Third Quarter 2007 Volume 1 Number 3 An Historical Treasure Lost President’s Message By Jim Williams June 21, 2007, was a sad day at Camp Pendleton. The American fl ag fl ew It saddens me to at half-staff at the historic Santa Margarita Ranch House. This time it did report that Tony not commemorate the loss of the Commander- Forster, a found- in-Chief or a Marine General but, rather, the loss ing member of the of one of Southern California’s historical icons, CPHS Council of Thomas Anthony “Tony” Forster. Tony passed Advisors, passed away due to a brain aneurysm at age 72. His away on June funeral was held in the Mission Basilica in San 21, 2007. Tony’s Juan Capistrano, the town he loved so well. More contributions to the that 1000 people were in attendance to honor the preservation of California history are high- town’s former mayor. lighted elsewhere in this newsletter. He was as good friend and we will miss him. A founding member of the Camp Pendleton His- torical Society’s Council of Advisors, Tony is re- Welcome aboard to a new member of our membered as a larger than life fi gure, who carried Board of Directors -- Col R. Stewart Na- on his family’s historic traditions. Tony’s great- varre, USMC (Ret). Until his retirement great grandfather, Don Juan Forster, was the fi rst on June 15, Stewart was Chief of Staff, to develop the Rancho Santa Margarita into an extensive cattle ranch, cover- Marine Corps Installations West. While ing 226,000 acres, 353 square miles extending from the former Marine corps holding that position he served as an ex of- Air Station at El Toro to Oceanside and as far inland as Fallbrook. During fi cio member of the CPHS Board and was the course of his property acquisition, Don Juan bought the Mission San very helpful in getting us off on the right Juan Capistrano for $710 and the family lived there until President Lincoln foot. I know he will be even more valu- gave it back to the Catholic Church. The family then moved to the Ranch able as a full member of our Board. House on the Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores. When he passed away in 1882, Don Juan was California’s largest landowner. Much of the original In the last newsletter I mentioned our ranch is now Camp Pendleton and the Ranch House has served, for many interest in assisting the Marine Corps years, as the residence of the Commanding General. in maintaining the Ranch House after it Tony Forster soaked up this family history from the time he was born in San ceases to serve as a general offi cer resi- Juan Capistrano. He reveled in the tales of the past and felt that it was his dence. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendle- responsibility to keep the family legacy and the town’s heritage alive. The ton continues to work through the issues editor of the Capistrano Dispatch wrote that Tony was “…a one-man historical relating to this change. When the path is treasure.” As 17-year president of the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society, determined and our role is defi ned, I will Tony was a driving force in making the Society among the most active in Cali- report to you. fornia. A favorite event for Society members was the annual Christmas visit to the Ranch House, hosted by the Commanding General’s wife and the Santa In the meantime, CPHS is investigating Margarita y Las Flores Docents. several potential projects related to pre- serving and telling the history of Camp Not one to miss a good time, Tony was a 42-year member of the El Viaje Pendleton. I expect that one or more of de Portola’ Riders. He was a perfect fi t for the group’s goal of perpetuat- them will be adopted and look forward to ing Western heritage and comradery. The Mission San Juan Capistrano was reporting on them to you. another of his favorite benefi ciaries. He was active on the Mission Preserva- tion Foundation Board and contributed in many ways to support the preser- Thank you for your continued support and vation, stabilization and renovation of the Old Mission. please pass the word about CPHS to your Tony Moiso, CEO of the Rancho Mission Viejo as well as a founding mem- friends. Every member get a member! ber of the Camp Pendleton Historical Society’s Council of Advisors gave (Continued next page) Continued, An Historical Treasure Lost the eulogy. Moiso, a member of the O’ Neill Family, said he by wife, Ann, children Christa, Carlos, Marco and Alicia had known Tony Forster all his life. “Our families were inter- and three grandchildren, step-children Ann, Susan and Ja- twined through the vast land holdings each family has,” said son, three step-grandchildren, and a large extended family. Moiso. “Tony Forster and I forged a friendship during child- The American fl ag that fl ew over the Ranch House upon hood that remained steadfast to this day. It has been an honor Tony’s death, was presented to the Forster family on behalf to ride life’s trail with him. I miss him already.” of MGen. and Mrs. Michael Lehnert, as well as the Camp A graduate of West Point, Tony served in the Army for six Pendleton Historical Society and the Santa Margarita y Las years, leaving as a captain. He worked at TRW Systems for a Flores Docents. Tony’s brother, Pat Forster, will continue time, and later owned several businesses in San Juan Capist- on our Council of Advisors to carry on the family’s name. rano, partnering with younger brother, Patrick. He is survived

Profi le: Bill Taylor Remembers By Anne Estes Some people are just lucky. Bill came under his oversight and management. Australian-themed fi lm? No problem. Taylor considers himself one of Truck farmers (those whose crops needed The Base had thousands available. the luckiest people in the world. In irrigation) grew tomatoes, celery, cabbage One day in 1972, the curator of mam- the years following World War II, and strawberries. Paul Ecke, the famed mals at the San Diego Zoo phoned when much of the infrastructure of poinsettia grower, had a 200-acre farm on Bill and said he had a surplus of bi- Camp Pendleton as we know it to- the Base. There was a potato farm behind son that other zoos couldn’t accept. day began to take shape, Bill land- the main gate when Bill started his job. Would Camp Pendleton be able to ed the enviable job Much like today, there was handle a herd of twelve? MGen. of managing all of pressure on the USMC to Herman Poggemeyer, Jr., Base com- the Base real estate. justify its vast land holding in mander at the time, approved, and the He was on board such a desirable location. A bison were re-located to Case Springs. when the Interstate memo from the Public Works The herd today, descendents of the 5 and the nuclear Offi ce dated November 2, original bison, numbers about 113. generating station 1964, could have been writ- at San Onofre were Bill and Mildred Eleanor (“Milly”), his ten in 2007: “Camp Pend- wife of 68 years, live planned and con- leton land has structed. And he on three scenic acres become so at- in Vista in the home remembers it all as tractive to pri- if it were yesterday. that Bill built himself vate specula- in 1950 – 1951 while tive and other he and Milly lived on William Duncan outside inter- Taylor was born in the Base. A son and ests that it has daughter live nearby. Redondo Beach, become nec- California, the son Bill cultivates a variety essary for the of crops on the property of a postman who Marine Corps had inaugurated the including a good-sized to justify the plot of corn. He is ac- postal delivery ser- ownership and vice in that city in tive in Rotary and the management Vista Historical Society. 1912. Bill gradu- of its vast land ated from Redondo holdings.” Union High School, During his 26-year ca- Bill was fre- reer, Bill served under and went on to get quently tasked his bachelor’s degree 18 generals. When to handle po- he retired, the Marine in forestry from the litically sensi- University of Idaho, Corps gave him a large tive issues. He represented party and a unique gift for his long and Moscow, in 1938, the command during the de- when horses and dedicated service. On a piece of a beam sign and construction of the from the Ranch House that had been mules were still used I-5 through the Base. And, it to harvest wheat. removed because of termite damage is was he who suggested the two a reproduction of a branding iron, the No schooling how- rest stations at Aliso Canyon. ever could have prepared him for USMC globe and anchor, and an etch- what became his life’s journey. Bill was on board when a number of mov- ing of the T-hanging-O brand. A brass ies were made at the Base, such as “The plaque on one side reads: William D. You might say Bill Taylor wrote the Gallant Hours,” starring James Cagney as Taylor, Director Natural Resources, book on managing the land at Camp Admiral Halsey. As might be expected, MCB Camp Pendleton, 15 Nov. 1948 Pendleton. Everything involving the fi lm production companies had some – 15 Jan. 1976. The plaque on the oth- cropland, range land, wildlife and unusual requests. One needed corru- er side reads: From the Ranch House, watershed land and water resources gated metal for a scene, so an old build- Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores. for 125,000 acres of rugged terrain ing was torn down. Sheep needed for an A well-earned tribute to a lucky man. Founding Families of the Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores Continued: The Irsih Take Over By Anne Estes After Don Juan Forster died in 1882 his heirs vested in real estate and railroads. James the general residing in the Ranch House. were forced to sell the rancho to settle debts. fl ood’s fortune would have been worth She watched the troops leave for Korea The story of the next owners covers the 60- about $20 billion today. with her mother, “Daisy,” who lived to year period from the 1880s until 1942. James be 102. Mrs. Avery and her family have Flood was a saloon-keeper in . As a testament to his great wealth, Flood hosted numerous barbecues at her Rancho He became the money-man, his vast wealth built a 42-room mansion atop Nob Hill in Mission Viejo, reciprocating the generals’ derived from the 1886. It was one of two Nob hospitality. famous Comstock Hill structures to survive the Lode. His friend, 1906 earthquake and fi re, Recommended reading: Rancho Santa Richard O’Neill, and is the home today of the Margarita