Carina Monica Montoya

The Depot circa 1900. The crate on the loading dock is a piano for George N. King.
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Courtesy Fillmore History Museum

Although the Museum was closed for over a year due to the pandemic, we were still available, under COVID-19 restriction guidelines for researchers. During the time we were closed, we had several people conduct research on topics from a possible documentary on the St. Francis Dam Disaster to wanting to know the history of the older home they had just purchased. We are always happy to help people research their ancestry, home, or general history of our area.

One of the people who reached out to us was Fillmore resident, Carina Monica Montoya. She told us she was writing a book for Arcadia Publishing on Ventura County and needed photographs and information. Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series spotlights the history of neighborhoods, towns and cities of local writers and historians by showcasing vintage photographs, some spanning over 100 years.

Over several visits to the Museum, we were able to assist Carina in finding photographs and information on Fillmore, surrounding communities, and of Ventura County in general.Our many resources further inspired her to expand the book to include a chapter on disasters that significantly impacted the county but also helped to reshape it.

On July 10th, Carina will be at the Southern Pacific Depot in Fillmore for a book signing. Books are currently available on our website gift shop and will be available at the event. Please join us from 1 to 3 pm on Saturday, July 10th for a book signing.

Note: This guidance took effect on June 15, 2021 and will supersede all prior face coverings guidance.
BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 vaccines are effective in preventing infection, disease, and spread. Unvaccinated persons are more likely to get infected and spread the virus which is transmitted through the air and concentrates indoors. About 15% of our population remains without the option for vaccination (children under 12 years old are not yet eligible) and risk for COVID-19 exposure and infection will remain until we reach full community immunity.

The purpose of this guidance is to align with CDC recommendations and provide information about higher risk settings where masks are required or recommended to prevent transmission to persons with higher risk of infection (e.g., unvaccinated or immunocompromised persons), to persons with prolonged, cumulative exposures (e.g., workers), or to persons whose vaccination status is unknown. When people who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask correctly, they protect others as well as themselves. Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors.

GUIDANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS
Masks are not required for fully vaccinated individuals, except in the following settings where masks are required for everyone, regardless of vaccination status:
• On public transit (examples: airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-shares) and in transportation hubs (examples: airport, bus terminal, marina, train station, seaport or other port, subway station, or any other area that provides transportation)
• Indoors in K-12 schools, childcare and other youth settings.
• Note: This may change as updated K-12 schools guidance is forthcoming, pending updates for K-12 operational guidance from the CDC.
• Healthcare settings (including long term care facilities)
• State and local correctional facilities and detention centers
• Homeless shelters, emergency shelters and cooling centers

Additionally, masks are required for unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings and businesses (examples: retail, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers, meetings, state and local government offices serving the public).

For additional information, individuals should refer to CDC Recommendations for Safer Activities.

State of California—Health and Human Services Agency
California Department of Public Health
www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/guidance-for-face-cover....

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

The Fillmore Police Department encourages our residents and visitors to rejoice and celebrate over the Fourth of July weekend responsibly and with consideration for the safety of all members of the public and their respective property. With the anticipated increase of the city’s population during the festivities, in addition to the inherent dangers associated with illegal fireworks, the Police Department will have extra patrol deputies deployed throughout the city over the holiday weekend.

The Police Department wants to remind residents and visitors about illegal fireworks and the fines associated with these crimes:

“Safe and Sane” fireworks, bearing the seal of the State Fire Marshal, can be legally sold, possessed, and enjoyed in the city between 12:00 pm, June 28th, and 12:00 pm, July 5th.

Violators may be cited for violating city municipal codes and are subject to a $1000.00 fine for possessing illegal fireworks or violators may be arrested for more serious offenses. If you witness any illegal firework activity, please call the Fillmore Police Department at (805) 524-2233 or if there is an immediate threat to life or property call 9-1-1.

Community: Fourth of July News Release
Nature of Incident: Fillmore Police Fourth of July Holiday Weekend Extra Patrol
Location: City of Fillmore
Date & Time: June 17, 2021
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Police Department
Prepared by: Deputy J. Labbé
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredjian

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Multiple residents of Fillmore have reported damage to their vehicles by having their windows shattered by a rock. The vandalisms occurred from June 9, 2021 through June 16, 2021, between 8:30 pm to 7:00 am. The damaged vehicles were parked on the street in different locations around the city. The suspect(s) may be targeting recent graduates from Fillmore High School.

