Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Courtesy Relay For Life of Heritage Valley Facebook
Thank you so much to everyone who came out and supported our 2020 Relay For Life of Heritage Valley Drive Thru Lumineria ceremony this past Saturday! We had over 100 cars visit and view our Lumineria Bags along with our Photo Tribute at the end of the route. We also want to thank everyone who tuned into our Facebook LIVE Virtual Lumineria Ceremony. If you didn’t get a chance to watch, don’t worry! You can view the Virtual Luminaria Ceremony at: https://youtu.be/hcJqpJE04K8. We are so grateful for all of the support and donations we continue to receive from our community! Please know that you can still make donations to count toward our 2020 Relay For Life of Heritage Valley Season up until December 31st! Special thank you and shoutout to our wonderful event committee who worked tirelessly to create a safe and socially distant event for us all to enjoy. Cancer hasn’t stopped, so neither can we!

Fillmore Fire Department

Courtesy Fillmore Fire Department

During the fall months, the dry Santa Ana winds start to blow and increase the fire danger to our City. Even though we require weeds to be removed around homes in early summer, weeds continue to grow year round in Southern California. If you still have weeds to clear or have unwanted tree trimmings lying around your house, now is the time to start removing all of the fire hazards on your property. To help facilitate your weed abatement process, the City, in conjunction with the Central Ventura County Fire Safe Council and Harrison Industries, will be hosting a free Community Vegetation Drop Off event. Unwanted vegetation including weeds, tree trimmings and brush may be dropped off. No other trash will be accepted. The Community Vegetation Drop Off will take place Saturday, September 19 from 9AM to 2 PM at City Well #4, 728 Goodenough Rd. City of Fillmore residents will be able to drive up and drop off their weeds, please follow all posted directions of City Staff to ensure proper social distancing remains in place. Remain in your vehicle; City Staff will unload your vehicle. Only clean unwanted vegetation will be accepted, no trash or dirt will be accepted.

In observance of the Labor Day holiday, employees of Santa Clara Valley Disposal will be taking the day off on Monday, Sept. 7. As a result, Fillmore residential customers will have their trash, recyclables and green waste collected on Saturday, Sept.
12, one day later than usual. The regular Friday collection schedule will resume the following week. For more information, call 805-647-1414.

The book is titled Life is short, full of trouble, and a waste of time! Unless …

Wiley says the whole idea of this little book (only 70 pages) is for the reader to come to grips with the fact that life really is short and that the world really is in a big mess without much hope. . . unless. So he asks the question, “Why are we here and what happens when we die?” Part 1 presents his thoughts regarding the world and humanity, and Part 2 explores the “unless” which provides hope for both the present and future life.

Barbara Christa, educator and public speaker said, “This book has challenged me to think beyond the humdrum of life and has led me to explore the ‘Th-ifs’ and the ‘Unless’ that have blown open the doors of my thinking! It is very well written, an easy read, and is extremely thought-provoking with a fresh approach at putting things (life/death/time/eternity) in perspective. I give it my highest recommendation!”

Just a few months after graduation, Chuck joined the US Air Force and served four years. After that he started his college education at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, then finished with a BA degree in Sociology/Criminal Justice at The University of Texas in Arlington, Texas. He has served as both a juvenile and an adult probation officer; operated an emergency shelter for children for CPS; was director of a facility for the homeless; has been a teen court coordinator; started and operated a facility for developmentally challenged adults; worked with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Worth, Texas; and taught in public schools. He has also written technical manuals describing how to operate and repair fighter jets, helicopters and postal equipment.

In addition to the book, which is available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble, he has written parenting material for parents and character development material for kids that has been used by thousands in social service agencies, schools and the courts in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri. Feel free to contact Chuck by email at cwiley@kitcareserv.com or by phone (817)479-6321 (it’s a land line).

