
Museum of Ventura County) wearing a dress
shirt, bow tie and a fedora hat. In 1964, Sandy
and Anna were given a papal blessing fifty
years after their wedding by the Very Reverend
Monsignor Anthony J. Jacobs at a special mass
at the chapel at St. John’s hospital.
Ann Estelle Furrer was introduced to Paul
Pecht by mutual friend Ruth Maulhardt, the
couple married in 1941 at Mission San Juan
Capistrano. Paul was born in the cattle town
of Mullen, Nebraska. The family left Nebraska
and moved to Seattle, Washington, and later
settled in Oxnard where Paul’s father,
Clarence “Ed” Pecht, served as first sergeant
and platoon commander in France with the
89th Division during WWI. Ed was wounded
and gassed during his twenty-two month stay
and returned stateside as a lieutenant. He
arrived in Oxnard in 1936 and served on the
Oxnard Elementary School board for thirteen
years. Ed also served as a justice of the peace,
as well as the Oxnard municipal judge for
twenty years. His three grandchildren often
accompanied their grandfather to work. He
kept two small toys, including toy police cars,
in his desk for his grandkids to play with.
Grandson Tom Pecht recalls, “He would prop
me up on his lap, and I would play cops and
robbers with the toy cars. The attorneys in the
courtroom used to get upset with the judge
because they didn’t think he was listening to
the court case.”
After studying chemistry, Paul worked at
the Oxnard sugar beet factory. After marriage
Paul switched to farming where he and Sandy
managed both the Ditch Road and Hueneme
Ranches. Paul was also active in several
community organizations including the 31st
District Agricultural Fair Board after he was
appointed by Governor Ronald Reagan in
1967. Both Paul and Tom served as chairman
of the Fair Board. Paul was also a craftsman
creating many wood projects like water skis
for locals like friend Bob Pfelier. Paul also
mastered flying an aircraft. He was Exalted
Ruler for the Oxnard Elks Club and a member
of the Knights of Columbus as well as a
Humanitarian for St. John’s Hospital.
Ann Pecht attended St Catherine’s
Academy in Ventura followed by Mount St.
Mary’s College in Los Angeles. In addition to
spending much of her time raising their three
children, Maureen, Sandy and Tom; Ann
devoted much of her time to several service
groups including Las Patrones and the
National Charity League.
Tom took over the home ranch in 1977
after the sudden death of his father Paul, due
to a heart attack. He married Karen Maxwell,
whose father, Robert Blinn Maxwell, was an
attorney in Oxnard. Blinn was a World War II
vet who fought on Omaha Beach and at the
Battle of the Bulge. He later was among the
first Americans to liberate the prisoners at the
concentration camp at Dachau, Germany.
Tom began farming with his father as a
young boy, pulling weeds as well as riding in
the hopper of his father’s Price lima bean
thrasher. He also lent a hand tending to the
lemon trees. Tom survived three broken arms
in his youth including the time he took a
❖
Anna Furrer seen here on the grey horse,
c, 1915.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
8 5

❖
Above: (Clockwise from left) Clarence, Paul,
Alta, and Marlene Pecht.
Below: Paul E Pecht on a 1919 Massey-
Harris Tractor at Ditch Road Ranch
about 1943.
challenge from his sister, Sandy. With
Superman popularity at its peak, Tom, at
about four years of age, climbed up a stack of
hay bales about ten tiers high to jump to the
back of a truck sitting about ten feet away.
Unfortunately, lacking a cape or Superman’s
powers to fly, Tom landed on the concrete slab
for his second broken arm. For schooling, Tom
attended local schools Santa Clara Grammar
and High School and later USC where he
majored in business and labor relations.
Tom took over the ranch at Rose and
Central Avenue upon the passing of his father
in 1977. Tom and his father planted the first
twelve acres of avocados on the ranch in 1970
and added additional acres over the years. Like
many farming families in California, staying in
the farming business is a risk. Farmers face
many challenges from the weather, the
environment, and legislation. Keeping an eye
out for the next cash crop or the next business
venture is crucial to overcoming the economic
challenges. Beginning in 2006, the Pecht
family created Red Hat Properties to build selfstorage
facilities. The Red Hat name came
from a reference to his strong and dominating
German Nana (grandmother), Anna
(Reimann) Furrer, who often wore a red hat at
Christmas time and other special events. It
became her trademark. Tom points out,
“When someone in the family started
lecturing, someone would always say, ‘You
better get your red hat on!”
Tom has looked beyond farming and
towards helping the community for many
years. He has been a strong supporter of the
Oxnard Historic Farm Park, Livingston
Memorial Visiting Nurses Association, and
Interface Children & Family Services.
Like his dad, Tom has been a member of the
Campo Adolfo of the Rancho Vistadores. The
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
86

original group was formed in 1930 with ninety
horsemen, who set out to recreate the days of
rancheros and vaqueros by riding the Santa
Barbara back country for five days through the
hills of San Marcos Pass and finally towards the
Mission at San Ynez. Over the years, many
celebrities have taken part, including Walt
Disney, Clark Gable, Leo Carrillo, and Ronald
Reagan. Campo Adolfo was formed in 1933 by
Bob Clark and Adolfo Camarillo.
Karen Pecht worked as an educator
teaching English Literature and Art at Santa
Clara High, Camarillo High, and Rio Mesa
High. At one point, she was selected District
Teacher of the Year for Oxnard Union High
School District. Since retiring, she picked up
watercolor painting and then her guitar. She
began writing her own songs, and then, with
a little prodding from her husband and music
coach, she decided to create an album
containing all original songs. Her album
“Entangled Hearts” is a collection of twelve
love songs. She has been performing both her
original songs and popular covers at local
venues. The proceeds from her performances
are donated to the Ventura Cancer Resource
Center or other charities.
Tom and Karen reside at the Pecht Home
Ranch where they raised three children—
Benjamin, J. P., and Matthew. They have three
grandchildren, Martie, Kyle, and Evan, who
live locally.
❖
Above: Paul Pecht and his son, Tom, at the
Ditch Road Ranch, c. 1955.
Below: Ditch Road Ranch in 1955.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
8 7

THE CHARLES
AND BEVERLEE
MCGRATH
FAMILY
❖
Above: Robert McGrath, Chuck’s
grandfather (one of the four McGrath
brothers) and his wife, with five of their six
children. Back row: George (Chuck’s father),
and Robert (who as an adult was a priest.)
Front row: Leo, Annie and Margaret. The
youngest of their children, Mary Ellen, was
not born yet.
Below: Chuck served as a Ventura County
Superior Court Judge until 2013 and was
referred to by his friends as the “Hanging
Judge.” This photo was taken at his
retirement ceremony and now hangs in the
ceremonial courtroom in the Ventura
County Courthouse.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
88
The patriarch of one of the oldest continuing
farm families in California, Dominick
McGrath from Derry Shanogue, Longford
County, Ireland, was born on June 6, 1827, to
Peter and Mary (Davis) McGrath. Dominick
set sail for the United States with his Uncle
John Donlon and older brother, Peter. After
landing in New York and working there for
about six years, he set sail for San Francisco,
arriving in 1861. Originally living in the
Livermore, California, area, he raised sheep
on the Berkley Bluffs. Dominick married
Bridget Donlon on August 25, 1867, in
Dublin, California. She was a member of the
Livermore Irish community, which called
their town Dublin after the Dublin they knew
in Ireland.
The story goes that Dominick saw an
advertisement at the Berkley Post Office for
cheap land down on the Central California
coast. He took a train down to Santa
Barbara, bought a buck-board with horses,
drove down to the Oxnard Plain, bought
1,500 acres at the current junction of
Gonzales Road and Harbor Boulevard, which
today borders the McGrath State Beach. Here,
he raised four sons and six daughters
on the large McGrath Ranch. Shortly before
his passing in 1908, his sons created the
Dominic McGrath Estate Company. His
sons; Robert, Frank, Joe, and Hugo continued
to expand their estate during the Great
Depression, to include the ranch where
Charles and Beverlee currently reside, which
is known as the Scarlett Ranch. At its height,
the Dominic McGrath Estate Company
farmed over 6,000 acres. At one point they
had the third largest dairy in California with
769 dairy cows, 300 hogs, 1,200 sheep, 20

cattle, and up to 40 horses. The Percheron
horses—draft horses that pulled the wagons
and plows—and hogs were all kept at the
Scarlett Ranch.
In 1946, right after World War II, the
brothers split up the estate in what is now a
locally famous story of the brothers cutting
cards to see who would get which ranch, or
which parcel. The four sat down with a deck
of cards as noted in the painting that Beverlee
later painted to illustrate the scene. The sons
had the estate split into parcels by a professional
appraiser into what was, at the time,
considered to be equal parcels as no one
could predict the future population trends.
Charles’ grandfather, Robert McGrath, was
the only one to draw his own home ranch, the
Scarlett Ranch.
Here on the Scarlett Ranch, they originally
grew sugar beets, which was common in
Oxnard, (given there was a large sugar mill)
and lima beans which were “dry farmed”
(before irrigation was common practice.)
Today, they mainly grow berries and celery
on the Scarlett Ranch, one of the oldest
family owned ranches in California still in
production today.
George, son of Robert, was an engineer by
trade, who supervised the construction of the
Camarillo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara and
San Nicholas Island Airports. He served in
WWII in the China/Burma, India theater in
the Army Corps. of Engineers. His job was to
find another road through Burma and the
Himalaya Mountains into China after the
Japanese had bombed the Burma Road. He
survived only to come home from the war
with malaria. George married Mary Agnes,
who later gave birth to Charles “Chuck”
Robert McGrath, their firstborn.
❖
Above: Beverlee McGrath painted this
picture to illustrate the McGrath brothers
cutting cards to determine which parcel of
land they would receive.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
8 9

❖
Below: Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval
presenting Beverlee with the Senate
Proclamation that recognizes her
achievement of passing more bills than any
other organization and naming May 31 as
“Beverlee McGrath Day.”
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
90
Chuck went to college at Loyola
Marymount University in Los Angeles, and
then to Loyola Law School. He jokes that
his career was by mistake since his father
convinced him that he should have a
profession to fall back on in case farming
was not for him. After school, Chuck began
practicing law with a big law firm in Oxnard
in 1964. Later, he was asked to submit his
name for an empty judgeship in Ventura
County and was subsequently appointed by
Governor Ronald Reagan. Judge McGrath
served on the Municipal Court of Ventura
County for five years and was then elevated to
the Superior Court for thirty-four more years,
retiring in 2013.
His distinguished career had some very
critical cases including three capital murder
trials. Two of these cases involved the defendant
being sentenced to death, both of whom
are still on death row since California has not
executed anyone in more than twenty years.
He was nicknamed by his friends “the
Hanging Judge.”
Chuck and Bev were married in 1961 and
raised four children at the Scarlett Ranch,
which they moved to in 1970. Their oldest
son, Jack, is a retired Ventura County Deputy
Sheriff. Their next eldest, Debbie, is a high
school counselor living in Vermont. Next is
Danny a tropical produce importer. Finally,
Bridget is a physical trainer. She and her husband
have a fitness center in Lake Tahoe.
When Chuck and Bev met, Beverlee Reed
was in show business: both film and television,
as well as a singer with a night club act. They
had an extended courtship lasting over four
years since she was so busy with her show-biz
career. She has a long list of credits and was a
regular on the Steve Allen Shows, Red Skelton
Shows, Dean Martin Shows, the Danny Kaye
Show, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, Bonanza,
Burke’s Law, Malibu Run, The Greatest Show
on Earth and the hit movie “Irreconcilable
Differences.” She toured with Bob Hope as his
opening act and in Las Vegas night clubs.
Later, her career shifted to becoming a lobbyist
for animal rights, a career with an even
longer list of credits than her show business
success, having passed more than fifty bills in
the legislature of the States of California and
Nevada, becoming the Western Regional
Director for Doris Day Animal League, then the

Nevada State Director for Humane Society of
the United States, and recently, lobbying for the
ASPCA. She is currently the President for Paw
PAC, which is the largest political action committee
for animals in the State of California.
She was recently honored by Nevada State
Governor Brian Sandovol with a proclamation
by the Nevada State Legislature honoring her
efforts for having passed more bills for animals
than any other individual or organization,
establishing May 31, 2015, as Beverlee
McGrath Day. Most recently, Bev has started
her own animal sanctuary at the Scarlett Ranch
for the rehabilitation of both wildlife and farm
animals with a goal to educate children on the
humane treatment of animals and the McGrath
farming process. The sanctuary is named
“Crops and Critters,” and more information
can be found at www.cropsandcritters.com.
Chuck became a rider in the Campo
Adolfo Rancheros Visitadores in 1970 along
with many other distinguished members such
as Ronald Reagan, who was actively a member
until he became President of the United
States. The Rancheros Visitadores or the
“Visiting Ranchers” is a social horsemanship
club in the Ventura and Santa Barbara County
areas. The group meets on ranch land and
embarks upon an annual week-long sixtymile
journey across the countryside, which
began back in 1930.
Although Chuck is not a farmer, he and his
family continue to live on the 225-acre ranch
on Gonzales Road. As Chuck wants to “hang
onto the land for as long as I can for my children’s
sake. It’s security and it’s a valuable
asset. It will always return income.”
And will always be home.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
9 1

THE JOHN
MCGRATH
FAMILY
❖
Right: John McGrath, eldest son of Thomas
Francis “Frank” McGrath.
Below: The John McGrath family’s
“mobile home.” Originally built for Martin
Laurent and Annette Petit Laurent in 1901.
The home was later sold to the McGraths
and moved to their Wooley Road ranch.
Today the building serves as home to La
Dolce Vida Ristorante at Heritage Square.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
92
Another branch of the Dominick McGrath
family clan, Thomas Francis “Frank” McGrath,
one of four sons, inherited the Rose Ranch, the
Graham Ranch and the Patterson Ranch after
the famous card drawing settlement of the vast
McGrath Estate. Dominick had done
everything a man could to assure the continued
success of the agricultural enterprise he had
founded. He had chosen his land wisely;
trained his sons to be strong men of good
judgment; endowed his heirs with all the
material and spiritual riches at his command.
At Dominick’s passing and the founding of the
Dominick McGrath Estate Company, the
partnership owned and farmed over five
thousand acres in Ventura County.
Frank was born April 14, 1880, and
educated in the local public schools, and
graduated from St. Vincent’s College at the age of
twenty. As noted from the McGrath genealogy
thesis, “He was known as ‘a thoroughly
competent businessman and agriculturist.’ He
was an outdoorsman and enterprising rancher
and community figure throughout his life.”
Frank married Helen Higgins from
Wisconsin, who came to Oxnard in 1908 to visit
her aunt. While visiting she became engaged to
Frank and they married in 1911. They had five
children, John, Aileen, Marion, Geraldine, and
Thomas Francis (Frank) McGrath.
Frank’s eldest son, John, born October 27,
1912, grew up on the Home Ranch on
Gonzales Road with his family, which at the
time adjoined the Oxnard Beach, later to be
sold to become the McGrath State Beach.
John married Elizabeth Esther (Bette) Shaw,
who was born in 1914. In the late 1940s they
moved a house from downtown Oxnard to the
Patterson Ranch, where they raised their four
children. They lived there for thirty years.
Later this farmhouse was moved to Heritage
Square in downtown Oxnard where it now
resides in Oxnard’s Historic District. This
historic house is now an Italian restaurant
called La Dolce Vita Ristorante. The family
affectionately calls it the “mobile-home.”
John and Bette eventually settled on the
116 acres of the Rose Ranch at Gonzales and
Rose Avenue. A forty-five-acre portion of this
ranch later became what is now St. John’s
Hospital in Oxnard.

❖
Above: John McGrath on his Allis-Chalmers
tractor working his lima bean field.
Bottom, left: Bette and John McGrath with
three of their children.
Around the time that the hospital was
built, the John McGrath Family Partnership
was formed, which included their children,
Mary Kathleen (Kitty) who married John
Milton Diedrich, Jr. (another notable farming
family in Ventura County), Peter, Timothy,
and Michael, who passed away at a young age
in a motorcycle accident.
The rest of the Rose Ranch continued to be
farmed in lemons and strawberries through
the 1980s before it was eventually developed
into residential and commercial property. A
ten-acre portion of the Rose Ranch was kept
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
9 3

that included the original two-story farmhouse
built in 1839 by the Rose’s that John
McGrath had lived in.
John was very active in the community and
was a part of the Campo Adolpho branch of
the Rancheros Visitadores, or the “Visiting
Ranchers,” a social horsemanship club famous
in the Central California area for an annual
week-long sixty-mile journey. John was one of
the original members of the Ventura County
Sheriff’s Posse, which was founded by Sheriff
Al Jalaty. The Sheriff’s Posse is now active in
both parades and in search and rescue
missions in the back country and canyons of
the Ventura hills. Later, John’s son, Tim, also
became a part of the Ventura Sheriff’s Posse.
Kitty, John and Bette’s eldest child, moved
to the central San Joaquin Valley area with her
husband, John, in the mid-1960s, to begin a
new chapter in family farming. They have
four children: Diane, Barbara, Jay, and Susan,
who are now involved in business, education,
agriculture in Fresno and Merced Counties.
Along with her 4 children, Kitty has 8
grandchildren, and 2 great grandsons.
John’s sons, Peter and Tim, attended Cal Poly
University. After college, Peter went back to
❖
Bette and John McGrath.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
94

Oxnard to farm with their father. Peter never
married. Tim was drafted into the army in 1966,
where he was stationed in Germany. In 1968, he
returned to continue farming with the family.
Later, Tim married Paula Gill and had three children:
Robert, Mary, and Molly. Robert “Bobby,”
is married to Sofie and has a son named Donnie.
Bobby and Sofie are expecting triplets in early
2019. Molly has a young son named Kase. Tim
later married his second wife, Teresa Robinson.
Tim and Kitty, as partners in the John
McGrath Family Partnership, continue to
oversee the Rose Ranch Shopping Center. Tim
and son Bobby are also involved in farming in
the Santa Paula area. Tim and Kitty and their
children meet regularly to discuss their ongoing
projects, carrying on the tradition of stewardship
and innovation in the family enterprise.
❖
Above: John McGrath with some of
his grandchildren.
Bottom, left: Tim and Teresa McGrath.
Bottom, right: Bobby and Sofie McGrath
and Donovan.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
9 5

THE THOMAS
FRANCIS
MCGRATH
FAMILY
❖
Above: The McGrath Dairy off Gonzales
road, c. the 1940s.
Below: The McGrath brothers and sisters.
Seated (from left to right) Maggie McGrath,
Nellie McGrath Leonard, Nan McGrath
Laubacher, and Lizzie McGrath
McCormick. Standing: Hugo McGrath,
Minnie McGrath Hanley, Joe McGrath,
Josie McGrath Doud, Frank McGrath, and
Robert McGrath.
The McGrath family farming legacy in
Oxnard dates back to early 1876.
The patriarch of the family, Dominick
McGrath, originally from Derry Shanogue,
Ireland, arrived in Oxnard in February 1876
with his wife, Bridget. Impressed by the abundance
and the size of the wild mustard growing
in the fields of Ventura County, Dominick
figured the land must be fertile.
He purchased, parcel by parcel, what
became the 5,000-acre ranch for as little as
seventy-five cents an acre and built a little
clapboard house on the knoll near what is
now Harbor Boulevard and Gonzales Road,
where the couple raised six daughters and
four sons.
Fast forward more than 140 years and the
McGrath influence in Oxnard is still going
strong. Ventura County now boasts more than
500 descendants of the original McGrath family.
Included in the vast McGrath clan
is Sean McGrath, great-grandson of Dominick
and Bridget.
In the famous card draw to divide up the
McGrath estate after Dominick passed away,
Sean’s grandfather, Thomas Francis McGrath
(Frank) born April 14, 1880, ended up with
the Rose Ranch, the Graham Ranch and the
Patterson Ranch, where he and wife Helen
Higgins raised their children: John, Helen,
Marion, Geraldine, and Thomas Francis
McGrath—Sean’s father—born December 28,
1920. They later moved to the Rose Ranch
where Sean, his brother, Tom, and sister,
Bridget, were raised by his father and mother,
Frank McGrath and Lenore Carroll.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
96

There was a subsequent division of the
property in 1971. In fact, the farmhouse in
which Sean and his siblings were raised was
later restored and moved in its totality to
Camarillo where two contiguous ranches now
comprise McGrath Family Farms.
“We were heavily involved in the row crop
business,” said Sean. “Sugar beets at the start,
but then we shifted into fresh vegetables—
tomatoes, cabbage, celery and broccoli. Later,
we added lemons.”
Sean and Tom spent many hours working
in the field with their dad and learned to drive
tractors at a very young age. They worked on
the farm through grammar school, high
school and college.
“My dad used to say, ‘it’s okay to play, but
you’ve got to work,’” recalls Sean. “He drilled
that into us very clearly at an early age. But,
he always stressed the importance of spending
quality time with the family. We had a great
upbringing with many special memories.”
Although farming was the number
one priority for Sean’s father, flying was a
close second.
“My brother and I would be working on
the farm and we’d look up and see my father
flying overhead,” said Sean. “And, it wasn’t
unusual for him to have a dog in the plane
with him. He was just checking to see if we
were working.”
Tom enjoyed flying as well and earned his
pilot’s license. Sean admits he flew a few
times, unlicensed.
Growing up, the McGraths had their share
of fun. Sean fondly remembers hanging out at
the nearby Pfeiler Ranch with his cousins
where they learned how to swim. He also
recalls when his cousin, Bob, received an alligator
in the mail in a small wooden crate from
his brother in Florida. They stashed the alligator
in a spare bathroom tub until it grew too
big for the tub. Then, they built a moat for the
alligator and fed it bologna sandwiches.
“Eventually, the alligator grew to about six
feet in length, escaped its confines, and journeyed
over the railroad tracks and over the
highway, much to the dismay of the sheriff,”
said Sean.
For this proud Irish-American family,
building a legacy while farming on the coast
of Southern California over five generations
(and counting) is the greatest blessing they
could ever desire.
❖
Above: McGrath home ranch off
Gonzales Road.
Below: A signed check by Dominck
McGrath, July 14, 1899.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
9 7

JOE MCGRATH
❖
Above: Joe and May McGrath with all four
children: Jane, Elizabeth, Bill, and Joe Jr. in
the 1920s.
Below: Joe McGrath’s children, Elizabeth,
Bill, Joe, and Jane, taken in Tahoe 1992.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
98
Joseph Dominic McGrath of Oxnard
met May Kennedy of Berkeley,
California, through mutual cousins, the
Leonards from Berkeley. May’s grandfather,
James Leonard, was one of the four
founders of Berkeley.
Joe and May were married in 1911.
They honeymooned in Hawaii by way of
steamer ship and settled on the Rose
Ranch located on Rose Road and
Gonzalez Road in Oxnard. Their four
children—Jane (1912), Joe Jr. (1914),
Elizabeth (1916), and William (1918)—
were all born there. William was born
shortly after his cousin, William Hanley,
was killed in World War I.
Joe, Sr., farmed his entire life with his
three brothers, Hugo, Frank and Rob.
He was regarded as the businessman in
the family. Joe managed the books and
acquired additional properties to farm from
the Montalvo Ranch to Port Hueneme (more
than 5,000 acres.) In addition to farming lima
beans and lemons, the McGraths also had
dairy ranches and raised pigs.
An excellent rider—dignified and kind—
Joe was often seen aboard his stallion, Duke.
Always the one others turned to for advice,
Joe was the first McGrath to hold a public
office when he was appointed to the Ventura
County Board of Supervisors in 1931.
Sadly, May passed away at fifty-four from
breast cancer in 1933 and never knew any of
her thirty grandchildren.
After the 1948 division of the McGrath
properties, Joe, Sr., moved to the Montalvo
Ranch in Ventura with his son, Joe, Jr.
Soon after, Joe, Jr., married Miriam Boothe
and they raised five children and farmed
the property.
Meanwhile, Jane married Maurice Aggeler
of Ferndale, California, and they raised five
children in Denver. In later years, they retired
in Santa Barbara.
Elizabeth married Walter Johansing of Los
Angeles and settled in Pasadena where they
raised ten children. Later, they moved to a
large ranch in Paso Robles.
William (Bill) married Evelyn Beer of
Liverpool, England, and built their home on
the Claberg Ranch in Camarillo, where they
raised ten children.
Those many grandchildren cherished the
numerous family reunions, both small and
large, where they fondly remembered
Grandpa wearing his suit, tie, and hat and
driving his shiny black 1942 Cadillac.
Grandpa Joe died in 1953 and is buried
next to his beloved May at Santa Clara
Cemetery in Oxnard.

SAN MIGUEL
PRODUCE, INC.
San Miguel Produce, Inc., is an innovative,
sustainable, third-generation family farm,
passionately focused on growing and processing
quality, nutrient-dense greens. The rich
soil and mild climate of the coastal Oxnard
plains generate some of the freshest and
healthiest produce in the country, year round.
San Miguel Produce owners, Roy
Nishimori and his wife, Jan Berk, are continuing
a farming heritage that began when Roy’s
grandfather, Taichi Nishimori, emigrated from
Japan in 1904-1905 and settled in Southern
California. Taichi started farming in the
Compton area, then his son, Jinobu, joined
the family farm after high school and before
World War II. The Nishimori family endured
the infamous Santa Anita Internment Camp,
then the Jerome, Arkansas Internment Camp.
After the war, Jinobu returned to the farm
located in the North Long Beach area. In
1960, Jinobu moved the family to the Oxnard
area where he established the Nishimori Bros
Farm with his brother, Minobu. Roy joined
his father on the family farm in 1973.
Roy started San Miguel Produce in 1976 by
growing produce such as celery, spinach, mix
lettuce, cabbage and lima beans. Later, broccoli,
cauliflower, and head lettuce were
added. In the early 1990s, the company began
its transition to the niche industry of cooking
greens. By the mid-1990s, the company shifted
its focus 100 percent to specialty greens. In
1995, Cut ‘N Clean Greens was launched as
the first national fresh-cut, washed, bagged
and ready-to-use cooking greens.
Today, San Miguel Produce is a fresh-cut
processor and shipper specializing in dark
leafy greens that are sold, in both organic and
conventional varieties, under the brand names
San Miguel Produce, Cut ‘N Clean Greens, and
Jade Asian Greens. The greens, including kale,
collard, chard, mustard, turnip, and bok choy,
are among the most nutrient-dense vegetables
in the world. They are high in vitamins, minerals
and phytochemicals, which play an
important role in a healthy lifestyle.
With the farm’s fresh-cut processing plant
located near its fields in Ventura County, San
Miguel harvests to order to ensure that customers
get the very best farm-fresh greens.
The final product embodies the very definition
of ‘Farm Fresh-Grower Direct.’
Roy’s nephew, Garrett Nishimori, represents
the fourth generation of the family
involved with the family business and works
now as the Sales and Marketing Manager.
The goal of San Miguel Produce is to grow,
harvest, and process the highest quality and
safest greens possible using proven farming
techniques in addition to a state-of-the-art
food safety program. The greens category is
growing in popularity as consumers learn
more about the amazing nutrition and culinary
versatility of greens. It is no wonder that
the San Miguel Produce slogan is, ‘A Taste So
Healthy You Can Feel It!’
❖
Above: Standing: COO Jan Berk; President
and CEO Roy Nishimori. Kneeling:
IT Manager Aaron Berk; Rescue Dog
Teddy Bear; Director of Accounting Angee
Lau-Berk; and Sales and Marketing
Manager Garret Nishimori.
Below: Roy (left) and Wayne
(right) Nishimori.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
9 9

THE JACOB &
DORETTA
MAULHARDT
FAMILY
❖
Above: The Jacob and Doretta
Maulhardt family.
Below: A panoramic of Louis Maulhardt
threshing lima beans.
The first Maulhardt to venture from
Germany to California was Anton Maulhardt.
He was the youngest of the three brothers who
made Ventura County their new home. The
Maulhardts were from Mingerode, Germany,
near Duderstadt and part of the southern portion
of the Kingdom of Hanover. After losing
to the Prussians in a three-day battle in August
1866, Anton was sent to check on the opportunities
in California where fellow countryman
Christian Borchard was already staking a
claim. By March of 1867, Christian was in
what became Ventura County and the other
families’ members followed. Traveling on the
same boat from the Port of Bremen, were
Gottfried and his wife, Sophia Maulhardt,
Jacob and Doretta Maulhardt with their oneyear-old
son, Henry, and the nephew of
Christian, Caspar Borchard.
Each brother traveled down the coast at a
different pace. They all spent some time in
Contra Costa County before traveling south.
Jacob, who worked as a butcher on the ship
over, welcomed the birth of their daughter,
Emma, who was born in Contra Costa County
in 1868. Jacob and family soon joined
Gottfried and Sophie, who were already in
Ventura County. Gottfried and Caspar were
renting land from Juan Camarillo on the
Colonia Rancho that they eventually bought.
By December 1872, Jacob and Gottfried along
with Johannes Borchard (Caspar’s brother)
purchased 1,243 acres from Juan Camarillo
for $12,430, or $10 an acre. The land
stretched from Rice Avenue to Juanita Avenue
from Camino Del Sol to the 101 Freeway.
Jacob and his wife Doretta (Kohler) raised
five children to adulthood, losing young
Eddie to a farming accident as a boy. Jacob
and Doretta arrived in California in 1867, carrying
Henry with them as they walked across
the Isthmus of Panama before tracking down
a ship to take them to San Francisco. Jacob
worked his way down the California coast
until the family arrived for good after the
birth of their third child, Louis, in 1870. The
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
100