The Fillmore Police Department is asking citizens who may have information pertaining to these vandalisms to call Detectives Salas or Pewsey at the below listed telephone numbers. The reporting party may remain anonymous.
Residents are urged to be aware of these vandalisms and to park their vehicles in well-lit areas or inside their garage.

Community: Fillmore Vandalisms
Nature of Incident: Request for Public Assistance Regarding Multiple Vehicle Vandalisms
Report Number: 21-75516, 21-75348, 21-75318, 21-78372
Location: Various Locations Throughout Fillmore
Date & Time: June 9, 2021 through June 16, 2021, 8:30 pm to 7:00 am
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Patrol Services and Fillmore Detective Bureau
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent, City of Residence, Age
Unknown Unknown Unknown
Prepared by: Detective Pewsey
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredjian

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).

In May 1893 the Sespe Town Plan (above) was filed with the County of Ventura and was to be located between Sixth and Seventh Streets with the streets running from Fifth to Eighth. Only a few streets can still be found on maps found today.
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Sespe Depot c 1900
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Sespe School on Grand Avenue, 1896
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Courtesy Fillmore History Museum

After the murder of T. Wallace More in 1877, the property that was Rancho Sespe was inherited by T. Wallace More’s surviving children: Mattie Mae More Storke, Thomas R. More, Wallace More and Alexander More. Mattie Mae Storke sold 3,379 acres to Sespe Land and Water Company headed by Jacob McNab and this became the town of Fillmore. Two of the brothers, Thomas and Wallace, jointly sold their 2,313 acres to Thomas Bard. Royce Surdam bought 1500 acres from Bard and began to develop Bardsdale.

In July of 1887, Alexander More sold about 220 acres to Pacific Improvement Company, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad. He also sold 50’ on either side to the proposed railroad track to Southern Pacific.

In 1889 Pacific Improvement Co. sold land to the Santa Paula Methodist Episcopal Church for land for a church in the town of Sespe. They also sold property for a school to the San Cayetano School District.

Alexander More died in late May 1889 while on a fishing trip to Santa Ynez Valley and his remaining portion of Rancho Sespe was sold at auction to settle his estate.

On September 11, 1891, the property was sold to James L. High at auction for $75,000. On November 26, 1892, High sold it for $85,000 to Morton D. Hull.

On May 9, 1893, a plan was filed for the Town of Sespe with Ventura County. It would be built around the Southern Pacific Depot which would be located between Sixth and Seventh Streets with the streets running from Fifth to Eighth, with six avenues, Ventura, More, Main, Walnut, Olive and Orange. Today only Fifth and Seventh Streets can be found on maps. This was on the land owned by Pacific Improvement Company.

In August 1893, a prospectus was prepared for the Hull Subdivision of Sespe Ranch six miles east of Santa Paula with the Southern Pacific railroad running through it. 1,600 acres were offered in 10, 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-acre parcels. Buyers would also be able to access sufficient water for orchards because “Sespe Water Company has developed ample water to irrigate the entire tract, have wells capable of producing about 3,500,000gallons of water per diem of 24 hours. This Company has just installed a thoroughly modern steam pumping plant …. (and) has laid several miles of large iron mains and a 14-inch line leads the water to their million-gallon reservoir.”

So far research has not found any evidence that these parcels were advertised for sale like those in Fillmore and Bardsdale. Other than laying out the plan and apparently installing water lines, little of this town of Sespe was ever realized.

As E. M. Sheridan wrote in 1928, “…it was hoped that this station of Sespe might really become the chief town of the valley. But by the time of the finish of the railroad in about 1886-7, the new town of Fillmore suddenly dawned on the horizon, with the railroad people given everything they wanted in the way of depot grounds and room for sidings, and first thing known Sespe was forgotten…”

That doesn’t mean there wasn’t a Sespe Community.

Ventura County was separated from Santa Barbara County in 1873. “Sespe” existed as a recognized voting district as early as 1876. The voting district took in everything from Santa Paula, east to the county line with Los Angeles County.

It was an active community. The July 19, 1873, Ventura Signal reported on a well-attended July 4th celebration at Hercynian Grove near “Spraguesville” (at the mouth of the Sespe on the Santa Clara River). Mrs. Guiberson, Messrs. Haskins and Marple sang the Star-Spangled Banner. F. A. Sprague read the Declaration of Independence and later gave an oration “to the perfect satisfaction of all present.”

