The outhern HSSC alifornian The Historical Society of Southern California Fall/Winter 2007 Volume 19 Number 3/4 George A.V. Dunning served on the Board of Directors from 1985 to 2000. He was elected president in 1987. Mr. Dunning has been a major HSSC benefactor John Gray, president of the including endowing Autry National Center, this introduced William Deverell. In annual lecture his remarks, Mr. Gray said, "We live with the results and on the history of consequences of our history, Los Angeles. and to understand our past is Board members Eric A. Nelson and Patricia Adler Ingram and to inform and improve our speaker William Deverell outside Johnson Hall at Occidental College future." Eighth Annual Dunning Lecture Is A Success Professor Deverell's thesis prompts spirited questions from the audience CCIDENTAL COLLEGE was the scene of the attracted to southern California for its "redemptive eighth annual George A.V. Dunning Lecture. hopefulness." Deverell's significant reinterpretation of O Noted USC historian Bill Deverell's well­ this era emphasizes that by no means all newcomers attended address on Sunday, November 4, was entitled were transplanted Midwesterners. Besides numerous "And the End of the War Came: Southern California Civil War veterans- veterans' hospitals were open only and the Aftermath of the Civil War." Among us in the to Union vets- John Brown's son Owen moved here audience were Occidental President Susan Prager, Bill and died in Pasadena in the late 1880s as the last Burke, administrative director of the Haynes survivor of the infamous raid on Harpers Ferry. While Foundation, and John Gray, head of the Autry National the overall thrust of his talk was positive, Deverell Center, who introduced speaker Deverell. made it clear that southern California's "redemptive hopefulness" did not always extend to racial or ethnic Deverell's focus was by no means entirely local. For minorities. He also raised the disturbing question of example, he credited the war with stimulating the just when the Civil War-or any war, for that matter­ movement for a national park system to help heal both can be considered to be officially "over." physical and psychological wounds of veterans. Individuals with such wide ranging interests as John Following his lecture, Deverell led an especially lively Muir, W.E.B. DuBois, the Olmsted family of park question-and-answer session which prompted some of planners, Charles Lummis and countless health-seekers us to wish we could sign up as students in one of his suffering from tuberculosis or neurasthenia were all classes. Photos: Michele Clark HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OFFICERS John 0. Pohlmann PRESIDENT Gloria Miranda FIRST ViCE PRESIDENT Jon Wilkman SECOND ViCE PRESIDENT Eric A. Nelson SECRETARY Admission Day at El Molino Viejo Pat Adler-Ingram Draws More Than Ever TREASURER UR ADMISSION DAY EVENT at El Molino Viejo DIRECTORS enjoyed a full house plus- 160 paid even though 140 was William J. Barger James A. Sandos Oour max target and we had to refuse a number who wanted By John Pohlmann to attend but tried to register too late. The staff at El Molino Viejo ADVISORY DIRECTOR was justifiably just as delighted as those of us from HSSC. Perfect Kevin Starr weather, delicious Mexican food (on real plates!), and lovely THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAN Spanish guitar music in the background combined for maximum is published quarterly by the ambience. Historical Society This The Wilkmans, as anticipated, were terrific-exuberant, of Southern California, a California non-profit informative, entertaining-especially for those of us over 39, organization (50 I)( c)(3) jointly which included almost all in attendance. Jon and Nancy each had a mike, and they traded off discussing multiple photo slides from Carole Dougherty their Picturing Los Angeles book projected simultaneously on the EDITOR sponsored screen. El Molino Viejo has a new sound system, which was Michele Clark perfect for the occasion. Starting in the 19th century, the Carole Dougherty annual Wilkmans proceeded in rapid-fire style decade by decade down to John 0. Pohlmann the present. Much of the info was a refresher course for many of James Sandos Jon & Nancy Wilkman us, but there were delightful new tidbits as well. The most startling, CONTRIBUTORS event has for me anyway, was that the local Mexican community successfully hid a Japanese American wife of a Mexican American during WW The office of the II. The locals knew, but the government never found out! Also of Historical Society become a is located at interest was a 1930s photo of three local Korean girls in bathing Lummis Home (EI Alisal) suits. Much of the Wilkmans' presentation reflected one-dimen­ 200 East Avenue 43 "must" sional local boosterism, but they also noted police brutality, Los Angeles CA 90031 Phone: (323) 222-0546 disregard for civil liberties, union busting, smog, and other