I'll be frank—I don't generally care for oral histories. Reason being, people's memories of past events tend to be embellished or even just plain mistaken; my own being no exception. However, every once in a while, I chance upon an oral account that's really interesting and even compelling in its particulars, and this one—published for the city's 51st anniversary commemoration—is one I believe worthy of historical preservation, in spite of its anonymous authorship. So, with no further ado...
From the Covina Argus of October 18, 1935:
Old Neighbor Pauses
to Recount Incidents
of Early Covina Days
An early evening fog rolling in made us appreciate our first open fire, and we settled down with book and pipe to enjoy a quiet evening. We had just chalked up the first murder when the doorbell rang. It was Old Neighbor to ask us about Covina's fifty-first birthday party, and we spent the evening discussing old times and old-timers in Covina.
"When we came here in 1884," said our Old Neighbor, "the postoffice and general store stood at the Bingham T. Wilson corner of Citrus and Cypress avenues. This was something of a social center, too, for dances were held in the store every Saturday night, and church services on Sunday. The first store in what is now Covina's business district was an implement store whose entire stock was a one-horse plow and a one-horse cultivator, and a catalog from which to order. This store was on Citrus avenue near the old blue gum tree–about where McElfresh's department store now stands.
"About 1886 Eastman's general store had a gala opening attended by all the young people in the community. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Allison, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Hodges, Mrs. A. R. Evans, and perhaps others here will recall this party. This store building, at the corner of Citrus and Badillo, on the present site of Irven Reynolds' Buick garage, later housed Madden's drug store, Ira Bell's grocery, and Coxie's restaurant. When the Buick garage was built, this building was moved to East Italia street, where it still stands, now being occupied by Horn's liquor store."
"Yes, sir," we said, "the old town has changed. Do you remember the old Badillo street? There were the old Christian church, the old Episcopal church (later blown down in a high wind), and H. M. Houser's livery stable, while opposite were J. R. Hodges' village inn and Dr. Reed's drug store. On Citrus avenue were Jubelt's lunch counter, Austin Warner's blacksmith shop, Brice's barber shop (where the San Gabriel Valley Milling company and Covina Book and Art shop now stand), Coleman's confectionery store, I. C. Fairly's feed store, and Warner Brothers' grocery. On East College street, where the gas company building now stands, was the Covina Argus—even then a good newspaper. C. F. Clapp's drug store at the south-west corner of Citrus and College, also housed the old Sunset telephone office, and in the rear of this building was our public library.
"Bert Potter also had a blacksmith shop in the good old days, and later a hardware store."
"And if you see Pete Eckles," said Old Neighbor, "ask him to tell you about the time 'boy shoot 'em orange' at Hop Sing Lee, who ran the laundry on East Badillo near Grand avenue. Judge Charley Parker's decision in that case established a favorable precedent for Covina boys."
Well, we thought of a lot of things about the old town, and we agreed that to qualify as a real old-timer, you should remember:
When the reservoir broke during heavy rains and flooded the town, the basement of McBride's hardware (now Hurley Brothers) was completely awash, and Warner Brothers' across the street banked the front of their grocery with sacks of flour to keep out the water.
In 1893 or '94, when the foothills south of Covina were covered with snow.
Our first one-room, white, frame school house with shuttered windows on the southwest corner of the present school grounds; Miss Fannie Davis, teacher. (The old Center school on Gladstone avenue was older, but it was not Covina's own).
Our "new" school building (not the present one) with the belfry where the town boys tied the cow one Halloween eve–much to the annoyance of Prof. J. J. Morgan.
The excursion to Santa Monica celebrating the opening of the Southern Pacific line between Covina and Los Angeles. (In the early days, the nearest railroad was at Puente, and H. M. Houser carried the mail from Puente to Covina, Alosta, and Azusa. Later, the Santa Fe line was built thru Azusa, and the old Alosta hotel was then moved to Azusa.)
Many should remember the barbecue on the grammar school grounds to celebrate the completion of the Pacific Electric railway from Los Angeles to Covina, but only the real old-timer will recall the barbecue at the Hopper place on East Badillo street.
And the old swimmin [sic] hole at the foot of the bluff at the end of Grand avenue.
And how about Covina's annual classic–the bicycle races from Covina to Glendora, Azusa and return. Among the contenders were Pete and Frank Aguayo, "Jap" Baker, "Doc" Fairly, the Garrison boys and Frank Anderson, who was the champion short distance bicyclist.
Do you remember when John Coolman built the "Covina Opera House," which housed many of the old road shows, local dances, etc., while on the ground floor were the old Depot restaurant and Crenshaw's grocery?
When all the packinghouses washed oranges by hand, and later, the installation of machines much like one-wheeled bicycles with brushes mounted on the wheel, and operated by pedaling.
And Mrs. Haskell's boarding house, and Mr. Haskell's axle grease which he made and sold from farm to farm from the old camp wagon.
Chris. Horn's bakery, and the Schumm tailoring shop.
Do you remember the installation of Covina's own telephone system, when "Bab" and Chet Fairly were the telephone operators?
The early-day social events that stand out in our memory are headed by two weddings: Louie Matthews and Delia Bashor; and that of Clara Eckles and Carl Warner. Remember?
We might have been exchanging reminiscences for hours more had Old Neighbor not remembered that he had some tractor work on his grove to be started in the morning, and so we said good night. —AN OLD-TIMER
To me, the appeal of this piece lies in the two dozen or more things mentioned that never made it into the history books or even the local papers. One after another, little snatches of everyday life are presented that apparently weren't deemed important enough to report on at the time, but yet were significant enough to be incorporated into the collective memory of the townspeople and recalled here with fond nostalgic nods of recognition.
I also like how the locations and owners of various businesses are mentioned with respect to places in what was then the present day so people could construct a mental picture of how a stroll around Covina might have looked 50 years hence. Even reading this article 90 years after it was published, it helps me visualize old Covina and its denizens in a way that no latter-day history book I've read can quite match...
That said, it's puzzled me why these reminiscences were ascribed to an anonymous source. Ever since I first read it, I've tried to figure out exactly who "Old Neighbor" might have been, and now, finally, I think I've unmasked him.
Based upon all I've learned about OG Covina pioneers, I believe there is really only one person who, 1) came here during the first year of the Phillips Tract, 2) was an orchardist, and 3) was still alive as of 1935,1 and that is Edwin Gregg Prather (1863-1946).2
Further clues: Prather was a Covina notable yet he is not mentioned by name in Old Neighbor's narrative (he wouldn't refer to himself in the third-person if he was the one telling the story*), and, in the opening paragraph, our storyteller describes to a T the details of Covina's first farm implement store, the owner of which just happened to be Ed Prather's grandfather-in-law, Edwin Richmond, and Italia Cook's father. All circumstantial, of course, but it does seem more than likely (to me, at least) that "Old Neighbor" was actually Ed Prather.
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Prather at their home at 300 West Puente Street, c.1900.
*Postscript: C. W. "Bert" Potter came to Covina in 1884, owned orchards,3 and was still alive in 1935,1 but he was mentioned by name in the narrative, so that's why I tend to doubt he was "Old Neighbor." Merton Griswold (1867-1948) was an OG, as well, but he was in banking and insurance, not a grove owner, and his family came to the Covina area in the 1870s,4 not 1884 as Old Neighbor said he did.
References:
1 Los Angeles Times, October 19, 1941, p.59.
2 FamilySearch.org.
3 Covina Argus, October 12, 1934, p.5.
4 Pflueger, D. H. 1964. Covina: Sunflowers, Citrus, Subdivisions. Castle Press, Pasadena, California, 372pp.
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