What Happened the Year You Were Born? Here is a Handy Guide!

/

What world events took place the year you were born? What was the unemployment rate?  The big news in sports? Population of the U.S.? Don't know off-hand?  Well not to worry, a website called Infoplease has enabled us to provide a quick to this information by year, going back to 1900 (for any centenarian Conejo Valley Guide readers).  Enjoy!

19001901190219031904190519061907190819091910191119121913191419151916191719181919192019211922192319241925192619271928192919301931193219331934193519361937193819391940194119421943194419451946194719481949195019511952195319541955195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009

Unveiling of the Norwegian Grade Historical Monument on January 26, 2011

/

This is a guest post by Anne Schroeder, great-granddaughter of Nils Olsen, one of the original settlers in the Conejo Valley in the 1890s.

Wednesday, January 26th,  the community unveiled a monument commemorating the original Norwegian pioneers who built the Norwegian Grade. My great-grandfather, Nils Olsen and his sons Nick and Oscar are in the picture that is part of the monument. The picture was taken by Nil’s wife during the ten years it took them and their Norwegian neighbors to build it, from 1901-1911, working in the slack time between crops and harvest. The picture shows them with hoes and shovels. Off-camera was a horse-drawn blade and $60 worth of dynamite donated by the county.

Nils Olsen's grandchildren, including (from left), Neil Olsen, Mary Olsen Rydberg, David Olsen (great-grand-son), Gerry Olsen, and Wyatt McCrea.

The Olsen family is proud to be part of the monument, a group-effort that includes Ventura County, Cal Lutheran, Sons of Norway and the Pederson and Olsen families. Thirty five Olsen family members came from all over California to honor the men and boys who built the grade.

For three generations we didn’t realize the story was important, so as children we kept it to ourselves, afraid that our friends would think we were boasting—or worse, lying. After all, tractors and graders built grades, not a half-dozen men and a barefoot waterboy.

Today, Ventura County residents know the story of the grade and its restoration; even the hand-forged hoe that was pulled out of the earth by a grader. In the photo that graces the monument, my great-grandfather is holding that same hoe, down to the slight burl on the limb-handle. It is physical proof of a story that we thought would disappear into the distant past as has happened in so many communities. Fortunately, VC understands that the privilege of having participated in a community’s founding years creates obligation to share.

Historic photo on the monument. Nils Olsen is second from the left (with the famous hoe). My grandfather is second from the right. His brother Nick is in the middle with his back turned.

My mother, Jean Olsen Thompson, is 83, the oldest living relative of the Olsen family, and almost the

Read More

This Biochemist Who Discovered EPO Has Had a Tremendous Impact on Thousand Oaks

/
Goldwasserr.jpg

Last Friday, Eugene Goldwasser died at his home in Chicago at the age of 88. While Eugene Goldwasser is not exactly well known by the general public, his greatest accomplishment changed the course of the biotech industry and the world in 1977 when he isolated the human protein erythropoietin "EPO."

EPO stimulates the production of red blood cells. It is a blockbuster product with over $5 billion in annual revenues for local Amgen because it has changed the lives of millions of dialysis patients and others suffering anemia due to the effects of other diseases. Without Eugene Goldwasser, Thousand Oaks and Ventura County most likely would be much different today, as Amgen employs roughly 10,000 people locally in 4 million square feet of office space! Amgen is the largest private employer in Ventura County today!

It took Goldwasser 20 years to isolate EPO, starting in 1957, when he discovered EPO in minute quantities of anemic rats (now that sounds like fun).

Then by 1971 his lab purified six millionths of an ounce of EPO from 125 gallons of plasma from anemic sheep.

In 1973 a Japanese anemia doctor collected 673 gallons of urine from his anemic patients. (I think someone should have told Mike Rowe, The Dirty Jobs guy, but he was only 11 years old at the time.) From that pee, Goldwasser's team isolated eight milligrams of EPO and perked up anemic rats like a charm!

Seeing the huge unmet need of EPO, the next step was to clone the gene and produce it in enough quantities to create a drug. Local Amgen scientist Fu-Kuen Lin and his lab figured this out in two years and the rest is history. Amgen figured out how to manufacture the drug by propagating the cells in a fermentation process (Kirin Brewery helped them on this!) and starting selling it under brand name Epogen in 1989.  It was Amgen's first drug and it was and still is a blockbuster.

Wagon Wheel Motel, Restaurant and Bowling Alley in Oxnard

/

The Wagon Wheel Motel and Restaurant complex used to stand at the corner of the 101 and PCH in Oxnard at the northern edge of a 64 acre plot slated to be redeveloped into a European-themed development with 1,500 residential units and retail space. The distinctive western-themed office, motel and restaurant were originally built in 1947. The restaurant closed in 2005 and the motel closed in 2006. Built in 1953, the Wagon Wheel Bowl finally closed its doors in May 2015. The bowling alley was designed by Arthur Froehlich, who also designed Hollywood Park Racetrack and Hanna Barbera Studios in 1962.

This motel was built when western movies were at their peak popularity. My kids would have loved this place with rustic wood beds, chairs and lamps, windows made out of wagon wheels, lamps made out of branding irons and spurs, etc.  Even the street names in the area are western-themed...Pettitcoat Lane, Winchester Drive, Saddle Ave, Spur Drive, etc.

Previous update: On 10/25/10, the VC Star reported that final briefs have been filed by the San Buenaventura Conservancy, which would like to preserve the complex as a historic site. Though it seems many people want these dilapidated buildings torn down to make room for 1,500 homes and commercial space, some would like to preserve it.

Wagon Wheel Office and Restaurant Before Closure in 2005

Wagon Wheel Office and Restaurant Before Closure in 2005

WWEntrance2.jpg
WWEntrance.jpg
WWBowling.jpg
WWRanchito.jpg
WWSignGreen.jpg
WWMote.jpg
WWMotel2.jpg

Sheep to Chic: North Ranch Sheep Herding Pictures From January 1983

/

Photographer Scott Harrison took these wonderful pictures of Mario Palomino of Peru and 800 sheep he was tending in the hills of North Ranch before it was fully built out in January 1983. Palomino lived in a trailer along with his two sheep dogs. I don't see too many sheep around North Ranch these days! For more pictures and commentary from Scott, visit his website at www.harrysonpics.com.  Thank you for bringing us baa-ck in time, Scott!

Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Kennedy, FDR Inauguration Addresses

/

Obama gave a great inaugural speech today with appropriate tone - sober, yet still optimistic and reassuring to the American people.  There were no "Ask not what your country can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your country." or "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." zingers, but it is worth watching, more than once. 

Given the historic significance of this day, I felt compelled to assemble the following collection of inauguration speeches, including Obama, Bush (2001), Clinton (1993), Reagan (1981), Kennedy (1961) and FDR (1933) for your viewing pleasure.