Foothills Sentry January 2022

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By Linda Schefcick “City Walk: All About Tustin in 1895” is a new book by author and historian Guy Ball from Tu- stin. “City Walk” sets the reader into downtown Tustin back in 1895, when the streets were dirt, the majestic Bank of Tustin sat right in the middle of town (at Main and El Camino), and trans- portation was usually horses, bi- cycles or walking. There were no cars, no electricity, and piped wa- ter to a home was not common. Readers will walk down the dusty streets of a small village that has a core area six streets long and five streets wide. They’ll see photos of houses and businesses no longer here. But some of the original homes are still standing, enjoying life with new families. Schools have grown and been re- placed. The original doctor’s of- fice is now a Kombucha bar. The author, Guy Ball, has lived in his adopted city of Tustin for 28 years, and is an active mem- ber of the Tustin Area Histori- cal Society. He previously wrote “Images of America: Tustin” and has been the webmaster of the society’s TustinHistory.com for over a decade. He also wrote two books on Santa Ana history and a book on vintage calculators. We asked him some questions about “City Walk:" How did you come up with the idea? A fellow historian and publish- er, Doug Westfall from Orange, had written a book on the City of Orange in 1888, and shared a map from 1895 that showed the build- ings in the core part of a very early Tustin. It was amazing to see what little made up our small town at the time. I was intrigued to discover more about what life was like then. This was before electric power or cars. Transportation to the ‘big city’ of Santa Ana took an hour by horse. Los Angeles was a day’s stage ride. Kids played hoops or ball in the dirt streets. Of course, that was after all the farm chores were done, because produce was one of the main sources of in- come for most families. I’ve always been amazed by pioneers who came to these deso- late fields of mustard grass with quail running wild, and took a chance on this land of opportu- nity that we call California. Peo- ple like Columbus Tustin took a chance with everything they had to create new communities. They moved their families here to create a new life for themselves and others. Columbus actually died a disappointed man in 1883, before his real estate labors re- ally bore fruit. It wasn’t until the 1890s that Tustin started to take shape and the community grew into something special. What kind of research did you do? That was the fun part. No one had done something so specific before. I had several books to start with, including Carol Jordan’s definitive book on Tustin. Juanita Lovret’s body of personal experi- ences was helpful. But the writ- ings of C.E. Utt and Helen and William Huntley, both who lived during that time, brought in more details. The Tustin Area Museum has an amazing collection of old images and other resources that I could look through. There were a variety of other sources, and some help from fellow historians who specialize in topics like rail- roads and plat maps. There are roughly 120 vintage photos and old maps in the book – many of which have never been published. In many cases, the photos had no background information, so I had to discover who owned what houses or see if businesses were from that time period. New book explores the Tustin of 1895 Why do you write about local his- tory? I got interested in local history about 35 years ago, and, in par- ticular, California history. I’m a transplant from New Jersey who wanted a piece of that ‘California Dream’. And the more I saw of the innovative thinking that oc- curs here, the more I realized how it’s been that way since the 1800s. My first three books were really photo books masquerading as history books, and they were popular. People love looking at old photos. So that’s why we in- cluded extra shots in this book. Why write a walking tour book? I thought it was an interest- ing way to get readers to think about the city. Some might actu- ally walk the path we laid out. But many more may read the book and visit spots or see loca- tions they know about with new insight. Like seeing the water buildings at Prospect and Main, and knowing the original water works for the whole city started in the same place they are now. Or that a home built for San Francis- can real estate titan David Hewes in 1881 is owned by a new family today. What’s your next project? Two, actually. I’m working with a designer to revamp the TustinHistory.com website for the historical society, with better interfaces and more historic con- tent. And I’ll soon start finishing another book I began a few years ago that shows “Then and Now” photos of Tustin and talks about the changes residents have seen. “City Walk: All about Tustin in 1895”, 106 pgs., is available at specialbooks.com. The Feb. 17 general meeting of the Villa Park Women’s League will be themed “Happy Birthday, Villa Park!” The organization will celebrate the 60-year anniversary of the incorporation of the city with exhibits and speakers shar- ing about the founding and early years of the “Hidden Jewel.” The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Villa Park City Hall. Membership is open to all female residents of the city; see vpwl.org for information. VPWL to celebrate city's 60 years Art League explores storytelling in painting Artist Nancy Nowak will pres- ent “Painting Successfully, from Start to Finish” at the Tustin Art League’s Zoom meeting on Wed., Jan. 12. Nowak will explore the stages and thought processes that go into completing an interesting paint- ing that tells a story. In addition to demonstrating techniques and underpainting, she will show how she develops a strong foundation through value studies and the rule of thirds, and how she uses fig- ures to deepen the story told by the landscape. All are welcome to attend the meeting at cccconfer.zoom. us/j/98009215926. It runs from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Author Guy Ball and his book.