Piru Wildfire Liaison Michael Lopez with volunteer James Lopez helping clear out some vegetation.
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The Piru Wildfire group is a community-based volunteer organization serving Piru and surrounding communities by providing:

• Hazardous Fuels Reduction in the Wildland Urban Interface

• Neighbor helping neighbor Home Ignition Zone Assessments

• Educational classes and mitigating wildfire risk

• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide program

• Community chipping events

• Youth Jr. Wildland Fire Event (Summer)

• Educating youth in potential fire careers

We have had a successful 2021 and will continue to do so. All events are in cooperation with Ventura County Fire, Los Padres National Forest, Cal Fire, California Conservation Corps, and Ventura County Regional Fire Safe Council.

If you are interested in getting involved feel free to reach out to the Piru Wildfire Liaison Michael Lopez at piruwildfireprevention@gmail.com Facebook: @piruwildfireprevention Instagram: piru_wildfire_prevention

Michael J. Lopez, Wildfire Liaison/ Lights and Sirens Chair Biography
Michael J. Lopez is the Piru Neighborhood Council Wildfire liaison and is responsible for providing prevention and fire mitigation services. In cooperation with wildfire, Michael is also our Lights and Sirens Chair in which he will work with our local cooperators such as Ventura County Sheriff Office, Ventura County Fire, Los Padres National Forest, Cal Fire and California Highway Patrol to insure safety of the Piru corridor. As a resident Michael has served on the Piru Youth Sports board and is known locally as “coach”.

Michael has been with the fire service since 2001 and continues to serve others with great integrity. He currently serves a Fire Captain in the Federal Prevention Bureau. He’s worked as a fire crew member, incident team member, crew boss and public information officer. He holds many high-level state and federal fire credentials. Michael’s various roles in fire response and customer service has allowed him to develop a professional approach to risk evaluation, effective mitigation and wildfire safety. Combined with this experience and positive attitude, Michael will always provide the best professional and personal services to our town of Piru.

For updates follow: Facebook @piruwildfireprevention Instagram piru_wildfire_prevention
Email: piruwildfirepreventon@gmail.com

A copy of the inside cover of Myrtle’s book circa 1908.
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Tallman's red book regarding the 1905 trip.
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Tallman evening program 1912.
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Courtesy Fillmore History Museum

Note: For a longer version of this story with additional photos, please visit the Fillmore Historical Museum's website at https://www.fillmorehistoricalmuseum.org/myrtle-tallman

Some time ago John Nichols, well known photographer and author from Santa Paula, found a small red book at a library book sale. He contacted us at the Fillmore Museum to see if we had any information on the author of the book, Myrtle Tallman, who had family in Fillmore.

The following story is the result of that simple question.

Myrtle Catherine Tallman
The Author Who Lived in Her Wheelchair
by John Nichols
Santa Paula - 2021

Myrtle Catherine Tallman made herself famous during her lifetime by selling a book she wrote titled “The Traveling Trio” that documented her travels in 1905 all over the western United States in her wheelchair. She moved to Fillmore, California in 1910 to be with her family but later moved to Long Beach and died in 1918 and was buried with family members in Bardsdale Cemetery near Fillmore.

Here is the Obituary of Myrtle Catherine Tallman From Fillmore Herald

Death of Myrtle Tallman, August 26, 1918

With peaceful resignation to the fates, Miss Myrtle Catherine Tallman, a life-long invalid, sank into the great sleep that knows no waking last Monday at Long Beach. Deceased was born at Tilden, Nebraska, May 17, 1878, and at the age of 8 years she was stricken with infantile paralysis, which left her a helpless invalid for 32 years, all of which time she has been confined to a rolling chair, needing an attendant at all times. Notwithstanding her affliction, Miss Tallman was cheerful through her life of suffering. She devoted herself to study and was a writer of more than ordinary ability. Accompanied by her sister, Edythe, she came to Fillmore about nine years ago, shortly after the death of her mother, but found she could not stand the climate of this valley and took up her residence in Long Beach.
The funeral was held Tuesday morning from the family residence on Santa Clara Street, the private services being conducted by Rev. Harry Shepherd. The interment was held at Bardsdale Cemetery.
Deceased is survived by her father, W. W. Tallman, and sisters, Miss Edythe Tallman of Fillmore, Mrs. Francis D. Buck and Mrs. Von Harmonson of Sespe, Mrs. Maud Richards of Rockford, Illinois, and two brothers, Ward Tallman of Fillmore, now in the Navy, and R. W. Tallman of Lincoln, Nebraska.

But the story for me started about 3 years ago when I found a copy of a strange looking book. It had a bright red cloth cover and the illustration on the cover showed a young woman in a wheel chair being lifted into the baggage car of the Union Pacific Railway train by three porters. They were possibly African American. She was being loaded onto the train car in her wheelchair and would travel with the baggage. Two other women looked on.
It was published in Lincoln, Neb. in 1908 by Myrtle Catherine Tallman and facing the title page was a portrait of her in her wheel chair with a cat sleeping on a pillow at her feet. Another member of the Traveling Trio pictured below in the book was her sister Ruth Jane Tallman (1891-1971).