Website: www.socalhistory.org for unpleasantries glossed over by the myth-makers. At the very end the Wilkmans showed a couple of old moving Office Hours pictures. They began with the first film shot in LA, circa 1898 by Wednesday - Sunday 12-4 California the Edison Co., which included high society riding atop horse­ drawn TallyHo coaches (emulating upper crust Brits!) from the The Lummis Home is open history Valley Hunt Club showing off on Spring Street for the camera. to the public Even more fun was a Chamber of Commerce booster type promo Fri-Sun 12-4 circa 1949 touting LA for its smoothly flowing traffic on its state­ Group Tours fans of-the-art freeway system and touting the skyscraping City Hall as Fridays by appointment the tallest building. Also interesting was the condescending treatment of Mexican culture as depicted on Olvera Street. To summarize, the cliche "a good time was had by all" fits perfectly. We look forward to continued collaboration on a most worthy event. Photo: Michele Clark 2 The Neuerburg Award for Best Book in Steven Early California History, Hackel given annually 2006 Neuerburg Award to by HSSC since 2000, Peter Uhrowczik Steven Hackel for Children of is based upon the 2005 Neuerburg Award to Peter Coyote, Missionaries of St. Francis: By James A. Sandos intellectual and financial Uhrowczik for The Burning of Indian-Spanish Relations in legacy of Monterey: The 1818 Attack on Colonial California, I 76 9-185 0 California by the Privateer Bouchard (University of North Carolina Norman Neuerburg. (Cyril Books, 2001) Press, 2005) Norm, HROWCZIK (pronounced THISISAPATH-BREAK as he was known U Urosick in English) has • lNG study oflndian­ to his many friends, radically changed the way we Spanish relations in the mission Meet contributed must think about the invasion of named for Carlos Boromeo and the Spanish province of Alta known colloquially as Carn1el enormously California by Hipolito Mission. Hackel has used the two to the art history Bouchard in 1818. Bouchard mission registers- the books of of the has been dismissed by most baptisms, marriages, burials, Neuerburg California missions and American scholars as a pirate confirmations, and annual bent upon pillaging. Easter Duty when the faithful to their Uhrowczik, however, shows us receive the sacraments of recipients restoration and a privateer in the service of Penance and Eucharist- to preservation. Argentina who came to Califor­ reconstruct mission life and Norm also served as nia seeking to capture Spanish religious/social activity over the vessels and their cargo to help institution's life-span from its the architectural finance the war of indepen­ founding to its incorporation historian for the dence waged by the Rio de Ia within the American Union. creation of the original Plata against Spain. Drawing Combining these data sets Getty Museum in upon first-person accounts of concerning Indians with all the major participants found the Spanish-language Malibu. in archives in North and South documents created by Upon his death America as well as in published priests, soldiers, settlers Norm left a bequest primary sources, Uhrowczik and government officials, to the society freshly relates the story in a Hackel has succeeded in fast-paced narrative showing writing a history that to fund an annual prize Bouchard's bravery and simultaneously views the in Early determination, the bravery, mission from the top down California History foolishness and luck of the and from the bottom up. By and the award Californios, and the self­ use of the data on Indians serving, laughable report of Hackel has done something no recognizes California governor Pablo one else has been able to do to important works Vicente de Sola to the viceroy this degree of thoroughness in that are in Mexico claiming a non­ early California history, he has frequently overlooked existent military victory. reconstituted families over time Actually the privateer had so that he can follow people by other organizations. found no rich prizes and little of throughout the colonial and value in the poor province of early national era. "Family Neuerberg Awards continued on page 7 Neuerberg Awards continued on page 3 The making of a documentary: MOST PEOPLE THINK THEY KNOW THE HISTORY of rock 'n' roll. It's essentially the product of a musical dialogue between black and white America, with the Brits thrown in along the way. But there's much more to tell, such as the long-ignored contributions of Mexican Americans. ow a new documentary, "Chicano Rock!: The Sounds of East Los Angeles," wi II set the record straight. Emmy Award-winning producer, director and writer Jon Wilkman grew up in Los Angeles in the 1940s and '50s. In the documentary, he focuses on the music of East Los Angeles, the largest Latino community in America, exploring the long, rich and little-known rock ' n' roll tradition there- a tradition which began This article in the 1940s and continues today.