Ventura Signal reported in an interview in
1878, “Mr. Maulhardt came here with a wife
and three children and not a cent in his pocket;
rented land the first year at fifty cents per
acre and went to work. Next, he bought 400
acres paying $10 an acre.”
Jacob, along with his brothers, were among
the men who served on the building committee
to establish the Santa Clara Church in
1876. Jacob served as board member for the
area’s first school, San Pedro School and also
served on the original board for the Bank of
Oxnard with Henry Oxnard and James A.
Driffill. Jacob kept his eye open for new crops,
serving on the committee that helped establish
the sugar industry, which his nephew, Albert
Maulhardt was instrumental in creating.
Jacob and Doretta raised five children:
Henry married Monic Leidel; Emma married
Cornelius Carty; Louis married Theresa
Borchard; Dr. Adolf Anton Maulhardt married
Emily Hunter and Mary Maulhardt married
Louis Hartman. The family eventually purchased
several more ranches in addition to the
412-acre home ranch. In 1882, Jacob
purchased the seventy-two-acre Zachariah
Graham ranch that eventually became the
Carty Tract. In 1888, Jacob bought 317 acres
in the Ocean View district off Hueneme Road
then added another 159 acres next to this
property in 1893.
Louis and Theresa took over the home
ranch and raised six children: Eddie married
Florence Obiols; Marie married Dwight
Miner; Alma married Jack Murphy; Robert
married Frances Heck; John married Jeanne
Graves and Richard married Ruth Baker.
Louis and Theresa purchased more ranches
as well including 100 acres in 1901 from the
Foulks family and located across the street
from the home ranch at the corner of Rose
Avenue and current Camino Del Sol. The next
year, they purchased the 525-acre ranch off
Santa Rosa Road near Camarillo. In 1910,
Louis purchased 289 acres in Camarillo
Heights and the following year Theresa added
1,000 adjoining acres in Camarillo Heights
from her father, John Borchard. A final ranch
was purchased in 1926, from Thomas Bell, of
100 acres across the street from the home
ranch and next to the Foulks property along
Rice Road. Louis built a model two story barn
in 1906 and had Albert Priest design a 7,000-
square-foot home completed in 1917.
After Louis passed away in 1927 from a
farming accident, Theresa turned to her
young sons to run the ranch. Robert ran the
ranch until 1952 at which time Richard and
Ruth Maulhardt took over and raised their
five children: Richard (Janet), Lynn (Marsha),
Dean (Toni), Donna (Gary), and Alan (Terry).
❖
Above: The Maulhardt home ranch.
Bottom: Dick and Ruth Maulhardt with
Oxnard family, James and Thornton.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 0 1

BOSKOVICH
FARMS, INC.
❖
Top: Phil Boskovich, Sr. Sitting on tractor
seat, circa 1939.
Below: George Boskovich, Sr. Standing on
dock next to truck.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
102
The name Boskovich has been synonymous
with fresh quality produce for more
than a century. Boskovich Farms is family
owned and operated. Four generations of the
Boskovich family have produced thirty different
vegetable crops year-round on more than
15,000 acres in California and Mexico. The
company also operates shipping points in
Salinas and Yuma, Arizona.
The Boskovich product line includes a
wide variety of both conventional and organic
fresh produce available year-round. In
addition to its processing division, Boskovich
Fresh Cut provides a diverse line of retail and
food service items.
The family farming heritage dates from
1915 when Stephen Boskovich began farming
in the San Fernando Valley and sold his crops
at the Los Angeles Wholesale Market. He and
his wife, Eva, and five children all grew up
helping on the farm.
In the 1940s, two of Stephen’s sons, John
and George, returned home from World War
II and began working for their brother,
Phillip, who had been growing green onions
and carrots on seven acres of land. Eventually,
the three brothers formed Boskovich Brothers
Produce Growers.
During the 1960s, the Boskovich brothers
moved their farming operation to
Newhall/Saugus, California, growing green
onions on a 145-acre ranch owned by Newhall
Land and Farming Co. The brothers developed
a steady and profitable business delivering
green onions to Los Angeles-based customers.
During the 1970s, three of Stephen’s grandsons—George
Jr., Philip Jr., and Joe—became
partners in the family enterprise and formed
Boskovich Farms, Inc. After growing green
onions for twenty-five years, economic conditions
dictated that they should expand the family
business. The company began producing a

combination of mixed vegetables, which fit
well with green onions and together were compatible
for loading and shipping. The new
crops included radishes, parsley, cilantro, kale,
table beets, and leeks.
The consolidation of products and steady
supplies available year-round attracted many
new customers and encouraged the family to
broaden its product line even more. By the
mid-1980s, Boskovich Farms was producing
more than twenty different vegetable crops—
twelve months a year—from four locations in
California, Arizona, and Mexico.
The fresh produce market industry
changed rapidly in the 1990s as technology
allowed better results with fresh-cut vegetables.
In response, the company purchased an
established fresh-cut processing facility,
which became Boskovich Fresh-Cut. This
processing division enabled the company to
provide top quality, value-added products for
retail and food service and has become the
company’s most rapidly growing product line.
In 2004 the company consolidated its
headquarters and Fresh-Cut facility into one
location at 711 Diaz Avenue in Oxnard and
built a new processing facility to accommodate
Fresh-Cut product growth. The move
allowed the loading of both commodity and
fresh-cut products at one location. Organic
produce lines were added to the product lineup
in 2011.
At Boskovich Farms, all programs are
designed around the goal of conserving energy,
waste reduction, and recycling. The company
is also dedicated to maintaining good
relationships with its employees, business
partners and the local community.
Recognizing the importance of providing
safe, top-quality products, Boskovich Farms
strives to maintain the highest of standards
with first-rate Quality Assurance and Food
Safety Programs.
After more than a century of growth, the
Boskovich family is committed to passing on
the legacy of a successful family business. The
fourth generation of the family is now represented
by George Boskovich III, Philip
Boskovich III, and Bridget Boskovich. George
III, son of George Boskovich Jr., has followed
in his father’s footsteps by beginning his
career in the commodity sales end of the business
and now oversees Contract Growing and
Fresh-Cut Operations. Philip III, son of Philip
Boskovich Jr., is following his father in Farm
Management including Growing, Harvesting
and Field Food-Safety of multiple crops both
conventional and organic. Bridget, daughter
of Philip Boskovich Jr., is managing the company’s
marketing and advertising department.
Each succeeding generation of the
Boskovich family has grown the company to
loftier heights. The current generation is determined
to maintain the family’s good reputation
and well-regarded brand within the industry.
❖
Above: George Boskovich III in a spinach
field.
Below: Boskovich Family in Radish Field.
Back row left to right: George Sr., John and
Philip Boskovich, Sr. Front row kneeling left
to right: Joe, George Jr., and Philip
Boskovich, Jr.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 0 3

❖
Above: The Franz Friedrich family, c. 1900.
Below: The home of John B. Friedrich.
THE FRIEDRICH FAMILY IN
VENTURA COUNTY
The Friedrich name was introduced into
Ventura County when Franz Joseph Friedrich
and Magdalena Huch Friedrich and their five
children emigrated from Germany in 1882.
They came to America at the invitation of
Magdalena’s first cousins, John and Caspar
Borchard, who had arrived more than ten
years before.
The promise of abundant farmland, open
space to raise a family, and security in settling
near successful close relatives, away from the
political unrest of the new “German Empire,”
gave the young family courage.
Franz was thirty-one and Magdalena thirty
when they sold their farm, left their parents,
brothers and sisters in Desingerode, near
Duderstadt, in Hannover and boarded ship
for the New World. Their five children were
young: Joseph was 10; Ignatz 8, Adolph 6,
Mary 3 and Emilie 2. Six more Friedrich
children were born in America, most in a
home built in Ocean View, present day
Hueneme. They were Anna (1884), Frank
(1885), Emma (1887), Hermann (1890),
William (1892) and John (1894).
Many families emigrated from the
Hannover Province of Germany to Ventura
County in the last half of the nineteenth
century, among them the Borchards,
Maulhardts, Diedrichs, Scholles, and in the
early part of the twentieth century, Kellners
and Voelkers.
Sorrow met the Friedrichs before they even
arrived in Ventura County. The ship, which
sailed from Hamburg, discharged its
passengers in Galveston, Texas, where the
Friedrich family boarded a train for
California. The youngest, Emilie, fussed and
cried, and even though a fellow passenger
sought to help, the baby died. The family
continued on to Los Angeles, transferred to a
ship in the Los Angeles Harbor, and
disembarked at Port Hueneme, where they
were met by cousin John Borchard. The
Friedrichs stayed with John in New Jerusalem
(El Rio) until they bought 1,200 acres of land
from a Spanish land grant on the Conejo
(across from cousin Caspar Borchard’s) on the
north side of present-day Highway101, where
the Newbury Park light industrial park is
situated today. Dry farming yielded wheat,
barley and hay.
One of the stories told by the oldest son,
Joseph, was that it was his job—when he was
twelve years old—to drive a team of horses
with a load of grain down the old Conejo
grade to Port Hueneme. It took considerable
skill to chain the wheels of the wagon to brake
the heavy load, negotiate the steep and
narrow grade, to care for the horses and to sell
the crop at the Hueneme pier for a good price.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
104

The young boy would sleep under the wagon
and give the horses a rest before driving them
back up the grade the next day.
The story of the Friedrich Family is one of
courage and of faith. Farming on the Conejo
was not an easy task. Anyone who has studied
the land at the top of the grade can see the
abundance of stone; and anyone who has
driven from the bottom of the grade to the top
can tell the difference in temperature. Water
has always been precious in Ventura County,
and there have been years of drought in every
century. During one particularly dry year,
Franz was discouraged and wanted to call it
quits. “Let’s go home!” Magdalena said, “No,
we will wait and pray.” She would not allow
her husband to consider bankruptcy, which
he had talked about. Family history has it that
the following year it rained.
We know very little of Franz, the patriarch of
the Friedrich Family in Ventura County.
According to family lore, he was an intense
person at work and a stern disciplinarian with
his children. The 1926 volume, A History of
Ventura County, by Sheridan, describes Franz
Joseph Friedrich as a man of “energy and
determination” who “transformed the wild land
into a fertile farm on which he erected good
buildings for the shelter of grain and stock.”
Magdalena spoke broken English,
preferring to communicate in her native
German. Though the grandchildren could
understand Magdalena, they really did not
speak German. They had become thoroughly
Americanized. Magdalena typified the stories
we hear about pioneer women in the New
World. She had a much longer life than her
husband, Franz, who died just before his
fifty-seventh birthday, probably of a heart
attack, in January 1908. Magdalena lived until
her eighty-eighth year, 1939, thirty-one years
longer than her husband.
That the Catholic faith was important to the
Friedrich Family is evident in part by the fact
that three of their children entered religious
life. Anna, the sixth child, entered the
Immaculate Heart Sisters, a small community
in Hollywood, about 1900. The older
daughter, Mary, would follow her about 1902.
Anna was known as Sister Clara, IHM, until
she left the congregation in the late 1930s.
Mary became Sister Raphael, IHM, and
remained with the community until her death
in 1966. The youngest child, John, became a
priest, first of the Franciscan Order, and then
in the Servants of the Paraclete in Arizona.
Joseph, Ignatz, Adolph, and William all
married and had families, passing the Friedrich
name down to the third and fourth generations.
Emma, who married Louis Brucker, continued
the Friedrich line with the Brucker name. Many
of the Franz and Magdalena Friedrich
descendants continued to make their living by
farming or agricultural pursuits.
Written by Sister M. Joseph Cecile Voelker,
CSC, great-granddaughter of Franz Joseph and
Magdalena Huch Friedrich; granddaughter of
Joseph Franz and Anna Borchard Friedrich,
daughter of Joseph and Cecilia Friedrich Voelker.
❖
Above: Joe and Annie Friedrich and their
children, c. 1920.
Below: Joe and Annie Friedrich and their
children, 1928.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 0 5

THE LAUBACHER
FAMILY
❖
Above: (From left to right) Aunt Nancy
McGrath Laubacher; Benjamin; Ed; Stella;
Evangelin Carrol,;Sister St. John; Uncle
Frank; Sarah; Margaret McGrath; Uncle
Joe; Robert McGrath; and Clara Laubacher.
Below: (From left to right) Steve, Jr.; Steve,
Sr.; Pat Laubacher; Eva; Hank, Sr.;
and Donnie.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
106
Father John Laubacher started the migration
of the Laubacher clan from Malvern,
Ohio, to Oxnard, California, in 1902.
“He was sent out to lead the Santa Clara
Church in Oxnard,” said Hank Laubacher,
the great nephew of Father John. “Then, he
started St. John’s Hospital in Oxnard, which
was named after him.”
The regional hospital was established in
1912 by the Sisters of Mercy at the
request of Father John. Community leaders
approached him a year earlier concerned
that healthcare services did not adequately
meet the needs of the thousands of
residents who had settled on the Oxnard
plains. The hospital opened as a six-room
wooden structure on ten acres
of land.
Over the next few years, the
Laubacher family arrived in
California in spurts. First,
Father John’s mother came out
with her two older sons. Later,
Hank’s grandfather, Ben, the
youngest brother in the family,
arrived in Oxnard with
his sister.
Ben and his brothers, Frank
and Joe, established the farm
around 1904. It has been the
family business for more than
a century.
“My grandfather was forty
when he got married and he
proceeded to have nine kids,”
said Hank. “I can remember
him sitting in a lawn chair

with a handkerchief over his head. He was
exhausted. I guess that’s what nine kids can
do to you.”
Ben was one of several children in his family.
His brother, Ed, married Anna McGrath
while his sister, Margaret, married Rob
McGrath. The McGraths are another legendary
farming family in the area.
“The McGraths are good friends of
ours,” said Hank. “We’re proud to have them
as competitors and farming partners in
Ventura County.”
Just two of Ben’s children—Hank’s dad,
Steve, and his Uncle Bob—went into farming.
“When grandpa retired, he turned over the
farm to his sons,” said Hank. “Eventually,
they drew straws to see who would stay and
who would go.”
Bob bought a farm and moved to Idaho
while Steve stayed in Oxnard. Hank and his
brothers, Steve, Jr., and Don, worked on the
farm. The property was officially named
Laubacher Farms, Inc., in 1982.
Older brother, Steve, passed away a few
years ago, leaving the farm in the hands of
Hank, Don, and Hank, Jr., the fourth-generation
farmer in the family. Steve’s son, Todd,
also works on the farm. Meanwhile, Hank’s
daughter, Emily, works in the office while
her husband, Paul Penza, is the farm’s
pest control advisor, also known as the
bug doctor.
With six grandchildren, five of whom are
boys, Hank is hoping that one of them will
want to be a farmer someday. “I hope the
future generations keep it going, but, it’s out
of my hands,” he said.
Over the years, the farm has seen many
changes. When the farm started in the
early 1900s, the Laubachers grew sugar
beets, dried beans, and hay for the horses.
They only grew in the summertime. Then, in
the 1960s, they started expanding their
growing season.
“Now, it’s a year-round deal,” said Hank.
“We probably grow ten commodities.”
Included are lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes,
radishes, cilantro, peppers, lima beans, snap
peas, and strawberries.
Over the years, there have been many
special moments on the farm for the
Laubacher family.
While Hank was in high school, he was
the foreman of the weeding crew. One of their
clients was Chris Cooluris, a farmer in
Oxnard. After Cooluris
passed away a few years
ago, his daughters, Ann
and Helen, were rummaging
through his desk and
came across some old canceled
checks from 1971.
“The checks were made
out to Henry Laubacher
and crew,” said Hank. “All
these canceled checks were
nearly fifty years old. I
made about $1.50 an hour
as foreman while the other
crew members made about
$1.25 an hour. Our check
for the week was $58.
That’s how times have changed.”
The Cooluris girls, friends of the
Laubacher family, gave Hank the canceled
checks and he mounted them on the wall in
the office as a memento. For Hank, it brought
back fond memories of those days of pulling
weeds from their property.
As for life today as a farmer in Oxnard,
Hank believes it could not be better. “Oxnard
has the best climate in the world,” said Hank.
“It has the nicest soil and has a 365-day
growing season. Every day, I look forward to
getting up and going to work.”
❖
Hank, Jr., Don, and Hank, Sr., pose for
a picture.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 0 7

DR. MANUEL
LOPEZ
❖
The Lopez family immigrated to Oxnard
from Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico.
When Dr. Manuel “Manny” Lopez, Jr.,
long-time optometrist from Oxnard,
California, was a young boy, he saw a
magazine picture of a little boy gazing
upward, and the caption said, “He who sits
and dreams about living on top of the
mountain, will die in the valley.” It is fitting
that Manny used those words to propel his
amazing medical and political career. Manny’s
humble family origins began in the beautiful
Mexican valley named Jerez.
Right around the time that Pancho Villa
was on the run and the Mexican Revolution
was in full swing, Manny’s parents were being
married in the central Mexican town of Jerez,
in the state of Zacatecas. The Lopez family
would eventually settle in Oxnard, California,
shaping and enriching the community ever
since, and they are extremely proud of their
Mexican American heritage.
In 1916, Dr. Lopez’s father, Manuel Lopez,
Sr., married Isabel Martinez in Jerez. Life was
very hard, and the Revolution had come to the
region and wiped almost everything out.
Unfriendly factions would come to Jerez and
steal all of the provisions. Sadly, some of
Manny’s relatives starved to death. But
Manuel, Sr., and Isabel were determined to
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
108

make a new life, and they boarded the train to
El Paso, Texas, shortly after they were married.
Manuel, Sr., first worked on the railroads.
Before Oxnard was even incorporated,
Manuel, Sr., had relatives living there, and he
longed to reunite with his family. He held
several dangerous occupations, including
chopping down Eucalyptus trees, all while
staying in local boarding houses along the way.
Manuel and Isabel arrived in Oxnard
several years later. At this time, Manuel
worked mainly as a farm laborer, but he
instilled a deep sense of commitment to
reading and education in his children. This
was not lost on the young Manny. Even
though Manny did not hear the English
language until he was six years old, he
became an excellent student. At his father’s
urging, he dedicated himself to his studies.
Manny recalled that he never heard his father
speak English, although his father would read
two local newspapers every day.
At age twelve, there was a fierce outbreak
of tuberculosis, and sadly, Manny contracted
the disease. While many just withered away
from the disease, he fought tuberculosis for
over thirteen years, constantly recovering and
relapsing. But it was during this time that his
reading and education skills were sharpened,
along with a healthy interest in politics. While
in the hospital, Manny received the benefit
of tutoring, along with long periods of
reading time and political radio news. While
being bedridden and unable to do anything
else, Manny was captivated by all of the
speeches, debates and political commentary
heard on the radio at the time. Later in life,
he would attend a rare John F. Kennedy
speech at Berkeley. These experiences
fueled his love of the political arena, and
would eventually lead to his long career in
public service.
Manny graduated from Ventura College,
the University of California at Berkeley, and
the University of California Berkeley School of
Optometry. In 1975, he was named “Tri
County Optometrist of the Year” and, in
2004, he was awarded the Tri County
Optometric Lifetime Achievement Award.
Manny also found the time to contribute to
Oxnard through a multitude of civil service
positions, including being the mayor of
Oxnard from 1992 until 2004. His six
consecutive terms mark the longest tenure in
mayoral history, since the position began
in 1910.
Among his many civic and professional
awards, Dr. Lopez received the Father of the
Year Victory Way Pre-School Award in 1984-
85, the recognition he is proudest of.
Even into his nineties, Dr. Lopez continues
to do his best to shape the Oxnard
community, along with his family, wife Irma,
and two daughters, Marisa and Tiffany.
❖
Above: Manuel and Irma Lopez on the
campaign trail in 1983.
Below: Manuel and Irma with their
daughters, Marisa and Tiffany, in 1996.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 0 9

THE SAMUEL
AND ROSINA
NAUMANN
FAMILY
❖
Above: The Samuel and Rosina Naumann
family about 1890, in Germantown, Texas.
Shown are (from left to right) Gustav,
Emma, Paul, Samuel, Martha, Richard
Moecker, Rosina, Louise, Herman,
and Otto.
Below: The five sons of Samuel and Rosina
Naumann about 1910, in Oxnard. From
left to right: Gustav, Herman, Richard
Moecker, Otto, and Paul.
Samuel Naumann was born in Atzendorf,
Germany, in 1835. Atzendorf is a small town
about 100 miles southwest of Berlin. Samuel
married Rosina Wilcke in 1874 in
Aschersleben, a town near Atzendorf. This was
the second marriage for both parties. There
were three children from Samuel’s first marriage.
Rosina was divorced from her first husband.
There was one child from this
marriage; Richard Moecker was born in
1870. While living in Germany, six children
were born to Samuel and Rosina,
Herman, 1875; Louise, 1876;
Emma, 1878; twins Paul and
Otto, 1879; and Gustav 1884.
Samuel, Rosina, and family
immigrated from Germany to
America in 1886. Little is
known of their life in Germany,
except that Samuel owned a
house in Aschersleben and he
was a stonemason by trade. The
town of Aschersleben dates its
beginning to the 700s and it was
a walled city. It is surmised they
left Germany because of opportunities
available in the United
States. They traveled aboard the
North German Lloyd Steamship
Company’s steamship Ems named so after a
river located in northwestern Germany. The
ship launched in 1884 was one of the line’s
“Express Steamers.” They were the fastest liners
of the times and capable of completing the
voyage from Bremerhaven to New York in
eight to nine days. They docked in New York
on August 17, 1886, and were processed
through the Castle Garden Immigration
Depot located at the tip of Manhattan Island
now called Battery Park. Ellis Island did not
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
110

ecome the immigration point of entry
until 1892.
Samuel’s intended destination was south
Texas, near the town of Victoria. Since the
1840s, a number of German immigrants had
settled in south Texas. After processing
through Castle Garden, they most likely traveled
to Texas by train.
Samuel purchased 104 acres near the small
town of Germantown about fifteen miles west
of Victoria. In 1888, Martha, the seventh child
was born to Samuel and Rosina. In 1893,
Samuel received his citizenship document
from the court in Victoria.
Samuel decided to move the family to
Chino, California, where the Oxnard brothers
had opened a sugar beet factory in
1890. The town of Chino was founded in
1887 by Richard Gird who had sold his
mining interests in Tombstone, Arizona, and
purchased the Spanish grant lands of the
Rancho Santa Ana del Chino totaling
47,000 acres. Gird induced the Oxnard
brothers to build a sugar beet factory in
Chino and he advertised by various means
the opportunity for farmers to rent or
purchase land at a reasonable price to grow
the sugar beets. Samuel rented land and with
the help of his five sons grew sugar beets for
the Chino factory.
About this time, a contingent of farmers
led by Albert Maulhardt from the area near
the town of Hueneme, California approached
the Oxnard brothers about building a sugar
beet factory in their area. This resulted
in the Oxnard sugar factory, which opened in
1899. It has been documented that Samuel
had a small loan at Thomas Bard’s, Bank of
Hueneme in May of 1898. In 1901, Samuel
purchased 159 acres in the Ocean View
area on Etting Road a few miles east of
Hueneme. Samuel would build a family residence
and farm buildings at this location.
In 1904, he purchased eighty acres adjoining
the previous purchase.
The town of Oxnard sprang up around the
factory and was incorporated in 1903. In
1904, Samuel purchased two lots on C Street
in the new town of Oxnard. These two lots
would become 336 and 342 C Street located
two blocks north of the Plaza.
Sadly, Samuel took his own life in 1905.
The Oxnard Courier of March 17, 1905, reported
he had been in a “state of melancholy for
quite a while.” He was buried in the Hueneme
Masonic Cemetery located on Etting Road one
mile west of the home ranch. Samuel’s remains
were moved to a family plot in Ivy Lawn
Cemetery when Rosina passed in 1927.
After Samuel’s death, the sons farmed the
ranch but eventually moved on to their own
properties. Fourth and fifth generation
descendants of Samuel and Rosina still farm
in Ventura County.
❖
Above: Herman Naumann standing on
wagon load of sugar beets in Oxnard,
c. 1910.
Below: The Naumann brothers thrashing
lima beans on the Etting Road Home Ranch.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 1 1

THE THOMAS
GILL-
❖
Above: Thomas Gill.
CATHERINE
DONLAN
FAMILY
Top: Gregory and Margret Mara Gill close
to when they were married.
Bottom: Left to right: Back row: Thomas
Joseph, Margaret Mara, Gregory, and
Clement William Gill. Front Row: Joseph
Lewis, Margaret Marie, Ellen Regina, and
Harold Robert Gill.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
112
The Gill family saga began with Thomas
Gill, who was born in 1816 in Cloomscot,
County Lanfored, Ireland, and Catherine
Donlon, who was born in 1848 in Derry
Shanoque, Lanseboro, County Longford,
Ireland. Thomas and Catherine married in the
early 1870s. As they settled into married life
in Ireland, Catherine happened one day to
purchase a sack of flour.
In those days, the name of the flour producer
and the location of where it was packaged
were printed on the sack in bold letters, along
with a map of where the farm was located. This
particular sack of flour had been produced in
Ventura County, California, and a map of the
county was printed on the side of the sack.
Catherine was intrigued by the idea that
her sack of flour had been grown, processed
and packaged thousands of miles away in a
place called California, and she vowed to
move someday to Ventura County. She kept
the map on a wall and her obsession grew into
a dream. She told everyone who visited that
someday she and Tom would move to
Ventura, California.
It so happened that Catherine’s half-brother,
Peter, visited California and purchased land in
1869-1870. When he returned to Ireland, he
told everyone what a wonderful place it was.
From that time on Catherine became the driving
force behind the family’s move to California.
Finally, in 1886, Catherine and Thomas,
along with their two youngest children, James
and Catherine, followed Peter to the United
States. The three oldest children—Gregory,
Thomas, and Mary—stayed behind in Ireland
with Catherine’s brother, James, until later.
The youngest, Margaret, was born in El Rio,
California. Thomas was seventy years old at
the time.
The Gills settled on a little ranch on
Ventura Road near what is now Doris Avenue.
Thomas and Catherine lived on the Ventura
Road property for more than twenty years.
During that time, Thomas acquired additional
properties, twenty-four head of horses, wagons,
farm equipment, and buildings.
At his death in 1906, his obituary noted,
“He was one of the oldest and most popular
pioneers of this valley and a citizen of noble
character.” Catherine died at the family home
in Oxnard in 1912.
Thomas and Catherine’s oldest son,
Gregory, who had grown green alfalfa for
dairies in Ireland, married Margaret Mara and
they had six children: Tom, Clem (died in
South Pacific in WWII), Harold, Margaret,
Lewis, and Ellen. Harold married Martha
Summers on February 1, 1943 and they built
a new farmhouse on Laguna Road in 1952.
It was Harold who established the farming
operation that continues today. Harold along
with Leon Reiman, who had been a good
friend since high school, became partners in
1933 and the venture developed into a very
profitable business.
Their first crop was tomatoes. Leon furnished
the seed, Harold borrowed the equipment, and
each worked night and day to develop the few
acres they had rented. They had success with
their very first crop, which was sold on the open
market. Their operation changed over the years,
growing alfalfa, sugar beets, dry lima beans,
green beans, chilies, carrots, cabbage, lettuce,
and fresh and processed tomatoes.
Harold died in 1965. The family farm continues
today, growing mixed vegetables,
lemons and avocados.

PIERRE MARTIN
DUFAU
California pioneer Pierre (Pete) Martin
Dufau was born April 28, 1891, in Ithorrots,
Basses Pyrenees, France, the fourth son of
Bernard and Madeleine Pettilion Dufau.
In 1909, at the age of eighteen, Pete left
France to join his older brother, Etienne, who
had immigrated to California. He arrived in
Santa Barbara, took a train to Goleta, and then
a stagecoach to Mattie’s Tavern, a regular
stagecoach stop in Los Olivas. There he joined
his brother in herding sheep to Bakersfield,
where they were often stopped at gun point
by cattle ranchers convinced that sheep
would ruin their land.
In Bakersfield, Pete worked for a land company
before joining his brother, Martin, in
Puente in 1912. He remained there for ten
years, working as a foreman for a packing
company. During this period, Pete purchased
Mathematics, English, and Spanish books and
became a self-educated man.
Pete’s younger brother, Jean, came to
Puente after five years in the French Army during
World War I. Jean farmed for the LaSallete
family before joining Pete in Blythe in 1920.
The ‘Great Flood of 1922’ caused the
brothers to move to Santa Barbara where they
purchased twenty acres of land in La
Conchita, rented additional land, and began
dry farming beans.
Pete married Agnes Falxa from France and
they lived in La Conchita until Pete and Jean
sold their property and purchased eighty
acres, which became the nucleus of the Dufau
Bros. Ranch. They found the alkalinity of the
soil made it impossible to grow crops but Pete
became one of the founders of the Oxnard
Drainage District and worked to improve the
productivity and soil conditions. Lemons
were planted in 1932 and other citrus and
row crops were planted as the years passed.
The ranch grew to 265 acres.
Pete became a leader in local education
efforts, serving as a trustee of the Ocean View
School. A lifelong interest in horses led to
membership in the Ventura County Sheriff’s
Posse, which he served as president. Pete took
up flying at the age of fifty-seven and piloted
his own Stinson airplane.
Jean died in 1947 and Pete passed away in
1970 at the age of seventy-eight.
❖
Top, left: Pierre Martin Dafau.
Top, right: Pierre Martin Dafau leads
the Ventura sheriff’s posse in Ventura
Fair parade.
Below: Pete and Agnes Dafau.
Bottom: The Dafau family.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 1 3

PLAZA
DEVELOPMENT
PARTNERS, LLC
❖
Above: RiverPark Residential,
Oxnard, California.
PHOTO BY: JESS GUTIERREZ.
Below: The Collection at RiverPark,
Oxnard, California.
PHOTO BY: DIEGO CAMARGO.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
114
The founders of Plaza Development
Partners, LLC, are Dave O. White, Armando
J. Lopez, and Frank E. White. Dave began
his career as a real estate broker in Kern
County after graduating from San Jose
State University. He later moved into
real estate sales, farm management and
property acquisition.
Dave’s brother, Frank E. White, began his
career in an area far removed from real
estate. He earned a Doctor of Pharmacy
degree from the University of Arizona and
became a pharmacist with major drug stores
in the Phoenix area. The lure of California
proved strong, and Frank eventually joined
his brother in farming, managing and selling
agricultural land.
Armando, a lifelong resident of Oxnard,
graduated from California State University
at Northridge and spent his early years in
education, job training and social/human
services. He entered the business world as a
partner in a real estate brokerage firm before
joining one of the predecessor companies to
Plaza Development.
The partners began Plaza Development
after buying an agricultural services company
from Kaiser-Aetna after that firm sold out its
10,000-acre project in Ventura County. With
that company, the partners acquired additional
agricultural companies, including the holdings
of Ventura Coastal Corporation. A portion of
these properties were located within the City
of Oxnard and became Victoria Estates, a 330-
acre, guard-gated golf course community of
nearly 500 upscale homes.
At the time Victoria Estates was conceived,
Oxnard had a shortage of executive level
housing. Conception and entitlement of
Victoria Estates was a joint venture with the
Swift family. Once the property was entitled,
they worked with DR Horton and Shea to
develop the project. As part of the Victoria
Estates development, Plaza agreed to donate
sixty-acres of land to the city for the new
Victoria Lakes golf course and to provide $5
million in cash for development of the course.
Plaza Development partnered with Ventura
Pacific Capital Company for construction

of Centennial Plaza, a redevelopment project,
featuring a fourteen-screen movie theater
and 16,000 square feet of restaurant and
food service.
RiverPark, one of Plaza Development’s
most acclaimed projects, is an upscale $750-
million mini-city on 700 acres at the junction
of the Ventura Freeway and Pacific Coast
Highway in Oxnard. The ambitious project
began in 2000 when Hansen Aggregates
was phasing out its mining operations
in Ventura County, leaving several large mining
pits that needed to be rehabilitated into a
beneficial use. Plaza Development joined with
Urban Partners, a Los Angeles real estate
development company, in acquiring, entitling
and planning the Hansen Aggregate, a 400-
acre property together with 350-acres adjacent
to the freeway at Oxnard Boulevard and
the 101 in Oxnard.
Plaza Development was able to work
with the United Water Conservation District
to convert the gravel pits into water recharge
and storage basins. The balance of the
property was annexed into the City of
Oxnard for development of the RiverPark
master-planned community. The renowned
architectural firm of AC Martin and Company
was retained to do the master plan for
RiverPark and their plan earned the Pacific
Coast Builders Conference Gold Nugget
Award for the best master-planned community
in California in 2004.
An agreement was reached with the Shea
organization to become the master builder
and developer of RiverPark. This project has
become a landmark for Ventura County and
has proved to be of tremendous financial benefit
to the city.
The Collection at RiverPark, a $250 million,
sixty-acre lifestyle shopping center opened recently.
Headquarters for Plaza Development
Partners is in a replica of the historic building—The
McLoughlin House at 2291 North
Patterson Road in Oxnard. It was built on a
Victoria Estates development lot.
The principals of Plaza Development
Partners share a keen sense of corporate
responsibility to the community and have
contributed to scores of local organizations.
These include organizations with a focus on
nature, such as Friends of the Santa Clara
River and the Nature Conservancy, as well as
education and youth, arts and civic services
and police and fire services.
Since its inception, Plaza Development has
developed approximately 1,250 acres and sold
more than $500 million worth of real estate.
Farming operations include approximately
500 acres of citrus and avocado orchards.
Looking to the future, the Plaza partners
will continue to search for water-related projects,
major land development opportunities,
and acquisition and redevelopment of citrus
and avocado orchards.
❖
Above: Victoria Estates in Oxnard.
PHOTO BY: MORGAN TEMANSON.
Below: Centennial Plaza Downtown,
in Oxnard.
PHOTO BY: MORGAN TEMANSON.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 1 5

❖
Above: Apolonio Valles Rosa and Maria
Ayala Valles.
Below: The wedding of Quito and Goya
Valles, 1932.
THE VALLES FAMILY
The Valles family arrived in Ventura County
from Durango, Mexico during the building of
the Oxnard sugar beet factory in 1898. Eusebio
Valles settled near the factory at 527 Meta Street
where the next three generations were raised.
Grandson Robert Quiroz Valles was born in
1936 and remembers the neighborhood for the
diverse group of migrants from France,
Germany, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain, as
wells the states of Arizona, Kansas, Missouri,
New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Former
mayors of Oxnard Tsugio Kato and Nao
Takasugi lived around the corner from the Valles
family in Oxnard.
Robert’s parents, Quito and Goya Valles,
encouraged their four children, Richard,
Robert, Rose and Rachel to participate in
activities and become involved in the
community. Quito was the only bilingual
printer and he used his printing business, Valles
Printing, located at the back of the Meta Street
property, to connect with the movers and
shakers in other communities. Quito helped
organize the Latin American Social Club to raise
funds to support the Boys Scouts troops. He
also was instrumental in creating the Latin
American Veterans Club. Quito helped organize
the baseball team the Oxnard Aces where oldest
son Richard and later Robert served as the bat
boy and as a player while in their teens. This
experience led Robert to join the Varsity team at
Oxnard High School as a freshman. Robert also
played football where he was chosen Team
Captain by his peers. He also helped form the
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
116

first Hispanic service club, Los Caballeros,
which later became the MECHA club.
Robert graduated from Oxnard High
School in 1954 then earned an associate
degree from Ventura College before earning a
bachelor's degree from UCLA and later he
received a degree in business administration
from the University of LaVerne.
After marriage, Robert and his wife Chila
offered the same encouragement to their five
children to participate in school activities and
give forth their best effort. They sent their
children to St. Anthony’s, Santa Clara
Elementary, and later Santa Clara High School
where Robert and Chila began a lifelong
commitment as Santa Clara High School
supporters with their time and philanthropy.
Robert worked thirty-three years as a
civilian employee at the Naval Employment
Center. In 1994 Valles was elected to the
Board of Trustees for the Oxnard Union High
School District. He dedicated sixteen years
working with the high school district on
programs that united business and
community leaders with school leaders to talk
about student involvement, curriculum and
other issues. Valles campaigned for a state of
the art high school which was achieved in
2001 at Pacific High School. Built on the
orignal Kaufamnn ranch, the 50-acre site
includes 9 major buildings, the largest
high school gymnasium in the county and
an auditorium named after its number one
advocate, the Robert Q Valles Performing
Arts Center.
Robert Valles served on the school board
from 1994 to 2010. Among his accomplishments
include founding the R.O.T.C. program
at Hueneme High School. He brought in
Congressional Lagomarsino to establish the
program. Robert also founded the Mariachi
band program in the district which has
become the largest in the state; introduced
ballroom dancing at Frontier High School;
founded M.E.S.A (Mathematics, Engineering,
Science & Achievement) at Channel Island
High School, as well as the Industrial Arts
Programs at both Channel Islands and
Oxnard High Schools. Robert founded the
Medical Academy at Pacifica High; was the
principal advocate to build an Olympic
competition swimming pool at Oxnard High
and helped acquire $800,000 to help finance
the swimming pool at Rio Mesa High School.
Four of his five children reside in Ventura
County and work in Oxnard. Barbie is a local
business owner. Beverly is a practicing physician
in Oxnard. Rocky Valles is an assistant
Superintendent of the Oxnard Union High
School District. Rene is a physician in Utah and
Angelica is a school teacher in Oxnard.
In addition to working with the high school
district for many years, Valles is a member of
the Mexican-American Engineer Society and
the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of
Ventura County. He continues to support many
local and community organizations and was
one of the first to support the Oxnard Historic
Farm Park.
❖
Above: The Oxnard Aces in 1937. Richard
Valles was the bat boy.
Below: The Valles family. Top row (from left
to right): Dr. Rene Valles, Robert Valles, Sr.,
and Dr. Rocky Valles. Bottom row (from left
to right): Dr. Beverly Torres, Angelica
Railey, and Barbie Garza.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 1 7

❖
Above: Flying with Ventura County Sheriff’s
Office observing pilots performing their jobs.
Below: Mark Gassaway.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
118
AEROCOMPUTERS, INC.
In the late 1980s, Mark Gassaway was
living near the Oxnard Airport where he had
a hangar for his Cessna 185. He started on a
project to replace his paper sectional aviation
charts with something he could view on a
computer, a relatively new technology at
that time. He partnered with a hangar-mate,
Gary Petrowski, who was a software engineer,
and the two of them began to collaborate
on what became the prototype of the first
AeroComputer’s moving map system.
When Mark and Gary decided to combine
aviation charts with street maps, they contacted
the Los Angeles Sheriff and Mark flew countless
missions with the crew of a MD500 helicopter,
watching how the operators performed their
jobs and how the maps and keystrokes could be
best configured to serve their needs. His goal
was to make the system so easy to use that it
would work in a bouncing airship and never
hinder even the most neophyte user, but be
value-added immediately.
Eventually, fire departments began to
express interest in the moving maps systems,
which introduced the need for maps outside
of populated areas, as well as topographical
maps. The firefighters also wanted to be able
to track the boundaries of grass and forest
fires with helicopters, so it was necessary to
develop a system for calculating the area
burned by viewing the perimeter of the fire,
which would give accurate results.
A unique aspect of AeroComputers was
that most of the employees were aviators.
Mark and Gary felt that everyone should be
able to see things from the perspective of their
customers, so they made flight training available
to everyone. Testing new equipment is
much easier with an in-house pilot and company
aircraft.
As the years passed, the AeroComputers’
units began to have more features and to integrate
with more hardware. One of the first real
game changers was the use of aircraft-mounted
cameras to capture video and run it
through the system to coordinate with map
positions. Mark collaborated with three companies
and their engineers to develop and
polish their products to more accurately capture
images and merge them into the mapping
software. Many users of AeroComputers systems
have said that the acquisition of one of
the systems completely changed how law
enforcement was practiced in their agency.
Present day AeroComputers continues
to lead the industry with their products and
has more than 700 units operating worldwide.
Mark’s widow, Victoria Gassaway, is
dedicated to carrying on the tradition
established by Mark of serving the greater
good by supporting the agencies that ensure
our safety every day.

BRUCKER FARMS
Among the unique features of the coastal
plain of Ventura County is its extremely mild,
almost frost-free Mediterranean climate, suitable
for year-round production of vegetables
and fruit. More than a hundred years ago,
these ideal growing conditions attracted hundreds
of resourceful farmers, including the
Brucker family, whose ancestors emigrated
from Germany in the 1800s and began farming
near Oxnard.
The siblings of those early settlers included
Louis Eugene Brucker and Emma Claire
Friedrich, the grandparents of Mike Brucker,
who is continuing the family’s multigenerational
farming tradition.
Louis and Emma’s sons included Raphael
‘Rip’ Brucker, Mike’s father, along with his
brothers, Thomas, Louis, Paul, James, Frank,
and William Brucker.
Working together, the family
grew dry lima beans and
other vegetables, which
were shipped to markets as
far away as San Francisco.
Mike remembers working in
the fields with his father and
uncles at a very early age, literally
growing up in the
farming business. “It was a
lot of hard work, but we all
worked together to get the
job done,” Mike remembers.
The farm’s products
evolved from lima beans,
sugar beets, and cannery tomatoes to
today’s crops of vegetables, lemons, and
raspberries. Brucker Farms is particularly
proud of its vine-ripened tomatoes and its
flavorful raspberries.
Today, Brucker Farms includes more than
six hundred acres, spread across locations in
Camarillo, Santa Paula and Oxnard. The
farms provide employment for ninety hardworking
and dedicated employees. With
more than one hundred years of farming heritage,
Brucker Farms believes it has a responsibility
to provide a healthy and quality product
for its consumers.
Looking to the future, Mike notes that he
has several grandchildren and he is hopeful
that some of them will love farming enough to
carry on the family tradition.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 1 9

THE GUSTAV &
EVELYNE
MAULHARDT
FAMILY
❖
Above: The Maulhardt Home Ranch, with a
Victorian-Style house.
Below: Heinrich Wilhelm Maulhardt with
his wife, Augusta, and their three oldest
children—Gustav (in front), Anna, and Ida.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
120
The Maulhardt family
has farmed the rich land
of the Oxnard plain for
131 years, and the fourth
generation is determined
to keep the tradition alive.
The family legacy began
with Heinrich Wilhelm
Maulhardt and Augusta
Wucherpfennig, who grew
up only three miles from
each other in Lower Saxony,
Germany. However, the two did not meet and
marry until both had immigrated to Oxnard
and were attending Santa Clara Catholic
Church with many other early German settlers
who were attracted to the fertile plain.
Heinrich arrived in the early 1880s and
after working with other German farmers for
several years, he saved enough money to purchase
160 acres east of town. In 1886,
Heinrich paid $8,400 in gold coin for a quarter
section of property that
had been part of the 1837
Spanish land grant. He
called his venture the
Home Ranch, the name
still in use after 131 years.
Heinrich and Augusta’s
first child, Gustav Heinrich
Maulhardt, was born in
1886, followed by five
more children. All the
children spoke German
at home and did not
learn English until they
attended the local San
Pedro Grammar School. In
1895, a late Victorianstyle
house, complete with
slanted bays, wrap-around
porch and gingerbread
roof, was built at the
Home Ranch to shelter the
growing family.
Heinrich cleared the
land of its brush and mustard
plants and engaged
in ‘dry farming’, a type
of agriculture that depends
on winter rains. He also
raised stock and grew sugar beets, the first
crop planted widely by the original farmers of
the Oxnard plain. Heinrich eventually gave
each of his children a ranch and Gustav inherited
the Home Ranch.
Gustav married Evelyne Marie Salkeld,
who was born in Sheffield, England. She
immigrated with her family in 1909 to
Canada, then to Port Huron, Michigan, and,
eventually, Los Angeles. Evelyne moved to
Oxnard to accept a position with the Oxnard
Home Telephone Company. Evelyne and
Gustav were wed in 1918.
Evelyne and Gustav had three children:
Joseph, Dorothy, and Gabrielle. With her
telephone experience, Evelyne became head
operator at the Naval Construction Battalion
(Seabees) at Port Hueneme during WWII.
Joseph served with the Navy in San Francisco
during the war; Dorothy’s husband, John
Moon, flew B-26s during D-Day; and
Gabrielle’s husband-to-be, Charles Barnes,
was a B-24 pilot based in Africa.
Joseph relocated to Camarillo in 1949 to
help his father operate the Home Ranch. He
eventually took over the operation and continued
as general manager until his retirement
in 2000.
The Home Ranch is now owned and
operated by the next generation of
Maulhardt cousins: Margery and Joseph’s
children: Mike, Susan and Sally; Dorothy
and John Moon’s children: John, Jr., Roger,
Cathy, and Richard; and Gabrielle and Charles
Barnes’ children: Lesley, Jeffrey, and all their
extended families.
The cousins are determined to continue
building a legacy at the Home Ranch for their
children—the fifth generation—to inherit.

The Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau
(OCVB) was initially founded in May 1974 as
a nonprofit corporation for the purpose of
generating economic benefits to the City of
Oxnard by promoting and marketing the area
to attract visitors to Oxnard against other
competing cities.
The City of Oxnard agreed to take a proactive
approach to boosting the economy by
approving the support for the tourism industry.
In early 1994, the visitors and tourism
industry recommended that the OCVB be
reestablished as the Greater Oxnard and
Harbors Tourism Bureau, with a new emphasis
on enticing visitors to promote Oxnard as
a premier destination.
In January 1994 the City Council
approved an agreement between the City of
Oxnard and the Greater Oxnard and Harbors
Tourism Bureau.
As part of the agreement, the Oxnard
Convention & Visitors Bureau was established
as a key resource for the city’s tourism industry,
providing services to promote tourism
and other administrative functions to
encourage economic tourism benefits to the
City of Oxnard while serving as the
city’s marketing arm. The efforts proved successful
as measured by increases in visitors’
spending, correlated to increases in employment,
Transient Occupancy Tax, sales tax revenues,
business license tax revenue and/or
other economic benefits to the city.
The City of Oxnard has also applauded and
supports the OCVB’s Economic Development
strategy. The purpose of the Economic
Development strategy is to develop and
enhance Oxnard’s business climate, while promoting
the city’s fiscal health, and supporting
its economic growth in a manner consistent
with the city’s unique character. This is accomplished
through the development of a strong
citywide economy, which attracts investment,
increases the tax base, creates employment
opportunities, and generates public revenue.
The OCVB consistently maintains the goals
and strategic developments that create vibrant
and economically sustainable commercial,
industrial, and retail industries throughout
the city. In order to focus available resources
in a comprehensive effort to promote economic
activity in Oxnard, a strong marketing
program was developed that communicates
the city’s available resources and assets with
tourism partners working together to communicate
this message to the visiting public.
Additional goals and strategies of the
OCVB include:
• Improving relationships and communication
between the City and the business
community;
• Capitalizing on historic, cultural and
natural resources;
• Enhancing business retention and
attraction; and
• Implementing an economic development
plan for attracting and retaining business
to the City of Oxnard.
Oxnard California Coast, one of
California’s most culturally diverse and inviting
cities, offers plenty of things to see and do,
but a place that feels like everyone’s hometown.
Oxnard’s everchanging landscape and
exciting new developments offer a variety of
choices to suit everyone’s distinctive tastes.
OXNARD
CONVENTION
& VISITORS
BUREAU
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 2 1

THE COULTAS
FAMILY
❖
(From left to right) Ryan, Daniel, Robert,
and William Coultas.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ROBERT GREGORY.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
122
William Walter Coultas, his wife, Ruth Ann,
and his widowed mother, Sarah Clark Coultas,
arrived in Montalvo, Ventura County, in 1887
by train from Winchester, Illinois, where they
had owned a farming and livestock operation.
The invitation to come to California came from
Thomas Clark, who had recently purchased a
1,000-acre ranch in the Springville, Round
Mountain area of the Oxnard Plain. Clark had
seen success in the Gold Country of Northern
California, but needed a manager for his new
ranch properties in Ventura County. His
nephew, William, had the proper credentials
and the harsh winters of the Midwest were not
a difficult trade for the Mediterranean climate
of Ventura County.
The family consisted of thirteen children
(two died as infants), settled on land near
Wood Road. There they raised small grains,
alfalfa,and eventually sugar beets and large
lima beans.
With the death of Clark in 1903, William
took over much of the Clark Ranch and
purchased additional acreage in the Ocean
View area and another ranch in the Toluca
Lake fruit district of Los Angeles County.
William, then patriarch to ten surviving
children, Luella, Edith, Albert, Theresa,
Thomas, Alexander, Bertha, Ventura (named
for the new county), Fredrick, Ruth, and
numerous grandchildren divided the original
Coultas Ranch properties and retired leaving
the farming opportunities to the next generation.
Ruth died in 1896 in Springville.
The Springville area was home to several
early Ventura County residents and the Old
Springville School had members of the
Coultas Family on the roll book continuously
for fifty-two years until its closing in 1930.
By this time many agriculturalists had
converted their dry-land farming to irrigation
with wells and pumps or district water
supplied through various conveyance canals.
Mechanized farming was fast becoming a part
of county agriculture.
William died in 1929 at the age of
eighty-three. The third generation of the
Ventura County Coultas family had spread
out to countless locations mainly in Southern
California as the area became more and
more populated. Many family members
joined other professions as education was
emphasized and fewer were needed on
the ranch.
Farming continued in Ventura County
with many members of the family marrying
into other farming families in Ventura County
and all over California. The list is long with
many generations of relatives.
While much is different today, the Coultas
family still operates citrus and row crop
operations in Oxnard, Ojai, Santa Paula,
and Camarillo.
Coultas Farms is now in its fifth generation
on the Oxnard Plain. Operated by brothers,
William and Robert Coultas, along with their
sons, Ryan and Daniel. The farming operation
consists of 245 acres of the original home
ranch and approximately 700 acres of leased
property. Cabbage, celery, cilantro, lettuce and
spinach are the main crops grown under contract
with several large produce companies.
These crops are shipped all over the United
States and internationally.
In 1987 the Coultas family celebrated 100
years in Ventura County and the celebration
was attended by hundreds of relatives from all
over the United States and beyond.

OXNARD
HISTORIC
FARM PARK
FOUNDATION
As far back as 1997, Jeff Maulhardt began
talking to rancher Bob Pfeiler about preserving
the house and winery building on land
that was first farmed by Gottfried and Sophie
Maulhardt and last farmed by Pfeiler. Bob’s
grandfather, Louis Pfeiler, purchased the
ranch from Sophie in 1904 as a wedding present
for his son, Albert Pfeiler and wife, Lydia.
After Bob passed away in 2002, Maulhardt
began negotiating with representatives from
developer John Laing Homes to carve out an
acre of land around the 1870s home and winery
to adjoin a two-acre city park around a
portion of the perimeter. A nonprofit was
formed, the Oxnard Historic Farm Park
Foundation with original board members Jeff
Maulhardt, Gary Blum and Eric Daily. The
property was designated as Ventura County
Historical Landmark #165 in 2004 and
named the Gottfried Maulhardt/Albert Pfeiler
Farm Site. Not until the surrounding housing
development was completed in 2007, could
the group begin fundraising in earnest. In the
next ten years much has been accomplished
with the help of sponsors Chuck Covarrubias,
Jim Gill and Frank Naumann. Ironically, the
fathers of all three sponsors, along with
Maulhardt’s grandfather, all graduated from
Oxnard High School in 1928—Mason
Covarrubias, Harold Gill, Robert Naumann,
and Robert Maulhardt.
Among the acquisitions are the 1880s
Borchard/Friedrich spring carriage; two 1903
lima bean threshers; 1924 Buick Touring Sedan
and five tractors and multiple farm implements,
antiques and many historic images.
The Foundation offers three BBQs per year
during the spring, summer and fall seasons.
The Farm Park offers several options to raise
money for the Foundation including purchasing
an engraved brick for $100 to memorialize
a family, friend or business; Lifetime membership;
brand plaque for display and other sponsorship
opportunities. The site is also available
for rent. So far over a 1,000 bricks have
become a part of history at the park.
Joining current board members Jeff
Maulhardt, Frank Naumann and Gerry
Benson are the Master Gardeners of Ventura
County who created a Chumash Garden on
the exterior of the site with interpretive signage
to explain how each plant was used by
the native people. Plus, the gardeners have
planted historic crops including sugar beets,
lima beans, corn and a variety of later crops.
❖
Above: Gottfried and Sophie Maulhardt’s
Silver wedding anniversary. circa 1887.
Back row left includes Louis Pfeiler,
Johannes Borchard, Caspar Borchard,
Fridolyn Hartman, Ed Borchard, Justin
Petit and Doretta Maulhardt. Below them
are the Kaufman sisters.
Below: Oxnard Historic Farm Park, 2017.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JEFF MAULHARDT.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 2 3

❖
Above: Martin V. “Bud” Smith.
COURTESY OF MVS PRESS CLIPS.
Right: Martin V. Smith’s first venture,
the Colonial House Restaurant on
Oxnard Boulevard.
MARTIN V. “BUD” SMITH
Martin V. “Bud” Smith was a real estate
mogul and philanthropist whose empire
included more than 200 properties between
Calabasas and Santa Maria.
Smith was born October 18, 1916, in Sioux
Falls, South Dakota, where his mother managed
an apartment building. His father, a
banker, suffered a heart attack and died soon
after the stock market crash of 1929. Smith’s
family moved to Beverly Hills and Smith
dropped out of high school to began servicing
a series of vending machines from Los Angeles
to Santa Barbara. In 1941, he traded a collection
of jukeboxes for a failing hamburger drivein
on Oxnard Boulevard built by Edwin Carty,
which became the Colonial House Restaurant.
Smith struggled at first, but his landlord,
Carty, gave him a break. In a 1995 interview,
Smith explained, “If it wasn’t for Ed Carty, I
wouldn’t have made it. He carried me when I
couldn’t make the rent. He was an unusual
landlord. He still had some farm land behind
the property and he would always plant the
first row of lettuce or tomatoes for me so I
could just go pick it when I needed it.”
Soon after taking over the stand, Smith
was shipped out to the South Pacific with the
Army Air Corps. Thanks to the help of his
wife, sister, and mother, Smith returned from
service in World War II to a thriving restaurant.
Soon after, he bought forty acres of land
near the freeway and the Santa Clara River.
Smith remembered, “People thought I was
crazy for buying Henry Borchard’s land that
became the Wagon Wheel because it always
flooded. But they built the levee next to the
river and that was that.”
Smith built the Wagon Wheel Junction, a
collection of offices, shops, restaurants, and a
motel. The Wagon Wheel Motel was completed
in 1947 and quickly became a popular
stop for travelers between Los Angeles and
Santa Barbara. The Trade Winds restaurant,
designed by Fred Moniger of Twentieth
Century Fox and decorator Ione Keenan, was
built in 1964. The restaurant had a lagoon
with a Chinese junk, an ancient Chinese sailing
ship, where Don Ho and the Beach Boys
performed. Guests were brought by rickshaw
from the Wagon Wheel Motel and the interior
was decorated with Smith’s collections from
his world travels. Smith owned and operated
the Ventura County Railroad, a link between
the Port of Hueneme and the Southern
Pacific main line in Oxnard. He also founded
the Commercial and Farmers National Bank
in the 1960s with some of Oxnard’s most successful
businessmen and farmers.
He went on to build the Channel Islands
Peninsula, including the Casa Sirena Resort,
Villa Sirena Apartments, and the Lobster Trap
Restaurant. Smith also built the Financial Plaza,
which included a twenty story tower in 1985
that remains the tallest building in the county.
Smith and his wife, Martha, formed the
Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Foundation,
which donated money to the California State
University Channel Islands for the creation of
the Martin V. Smith School of Business and
Economics, financed the construction of the
Boys and Girls Club of Oxnard, and has given
generously to numerous local causes.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
124

PRIMESKILL
STAFFING
SERVICES
Pamela Graves had worked in the staffing
industry more than twenty years when she
decided to go into business for herself. With
a friend, Suzen Dees, PrimeSkill Staffing
Services opened in April 2007. The fledgling
company was just beginning to thrive when
the 2009 recession hit and the company had
to struggle to survive.
“We scrambled to hold on, and made some
very quick decisions,” Graves recalls. “We had
to lay people off and downsize everything
very quickly, so Suzen went back to work as a
nurse for Ventura County. After six months, I
was able to start paying back money we borrowed
and hiring staff. By the end of 2009, we
were back on track and never looked back.”
Graves bought out her partner in 2010 and
Suzen continues to work for Ventura County
as a nurse for the homeless population.
Now ten years old, PrimeSkill Staffing
has grown tremendously and has established
a client base in communities primarily in
Los Angeles, Riverside, and Ventura County. In
2013 and 2014, Staffing Industry Analysis
ranked PrimeSkill among the Top 10 fastest
growing staffing firms in the nation. Inc. 500
magazine has ranked PrimeSkill #1,081 among
the fastest-growing firms in the nation.
PrimeSkill Staffing, a women-owned business,
serves employers and associates in the
areas of light industrial, clerical, accounting,
business, and technical services. Employers
count on PrimeSkill to attract top talent and
to fit the right people with the right jobs, managing
every part of the process with integrity
and professionalism. Services provided by
PrimeSkill include temporary staffing, tempto-hire,
direct hire, and On-Site staffing.
PrimeSkill’s services begin with a complete
needs analysis to define the client’s top
business priorities. Then, using cutting-edge
and in-depth performance assessments,
PrimeSkill’s experienced staff provides the
best business solutions, services, and workforce
to fit the client’s needs.
The company currently has thirty-four
internal employees and more than a thousand
temporary employees. The corporate office is
in Oxnard, along with a recruiting office and
three other locations. Branches are in
Riverside, Simi Valley, Torrance, and Moreno
Valley. Graves’ goal is to grow PrimeSkill to
$100 million in annual sales.
PrimeSkill’s success has been built on
Graves’ primary goal, which is to offer professional
and personal services to its customers,
employees, and associates. “PrimeSkill Staffing
takes great pride in the work we do, and in the
communities, we serve,” says Graves. “Not
only does PrimeSkill help thousands of people
find work each year, we also support local
charities and strive always to make our services
different from the rest.”
❖
PrimeSkill Staffing Services is located at
400 Esplanade Drive Suite 100, Oxnard
California, 93036.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 2 5

BEARDSLEY &
SON, INC.
❖
Robert Beardsley, Sr., and Robert
Beardsley, Jr.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
126
The Beardsley family has deep roots in
Ventura County dating back to 1887. George
and Ida Beardsley left Durand, Wisconsin, and
landed in Santa Paula, California. George was a
Civil War veteran from Ohio before resuming
his farming livelihood.
Their son, Robert Beardsley, worked at the
Thomas Bell ranch off Rice Avenue in Oxnard.
By 1898, Robert rented one hundred acres in
the Springville area, near present-day Camarillo,
to grow sugar beets for the recently completed
American Beet Sugar Company.
In 1909, Robert purchased 171 acres of the
Solari property, near-present day Spanish Hills
and Sterling Hills Golf courses and along the
later named Beardsley Road. Robert focused on
growing lima beans in the summer and hay or
barley in the fall and winter. The property broke
down to 52 acres of pasture hills; 29 acres of
waste hills; 15 acres at the bottom of the hill and
74 acres of open land for farming. Beardsley also
continued farming the 241 acres of Solari land
that was sold to the Howard Ranch. He also
farmed 241 acres of the Dempsey Ranch, which
was located off present-day Wooley Road.
Robert next purchased an additional 45 acres
from the Elvira Solari Wagner near the
Camarillo property. With 700 acres in farming,
Robert Beardsley became one of the more productive
lima bean growers in the county.
By 1930, Robert’s son, Robert, Jr., graduated
from USC and the same year the couple welcomed
their first child, Robert Lee Beardsley III.
Daughter Marene Louisa was born in 1934.
Thomas Seymour Beardsley was added to the
family in 1940.
In 1935, Robert Lee Beardsley, Jr., started
his own business when he became an agent for
Shell selling anhydrous ammonia NH3 fertilizer.
The first office was at 206 Enterprise Street
in Oxnard. By 1956, Robert III was added to
the partnership and the company became
Beardsley & Son. The company relocated to
2473 Camino Del Sol.
Like his father, Thomas was very athletic. At
six foot, four inches, Tom went on to earn MVP
honors in basketball at New Mexico Military
Institute in 1958. He graduated in 1961 with an
outstanding character award. He next earned a
bachelor’s degree in business for Arizona State
University. Tom spent many years in the insurance
business before joining the family business
which he ran successfully for over thirty years.
Tom’s dedication to the support of agriculture
and the community is well respected.
Tom’s daughter, Melinda, joined her father in
2008 to learn the family business. Melinda’s
degree in economics from UC Santa Barbara fit
in nicely with the family business. When Tom
passed away in 2017, Melinda took full responsibility
of the company. Melinda remembered
what she learned from her father “He taught me
perseverance, he taught me stick-to-itiveness, he
taught me strength.”
Melinda’s goal is to maintain the family feel
of the business while keeping her company
competitive with corporate-run agriculture
operations. She also intends to carry on her
father’s tradition of giving back to the community
and the agriculture business.

Extraordinary, personalized service combined
with intimate knowledge and background
in the region makes for a dynamic
combination. That is why it is not surprising
that clients gravitate to Michele Losey and
Desti Centineo, real estate agents for Remax
Gold Coast in Ventura County.
From the age of five, Michele would frolic
in her dad’s real estate office at Patterson and
Silvernale in Ventura County in the late 1970s.
Little did she know at the time that a few
decades later, they would be working together.
Having literally grown up in the business,
Michele’s ties to the area run deep. Her parents
used to bring her in a car seat and sit her
on the table at Mrs. Olson’s Coffee Hut and
they were frequent diners at the Lobster Trap
and La Trampita.
Meanwhile, Desti’s roots
in the area are just as
entrenched. She has lived in
Ventura County since the
age of one, beginning in
Newbury, then moving to
Camarillo before relocating
to Oxnard Beach for her
teenage years. She has many
fond memories of rollerskating
at the Wagon Wheel
Junction Roller Rink, movie
night at the Ventura Drivein
Theater, and working at
the Lobster Trap as well as
Ms. Olson’s. She has close
ties with many of the families and builders
responsible for the build-out of the harbor
and beach areas.
Together with Christy Newquist, Lowell
Easely and, of course, Michele’s father, Mike
Losey, they have formed a remarkable team
with unparalleled local knowledge. Christy,
an area resident since the 1960s, previously
worked in the entertainment industry. Her
dad started investing in Oxnard Beach real
estate at Mandalay Shores in the 1960s.
Lowell, meanwhile, began working in real
estate in the area in 1977 selling ranches and
commercial property, which he continues to
do today.
Since teaming up, Desti and Michele have
been thrilled to work in a profession they love
in a location they adore. And, they follow a
simple and effective credo—to build a flourishing
real estate business by helping others
invest in their future and build their dreams.
DESTI AND
MICHELE, OF
RE/MAX
GOLD COAST
❖
Top: Desti and Michele of RE/MAX Gold
Coast.
Bottom, left: Mike Losey.
Bottom, right: Christy Newquist.
.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 2 7

HEALTHWISE
HOME CARE
SOLUTIONS, INC.
❖
Dr. Suzanne Fussell with father,
Dr. Eugene Fussell.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
128
Healthwise Home Care Solutions, Inc., was
founded in 2003 by Suzanne Fussell, MD, and
her husband, Joseph Iwuajoku, to provide quality
preventative and restorative healthcare services
to Ventura County. The practice provides a
wide range of services in the patient’s home,
including care provided by RNs and LVNs;
physical, occupational, and speech therapists;
medical social workers; and home health aides.
This team of healthcare professionals provides
help for individuals in the comfort of their
own home, helping them heal more quickly
and return to better health. The team also provides
educational information to help patients
better maintain their health. Healthwise has
served well over 175,000 patients, an impressive
number considering that Ventura County’s
population is around 850,000.
Dr. Eugene Fussell was a Board Certified
Orthopedic Surgeon and the father of Dr.
Suzanne Fussell. She was inspired to go into
medicine by her father, who holds the distinction
of being the first African American twostar
Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Dr. Suzanne Fussell grew up in Ventura
County and graduated from Santa Clara High
School. She received her BS degree from
UCLA and obtained her medical degree from
UCLA/Charles R. Drew University.
The Fussell family has provided medical
care to the Ventura County area over two
generations, spanning more than fifty years,
and Healthwise is the only female physicianowned
home Care in Ventura County. In
addition to operating Healthwise, Dr. Fussell
currently practices Family Medicine as
a Diplomate of the American Board of
Family Practice.
Key employees who have helped shape the
organization include Peggy Backler RN, BSN;
Gina Montano, MA, who serves as office manager;
and Sally Petri, RN. Dr. Fussell has also
been encouraged and inspired by her husband,
Joseph; sons, Joey and Jordon Iwuajoku; sisters,
Karen, Karette and Megan Fussell; and her
mother Linda Fussell.
The Healthwise Foundation, established in
2004, is involved in numerous community
and charitable activities. The Foundation has
helped sponsor annual charity events for Big
Brothers/Big Sisters and has co-sponsored the
Bethel HIV/AIDS golf tournament, which raises
funds to help increase awareness of
HIV/AIDS and encourages people to get tested.
Healthwise Foundation has sponsored the
St. Johns and Pleasant Valley Hospitals annual
Charity Fund Event to raise funds for medical
equipment for local hospitals.
The Healthwise Foundation is also
involved in a number of other community
projects, including Senior Expo, which provides
lifestyle information, blood pressure
tests, and blood sugar checks to help find the
early signs of diabetes.
One of Dr. Fussell’s favorite quotes is from
George Washington Carver, who said, “What
you are is God’s gift to you; what you make of
yourself is your gift to God.” If she could add
to this quote she would say, “A healthier community
is one’s gift to mankind.”

MAULHARDT
INSURANCE
AGENCY
Maulhardt Insurance Agency is a multi-line
insurance agency, providing personalized insurance
coverage for families and businesses in
Oxnard, Camarillo, and Ventura, California.
Maulhardt Insurance Agency was established in
2005 by Jeff Maulhardt. While teaching school
in Oxnard for twenty-plus years, Jeff decided to
try a profession that allowed him to reach out to
more people and give him the flexibility to grow
professionally. Jeff’s first office was off
Maulhardt Avenue, in a building originally built
for his uncle, John Maulhardt. After two years,
he relocated to a space owned by his cousins,
Stephen Maulhardt and Nancy Maulhardt Huff,
at 961 North Rice Road in Oxnard.
Maulhardt Insurance is a broker business that
shops for the best prices and coverages for their
clients. Staffed with bilingual secretaries and
dozens of insurance carriers, Jeff and staff are
ready for the opportunity to meet the needs of
the community whether it is personal lines like
home and auto or commercial lines, including
general liability and workers compensation,
Maulhardt Insurance can also provide multiple
quotes for life and health insurance.
Starting in 2018, Maulhardt Insurance
merged with Dibuduo & Defendis Insurance
(D&D) and took in a partner, Steve Devericks.
Steve has been in the insurance industry since
2002 and a distant cousin to Jeff through their
Borchard family branch.
Always willing to give back, Maulhardt
Insurance Agency has supported the Oxnard
Historic Farm Park as well as many high
school programs.
For a free, quick insurance quote, please
call 805-988-8810 or on the Internet at
www.maulhardtinsurance.com.
❖
Jeff Maulhardt.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 2 9

CITY OF PORT
HUENEME
Known regionally as the “Jewel of the Gold
Coast” and locally as “The Friendly City by
the Sea,” Port Hueneme offers an inviting
environment for visitors and residents alike.
The community of 22,500 residents is contained
within a 4.5 square-mile area located
on the Central Coast between Santa Barbara
and Santa Monica. The city’s name (pronounced
“Wy-nee’mee”) is derived from a
Chumash word meaning “resting place.”
Port Hueneme is actually comprised of
three separate entities: Naval Base Ventura
County, commonly referred to as the “Seabee
Base,” the deep-water commercial “Port of
Hueneme” and the predominately residential
community of “Hueneme” that makes up the
balance of the city. The community is flanked
by the City of Oxnard, Channel Islands (small
craft) Harbor, Ormond Beach Wetlands and
the Pacific Ocean.
Attributes that draw residents and businesses
to the community include its smalltown
atmosphere, affordable housing, diverse
economy, temperate climate, clean air, low
crime, quality education, plentiful recreational
amenities (including the city’s sixty-acre
beach park), responsive municipal workforce
and hometown law enforcement. For visitors,
we welcome you to come and explore all that
the City of Port Hueneme has to offer.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
130

CITY OF
OXNARD
Located on the beautiful Southern
California coast, the City of Oxnard is the
largest and most populous city in the County
of Ventura with over 200,000 residents.
Nestled about sixty miles northwest of Los
Angeles and thirty-five miles south of Santa
Barbara, Oxnard prides itself on its rich diversity
and culture. Although agriculture remains
a major industry, Oxnard enjoys an expanding
economy based on a healthy combination of
agriculture, commercial and manufacturing
development, tourism, and the U.S. Navy.
Residents enjoy an unsurpassed quality of
life enhanced by the clean air of this coastal
community plus the charm and solitude of
the nearby Los Padres National Forest. This
very diverse community includes acres of new
housing, two thriving military bases, a fullservice
deep-water port, master-planned
industrial parks, prime commercial and retail
sites, a regional medical center and hospital,
and a flourishing community college.
This city by the Pacific Ocean is an ideal
place to raise a family. With its attractive residential
areas located among tree-lined streets,
parks and beaches, Oxnard provides a wide
range of housing choices. Oxnard is an ideal
location with white sandy beaches, oceanfront
recreation and outdoor adventures, award-winning
festivals and friendly neighborhoods.
There is a small town atmosphere in this seaside
city where fields of strawberries flourish along
many roads, and the Mediterranean climate is
unexcelled. It is an ideal coastal community.
Finally, the Carnegie Art Museum traces its
beginnings back to early American business
philanthropy. Originally Oxnard’s Carnegie
Library, it was built in 1906 as one of the free
public libraries funded by industrialist
Andrew Carnegie. It was readapted as a
Cultural Arts Center in 1980, and designated
as the Oxnard Carnegie Art Museum.
❖
Above: Oxnard Beach Park located on
Harbor Boulevard.
Below: Originally established as a Carnegie
Library in 1906. Readapted as the Oxnard
Carnegie Art Museum in 1980.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 3 1

BG’S CAFÉ
❖
Above: The owners of BG’s Café, Jose and
Veronica Rodriguez.
Below: BG’s Café on A Street in
Oxnard, California.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
132
Known as “The Favorite Downtown
Hangout,” BG’s Café has been a popular locals’
eatery since 1971. The original owners, Bill
and Gloria Stuart opened the restaurant as
BG’s Coffee Shop and Deli and ran it until
their retirement in 2004. The new owners,
Jose and Veronica Rodriguez, have continued
in the spirit of maintaining the same atmosphere
and the traditional comfort food. Upon
walking into this downtown institution, photographs
of old Oxnard give you a sense of the
farming community that it once was.
Many friends gather daily and enjoy solving
the world’s problems over a hot cup of coffee
and jovial conviviality. For many years, muddy
boots tracked into the establishment took you to
the tables of the farmers that hold the namesakes
of many streets and avenues in Oxnard. From
police officers to firemen, city officials to local
politicians, retirees and many friends, it would
be odd to walk in and not see a familiar face.
The menu at BG’s Café offers something for
everyone, with many classics still on the
menu, just as they were in 1971. Traditional
deli items, such as the Reuben Sandwich or a
Hot Pastrami, are enjoyed with the garnish of
a pickle spear on the plate. The chili is also an
award winner! BG’s is also known for their
giant Cinnamon Rolls and homemade
Buttermilk Biscuits. Newer dishes have made
their way into the menu as well, catering to
the local palate, such as Huevos Rancheros,
Chorizo, Chilaquiles, and the ever popular
Chile Verde Omelette! They boast a wall full
of awards and plaques dating back to 2004,
winning the annual Downtown Oxnard Salsa
Festival Contest year after year!
BG’s is a place where you will be met with
a smile and great food! BG’s Café will be celebrating
its fiftieth anniversary in 2021!
BG’s Café is located at 428 South A Street
in downtown Oxnard and on the Internet at
www.bgscafe.com.