In 1874 Frederick Sprague and his 13-year-old daughter, Iva, and 14-year-old son, Hartley, traveled by wagon to Ventura to purchase wood for the building of a school. The school he built was located on the north side of the Santa Clara River near the current north approach of the Bardsdale Bridge. It was 20’ X 30’ and, depending on teacher’s estimates, either 11’, 12’, or 16’ high. This was probably near where the 1873 4th of July Celebration was held.

A few years later in 1880, the Sespe July 4th celebration was again going to be at Hercynian Grove with music by “…the Sespe songsters accompanied the vocal band of surrounding denizens; oration by Dr. S. P. Guiberson of San Buenaventura; prayer by Ari Hopper of the mountains, with “Hail Columbia” in the background; to finish with a grand prelude of “Hurrah for Horace and the Sespe.” Horace referred to newspaper man and sometime presidential candidate, Horace Greeley. Frederick Sprague was not in attendance as by this date he was in jail for the murder of T. Wallace More.

A directory from 1898 lists over seventy households in Sespe. “Farmer” was given most frequently for occupation, but there were also “oilman”, “stone cutter”, “oil pumper”, “harness maker”, and “teacher”.

The Methodist Church was built on the property near the Sespe Southern Pacific Depot which had been deeded them by the Pacific Improvement Company. In 1904, it was relocated to near the corner of Muir and Grand Avenue leaving only the depot at the original town site.

In 1894 the Sespe Post Office was established, but not within the limits laid out by the Pacific Improvement Company. Instead, it was established, “at the (railroad) switch just west of the bridge,” and would serve approximately fifty families. This would be far to the east of the planned town. The post office moved with each new postmaster and there were seven between its inception and 1908 when Lee Phillips was appointed moving the Post Office to his store. Phillips would be postmaster until 1932 when the post office was consolidated into the Fillmore Post Office.

Phillips ran the Sespe Store Sespe Avenue, later renamed Grand Avenue. His was not the first store to serve Sespe. The Sespe Cash Store, I. B. Martin, dealer in Fancy and Staple Groceries was in business in Sespe around 1902. The Ventura County Co-Operative, which also had stores in Piru and Fillmore was in business there in 1912. The store and post office would serve the farmers and ranchers in the area but also those working in the oilfields and at the brownstone quarry.

Sespe may never have grown to be the town its promoters hoped to have, but it was a community that many called home.

Fillmore High School hosted their 2021 Graduation in traditional style this year at the Fillmore High football stadium. Although they were limited as to attendance because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were still able to make graduation a success. On Thursday, June 10th at 7pm, FHS seniors took their walk across the stage to say their final goodbyes to Fillmore High. You can view the entire graduation using this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AarhW5fgVRQ

Jahwi Angeles-Ortega, 33, Oxnard, Ca

33-year-old Jahwi Angeles-Ortega of Oxnard was arrested in March 2021 for vehicle theft in Moorpark with a toddler inside, and was apprehended with a assistance of multi-sheriff departments, including Fillmore Patrol stations. He was sentenced to two years probation and 240 days in County Jail. He was charged with felony vehicle theft, misdemeanor receiving stolen property, and misdemeanor prowling. He received 140-day credit for the 240 days as time already served plus "work time-good time" credits. He will be required to undergo substance abuse counseling and treatment among several other restrictions and requirements. At the time of his arrest, he had multiple outstanding warrants, was arrested for vehicle theft, and kidnapping but prosecutors never filled the kidnapping charge.

Summer is finally here, a time when California deer hunters are dreaming about filling their empty freezers and when ranchers are seeing a proliferation of new ground squirrel burrows plaguing their fields. Most hunters and ranchers alike use a firearm to either provide their families with wholesome game meat, or reduce the population of destructive species. In 2020 both these groups saw Assembly Bill 711 (2013) in effect for its first full year, banning the use of lead ammunition for hunting of wildlife. The legislation was aimed at addressing lead poisoning deaths in scavenging wildlife, most notably the California condor.

Multiple studies have traced a link between the use of lead ammunition and mortality in raptor populations, including bald and golden eagles. Lead has deep historical usage in hunting projectiles since it is dense, malleable, and easily mined but it tends to remain in the environment for many years. Shot lead bullets can fragment hundreds of times into an animal, especially when placed on hard tissue. The microscopic pieces left behind in unrecovered game, gut piles, or dispatched livestock become available to scavengers who unfortunately can succumb to lead poisoning.