I took it home not knowing how it came to be for sale in Santa Paula. My first act when I buy an interesting new vintage book is to look it up on www.abebooks.com. The strange thing was that there was not another vintage copy for sale anywhere in the world. There were several reprints for sale so there must be some interest in the topic or the writings.

I continued my research.

Lately I’m finding a huge number of books that can be downloaded free for reading on my iPad. One source is Open Library where The Traveling Trio can downloaded as a PDF, ePUB, FB2, MOBI and TXT. Do a Google search and download your own free copy. Or buy a physical copy.

My next dip into research was to search Find A Grave to see where she ended up. To my shock and surprise I found that she was buried about 10 miles from my home in Santa Paula at the Bardsdale Cemetery. The family plot contains a tombstone for her father William Warren Tallman, a Ventura County pioneer, who died at age 79 at his daughter’s home in Santa Paula. She was Mrs. Edythe Moisling. It is possible that my copy of the book came from the Moisling estate. She and her husband George are also shown living in Piru on Howe Road in the 1940 census. She died in Fillmore in 1973.

I searched the Fillmore Newspaper on line at the CDND, which is the California Digital Newspaper Collection and found the obituary for Myrtle Tallman that appears at the beginning of this story.
The CDND is a great research tool. cdnc.ucr.edu
I searched digital copies of the Santa Paula Chronicle that I have on an external hard drive and found Myrtle's father's brief obituary.

County Pioneer Called By Death

William W. Tallman, 79, of Fillmore answered the call of death recently at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Edythe Moisling in Santa Paula. He had been a resident of Fillmore for the past twenty years, except for the last six months when he has been confined to bed in his daughter's home here.
The deceased is survived by four daughters: Mrs. Mamie Harmonson, of Fillmore; Mrs. Edythe Moisling, of Santa Paula; Mrs. Ruth Buck, of Fillmore; Mrs. Alta Hampton, of Ventura and one son, Ward Tallman of Long Beach.
Private funeral services were held yesterday afternoon in Fillmore, Rev. Gammon of the Fillmore Presbyterian church officiating and music was furnished by Mrs. Leo Harmonson and Mrs. Frank Howard of FilImore. Pall bearers were Ross Buckman, Leo Harmonson, Howard Williams, Arthur Taylor, J. M. Horton and A. James. Internment was in Bardsdale Cemetery.

Now that I was getting to know the Tallman family better I went to RootsWeb.com for more information.
It showed Myrtle being born in Scranton, Iowa in 1878 even though her obituary lists Tilden, Nebraska. She and her family moved to Nebraska and appear on their census of 1900. She next appears on the census of 1910 living in Fillmore. She had moved to Fillmore after the death of her mother Nellie Ward Tallman in 1909.

Her occupation in 1910 is listed as “Selling own books”.
Hair: Auburn
Had Rheumatoid Arthritis from childhood. Confined to a wheelchair.
(Myrtle's obituary only mentions "infantile paralysis" from age 8 but as an adult it was properly described as rheumatoid arthritis.)

The rest of this fascinating story and more photos can be found at www.fillmorehistoricalmuseum.org

Jahwi Angeles-Ortega, 33, Oxnard

An 18-month old toddler was found unharmed and reunited with her parents after her mother’s vehicle was stolen from outside their Home Acres (Moorpark) residence.

On March 26, 2021, at around 8:23PM, Moorpark deputies responded to numerous service calls of a possible prowler in the area of the 3800 block of Timberridge Road, in the city of Moorpark. Each caller provided the same general description of a male jumping over fences into the rear yards of multiple residences in the area of Mountain Trail Street, near Country Trail Park.

As deputies were looking for the suspect, they learned a vehicle was reported stolen to California Highway Patrol (CHP), from the 4200 block of Santa Rosa Drive. The victim told CHP dispatch her young child was still inside the vehicle at the time it was stolen. Deputies quickly determined the stolen vehicle was likely related to the suspect responsible for the prowling incidents. This particular area of Santa Rosa Drive is located in the unincorporated area of Moorpark, known as Home Acres. Santa Rosa Drive is just west of where the prowler occurrences had been reported to dispatch.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputies assigned to the Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo and Fillmore patrol stations, along with a Sheriff’s helicopter, responded and began a search for the stolen vehicle. A short time later, a Camarillo patrol deputy spotted the vehicle driving in the 7300 block of Santa Rosa Road and made a traffic stop. The driver, who was identified as 33-year-old Oxnard resident Jahwi Angeles-Ortega was taken into custody without incident. The toddler was found uninjured in her rear car seat and immediately returned to the care and custody of her parents. Angeles-Ortega was found to have multiple outstanding warrants for his arrest and was additionally arrested for felony violations of California Penal Code section 207(a)-Kidnapping and California Vehicle Code section 10851(a)-Vehicle Theft.

Angeles-Ortega was booked into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility where he is currently being held in lieu of a $122,500.00 bail. He has a scheduled arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court on 03/30/2021, at 1:30PM, in Courtroom #13.