BARKLEY RISK
MANAGEMENT &
INSURANCE
The torch has been passed from father
to son, but the vision and commitment
remains constant at Barkley Risk Management
& Insurance in Oxnard.
Anyone who has met company president
Griffin Barkley can attest to his genuine
character, along with his passion for honest
business practices and his commitment to
creating and fostering an outstanding work
environment and culture.
“Every day, I am inspired by the hard
work and dedication my team displays,”
said Griffin. “They are truly motivated and
excited to provide exceptional service and
help our clients solve some of the most
challenging problems.”
Al Barkley, Griffin’s father and CEO, founded
the company in 1995 when the primary focus
of the agency was agriculture. The company
worked with growers, packers, and shippers of
produce. Al started serving this industry in the
1970s and built a wonderful reputation. That
foundation has served the company well.
Barkley has worked with companies
throughout California to build internal riskreduction
programs. Its cutting-edge method for
risk management and its empowering approach
to employee culture has been revolutionizing
the insurance industry. Barkley has expanded
into many other industries including
manufacturing, hospitality, aerospace, and
entertainment. Despite all this growth and
diversification, they have never lost sight of their
core business model.
“What has always excited me about this
business is getting to know my clients
personally and working with them on an
advisory level to help them navigate and
protect their assets,” said Griffin.
And, they know the value of giving back to
the community.
“Several years ago, we started the Barkley
Cares program,” said Griffin. “We volunteer
for different organizations in Ventura County
doing everything from sorting food, feeding
the homeless or helping to clean up botanical
gardens. It’s in our DNA.”
This wonderful company culture works as
Barkley has been recognized for the second
year in a row as one of the “Best Places to
Work in the Tri-County area”—a title voted
on by its employees.
❖
Al and Griffin Barkley.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 3 3

TATUM’S
GARAGE
In 1944, Clinton Tatum, Sr., was honorably
discharged from the United States Army
due to injuries received while serving in the
military. In 1945, Clinton and his wife,
Margaret Tatum, moved to Oxnard. Although
being a veteran and having two years of college
studying auto mechanics, Clinton found
it difficult to obtain employment in his field
because of his race as a black man.
Determined to support his family, wife and
one child, Daisy Tatum, he worked as a farm
worker picking lemons and part time stevedore
at the Port Hueneme Naval Base. Two more
children, Gwendolyn Jean Tatum and Clinton
Tatum, Jr., were born in Oxnard. He was eventually
promoted to the position of shipping
clerk with the Maritime Union. Later, he
received a job appointment with the Federal
Government as a mechanic. Working as a
mechanic, he excelled in his skill to the extent
he was encouraged by his superior to enter into
private business. In the early 1950s, Clinton
built and opened his first business as Tatum’s
Auto Garage at 124 Colonia Road in Oxnard.
The business increased so much that he later
relocated the auto repair business to 120 Cooper
Road and maintained the first building on
Colonia Road as an automobile detail business.
Clinton then added to his business a gasoline
station adjacent to his garage on Cooper Road.
Clinton’s garage clientele increased to the
extent that he was able to expand the improvement
of the auto mechanic shop to implementing
equipment that included a drill press
machine, transmission section, tune up and
brake repair. At that time, it was the only garage
that could do complete auto engine repairs.
Clinton employed Fred Godina, George
Turner, Bob Congleton, and his brothers,
Clifton Tatum, Braxton (Billy) Tatum, and his
uncle, Tal Tatum and changed the name to
Tatum Bros. Garage.
Clinton believed in helping the adults and
youth in Oxnard by sponsoring several athletic
teams including a men’s basketball, women’s
softball, boy’s little league team, and a bowling
team. His teams were successful in competition
with other athletic teams in the City of
Oxnard Parks and Recreation Programs.
In 1962, Clinton was involved in a
train/auto accident and as a result was totally
impaired. His wife, Margaret and Billy continued
to operate the garage two years longer
before selling the business.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
134

OXNARD
CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE
The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce is a
catalyst for business growth, a convener for
leaders and influencers, and a champion for a
stronger community. For more than 100
years, the Oxnard Chamber has been helping
the business community thrive.
Founded in 1908 and incorporated in
1923, the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce is a
vibrant and active organization that strives to
represent the interests of business with
government, promote the community,
encourage a strong local economy, advocate
political action, and provide marketing and
networking opportunities. In addition to
those priorities, the Chamber acts as an
ombudsman for local businesses. The
Chamber is extremely involved with local
issues that affect the ability to conduct
business and promote a high quality of life.
Some of Oxnard’s most prominent leaders
have served on the Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors. Over the years, the Board
has been made up of leaders from
agricultural, manufacturing, financial and
legal services, real estate, logistics, energy,
healthcare, and retail.
The Oxnard Chamber is a volunteer
organization with a professional staff. The
Board sets policies and takes positions on
issues. The staff administers the policies and
communicates the organization’s positions.
The Chamber is also politically active.
Along with its Political Action Committee, the
Chamber endorses candidates for local
elected offices, county supervisors, and state
legislators. Over the years, the Chamber has
taken strong positions on local measures.
The leaders at the Oxnard Chamber of
Commerce embrace the concept that a high
quality of life starts with a good job, which is
why the organization is constantly advocating
for job creation and retention. The Chamber
is also a key player in local workforce
development.
The Chamber sincerely appreciates the
strong economic drivers in the community
and greatly respects the contributions they
make. Naval Base Ventura County and the
Port of Hueneme are two examples, which
together contribute well over a billion dollars
to our economy every year.
The Chamber thanks all its supporters over
the years to help the organization accomplish
its mission of representing business interests
and advocating public policies that promote a
healthy economy.
S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E
1 3 5

LAMMERT INC.
DBA
HPNBOOKS &
HPN CUSTOM
MEDIA &
PUBLISHING
Since its origins in 1973, as a small regional
publishing company based in San Antonio,
Texas, Lammert Inc. has been in the business
of helping its customers tell their stories in the
most compelling and powerful ways possible.
Working with a wide variety of clients—from
corporations to civic organizations to
individuals and families, Lammert Inc. emerged
as a force in the publishing industry.
The company initially produced specialty
publications, such as an office building directory
for the North San Antonio Chamber of
Commerce, and a pictorial roster for the San
Antonio Bar Association. Over the last four
decades, Lammert published hundreds of directories,
maps, and magazines for chambers of
commerce and civic groups across the country.
In the mid-1990s, Lammert created a new
division, Historical Publishing Network (HPN),
and focused on producing hardcover coffee
table-style history and cityscape books. The first
of these was Fire and Gold: The San Francisco
Story. In the ensuing years, Lammert perfected
the sponsored-book model of publishing.
Conceived around the idea of an ultra-high
quality hardcover chronicle of a city or county’s
past, these exceptional books were also designed
to raise funds for a sponsoring organization—
typically a chamber of commerce or a historical
preservation group. They utilized a unique
advertising mechanism, known as company
profiles—business and institutional histories,
which were purchased by organizations wishing
to tell their individual stories, and placed in special
sections of the books.
As of 2018, Lammert had published more
than 140 titles using the sponsored-book
model, while raising hundreds of thousands
of dollars for its many sponsoring groups.
Having carved out its position in the market
for turnkey design, production, and marketing
of photography-rich coffee table books through
HPN, in 2018 Lammert Inc. signaled a new
focus with the launch of its new division, HPN
Custom Media & Publishing (HPN-CMP).
HPN-CMP remains a one-stop source for
custom media, including turnkey book design,
writing, editing, and production, as well as
offering an enhanced range of customized
services, including print, digital, and photo and
video media solutions, as well as related website
design and events management services.
Employees, customers, partners, and shareholders
all value a credible story which unites
the organization’s past to its present and to its
future, enhancing its community standing and
brand reputation, or celebrating a significant
anniversary, milestone, or similar event.
The unique mix of talents and expertise
brought to bear in a HPN project culminates in
a remarkable creation—a breathtaking, photorich,
coffee table book.
The book may be complemented by a
dedicated website, digital “flip-book,” and/or by
related events to commemorate a historical
milestone, introduce or promote a product or
brand, or to present an organization’s annual
report with more impressive visuals. As a gift to
associates, partners, current and prospective
employees, clients, and civic officials, the book
serves as a powerful marketing tool.
For more information, or to inquire about
producing your own publication, please visit
www.hpncustommedia.com.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
136

SPONSORS
AeroComputers, Inc..........................................................................................................................................................................118
Barkley Risk Management & Insurance .............................................................................................................................................133
Beardsley & Son, Inc.........................................................................................................................................................................126
BG’s Café...........................................................................................................................................................................................132
Boskovich Farms, Inc........................................................................................................................................................................102
Brucker Farms ..................................................................................................................................................................................119
The Charles and Beverlee McGrath Family..........................................................................................................................................88
City of Oxnard..................................................................................................................................................................................131
City of Port Hueneme .......................................................................................................................................................................130
The Coultas Family...........................................................................................................................................................................122
Desti & Michele, of RE/MAX Gold Coast ..........................................................................................................................................127
Pierre Martin Dufau ..........................................................................................................................................................................113
The Friedrich Family in Ventura County ...........................................................................................................................................104
The Gustav & Evelyne Maulhardt Family..........................................................................................................................................120
Healthwise Home Care Solutions, Inc. ..............................................................................................................................................128
The Jacob & Doretta Maulhardt Family.............................................................................................................................................100
The John McGrath Family...................................................................................................................................................................92
Lammert Inc. ....................................................................................................................................................................................136
The Laubacher Family.......................................................................................................................................................................106
Dr. Manuel Lopez .............................................................................................................................................................................108
Maulhardt Insurance Agency.............................................................................................................................................................129
Joe McGrath........................................................................................................................................................................................98
Oxnard Chamber of Commerce ........................................................................................................................................................135
Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau ..............................................................................................................................................121
Oxnard Historic Farm Park Foundation ............................................................................................................................................123
Plaza Development Partners, LLC......................................................................................................................................................114
Port of Hueneme, Oxnard Harbor District...........................................................................................................................................80
PrimeSkill Staffing Services ...............................................................................................................................................................125
The Reimann/Pecht Ranch ..................................................................................................................................................................84
The Samuel and Rosina Naumann Family .........................................................................................................................................110
San Miguel Produce, Inc. ....................................................................................................................................................................99
Martin V. “Bud” Smith .......................................................................................................................................................................124
Tatum’s Garage..................................................................................................................................................................................134
The Thomas Francis McGrath Family..................................................................................................................................................96
The Thomas Gill-Catherine Donlan Family .......................................................................................................................................112
The Valles Family..............................................................................................................................................................................116
S P O N S O R S
1 3 7

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeffrey Wayne Maulhardt was born in Oxnard and is a fifth generation descendant of two of
Oxnard’s pioneer families, the Maulhardt and Borchard families. Jeff attended local schools and
graduated from Hueneme High School, Ventura College and California University Chico where he
majored in philosophy and liberal studies.
Jeff worked for the Oxnard Elementary School District and taught a variety of grade levels before
retiring as an eighth grade social studies teacher where he taught American History at Robert J Frank
Intermediate School. Jeff also spent twenty years coaching basketball and softball. Jeff retired early
so he could put more time into his insurance business agency in Oxnard as well as attend to his
long time project. For the past 18 years Jeff has dedicated himself towards creating a history museum,
the Oxnard Historic Farm Park on an acre of land once farmed by his ancestors.
This is the fifteenth book Jeff has written and all have dealt with local history.
Jeff is married to his high school sweetheart, Debbie and they have twin daughters, Alison
and Brooke.
ABOUT THE COVER
Lisa Kelly was born in Fremont, Ohio, She lives in Ventura, California and has been painting
professionally since 1979. Lisa painted her first mural in 1993 and completed hundreds since. She
has exhibited her canvas art in shows and galleries from Soho, New York City to Rodeo Drive in
Beverly Hills, California, with shows in Sacramento, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Ojai, Ventura,
Oxnard, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara, California; Kona, and Honolulu Hawaii; up to Seattle
Washington, and East over to Las Vegas Nevada, and just about everywhere in between.
Her mural at the Pleasant Valley Historical Museum inspired Jeff to contact Lisa for the cover of
this book.
The twelve main images featured in the painting are (clockwise from top, left) the Topa Financial
Plaza Towers, 1987 and 1974; Simon Cohn Mercantile Store, New Jerusalem, 1875; Pleasant Valley
Lima Bean Warehouse, the 1940s; Maulhardt Winery, 1876, Oxnard Historic Farm Park; Carnegie
Library, 1907; Pagoda Bandstand, 1910 and 1911; Justin Petit House, 1896, Heritage Square; Oxnard
Sugar Beet Factory, 1898; Wynema Wharf, 1872; Hueneme Lighthouse, 1974; Hollywood Beach,
The Sheik, 1921; and Crop Dusting, 1940s. The image also includes the major crops of Oxnard:
barley, lima beans, sugar beets and strawberries.
A H I S T O R Y O F O X N A R D
138

LEADERSHIP SPONSORS
Historical Publishing Network
ISBN: 978-1-944891-61-9