The new restrictions aside, hunters and ranchers continue to contribute to conservation. Revenue from license and gun/ammo sales are crucial sources of funding for wildlife conservation, while the modern diets of scavengers like the condor rely almost entirely on cattle and large terrestrial game. Making the switch to non-lead provides a clean source of food for condors and other scavenging raptors that frequent the area around Fillmore, and hunters and ranchers who shoot with non-lead are some of the most important stakeholders in the recovery of California’s raptor populations.

Center and Rimfire
Following AB711, many shooters expressed concern about the effectiveness of lead-free ammunition. These concerns were founded as non-lead was unavailable in many calibers, new technology to most manufacturers, and more expensive than lead options. With the advancements in market competition, technology, and research and development non-lead is now competitive in both performance and price.

As a previous Gazette contributor pointed out, you first need to understand how alternative metals fly, then test how new rounds perform with your particular firearm. The difference between densities of lead and copper (the most common non-lead option) alters the flight path and may require resighting. Copper bullets may come with a polymer tip to improve accuracy and expansion of their copper petals such as the Barnes TTSX, Hornady GMX, Federal Trophy Copper, or Nosler E-Tip, while others have an exposed hollow point such as Sig Sauer’s Copper Elite, Barnes TSX, and the Federal Copper HP. The monolithic design undeniably has better weight retention and penetration which is crucial for quickly dispatching tough species like feral hogs or large livestock. They are all manufactured with strict specifications to consistently expand and release their energy on target.

For ranchers and hunters conducting nuisance species management or harvesting furbearers, an appropriately sized round may be available as a frangible. Frangibles are copper-jacketed and filled mainly with powdered copper alloy core to create a single entrance and release their energy rapidly. Options such as the Barnes Varmint Grenade, Hornady NTX, and Nosler Ballistic Tip Lead Free are excellent choices. The offerings for the old iron sight rimfire rifle now include Hornady NTX, CCI Copper-22, and Norma ECO. Although these lead alternative options are less dense and destabilize in flight at longer ranges, this is not much concern for standard rimfire hunting conditions.

Shotgun
Lead-free shotgun options have been in steady supply since 1991, when a federal ban of lead shot for the take of waterfowl was implemented. This regulation required hunters to adapt rapidly but also saved millions of ducks that had been inadvertently ingesting lead shot. Steel, the most common and cost effective alternative, is less dense but harder than lead, and has a tendency to pattern tighter. Bismuth is closest to the density of lead and tungsten is densest of them all, making them ideal for larger birds like turkey and goose. These metals are on the more expensive end and patterning is still highly recommended.

The lead-free options available for the various gauges and applications of shotguns are too numerous to mention here but the alternative metals- steel, bismuth, tungsten, or alloys of them should be tested to identify if they are conducive to your firearm. At the end of the day the firearm chooses the best performing ammunition, not the shooter. Check that your gun is rated for these harder alternatives as older models and Damascus steel barrels can get damaged. Shot sizes will also change. Steel, as a rule of thumb, should be shot one to two sizes larger than a shooter’s previous lead load, while tungsten can be shot 3 or 4 sizes smaller. A modification of choke size may be in order regardless. Note- if you find small upland loads like size 6 steel right now, congratulations on winning the California lottery.

If competing for rifle and shotgun ammo is running you ragged, many hunters are now switching to air rifles. Unlike the farm’s old Red Ryder, modern designs of pellet rifles can fire a projectile in excess of 1500 feet per second. Pellet alternatives include copper and alloys of tin, bismuth, and zinc that are capable of performing better than lead counterparts. Researching larger calibers like .22 or .25 can help you find a gun and pellet combination that matches your needs, and the best part is that they both ship without a background check right to your door! Some popular options there are Haendler & Natermann H&N Baracuda Green, Predator GTO Lead-free, and Daisy Precision Max Flat Lead-free.

Practicing at varying distances can increase confidence in your bullet choice and lead to success in any scenario. By researching rounds you see on the shelf, thoroughly cleaning guns to remove metal residue, testing multiple options, or buying a rifle with a higher twist rate you can ensure your aim stays true and your target goes down humanely. Ammunition shortages are still very real so it is in the best interest to start buying your ammunition several months ahead of season and get cozy with your local purveyor.

