Wild west Huntington Beach

A LOOK BACK

I don’t know, maybe its me, but Huntington Beach seems to have

grown out of her wild west image, which stemmed from the days when

you walked down Main Street and saw cowpokes leaning against a horse

trough, looking into the sunset.

It was a time when men wore jeans and flannel shirts and sported

long beards, and the beautiful ladies of the town wore hoop skirts

and smiled at those same cowboys.

How, you may ask, could Huntington Beach be a wild west town when

it was founded after the gold rush and wild west era was over?

And you would be 100% right. But as you know, history has a way of

bringing the past back and that is that happened in 1939.

In that year the entire town went wild -- wild west that is.

Bill Gallienne, of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce, and

the Downtown merchants came up with the idea of creating a bit of the

gold rush days right here in Huntington Beach.

A large meeting was held in the chamber’s office in early 1939 to

draft plans for a three-day “49er” celebration.

“Generalissimo” Gallienne chose June 2-4 for the town’s Cavalcade

of ’49 celebration.

The businesses along Main Street and Ocean Avenue (Pacific Coast

Highway) would sport western-looking false fronts facades to give the

feeling of being transported back to the gold rush days of the 49ers.

The men in town would be required to grow the finest crop of chin

whiskers for the event and those who didn’t grow breads would be

brought by deputy sheriffs before a judge of the ‘kangaroo kourt’ to

be locked up in jail.

The judges were real local judges -- Charles Patton, Chris Pann

and G.W. Tubbs -- and their deputy sheriffs were also locals from

town -- Ray Dolan, Roy Larson, Al Matthews, Sam Clapp, Joe Irvine.

Les Oliver, Cliff Kemp and John Dulany.

The Howard & Smith market on Main Street would be turned into a

old west trading post with logs brought in from lake Arrowhead to

make it look real. There were to be horse troughs, hitching posts and

old time wagons placed along Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street.

Our own Bill Gallienne was now wearing a stovepipe hat, frock coat

and diamond jewelry and was called Diamond Jim Gallienne.

Wearing his black Stetson hat Huntington Beach Mayor Marcus

McCallen issued a proclamation setting aside those three days in June

for the celebration.

While over at the city’s baseball field at Joliet and Huntington

streets plans were under way to turn it into a wild west rodeo

complete with bronco riding, steer wrestling and trick riding.

To get all these various events together several committees were

formed under an executive committee that included H.B. McCubbin as

chair, Al James, Marcus McCullen, Bill Gallienne, Bob DeBritton, G.W.

Tubbs, Warren J. Bristol and Roy Patrick.

To kick off the celebration the people over at the Security

Pacific Bank on Main Street began circulating 7,000 silver dollars

for use in the celebration.

A motorcade of cars left here on May 30 for an eight-hour trip

through Santa Ana, Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, Long Beach,

Westminster and all points in between.

This was to advertise our event. In the motorcade was Texas

Longhorn Jim and his Hurricane Cowboys band who entertained along the

way.

Local beauty Blanche Nelk was selected the Queen of the Rodeo and

Marjorie Eader as Queen of the Beach. Police Chief Les Grant brought

his 90-year-old father W.H. Grant, who was born in 1849, down to ride

in the parade.

When the big day arrived the cavalcade begun with a torchlight

parade throughout the Downtown streets. Riding at the head of the

parade was the parade’s grand marshal

Jesse Elliott, Sheriff of Orange County followed by our mayor and

the City Council, stage coaches, covered wagons, floats, horses and

local area high school bands.

In the evening there was street dancing on Main Street, whisker

and costume contests and a 49ers carnival.

The next day saw 13 donkeys robbing the bank and afterward the

kids got to ride on these bank robbers.

Over at the converted ball field the rodeo had begun with cowboy

bucking contests, calf roping contests, wild cow milking contests,

bareback riding, bull riding, a cowboy boot race and cowboy musical

chairs.

Out on Main Street Clint Bush brought his wonder horse Serrano to

entertain the kids and there were street novelty bands for the

adults.

There was Spanish dancing provided by Al Hernandez and music of

Verdugo’s Accordion Band and in the evening more street dancing.

The last day of the celebration saw much of the same with a parade

along Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway, rodeo riding provided by

the Huntington Beach Rodeo Association, street dancing, more music

from Ben Harrison and his Cowboy Band and Texas Longhorn Jim and his

Hurricane Cowboys.

So as the last rays of sunlight filtered across the Downtown, our

little beach town returned to normal. But to those who were part of

that spirit of ’49 the memories still remain of the wild west days of

Huntington Beach.

What a time to have been alive.

* 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.