A look at Ojai in the late 1960s
Including: a historic rain year, thoughts on life and death, Ojai hippies, and animal photos.
Hello folks! Yesterday, I spent most of my day in the Ojai Valley Museum looking through 1968 and 1969 editions of the Ojai Valley News. As I flipped through the aging pages, I got completely distracted from my original mission1 and began taking photos of interesting headlines, initially just to share with a history buff friend.2 Ultimately, I found a wild mix of interesting/hilarious/heartrending stories that are worthy of a larger audience. As you cruise through, remember this: local news is invaluable.
Since the valley received some rain today, let’s begin with precipitation. 1968-1969 was an unbelievable rain year.
Here’s a quote from the February 26, 1969 edition of the OVN:
“On January 19th (1969), Ojai’s season total was six inches (of precipitation). In eight days two major storms dumped 24 inches and resulted in the valley being declared a national disaster area… That was a prelude to this week. Nine inches in the valley and up to 15 inches in the mountain ranges… Of the 44 inches of rain this year, 38 fell in the past four weeks3… an amount not recorded since the valley was settled over a hundred years ago.”
Tragically, ten individuals — four adults and six children — drowned in Sespe Creek during the January flood. The sole survivor of the accident, a man named Scott Eckersley, wrote a moving letter to the editor about the meaning of life and death.
Eckersley encouraged community members to, each day, “feel the electrical excitement of the coming new dawn.”
He continued, “Can we ask ourselves this one question: When the problems and miseries of mankind come to our door, how shall we greet them? With further contempt and irritation? Or with the gentle peace that comes from quiet understanding that underneath the problems, life is, in truth, as beautiful and fresh as this green spring morning among the subtle fragrance of orange blossoms?”
Wow.
Continuing with the theme of “compelling letters to the editor,” I found some fascinating discourse about the Vietnam war. Three 1969 Nordhoff High School seniors asked (and explained), “Why me? Why am I drafted?”
Simultaneously, Ojaians gathered in protest of the war.
Sidenote: our political discourse generally identifies our current politics as “unprecedented.” And I think that’s true. But I also like to consider the experiences of these students, and the experiences of my parents’ generation. I can’t imagine anything more destabilizing than watching the boys you grew up with sent to fight in a war, regardless of their wishes.
Here’s another headline I found — the one from 1968. It makes me wonder what it felt like to be alive during this time. And how it compares to today’s political environment. It’s one of my favorite questions to ask of the baby boomers.
Let me move to another topic, something more lighthearted: animal content. One of my favorite observations about the Ojai Valley News is that the cover art often features an (adorable) animal. Once you start seeing it, you can’t stop.
And apparently, animal content has always received attention. I particularly enjoyed the story of Winkie, a dachshund who survived a “big dog attack’ after breaking free of his leash in pursuit of, “the bane of his existence, a pet crow belonging to a neighbor.”
Another hot piece of the Ojai discourse in the late 60’s, as you may suspect, centered around hippies (also known as “dopers,” apparently) and recreational drug use. Former OVN reporter Fran Renoe wrote a remarkable series about why Ojai teens were using drugs.
This series is amazing for so many reasons. My first thought (after admiring Renoe’s writing) was that when I was at the OVN, I would have never been permitted to publish a story in which individuals speak openly (and positively!) about committing a felony. One individual spoke to Renoe about his LSD experiences, “I really liked it, I found something… a joy of life and peace of mind. You actually feel like you are a part of everything that you see. It is mostly a religious experience.”
Again, wow.
Another piece of Ojai lore involves the Pergola. Specifically the fact that it was bombed in 1968.
Here’s a little context from Mark Lewis:
“The Pergola’s west arch, near the Post Office, posed a particular problem. It was 50 years old and beginning to fall apart, like the rest of the Pergola (and the Arcade as well). The hippies (or their doper friends) seemed to delight in vandalizing it, and in scrawling provocative slogans on its sides. Then someone decided to blow a hole in it.”
Lewis continued, “And all the while, Ojai boys kept dying in Vietnam.”
I’ll close with one final observation: some things never change.
First, the youths.
And second, Bill Miley’s involvement in Ojai politics.4
Happy Thursday, folks.
Research for a project with Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve.
Hi Tyler!
Compare this to the 2022-23 rain year, when we received an (astounding) 15.7 inches of rain during the month of January. 38 inches in one month seems unfathomable.
Hi Bill!
I love this!!
More please. 😁