A Look Back

Jerry Person

In the last few weeks we looked at how the citizens of Huntington

Beach reacted to the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I thought that

it would be interesting to see how a prior generation acted with the

advent of World War I.

The war to end all wars begun in Europe in 1914, but America stayed

neutral until 1917.

At that time Huntington Beach was just a sleepy little beach town of

around 900 people.

When we entered the war in April 1917, life remained as usual in

Huntington Beach.

There was none of the panic that gripped Huntington Beach in 1941.

Life was going on with or without a war in Europe.

A committee of citizens, which included George Shank and S.E. Hearn,

began planning the city’s Fourth of July celebration.

The committee raised $400 for the three-day event. But our famous

parade would be canceled that year.

The Huntington Beach High School presented a musical called the “Goose

Girl� in the high school’s auditorium and to see it all you needed was a

quarter.

For 10 cents the Women’s Club on 10th Street planned a spring

festival with fine food and fancy homemade gifts to be sold during the

event.

City Marshal John Tinsley recovered a trunk full of stolen goods that

two Long Beach women had sent to one of our residents.

By June 1917 more than 130 Huntington Beach men had registered for the

draft called by Uncle Sam.

City attorney Alex P. Nelson, city treasurer C.E. Lavering and

attorney Lewis Blodgett were kept busy registering Uncle Sam’s doughboys.

Only one Huntington Beach resident refused to register and he was

arrested by Tinsley and taken to the Santa Ana jail.

The first name to be drawn in our area was Fountain Valley rancher

Herman J. Kutzner and the next one was H. Mose Tolson, a plumber from

Huntington Beach.

Others from Huntington Beach included in the draft were baker John H.

Eader, grocer Oswald Dennis, bank cashier Kyle Howard and plumber Roy

Blodgett.

Many of our boys would go on to serve their nation proudly.

When the armistice was signed on Nov. 11, 1918 the city rejoiced.

Huntington Beach Librarian Bertha Proctor was in Long Beach when the

news came and Long Beach went wild with noisy celebrations.

But when Proctor returned home she found the city calm, silent and

serene.

This would not do for Proctor, she called together several people and

this small group planned a big bonfire to be held on 8th Street and Olive

Avenue at 7 p.m.

Hardware store owner R.J. Prescott was put in charge of the fire along

with M.A. Turner and M.A. McCreery.

City employee F.M. Brunton had pruned the city’s palm trees and what

was cut away was used for the bonfire.

Prescott threw an effigy of Kaiser Bill, Emperor Wilhelm II, into the

bright flames.

Turner rang the bell in the Christian Church even though he was a

member of the Baptist Church.

He couldn’t get into the Baptist church and so used the bell in the

Christian Church to sound the good news.

A parade was quickly formed with shoe man B.T. Mollica in the lead

beating an empty five gallon oil can like a drum.

This group of paraders marched to the end of the pier and sang several

patriotic songs.

Another effigy of the Kaiser was run up the City’s flag pole and

burned.

The Methodist and Christian churches held special observances that

Sunday.

Methodist pastor R.I. McKee asked his congregation to make that

Sunday, Nov. 17, a “Go to Church Sunday.�

But Roy Morgan wasn’t so lucky, he fractured his arm cranking his

father’s Chevrolet.

George Nichols’ family moved to the Wintersburg area and took

everything including their house. Yes, they moved their house too.

Of course, you could rent a five-room house on 17th Street atthe time

for $15 a month.

As you can see, Huntington Beach can face any tragedy and come out

swinging. And in the end have a smile on its face knowing everything

would be all right.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.