The Forgotten History of Eastland

Ever wonder what used to be where Eastland Center is now? Believe it or not, you're looking at it right now:

A hundred years ago, the view southeast from the site of today's Eastland Center was undeveloped land as far as the eye could see.

Our tale of forgotten history begins in May, 1930, when young Hoyt McClain opened a dude ranch called "Rancho Del Vaquero" on his family's orchard estate south of Covina.¹ Bounded by Citrus, Workman, Barranca and today's I-10, the McClain ranch occupied most of the same land upon which the Eastland Shopping Center would be built a quarter century later.

Boundaries of the McClains' 52-acre² Rancho Del Vaquero in 1934. All aerial images courtesy U.C. Santa Barbara Geospatial Collection.

Detail showing the horse stables (circled, right of center) featured in the foreground of the postcard at top. The McClain ranch house (upper left) was the likely vantage point of the photographer.

The site of Rancho Del Vaquero in 1934 overlain on the original Eastland mall in 1977.

The steep rise shown on this topographical map makes it easy to see why Eastland was built with upper- and lower-level esplanades.

The lost history of Eastland goes back much further than the McClains, of course. Lots in Block 26 in the 1884 Phillips Tract had zero buyers during the first 5 years of land sales,³ likely because of its less than ideal topography. Originally consisting of 80.8 acres, Block 26 was finally purchased in its entirety by George Kerckhoff in May, 1889.³ His eldest son, William, kept the 52 acres outlined above which he named "Hespera Arboleda," or "The Grove of the Western Star."⁴ After 1907, the ranch passed through a number of hands until it was acquired by John Visscher Eliot of Pasadena in January, 1915,⁵ and it was he who built the stylish Arts & Crafts ranch house that the McClains moved into in 1924.^6,7

Rancho Del Vaquero's head honcho, Hoyt McClain, was a city boy born in Chicago in 1907⁸ who grew up thereabouts in the years before and after World War I. After graduating from Covina Union High School¹ in 1925, young Hoyt spent the next several years going back and forth between the University of Washington⁹ and working ranches in Idaho¹⁰ and Arizona.¹¹ There in the great outdoors, he fell in love with the western way of life and became inspired to turn the family citrus groves back home into a cowboy-themed rendezvous where city folk could experience a taste of the Old West.

Los Angeles Evening Examiner, February 27, 1931.

Although I can't be certain, I presume the fellow in the old-style Stetson hat in both pictures above is Hoyt McClain.

The ranch offered day-long horse rides through the nearby Covina Highlands, and overnight pack trips into San Gabriel Canyon.¹¹ Guests could enjoy other leisure activities such as golf, tennis and swimming on ranch grounds, as well.¹²

Prices were fair, but maybe a little steep for some during those hard times of the Thirties.

Rancho Del Vaquero also hosted rodeos and western entertainment shows that were popular local attractions.^13,14 From all appearances, Hoyt and his dude ranch were riding high. Then, calamity struck, and it wasn't just the Great Depression, though that likely played a role in its decline, too.

On May 30, 1931, a 15-year-old guest named Anona Alexander was injured falling from her horse while riding along Lorencita Drive.¹⁵ A concert pianist, Miss Alexander alleged that her broken arm affected her ability to perform,¹⁶ and a year later, she sued for $10,000 in damages.¹⁵ Although the lawsuit was settled out of court for only $1,250,¹⁶ the legal wrangle must have caused Hoyt no small measure of distress.

Then, in early January, 1932,⁷ the health of Hoyt's mother, Lillian McClain, took a sudden turn for the worse. It was at this time that Hoyt seems to've despaired. In a letter dated Sunday, January 24, 1932, he wrote the following to the owners of another California guest ranch, the wording of which I interpret as an appeal for employment:

There's work for me here for a few days then I'm free. If we can team up on your Dude Ranch I've a hunch that Wonder Valley will come up to its name.

Letter (and a poem) addressed to Mr. & Mrs. George W. Pierson at their Wonder Valley Ranch near Piedra, California.
Click on the image to view a more readable enlargement.

Three months later, on April 20, 1932, Lillian McClain passed away,⁷ and Hoyt's dreams for Rancho Del Vaquero apparently died with her. In 1934, the McClain heirs sold the majority of their acreage to Clyde I. Batchelder,⁶ who later served as mayor of West Covina from 1944-1948.¹⁷ Batchelder in turn sold out to Eastland's developers who bulldozed the entire city block beginning in July, 1955.¹⁸ Not even the slightest trace of Rancho Del Vaquero's existence remains on the land today.

Times were a tad rougher after leaving Covina. In the mid- to late-Thirties, Hoyt and his sister Margaret managed a gold mine in the San Gabriel Mountains.¹⁹ At 34, Hoyt married his Covina sweetheart Katherine Insley at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday, December 6, 1941.²⁰ In 1950, the couple were living in El Monte, where Hoyt was employed as a steam fitter.²¹

Being back in the San Gabriel Valley in the Fifties, Hoyt would have been acutely aware of plans to turn his former ranch into a regional shopping center. I can imagine how he might have felt, driving past Eastland as he must have many times. If it were me, just the sight of it would have been too painful to even turn my head to look at the place. Or maybe witnessing the march of progress so close to home uplifted his spirits, who knows? Somehow, though, through all his life's ups and downs, I suspect the soul of the the young cowboy remained intact right up until he rode off into his last sunset on December 1, 1985.⁸

Postscript: It's said what goes around, comes around...

They destroyed the McClain ranch to build May Co., then 4 decades later, they destroyed May Co., too:

The demolition of Eastland's May Co. store in 1996. Source: Covina-Valley Unified School District.²⁴

Just goes to show: if there's one certain truth history teaches us, it's that, in time, all things must pass...

Grateful thanks to Glenn Kennedy, Mario Sobalvarro and Michael Schoenholtz for their always helpful insights and critical feedback.

References:

¹ Covina Argus, May 23, 1930, p.1.
² Los Angeles Times, May 25, 1930, p.60.
³ Los Angeles Times, June 15, 1889, p.7.
⁴ Covina Argus, June 3, 1911, p.7.
⁵ Los Angeles Times, January 31, 1915, p.31.
⁶ Covina Argus, August 10, 1934, p.9.
⁷ Covina Citizen, April 21, 1932, p.4.
⁸ Hoyt Newton McClain (1907-1985) on FamilySearch.org.
⁹ Covina Argus, September 16, 1927, p.5.
¹⁰ Covina Argus, August 23, 1929, p.7.
¹¹ Pomona Progress-Bulletin, May 24, 1930, p.5.
¹² Los Angeles Evening Express, February 20, 1931, p.12.
¹³ Covina Citizen, June 18, 1931, p.1.
¹⁴ Covina Citizen, June 25, 1931, p.1.
¹⁵ Los Angeles Times, May 29, 1932, p.19.
¹⁶ Los Angeles Illustrated Daily News, September 1, 1932, p.6.
¹⁷ Personal communication, Glenn Kennedy.
¹⁸ Covina Argus-Citizen, June 30, 1955, p.1.
¹⁹ United States Census, 1940.
²⁰ Marriage License No. 15672, County of Los Angeles, State of California, recorded in Book 2997, Page 158 on November 26, 1941.
²¹ United States Census, 1950.
²² "Covina-Valley Unified School District Centennial, 1896-1996," published by Covina-Valley Unified School District, 1996, 114pp.