Central Avenue Pepper Tree Days before paving in 1915.
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In the late 1930s a local businessman and farmer, R. A. Fremlin, suggested Palm trees along Central Avenue, just as they did in 1911 when they built the first high school.
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In 1940, not a single tree downtown.
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Central Avenue in 2012 with Palm Trees still along the street.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Every now and then an event at the Fillmore Historical Museum sends us researching a specific subject from Fillmore’s history. The near miss of our utility building by a broken pepper tree limb in May, 2022, suggested some research into why these huge, nonnative trees were planted here and when.

California has plenty of native sycamore and oak trees. Fillmore still has a group of large sycamore trees on Kensington Ave. They served as the location of a corral used by Basque sheep shearers before the city was established in 1888. The sycamores grew along the edge of Pole creek which in those days crossed Fillmore from Pole Canyon and dropped into Sespe Creek on the west. Kenney Grove was an oak grove under whose branches Native Americans and then newly arrived settlers held celebrations.
The Peruvian pepper tree made its appearance in California in the late 18th century thanks to the Franciscan padres who founded California’s mission system. It seems that the padres brought pepper tree seeds with them and planted them around the new missions to provide shade from the hot California sun as it was known to be a fast growing, aromatic, shade tree.

Museum founder, Edith Moore Jarrett, seemed to have had a great affinity for the pepper tree. In a chapter titled “Trees That Made History” from her book, “Old Timer’s Tales of Fillmore” she wrote that the trees began appearing in our little part of the valley in about 1886. Squire Tietsort planted pepper tree berries and around his home at the top of Foothill in 1889. It is entirely possible that the pepper trees on Central Ave. across from the library were planted at the same time. By 1912 Central Ave. was almost completely shaded by large pepper trees.

Schools used them as well to shade activities on the grounds. Mountain View School, Bardsdale School and eventually Sespe School, today’s School District Offices, had numerous pepper trees. Whether it was hot, cold or windy, students ate lunch on benches under the pepper trees at Sespe School well into the 1960s until a cafeteria was built. The trees were located on the western side of the school between the front lawn and the playground about where the temporary classrooms are currently located. They provided shade, but you had to pick the occasional pepper tree berry or leaf out of your sandwich. Jarrett also noted that the pepper trees in her school days provided teachers with the occasional switch used to promote quiet and “encourage scholarship.”

By 1908 Central Ave had pepper trees on both sides of the street. But, as many a homeowner has discovered to their chagrin, pepper trees roots and branches cause all sorts of problems. The city fathers had paved Central Avenue in 1914, but by 1917 they discovered that the roots of the trees had begun to raise those new city sidewalks. They also felt that the pepper trees looked “countrified”. So the city council determined to cut them all down. The only dissenting voice was Constable Owen Miller. He owned a hotel on the west side of Central and refused to let the city remove his pepper tree. He was so adamant that he sat on the porch of his hotel with a shotgun across his lap and dared anyone to try to remove it. What to do? Because he was a constable, he had to enforce the law, so the city council, headed by Mayor Everett Pyle, decided to send him on a trip to Lockwood Valley after reports of trouble in the area. While he was gone they took the tree down. He was infuriated. He put up a sign that read “Everyone welcome here but Everett Pyle; Everett Pyle Keep out.” The sign stayed in place for months.

Once those huge pepper trees were removed, the business block of Central Ave. was treeless for years. By the late 1930s a local businessman and farmer, R.A. Fremlin, was getting tired of the bare, hot sidewalks. He suggested planting palm trees. There had been palm trees all over town for many years as shown in many of the early photos. Palm Trees had been planted in front of the High School when it was first built in 1911.

The palms grew well but eventually movie production companies began to complain that the palm trees made the downtown area look more like California and less like the generic Midwestern streets which were often preferred when filming. One production crew solved the problem by strapping evergreen trees to the palm trees in an attempt to disguise them for the camera. So in July, 2012 the city began removing the palm trees between Sespe and Main Streets.

Eventually trees were returned to Central Ave in large planters, again offering some shade to weary shoppers on hot summer days.

There are still plenty of pepper trees on Fillmore’s streets offering shade on hot days, but perhaps parking under one should be avoided on hot, east windy days.

[Below are both Sierra Northern Railway and City of Fillmore press releases]

[Sierra Northern press release]

Sierra Northern Railway to leave Fillmore

June 1, 2022

Effective immediately the Sierra Northern Railway, Ventura Division, an FRA-regulated common carrier railroad, has been asked to move out of the Fillmore railyard by the City of Fillmore, CA. The property is owned by the city.

“It is unfortunate that the City does not want to continue to work with us as this means a loss of excursion operations for the residents of Fillmore who for so many years grew up around the trains,” said Matthew Blackburn, Sierra Northern Railway Ventura Division Manager.

The Sierra Northern Railway, Ventura Division operates 30 miles of railroad right-of-way owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission as provided for in a 35-year lease. The company and its predecessors have hosted a variety of excursions, freight operations, and filming locations for dozens of motion picture and television productions.

The company is in the process of pursuing relocation to another online community. Normal Sierra Northern Ventura Division business will continue as usual. The company anticipates the reintroduction of excursion trains and railbike adventures originating from the new facility in the near future.

For additional information, contact Matthew Blackburn, 530-490-1446.

###

[City of Fillmore press release]

Contact: David W. Rowlands, City Manager — (805) 524-1500

City of Fillmore and Sierra Northern Railway Part Ways

June 2, 2022

After months of negotiations, the City of Fillmore and Sierra Northern Railway have determined that they are unable to come to terms to allow Sierra Northern Railway to use city property for freight storage and possibly tourist train and railbike operations.

“It is unfortunate; we could not come to an agreement with Sierra Northern Railway. One item of concern was Sierra Northern Railway removing language saying that their use of the properties cannot bother the neighbors. In addition, they wanted the City to rubber stamp grading and the installation of buildings on the property without the City reviewing the plans for safety, drainage, and code compliance. We always needed to look out for Fillmore and the residents by enforcing laws to protect public health and safety.” stated, David W. Rowlands, City Manager.

The language preventing Sierra Northern Railway from doing anything on the property which would bother the neighbors is essential as there has already been an incident involving Sierra Northern Railway’s storage of creosote-soaked railroad ties on the property which created odors that made neighbors sick. Sierra Northern Railway initially dismissed the neighbor's concerns by stating a Federal Preemption allowed Sierra Northern Railway to store any material onsite regardless of noxious odors. This claim is dubious as Sierra Northern Railway does not yet even have the legal right to use this property as no valid leases have been accepted on behalf of the Railway even after months of negotiations.

Despite being asked by the City for months to provide valid insurance protecting the city and to cite relevant regulations to support Sierra Northern Railway’s claims that a few provisions of the agreement violated their duties as a common carrier railroad, nothing was ever provided to the City. “We would not propose terms that violate the law. If Sierra had provided citations to support their vague contentions the City would have agreed to change the terms at issue to comply with the law. Instead, Sierra elected not to provide any information supporting their claim. Sierra also rejected common contract terms such as language allowing the City to deny Sierra’s request to transfer Sierra’s interest in the property to a third party,” said Tiffany Israel, City Attorney.

Julius Luna, 18, of Ventura

June 2, 2022 - District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Julius Luna (DOB 10/09/03), of Ventura, was charged with the murder of Gabriel Cueva, of Piru. It is further alleged that Luna personally used a firearm in the commission of the murder causing great bodily injury or death, and that the murder was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang. On May 29, 2022, at approximately 5:33 p.m., Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the call of a gunshot victim in the area of Azahar Street in Saticoy. Deputies located the victim who was receiving CPR from bystanders. The victim was transported to the Ventura County Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. Luna was arraigned on the filed complaint on June 2, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 13 of the Ventura County Superior Court. The arraignment was continued until June 30, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. and a bail proceeding was set for June 6, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 13. If convicted, Luna faces a maximum penalty of 50 years to life in prison. Luna is in custody with bail set at $1.5 million.

Written by Carina Monica Montoya

On June 1, the Fillmore high school gymnasium was standing room only. Several graduating seniors received scholarships for their stellar academic, sports, and community service achievements. Family, friends, and teachers beamed with pride over these young accomplished seniors. Scholarships ranged from $100 to $7,000 from several organizations, including the Fillmore Women’s Service Club. The Fillmore Women’s Service Club was established in 1964 for the purpose of raising funds to help the community of Fillmore. The Club assists families in need, graduating seniors, women returning to education, school activities, local museums, libraries, and many other community groups. Learn more about the Fillmore Women’s Service Club and see photos of the Senior Awards Night event on Facebook (The Fillmore Women’s Service Club), and at www.fillmorewomensserviceclub.com

Bob Hammond

On Monday, May 30, at 11am, a Memorial Day ceremony was held at the Bardsdale Cemetery, honoring those who sacrificed their lives in war. The Reverend Bob Hammond of Fillmore's St. Stephens Anglican Church gave the inspirational message and prayers. Featured speaker this year was Jannette Jauregui, who shared moving sentiments about her experiences interviewing past Veterans in Ventura County over the years. Also attending was VFW Post 9637, Boy Scout Troop 406 and Cub Scout Troop 3400. Music was provided by Alissa Allred Thompson, and Bill Morris assisted in this year’s ceremony. Photo credit Ernie Villegas.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

A Ventura man, identified by authorities as Julius Luna, was arrested for murder Tuesday morning after the shooting death of Gabriel Cueva.

On Sunday, May 29, 2022, at about 5:32 PM, deputies responded to a disturbance call in the area of Azahar Street at Alelia Avenue. This location is in the Ventura County unincorporated area known as Saticoy. Deputies discovered Cueva lying face down in the street, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Lifesaving measures were attempted on Cueva who was ultimately transported to the hospital and later passed away at Ventura County Medical Center.

Detectives procured search warrants and obtained additional evidence linking Luna to the homicide. Luna was located in Fresno County and taken into custody, with the extensive assistance of the Fresno Police Department.

Luna was booked into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility where he is currently being held in lieu of a $1,500,000.00 bail. He has a scheduled arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court on 06/02/2022, at 1:30PM, in Courtroom #13.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Jamal Clark at 805-384-4740.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance and requesting anyone with videos or photographs from the incident to upload files to investigators at https://venturasheriffca.evidence.com/axon/citizen/public/saticoyhomicid....

The files are logged as digital evidence but contact information is not stored. Those submitting media can remain anonymous.

Nature of Incident: Ventura man arrested for fatal shooting of Piru resident
Report Number: RB# 22-70769
Location: 400 block of W. Sierra Avenue, Fresno, California
Date & Time: 05/31/22 @ 8:42 AM
Unit(s) Responsible: Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau, Sheriff’s Gang Unit, West County Patrol, Sheriff’s Property/Evidence Unit, Fresno Police Department
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent, City of Residence, Age
(S) Julius Luna, 18
(V) Gabriel Cueva, Ventura, Piru, 26
Prepared by: Sergeant William Hutton
Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau / Homicide
Approved by: Captain Victor Medina

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Blazers 8U Boys and 9-10 Boys Relay Teams.
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Blazers 11-12 year old Division Distance Runners, Abel Arana, Destina Guzman and Lucy Zuniga.
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Blazers 9-10 Bantam Girls 4x400m Champions & 9-10 Bantam Boys 4x100m Relay Team.
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By Erika Arana

The Heritage Valley Blazers track and field club kicked off their largest season yet, with 236 athletes, and the third largest club in the Ventura County Track Conference. This season, the conference welcomed the Rio Mesa Spartan Track Club, total athletes competing was nine clubs of 1,636 athletes.

The Blazer’s season opener was Saturday, March 14, at the Fillmore High School Track. They competed a total of six regular season track meets, JV finals at Buena High School on April 23, where most of the athletes finished their season. The Ventura County Track Championships (Varsity) was on April 30 at Moorpark High School and Blazer’s had 76 athletes qualify.

The Southern California Track & Field Co-Conference Championships were held on Saturday, May 14th at Rio Mesa High School. A total of 13 teams participated with only the conference top athletes who qualified. Heritage Valley Blazers represented well, with 56 athletes.

In Distance and Mid-Distance, Jacob Ramirez was the only (8U boy) to qualify for both the 800m and 1600m. He ran away with two medals, 11th in the 800m 3:27.39, and 8th in the 1600m 6:50.54 PR. Abel Arana (11-12yr/boys) was also the only who qualified and placed 7th in the 800m 2:38.41 and dominated in the 1600m, placing 2nd with a PR of 5:29.17. The Blazers had two (9-10yr/girls) qualify for the 800m; Jaylene Ponce out kicked her teammate for a 4th place 3:01.12 PR finish; In 5th plc was Itzel Arana, 3:03.72. Itzel also placed 4th, in the 1600m, 6:26.97. In the same race, close behind was Anika Uribe, 7th, 6:41.20 PR. Destina Guzman (11-12yr/girls) division took 10th, 2:53.43 and 6th in the 1600m, 6:05.23. Luzy Zuniga finished the season with an 8th place 6:08.78 PR. In the (13-14yr/boys) 800m, Noah Halcon started off fast and eased it through the finish line with a strained muscle. Diego Felix (15-16yr/boys) placed 6th in the 1600m, 5:29.75.

