I was typing a letter to my Mother in law, Ibby Bowerfind, who is Esther Isaacson's sister and lives at the ranch. I wanted to find some more info about El Chorro and came across your interview. Much of it I knew and much I didn't. I came into the Ibsen family group when I married Kirbysue Bowerfind. Her Dad had married Agnes "Ibby" Ibsen, Esther's sister. We have spent many happy days at the ranch over the past 30+ years and Bob and Sally paid us a visit in Australia earlier this year. I will take time to read the other interviews.
Sincere regards,
Ken Lyons, Elbow Valley, Queensland, Australia
I just found this site by accident and haven't had a chance to read it all but what I have read brings back a lot of memories and I felt compelled to write.
My dad, Harold A. Hollister Jr. and his two brothers Stan and Graham (and my mom Ruth), worked the Gaviota portion of the Hollister Estate in the late 30's and 40's before we moved to what is now Cameron Park, California. We moved up here in 1949 and where dad bought and ranched 3,500 acres until the mid 50's before selling and moving to Oregon, selling the ranch to Larry Cameron. Stan and Graham moved to Genoa, Nevada to continue ranching. (All aforementioned are deceased now).
I was 8 years old when we moved up here, but I have fond memories of the ranch and its vast ocean front properties. We lived just South of the cave where the hi-way cuts through the ranch as it made the turn to parallel the ocean, about 1/2 mile North from the Vista Del Mar school, where I attended grammar school. (Our old house is now gone, turned into a parking lot). I am now going back to the web site and start reading more interesting stuff. Just had to make contact.
Richard Hollister
I stumbled onto your website by way of the Jackson Browne interview. I wanted to let you know that your site is simply beautiful. Although I
haven't had time to fully explore it, I intend to return. Thank you for
sharing your vision.
Sincerely,
David S. Shearer
Best,
John
I accidentally ran across your essay about looking for your roots in Brooklyn. I am 77 years old, was born and grew up in Brooklyn---Bensonhurst, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay and presently Prospect Park West. I am completely familiar with Coney Island Ave. and Prospect Park South with its beautiful homes. I was thrilled and chilled by your essay. Your writing is perfect. Thank you for giving me a quarter of an hour of deep enjoyment. And, oh yes, I envy your lucky students!
Phyllis Weinreb
One of your interviews is about a Stage Coach station. I found the
following story to add to that - again from a 1960 interview with JJ Hollister Sr.
The Las Cruces Rancho was part of the Hollister estate. In the sixties and seventies it was an important stage station - the old adobe station housed a hotel, saloon, blacksmith shop, barn and carriage house. It is now in disrepair, but the county should have preserved it as an historical landmark.
The superintendent of the Las Cruces, and in charge of the Stage
Depot, was a man named Bascomb Williams. He became a pillar of society
and was well known to all travelers who had occasion to stop there.
Finally, a rival stagecoach station was built at the nearby Nojoqui
Grade by a man named Corliss. Legend has it that Bascomb Williams went
up the station, murdered Corliss and his wife, and burned the place down
to hide the crime. A stone chimney marks the spot.
Best on a cloudy day in the shores of bohemia,
William Hollister
Hi my name is Alan Kinevane. I was just searching my family name on the internet and your interview of loisgene Kinevan came up, which I found extremely interesting. As you are probably aware my surname is very rare. When people from our family moved to America because of the famine the 'e' was dropped from our surname. It was so inspiring to read about somebody who had lived such an great life in such an interesting place after escaping the famine. Especially since that person is a far relation of mine. Anyway all I really wanted to do was thank you for posting. Such a brilliant article on the internet as I have printed it out and have past it round to my most of my family. The look of joy on my grandmothers face when she had read it was so funny because all she could say: "One of our relations was actually hit by an arrow" !!!
Go raibh maith agat
Slan Tamaill
Alainn
My name is David Twitchell. I was born in Santa Barbara, grew up there and in Goleta, till we moved to LA in 1963, at ten years of age (I am now retired and live in Oregon).
I came across your site in a roundabout way. I was looking up sea monster stories around the Santa Barbara Channel. My father, Richard "Dick" Twitchell (now deceased 1929-1999) grew up in the area as well. Long ago, he told me a tale that he once saw a sea monster while fishing in a small boat in the ocean near Arroyo Burro Beach as a young man.
After looking at your site, I remembered that my dad told me he used to hunt on the Hollister Ranch property. His father, (my grandfather) John Jasper Twitchell Jr., worked for the US Forest Service and ran a CCC Camp in the area during WW2 and my great-grandfather (John Jasper Twitchell) worked on the stagecoach line between Cold Springs Tavern and Paso Robles.
One thing my dad did tell me is that when he was younger (late 1940's?), after a fruitless deerhunt, he shot an arrow into a big Brook Trout fish (part of a sign) that hung above the Cold Springs Tavern. It stayed in the fish for years and years.
I have great memories of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Gaviota, Los Olivos, Buellton, Solvang et al. Thanks for such a great site and keeping history alive!
Dave Twitchell
Merlin, Oregon