Nature of Incident: Suspect Arrested For Kidnapping After Stealing Vehicle With Toddler Inside
Report Number: 21-40205
Location: 4200 Block of Santa Rosa Dr, Home Acres (Moorpark), CA
Date & Time: 03/26/2021 @ 9:19PM
Prepared by: Sergeant William Hutton
Approved by: Captain Victor Fazio

Bathtub trough for the horses.
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Cyrus and Elvira Kenney out for a ride.
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Interior of Moore’s Stables owned by Billy Moore along with all his rigs available for rental.
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Rush Ealy with his fine rig.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Last week’s story mentioned the Star Stables, but it was not only the only stable in Fillmore. The following is an extract from Edith Moore Jarrett’s book, Old-Timers’ Tales of Fillmore.

Old-Timers’ Tales of Fillmore
Three of our constables, J. P. “Jack” Trotter, Jack Casner, and Owen Miller, held both jobs (constable, or police chief, and stable owner). Maybe they wanted to be able to round up a quick posse, or maybe they just knew a fringe benefit when they saw one. We’d call it a “conflict of interest” these days, but nobody protested then.

In 1899, Jack Trotter advertised his livery stable as “the only one in town.” Jack Casner started his Fillmore Stables in 1904 and it was going strong in 1911 in spite of Model Ts.

By then Billy Moore was advertising his stable as “opposite the Southern Pacific Depot,” and Bill Elkins, oldest son of Judge Elkins, had his horse rental on Santa Clara Street with a watering trough made of an old bathtub with legs. The mystery there is why anyone would discard a real bathtub when most of us were still using galvanized washtubs on Saturday nights. That bathtub could have only come from the saloon or pool hall on Main Street that had burned down, for those establishments advertised hot and cold baths available at any hour.

There was always a blacksmith, too, under a spreading peppertree on Main Street and Hugh Robbins at his saddlery was announcing in 1911 that he’d oil your double harness for $1.

Then in 1915 L. L. Warren, with his livery stable, saw the graffiti on the wall and, as a footnote to his ad, offered a Dodge and driver for rent as well as horses. The next year he advertised Dodges first, and the horses ran second. Our first Hertz.

A later constable, Owen Miller, had long done a business renting packtrains to the city folks who wanted to go up to the Sespe Hot Springs to soak a bit; and that went on for many years with no competition from cars, nor from a monorail, either.
But back to Jack Casner, still constable in 1934, when Charles Jarrett of the Fillmore Herald staff was “profiling” Fillmore’s notables. He interviewed Jack about his livery stable of 1904 and discovered that 7 men had been working there with his 25 horses.

You’d think those dusty, bumpy roads would have discouraged folks from any travel but on train. Not so. Judging from Jack’s hay bill for 100 tons at a time, people rented his rigs for most any event that took them out of town even after 1911.

Casner had 17 one-horse buggies, 4 surreys, 4 buckboards, 2 big four-seater tallyhos ("tally-ho" can describe a large coach or a light passenger vehicle without roof or sides used for sight-seeing), as well as 4- and 6-horse teams that hauled oilfield supplies or gypsum from Grimes Canyon to the plaster mill. His buggies were Fireflys, Babcocks, or Studebakers, and he always sent along a lap robe and a new buggy whip.

Once he sent 20 rigs to Oxnard for some sort of celebration and the young bucks often rented one on Saturday night for some fun in Oxnard after local option had closed all the other saloons in the county. You could drink and drive then. The horses never touched the stuff.

Casner had 10 rigs at Sulphur Mountain Springs near Santa Paula on summer Sunday afternoons. The charge was $2 for Sundays, or $1.50 for Saturday night, and you had to make your reservation before Saturday or get left behind. The traffic went both ways, too, for when Fillmore had a big July Fourth celebration or a hot baseball game, Jack said, there could 100 extra rigs here from all around the county.

“Maybe they get there a little faster these days,“ said Jack n 1934, after Model Ts had put his livery stable out of business “but anybody who never wrapped the lines around the whip on a moonlight night and let the horses find the way home simply doesn’t know what he missed.”

Ray Ealy would have agreed with Jack. In 1910, even though cars were beginning to come in Ray had a surprise for Fillmore. He had raised a team of matched bays and had just gotten latest thing in buggies. It was a convertible model, black with lots of delicate red striping and red wheels.

All the girls simply swooned when they saw that rig, for a light buggy like that really needed only one horse and they knew it. Ray had topped all the other fellows with his horsepower rating. Who cared if the moonlit road was dusty and rocky?
His father, Rush Ealy, had a good thing going too. He commuted daily from his ranch in Cienega, east of Fillmore, to his tinshop in town driving Queenie, with the buggy. Since they weren’t a two-buggy family, if Mrs. Ealy wanted to go the ladies’ aid meeting later, when Rush reached the shop, he just wrapped the reins around the buggy whip, headed Queenie toward homeand slapped her on the rump. She understood. Try that with your Buick.

Perhaps some of today’s driverless cars will eventually rival Queenie, but the romance and pace of a horse and buggy can’t be matched.