In the 100m, hurdles, Noah Halcon (13-14yr/boys), took 5th. The (15-16yr/girls) 100m hurdles, Maria Faulk took 2nd and Arianna Halcon was 3rd. Isaac Mohun (15-16yr/boys) finished in 1st place, 15.48.

In the relays, Blazers (8U/divisions) 4x100m, Aixa Lomeli, Avery Arias, Delilah Vargas and Nadia Rangel placed 2nd, 1:10.17. The boys, Isaak Romero, Koen Richie, Jacob Ramirez, and Jacob Santa Rosa were 3rd, 1:09.54. In the (9-10/divisions) we saw some impressive racing. For the 4x100m boys, Vincent Halcon, Michael Hipskind, Marcus Castro, and Jesse Navarro took 2nd by 7 hair biting milliseconds. The girls, Alexis Amaro, Itzel Arana, Itzel Abrego, and Jaylene Ponce took 8th, but redeemed themselves in the 4x400m taking 1st with a 5:23.36 PR. The (13-14/divisions) 4x100m, girls, C’enna Uribe, Sarah Cedillos, Jasmine Gonzalez, and Kimberly Magaña placed 4th, 54.08. Boys, Blasie Mohun, Abel Villela, Jacob Montes, and Jasiah Patterson, dropped the baton in the second leg exchanged and finished 7th. Amelia Cervantes, Daniela Hurtado, Kaylee Riedmiller and Sophia Aviles, (15-16yr/girls) placed 3rd, 55.80. Benedict Collins, Isaac Mohun, Joseph Weinkopf and John Paul Mohun (17-18yr/young men), took 1st in the 4x100m, 49.67. Diego Felix and Preston Good joined the Mohun brothers in the 4x400m, to run a 4:14.55.

In the Sprints, first time track star, Nadia Rangel (8U girl) took 6th in both her races; 100m, 16.90 and 200m, 36.68. Vincent Halcon (9-10yr/boys), took podium 3rd place finishes in the 100m, 14.35 and 31.12, in the 200m. A blazing fast 12.86, 100m 1st place finish for Kimbery Magaña (13-14yr/girls), she also finished 3rd in the 200m, 27.54. Teammate, Leah Barragan was behind her in the 200m, 27.88 for 5th and took 4th, 1:04.19 PR. Andrew Estrada (13/14yr/boys) took 8th, 25.80 in the 200m and 4th in the 400m, 57.65. Sophia Aviles (15-16yr/girls) took 2nd, 13.68 in the 100m. Kaylee Riedmiller was 3rd in the 200m, 29.99. Aralynne Gonzalez took 4th in the 400m, 1:21.11. Isaac Mohun (15-16yr/boys) finished with a 58.09 PR, to take 1st place in the 400m. In the (17-18yr/young men) John Paul Mohun, took 2nd in both the 100m, 12.32 and 200m, 25.87. He placed 1st in the 400m, 57.66. Benedict Collins took 3rd in both the 100m; 13.35 and 27.63 in the 200m. He also took 2nd in the 400m, 1:03.38.

In Jumps, Nadia Rangel (8U girls) placed 2nd 9’-06” in the Long Jump. Vincent Halcon, 3rd place jump, 12-11.5. Isaac Mohun had a PR leap of 17’-07.25” for 3rd. His brother, John Paul, took 1st in 18’-05.75” and Benedict Collins, 16’-00.50” PR jump. Joseph Weinkopf (15-16yr/boys) was the only HVB high jumper to qualify and he did not disappoint. He had an impressive PR jump for a 1st place tie that ended in a 2nd, based off attempts, 5’-03.00”

In Throws, shot putters Isabella Zavala (9-10yr/girls) in 5th, 16’-10.25”. Hermelinda Ocegueda 3rd, 25’-02.75” and Jaylin Faulkner, 4th, 24’-04.25” for (11-12yr/girls). Ralph Avila managed to throw his best season PR of 33-10.50 for a 1st place finish. Andrew Estrada (13/14yr/boys) threw 31’-11.75”, for 2nd. In the (15-16yr/girls), Maria Faulk, 1st, 25’-00.50” PR and Kaylee Riedmiller, 2nd 23-04.75 PR. Sebastian Faulk (15-16yr/boys), took 2nd 28’-09.50” and Diego Felix, with a 7th, 24’-06.25” throw.

Heritage Valley Blazers is a nonprofit organization, providing each athlete the opportunity to reach their full potential by developing endurance, strength, self-esteem, discipline, personal accountability, and goal achievement while encouraging positive attitudes, good sportsmanship, and respect. With the help of our coaching staff, these young athletes have grown to love the sport. Until next Track & Field Season... GO BLAZERS!