A gathering held in Bardsdale in 1890. The crowd is looking across the Santa Clara River towards Fillmore.
Enlarge Photo

Willow Grove School.
Enlarge Photo

[Story & photos courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum]

Mrs. George King, known as Hattie, was born Harriett Busick in El Dorado, California, the daughter of a pony express rider. She came to Bardsdale at age 12 to live with her aunt, Mrs. S. A. Guiberson. She married George King, who was property agent for Thomas Bard, in 1896. Together they had two daughters, Ona and Agnes.

Mrs. King had many interests but two were the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (when she registered to vote it was as a member of the Temperance Party while her husband was a registered Republican), and education. She financed the construction of building that was used for the first high school in Fillmore while the permanent building was completed.

This is an excerpt from a History of Bardsdale Mrs. King wrote in either 1915 or 1922.

An Excerpt from The History of Bardsdale By Hattie Virginia King (1915)
. . .In these early days of Ventura County, before Bardsdale had a name, there were trials, seen and unseen, to endure. The county was infested with thieves and outlaws, and the settlers had to watch their stock, especially their horses, night and day or they were driven away. The settlers finally had a meeting and decided upon a plan to catch these thieves. The decided each one would watch and shoot the first man they caught driving away stock. The men patiently watched their stock, while women and children bared [sic] the doors and also watched, in daytime, with loaded guns. The time came. One man was shot and killed, several wounded and the horse thieves quit coming. Then the settlers had another trial when, as they supposed they were settled on government land, they were driven off by the Spanish grant owners -- period. Many of them went away. But a few stayed and fought it out in the courts and got their land. It was proved the grant owners were claiming twice as much land as really belonged to them. The troubles over water, and troubles went on until that terrible crime was committed the murder of Tom More, the grant owner, 1877.
After the death of Tom More, his sons, the More brothers, farmed the land that is now the Bardsdale tract. Wheat and barley were raised. The Bardsdale land was assessed in 1876 at $9.00 per acre. It was not until January, 1887, that the Bardsdale tract was opened for settlement. After the death of More, Thomas R. Bard bought the land of the More heirs, held it several years, then sold 15,000 [acres] to R. G. Surdam, who divided the land into small tracts and began to colonize. This was in January, 1887, just 35 [years] last January. The only buildings now standing in the Bardsdale community that were standing when Bardsdale was opened for settlement are the houses of John Burson, the first home of the writer, the home of Mr. Lou Henry, the second home of the writer, and the two houses on the More place where Tom More was shot. ...
The first and second year of Bardsdale's life, things was [sic] lively. Mr. R. G. Surdam did everything in his power to advertise the place, and when the railroad was finished through the valley he bought a large bus that would seat 18 persons comfortably and hired a driver and met each train. For awhile, he had the local [train] to Santa Barbara stop two hours in the morning, when he would take as many as his bus would hold on the drive, first to Mr. G. W. Edward's, where the only orange orchard was located, inviting them to partake of all the oranges they could eat, then to the Bardsdale town site [where] with the assistance of his map [he] would point out the principle business houses, churches and school house. He also had a collection of news which passed away the time in showing the tourists. If anyone wanted to stay over and investigate, all arrangements were made with an entertaining housewife to entertain them. Strange to say, many people came and the place was settled quickly. But there were many changes. Some came only staying a few months, others a year or two, and going nearer the city. For some time the Bardsdale bus met the train, and it was the delight of the young people of the county to take that ride as well as the tourists. The bus was around Bardsdale for a number of years, and the young people often took party rides in it.
Mr. R. G. Surdam was a very kind-hearted and liberal man. He gave away nearly all he made and all the children and young people were his friends. The first Christmas after Bardsdale was open, the Christmas tree and exercises were held in the Willow Grove school house, and Mr. Surdam gave everyone present a nice Christmas gift. It was estimated that he spent $500 on Xmas presents. The boys he gave drums and horns, and the young men pocket knives, the little girls dolls, the big girls scrap book and autograph albums, and the ladies woolen dresses. Everyone, of course, had a joyous Christmas. Mr. Surdam loaded the tree with candy and everything good and acted as Santa Claus. So after that, the children called him Santa, and it pleased him. There was nothing too good for the children, and as long as he had money he used it freely. . .