History can be found everywhere and Temecula's trove happens to be a very rich one.
We had the opportunity to meet Walter Lennox Vail."If you've ever wondered who the Vails were and why we find the names Vail Ranch or Vail HQ in our local area, you will want to attend the Temecula Valley Historical Society presentation at 6 pm on Monday, March 27 when Bill Veale will dramatize the story of Walter Vail. Walter, who left home in New Jersey at age 21 with $100 in his pocket, eventually purchased 87,500 acres of cattle-grazing land in the Temecula Valley as part of his real estate holdings in five states. Bill, one of the historical society's Notable Men and Women will present the program live at the Little Temecula History Center."This was the description, "For those who watch Yellowstone the Temecula Valley was the Vail family version. If you mentioned cattle, you were talking about Vail cattle. We still have Vail family descendants who live here and have a proud stake in the story of Temecula."Great things happened for Mr. Vail, after he arrived in America from Nova Scotia: a successful marriage; a fortuitous railroad line location; a lucrative silver mine; and the purchased of the 160 acre Empire Ranch which over the years expanded to include over one million acres. Whatever this man touched seemed to turn into gold.Eventually, the Vails would own more than 87,500 acres surrounding the little town of Temecula. When Vail was tragically killed in a Los Angeles streetcar accident in 1906 (at age 54), Walter’s youngest son, Mahlon Vail, took over and managed the Temecula operation for many years.Southern California was growing, but Temecula remained much the same. Cattle still roamed the Vail ranch, and as one Elsinore newspaperman joked, "The little town had no place to go but up – and it never went up." But in 1964, the Vails announced the sale of their ranch for $21 million to a consortium of developers who announced plans for a 135-square mile semi urban pastoral master-planned community, Rancho California. While the name didn't stick, that ranch sale allowed us to find a home here in Temecula. The story is much longer and more detailed, but I think this gives you an idea of the man who was Walter Vail.By the way, it may have taken a while but Temecula did go up. When we moved here in 1993 the population was 28,453 residents. Today, just in the town's city limits, that number in 112,976.
Speaking of Vail descendants, we had the delightful opportunity to hear family stories from Ann, great granddaughter of Walter. What a very cool night of very cool history!"It is pretty hard to tell what turn things will take in this country. One month everyone has plenty of money and the next month, they are dead broke." -Walter Vail, 1875
posted under |
%20(Medium).jpg)
%20(Medium).jpg)
%20(Medium).jpg)
%20(Medium).jpg)
%20(Medium).jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment