Chino Valley trivia time

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137520320768878474.post-731837943378870912008-05-18T16:57:00.000-07:002008-05-18T17:07:13.057-07:00Chino Valley trivia timeYou’re an real oldtimer or a dedicated historian in Chino Valley if: —You can remember where the first Chino telephone dial center was, and what the telephone prefix was when dial phones were put in. —You can remember the name of the road along the base of Chino Hills that was replaced by Highway 71. —You can locate where the first Battle of Chino monument was placed. —You can locate the hitching ring on the curb in downtown Chino. —You can remember the type of trees which lined Central Avenue north of town. —You can remember where Chino Downs was and what it was used for. —You know where and what Workman’s Circle was in Carbon Canyon. —You can remember where Parnell Girls School was located. —You can remember the name of the Chino High principal in 1955. —You know where Chino’s first neighborhood park was. —You know what dairy farmer’s yacht appeared in the movie “Some Like It Hot.” The first dial center was on Seventh Street, opened in 1948. It’s now occupied by the Seventh Street Theatre. Back then Chino was in the LYcoming prefix area, but you only had to dial five numbers to reach anyone in the Pomona exchange system. In 1959 a new dial center was opened on Yorba Avenue north of Walnut, just after nationwide dialing was inaugurated. Chino became NAtional 8, or 628 as at present. Highway 71 replaced Garey Avenue, which extended from south Pomona to Eucalyptus Avenue. Those going to Corona then went south on Pipeline to Carbon Canyon Road, now Chino Hills parkway, and east to Central Avenue, and south on what is now El Prado Road to Pine, and east to the Chino-Corona Road. The first Battle of Chino monument was placed on Boys Republic property in September, 1946 at the north side of Eucalyptus Avenue where its bare cement pedestal can be seen today among the row of trees. After the symbolic cannon was twice stolen, in 1962 and 1964, ( and only once recovered) the monument was rebuilt with another cannon at now old Fire Station 2 just to the east. One hitching ring remains on the curb near Sixth and D streets, where patrons of the bank tied up. A second one was apparently lost during rebuilding in the area. Richard Gird placed olive trees on both sides and in the center divider of north Central Avenue. Later pepper trees were planted, emulating Ontario’s Euclid Avenue. The center divider was later eliminated (and later still restored). The last peppers removed in 1959 because of rot. Chino Downs was a quarter horse breeder and trotting track south of Chino Hills High School. It was located between the intersection of Pomona-Rincon Rd with Highway 71, and the present Butterfield Ranch Road to the west. Workman’s Circle was a Jewish retreat built in Carbon Canyon by Hollywood area people, and was located near the entrance of the present Oak Tree Downs at the south end of the golf course. Several of the cottages burned in the Carbon Canyon Fire of 1958. Club El Circulo, a swimming and horseback country club, was built on the site in 1961, but was short lived. Parnell Girls School was located in a small valley west of Highway 71 and Riverside Drive, behind where the Great Indoors store is. It was razed in 1981 to make way for Rolling Ridge Estates, first major housing development in the north Chino hills. Sebring Park, between Sycamore and Oleander northeast of Oaks and Walnut in Chino, was the city’s first truly neighborhood park. The ¾-acre playground and picnic area was dedicated in June 1965 on land bought by Star Developers, a local firm which built Parkside East on land acquired from the estate of Roy Sebring, early day Chino rancher. Johnstone (Stone) Walker, a craggy faced Irishman, was principal at Chino high from 1948 to 1957, succeeding E.A. Morrison. He stepped down and was followed by Gerald Litel. Wilford Michael and Al Searfoss were next. The 82-foot yacht Portola, belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Joe Rose, owners of the old Chevonshire goat dairy on south Euclid Avenue, was used in the 1959 comedy hit “Some Like It Hot,” starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Before that, Gretchen and I and some friends rode the boat to Catalina Island and back as guests of the Roses. <div align="center">Copyright 2008 Champion Newspapers - Published May 3, 2008</div>Allen McCombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335714741752650309noreply@blogger.com