Hunters and ranchers- take pride in the knowledge that you are contributing to the propagation and recovery of scavenging species by shooting non-lead ammunition. You are making the recovery of species such as the California condor possible, all while continuing the sportsman’s tradition of conservation.

If you would like to learn more about the why and how of switching, visit www.huntingwithnonlead.org.

The 1937 Junior High School fire. The cause of the fire was unknown. Both high school and junior high students used the high school building for the next two years after the fire.
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Aerial photo of the high school campus circa 1938.
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The High School's lily pond.
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Fillmore High School throughout the years. (Clockwise from upper left) 1910 first high school at 2nd and Saratoga, 1911 high school at 2nd and Central, 1925 high school on Central circa 1965, and the current high school's administration building.
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Congratulations to the Class of 2021. This had to be one of the strangest school years in the history of Fillmore High School.

So what was the earliest history of Fillmore High School? The first high school opened in 1909 in a house built by Hattie (Mrs. George N.) King on the southwest corner of 2nd and Saratoga. Before that, any student wanting “higher” education had to go to high school in Santa Paula. The building on Saratoga was only used for one year. Haines Hardison, Fillmore’s third mayor, purchased the building and converted it into a dwelling.

In 1910 a new high school was built on 2nd and Central Avenue. The first graduating class was made up of Mary Cummings, Albert Wiklund, Sarah King and Mabel Arthur. The early Copa de Oros not only reported on the doings of the students, but also reported on alumni. According to the 1923 Copa de Oro, Mabel Arthur (now Cummings, she had married Mary’s older brother) was living in Long Beach as was Albert Wiklund. Sarah King (of the Piru King Family) had graduated from USC and was a missionary in Rhodesia, Africa. Mary Cummings (Jones) had sadly succumbed in the influenza pandemic as had one of the following year’s graduates, Vinnie Hinckley.

Speaking of the Copa de Oro, the first “annual” was printed in 1913 and called “El Picadillo,” meaning “Hash”. A contest was staged by the student body to find a new name for the annual. The prize would be three free annuals. Many names were submitted, but the winning name was “Copa de Oro” submitted by a freshman, Edith Moore. Edith was known as Edith Moore Jarrett when she taught Spanish at the High School, wrote a Spanish text which was used country wide for many years and founded the Fillmore Historical Museum.

Looking at the alumni from the following years, a surprising number were attending USC or other colleges and universities including Santa Barbara and Pomona. Fillmore may have been a young, small town, but its young people had high aspirations even then.

Even though the Fillmore High School had only been in existence a few years, it lost no time in excelling in sports, winning the County baseball championships in 1913-1914 and 1914-1915.

By 1924 the school at the corner of 2nd and Central was too small so a new high school was built along side the first. The new building even included an auditorium.

It was during the 1925 school year that the school nickname “Flashes” was selected. According to John Keefe, class of 1925, in a letter to the editor of the Fillmore Herald, July 14, 1988, “Barbara Barnes was on the Student Council as well as the editor of the yearbook. That was the only year the yearbook was not called the ‘Copa de Oro.’ Barbara was the one who submitted the name ‘Flash’, and the yearbook was also called ‘The Flash’.”

If you had attended Fillmore Union High School in 1931 you would have many activities to choose from. Besides the Glee Club, Orchestra, French Club, Spanish Club and sports teams, there was the Trigon Club for math enthusiasts. The Interscholastic Debating team placed second to Moorpark in the county tournament. The school did better in the Ventura County Typing Contest bringing home three trophies: the first-year cup, the second-year cup and the cup for accuracy. Dorothy Bartels, a first-year student brought home the accuracy cup with and average of 58 words per minute with only five mistakes.

In the early hours of January 21, 1937 fire broke out in the Junior High School Building. Although the cause is not known for certain it was believed to have been of electrical origin. For the next two years, the high school and junior high students both used the High School building.

In 1938 students moved into the new Science and Arts buildings which still are in use today.

In the mid-1950s both the “new” high school building and auditorium failed to meet earthquake safety standards under the Field Act and were torn down. In its place the current High School Administration building was constructed.

Over the years, additional buildings have been added with the Career Technical Education facilities under construction at this time. The buildings may change but Fillmore High School continues to prepare students for the future.

Fillmore High School graduation will stream live Thursday, June 10th at 7pm using this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AarhW5fgVRQ. Courtesy Fillmore High School website.