Here are two of my favorite things, mashed together: Local history and "California School" watercolor painting. This painting hangs on the wall at the Saddleback Area Historical Society's library, which I had the pleasure of visiting yesterday. (More about that at a later date.).
A paper tacked up next to this painting reads, "Edgar Gerry Starr (1908-1971) was born in Imperial, CA on Sept. 8, 1908. He graduated from high school in Oakland and then atteneded the CCAC [California College of Arts & Crafts] and PAFA [Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts]. Returning to Los Angeles, he studied with Lawrence Murphy and Millard Sheets at the Chouinard School of Art. During the 1930s he was employed at Disney Studios while exhibiting in juried shows in California and Arizona. He made many sketching trips with Sheets to Mexico. After 'discovering' Puerto Vallarta, he and his wife settled there in 1954. His Disney work includes 'Pinocchio,' 'Fantasia,' and 'Song of the South.'"
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The painting depicts the old Santa Fe depot at El Toro, which was built in 1887. Sadly, it is long gone.
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Recently, someone called me out (in a "mostly kidding" way) for referring to Lake Forest as El Toro. I do so because it was called El Toro for over 153 years (since at least 1838). It's only been Lake Forest since 1991. The only lakes or forests in the area are completely manmade.
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As my friend Jeremy Tweet points out, "There's another Lake Forest, CA. It's located at Tahoe. Where they have things like lakes and forests."
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On the other hand, perhaps we should rename Anaheim "Alpine Falls, California." After all, they have a fake Matterhorn with a fake waterfall on it. And the name Anaheim has only been in use since 1857. The new name would probably help developers sell more condos, too. (I shouldn't give them ideas!)
