Views in 1957 Looking West From Lynn and Gainsborough Roads in Thousand Oaks

In another post we showed a photo taken by Walt Dibblee from the mountain ridge at the northwest corner of what is now Lynn Road and Gainsborough Road in Thousand Oaks in 1957 facing east. This one faces the west, towards the Conejo Grade.

Gainsborough Road west of Lynn Road is Camino Dos Rios, which it appears the road in the photo above could possibly be, but is hard to tell. What is clear however is that back in 1957 there wasn't a lot of development in Thousand Oaks. Below is a photo taken from the same spot on a bit of a gloomy day in the Conejo Valley in February 2015. While the background scenery looks so much different, I felt a chill in my spine as I stood at the top of that hill on the same dirt, rock formations and vegetation, not to mention mountains in the distance, as Walt Diblee experienced 58 years ago.

See more of Dibblee's photographs from the mid 1950s to the late 1960s at VenturaViews.com where you also have the option of acquiring high-resolution prints of these blasts to the past. Thanks to Steve Dibblee for sharing some of his late father's work with us here on Conejo Valley Guide and at www.facebook.com/ConejoValleyGuide.

"Sitting Pretty: Portrait Photography" Exhibit at Museum of Ventura County Aug 22 to Nov 29

Dr. Manual Antonio Rodriguez de Poli (MVC Collection)

Sitting Pretty: Portrait Photography from the Salon to the Selfie features long-hidden treasures from the Museum of Ventura County’s collection of photographic and painted portraits.  It will open on August 22nd and will be on display through November 29, 2015. 

Formal, framed portraits of well-known city pioneers, such as Dr. Cephas Bard, Dr. Manuel R. de Poli and Mrs. Concepcion Sepulveda de la Guerra, as well as lesser-known names were culled from the Museum’s storied permanent holdings.  The works on view range from elaborately framed formal portraits to light-hearted depictions of children, many of which are from the studio of John Calvin Brewster, a Ventura portraitist who established a studio on Main Street in 1875. The exhibit also offers a chance to see rare daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes, including one of Jose de la Rosa, the first notable California printer who settled in San Buenaventura in 1880.

The range of photographic processes shown in the more than 30 works spanning 120 years, explores the technical evolution of photography.  The advent of the roll film camera and digital technology have changed the roles of the professional portrait photographer. Also, the relative affordability of the photo gave a broader range of people the opportunity to own an image of themselves and loved ones, a luxury previously reserved for the wealthy who could afford to commission an artist to render a painting.

The current “selfie” craze makes everyone a photographer in the moment, without replacing the need for the trained photographer who has something we could never have—objectivity. 

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 E. Main Street, Ventura. Visit www.venturamuseum.org for more information.

Dr. Cephas Bard (MVC Collection)

Conejo Valley Days Parade Photo From 1963 Captures Relations with Cuba at the Time

Photo from 1963 Conejo Valley Days Parade

Here's a throwback photo from the 1963 Conejo Valley Days Parade in what the following year would officially become the City of Thousand Oaks. An entry with "Care Package for Castro" with a missile with the caption "Y's Men" (which I suspect is in reference to the Y's Men, a service group that helped construct the original Conejo Valley YMCA building in 1964). 

Just months prior, in October 1962, was the Cuban Missile Crisis, the confrontation between the United States and Soviet Union over the placement of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. After intense negotiations between President Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviets agreed to remove the weapons in Cuba in exchange for public declaration that the U.S. would not invade Cuba.

My how times have changed since then, with the United States in process of re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba.

The Conejo Grade in 1970

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Conejo Grade 1970 (Photo by Frank Knight; Image courtesy of Conejo Through the Lens, Thousand Oaks Library)

Here's an aerial photo of the Conejo Grade from the Frank Knight collection in 1970, looking towards Newbury Park. Things look quite a bit different today. Click here for other historical photos of the evolution of the Conejo Grade.

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In this shot from slightly further away, you can clearly newbury park high school, which opened in 1967

St. Mary Magdalen Chapel in Camarillo Captured By Local Artist in Oil Painting

St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Camarillo by Linda DarkLinda Dark of Camarillo has admired the St. Mary Magdalen Chapel for years, so she decided to put oil paint to canvas in this rendition. The cornerstone for the Chapel was laid on July 1, 1913 and the Chapel was dedicated on July 4, 1914. The Chapel is named after Adolfo Camarillo's oldest sister, Magdalena. The church is located in Old Town Camarillo at 2532 Ventura Boulevard.

Learn more about the church at www.smmcam.org.

Also check out this rendition of El Tecolote Cafe in Camarillo by Linda.

Historic and Iconic Baseball Artifact Exhibit at Reagan Library, April 4th to Sept 4th

Baseball Artifacts in “Baseball! The Exhibition”

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

April 4 - September 4, 2014

Babe Ruth bat (Photo courtesy of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation)

Running through September 4, 2014, Baseball is a 12,000 square foot exhibition featuring over 700 artifacts, including some of the rarest, historic and iconic baseball memorabilia from the largest known private collector in the U.S. The exhibit displays extraordinary artifacts from Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, and scores of other historically important players and organizations. Also featured will be rare artifacts related to Ronald Reagan and baseball from his days calling Chicago Cubs games, to signed balls and jerseys he received while President.

Joe DiMaggio jersey (Photo courtesy of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation)Honus Wagner trading card (Photo courtesy of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation)The exhibition celebrates the great American pastime of baseball by showcasing the glory days of baseball from the first balls, bats, gloves and uniforms ever used, to bringing together the most iconic pieces of baseball history, such as Joe DiMaggio’s record-setting ball that drove his 56 game hitting streak and Babe Ruth’s 1939 uniform from when he coached the Brooklyn Dodgers.  

Featured items on display in Baseball! The Exhibition include:

• An exhibit dedicated to Babe Ruth, which will display his traveling trunk, including his 1939 uniform while coaching the Brooklyn Dodgers, his baseball bat and his famous fur coat
• A Honus Wagner trading card - the rarest and most valuable of all baseball cards
• Jerseys/uniforms worn by Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Don Sutton, Orel Hershiser, Barry Bonds, David Ortiz, Fernando Valenzuela, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and more
• Baseball hit by Barry Bonds (the homerun ball that tied Hank Aaron’s record), as well as a Hank Aaron-signed ball
• Baseballs from Joe DiMaggio, including his record-setting ball that drove his 56 game hitting streak as well as the ball that ended the streak
• Baseball signed by Pete Rose that broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hitting record
• A special section featuring the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers and their legacy in Los Angeles
• Some of the first historic bats, balls, gloves, uniforms, stadium items and folk art related to the sport as well as an unmatched collection of rare baseball cards and photographs of all the astonishing athletes who played the game
• And much, much more

The Reagan Library is located at 40 Presidential Drive in Simi Valley.  Public hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.  The Museum is closed only on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.  For General admission is currently $16; $13 for ages 62+, $9 for ages 11-17 and $6 for ages 3-10.  Museum exhibit tickets may be pre-purchased at www.reaganlibrary.com/tickets.  For more information, call (800) 410.8354 or visit www.reaganlibrary.com/baseball.

Parkers Brothers Game Box (Photo courtesy of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation)