Feb 28
One of the striking differences between the First and Second World Wars and later conflicts is the sense of shared sacrifice. Today politicians won’t ask for a tax increase to pay for a war or two and they don’t ask citizens to invest. During the Second World War those who weren’t in the Armed Forces …
Feb 27
This photo is a thing of wonder and beauty on two levels. To start, anytime an old steam engine rides out of history into the present traffic stops. Railfans come from all over with their cameras to record the event. Southern Pacific 4449 was built in 1941 and is the last operable streamlined Art Deco …
Feb 25
Seventy years ago it wasn’t geopolitical strategy that drew Captain Nishino Kozo to the oil town of Ellwood, California. When the submarine I-17 surfaced the target was revenge. If American oil facilities were destroyed all the better but the Captain had a bitter and personal score to settle. Regular readers of this column will recall …
Feb 23
Though the moment was fleeting, San Luis Obispo could have been mentioned in the same breath as Pisa, Italy. For a few hours in the summer of 1980, a failed demolition attempt gave the town a leaning water tower. There is nothing like high explosives and an defunct relic to make a good picture. The …
Feb 22
The epic flooding of 1914 has been covered in two previous posts. One shows flooding as Tally Ho Creek cuts through Branch Street in Arroyo Grande. The other shows the structure that gives Bridge Street a name, undermined by flooding. This looks to be the same bridge from the opposite point of view and view …
Feb 21
To give you an idea of how badly the war was going at this point, the newspaper resorted to making things up. Since the U.S. Navy had no victories at sea the front page centerpiece art was from news feature service artist. It was an imaginary battle where the Americans were winning. James Bradley and …
Feb 17
Fires are the bane of hotels. A roll call of lost county landmarks include the Ramona, Paso Robles Hot Springs and El Paso de Robles. Today public buildings are required to have sprinklers and even California homes built after January 1, 2011 are required to have sprinklers. The Madonna Inn’s first rooms were completed December …
Feb 14
When the Morro Bay Power Plant generated its first kilowatt it was an engineering marvel, even if it had only one smokestack. The special section published July 7, 1955 as the plant built by PG&E plant opened contains a lot of eye openers. According to the Bechtel advertisement the plant’s desalting component was believed to …
Feb 13
This appears to be he height of beach fashion at Pismo Beach circa early 1900s. The flat beach leads me to guess Pismo Beach, a destination for tourists after the railroad went through in the early 20th century. The man is wearing a handsome two piece swim suit while the woman has on a stylish …
Feb 12
Seventy years ago the Japanese residents of the county were about to be sent to relocation camps. Some lost everything, others had more caring neighbors as seen in the story below published February 21, 2000. RECALLING CENTRAL COAST’S ‘SILENT HEROES’ WHEN JAPANESE-AMERICANS WERE PLACED IN CAMPS IN WWII, THEIR NEIGHBORS STOOD BY THEM by Andrea …
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