Remembered by Jerome W. was a butcher who private Pacifi c Union Club. Baumgartner, Fithian Press, Santa Barbara, became a success- Flood died in 1889; O’Neill California, 1989; Silver Kings, the Lives ful cattle rancher in lived until 1910. By an odd and Times of Mackay, Fair, Flood and Northern California. coincidence, their sons, Je- O’Brien, Lords of the , by Oscar Lewis, Alfred A. Knopf, Like many busi- NY, 1947. ness deals of the time, their partner- ship was sealed with a handshake. Flood provided the bulk of the cost of the Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, $450,000. He CPHS Board of Directors visited only occasionally, traveling in his pri- Col. Richard Rothwell, President, USMC (Ret.) Col. Jim Williams, V.P., USMC (Ret.) Col. Joe Kirkpatrick, Financial Of- fi cer, USMC (Ret.) Linda F. Holmes, Secretary Howard G. Blair, Dir. of Marketing rome O’Neill, and James L. Flood, died Col. Steve Fisher, USMC (Ret.) within a day of one another in 1926. Robert “Taffy” Stauss Col. Stewart Navarre, USMC (Ret.) When the Marine Corps bought the southern half of the ranch Council of Advisors from the Flood and O’Neill heirs, a large A distinguished group of advisors is helping vate railroad car. Richard O’Neill, and later section on the North side, in what is now to guide us as we grow. We are pleased to his son, Jerome, ran the ranch and re-built it Mission Viejo, remained in the hands of acknowledge their support. into a lucrative cattle operation with around the heirs. About 20,000 acres in Orange Lt. Gen. M. T. Cooper, USMC (Ret.) 25,000 head on 225,000 acres. County are currently held by O’Neill L. Patrick Forster family members. Among holdings that Anthony B. Joseph Richard O’Neill was born in Ireland in 1824. remain in the Flood family are the land- Lt. Gen. Anthony Lukeman, USMC (Ret.) His family emigrated to New Brunswick, mark wedge-shaped Flood Building built Mrs. Mary Lou Lukeman Canada, when he was only a year old, later in 1904, and a 37,000 acre spread in San- Maj. Gen. J. J. McMonagle, USMC (Ret.) moving to Boston. O’Neill followed his ta Barbara County. Anthony Moiso father into the butcher business. In 1849, Maj. Gen. Wilbur Simlik, USMC (Ret.) he moved west to try his hand at gold min- In a 1994 oral history interview Alice Charter Members ing, and when that proved unsuccessful, he Marguerite O’Neill Avery, the grand- We are pleased to welcome to our newest opened a butcher shop in San Francisco. daughter of Richard O’Neill, observed member, J. Peter Baumgartner, who joined James Flood owned a nearby saloon, the that although they owned miles of valu- at the Commander’s Circle level ($250 to Auction Lunch, and O’Neill provided meat able beachfront, the Floods needed $499). Mr. Baumgartner lives in San Fran- for the saloon’s customers. money after the Depression. Her father, cisco, and is a descendant of the O’Neill whose income was around $25,000 to family who managed the Rancho Santa , whose parents were also $30,000 annually from the ranch, had to Margarita y Las Flores from the 1880s until from Ireland, was born in New York in 1826 borrow money for her wedding in 1938. the Marines bought it in 1942. and he too moved to San Francisco in 1849. Mrs. Avery said the sale of the rights to Volunteer Staff His saloon was a popular spot for brokers. build the I-5 in the Fifties was the fi rst Editor: Anne Estes, The Comstock Lode, the largest silver de- “real” money she made. [email protected] posit in history, had been discovered in 1859, Publisher: Howard G. Blair, CPHS- and Flood and his partners began to specu- Mrs. Avery still considers the Ranch [email protected], subject line late in mining stock, amassing enormous for- House “home,” and has visited there CPHS tunes. When the silver ore ran out, they in- many times over the years as a guest of New On Our Website Get On Board Stay Tuned

Items of interest which may not be One of the keys to building aware- Future issues will feature stories included in Groundbreaker are on ness of CPHS is networking with our about the tradition of horse rides on our website, www.camppendleton- friends. To help members become the Base, a story about SSgt. Reck- historicalsociety.org. For example, familiar with our story, we are offer- less, horse hero of the Korean War, we have reprinted an article that ap- ing two brochures for distribution. and an article by Paul Bryan Gray, peared in the Marine League’s mag- Please order your free copies by e- author of Forster vs. Pico. We invite azine, Semper Fi. It salutes Camp mail to Howard Blair at hgblair@ our readers to contribute stories of Pendleton’s 65th Anniversary with cox.net, or phone 858-583-0067. their experiences at Camp Pendle- photos and an essay covering the ton for publication in future issues. early history of the Base when it Humorous pieces would be particu- was known as Rancho Santa Mar- larly welcome. Please e-mail your garita y Las Flores. Check it out! 300 words or less to anneestes@ adelphia.net. Submissions may be subject to editing.

Camp Pendleton Historical Society, Inc. is a non-profi t 501 (c) (3) corporation

Howard G. Blair 10555 Meadow Glen Way East Escondido, CA 92026