A LOOK BACK:Fred T. Grable discovers L.A.

I had a nice surprise recently in the mail from Frederik Bos of Victorville, a former resident of Huntington Beach.

Enclosed with a letter on how much he enjoyed reading about our city’s history was a postcard of Huntington Beach dated Sept. 26, 1905.

Thank you so much for this piece of early Huntington Beach history. I will treasure it always.

This week we are going to look at a former member of our City Council who served from 1940 to 1948.

In his campaign of 1944 he said of himself “It is for the best interests of our city, to keep on the job a man who has proven his ability.”

He went on to state “You make no mistake when you vote for Fred T. Grable on Election Day Tuesday, April 11th. You have an opportunity to show your appreciation of an efficient servant by going to the polls and voting to Re-Elect Fred T. Grable City Councilman.”

Fred Grable was born in the small town of Volcano in West Virginia where his father Samuel drilled one of the first commercial oil wells in that state.

When Fred was 8 years old his parents moved to a farm near Williamstown, where Fred received his formal education.

When Fred graduated at age 16 he followed in his father’s footsteps as an oilman and got a job with the Mariet Oil & Gas Co.

The first day on the job the outside temperature was 30 degrees below zero.

When Fred turned 20 he left West Virginia to settle in Chelsea, Okla. when it was still Indian territory.

With the help of two friends, Fred gained employment with Cherokee and helped drill in one of the first oil fields on the Indian reservation. He remained there for the next 18 months before heading for Martinsville, Ill., and six months of employment.

In June 1908 with his father, brother and two friends, Fred arrived in Los Angeles. He got his first view of the Pacific Ocean in the small resort town of Santa Monica.

Lying between Santa Monica and Los Angeles at the time was the Salt Lake oil field. Within a week Fred obtained a job there for himself, his father, brother and his two friends. This oil field was close to their residence and an easy trip to work.

A year passed and the family decided to move up to the recently discovered oil field in Coalinga. Fred and family returned in six months to the Salt Lake field to work.

During this time an aunt living in Pomona introduced Fred to a young lady, Anna Feddern, who lived with her father on a ranch that raised oranges. After a short courtship Fred and Anna were married inside the parsonage of the Methodist church in Pomona and shortly afterward, in 1912, they purchased a lemon orchard nearby.

Arriving back from a short honeymoon, the newlyweds moved to Los Angeles to live in one of the oil company houses on the Salt Lake lease. A few months later the couple moved to Coalinga where Fred was offered a job with Associated Oil Company and it was there that their son Dale was born.

Shortly thereafter Anna’s father passed away and the family returned to Pomona to raise oranges.

Fred returned to the Salt Lake oil field two years later as a driller for the company.

Associated transferred Fred to their Fullerton operation in 1918 and two years later he sold their lemon orchard and moved to Huntington Beach.

Fred returned to Huntington Beach in November 1922, as production foreman for Associated Oil and helped drill the company’s first well on Reservoir Hill located near Goldenwest and Clay.

In 1929 Fred served as a board member for our high school and served as president of our Lions Club.

Throughout the 1930s the family remained in Huntington Beach where they spent most of their free time raising all kinds of beautiful flowers at their home at 218 Springfield Street, while their son attended Central Elementary and Huntington Beach High.

Their son Dale married Beulah Ward of La Habra and in 1939 Fred and Anna became grandparents.

In 1940 Fred decided to run for City Council and to his surprise was elected.

He was appointed by Mayor Thomas Talbert as chairman of the Police and Fire Committee and was one of the few who were present at the swearing in ceremony of Don Blossom as police chief on May 15, 1941.

Fred served our city as a member on the Beach and Pier Committee and on the city’s Streets and Parks Committee.

When World War II came about Fred served as Vice-Commander on our Civilian Defense committee.

During this time Fred and Anna purchased a 10-acre ranch in Claremont where they spent their extra time.

Fred became Associated Oil’s Huntington Beach district superintendent and when election time came around in 1944 Fred decide to seek a second term on the council.

He won that election with 516 votes and was sworn into office on April 17, 1944 as Huntington Beach City Councilman.

Fred was a Past Master of our Masonic lodge, a member of the Scottish Rite and Eastern Star.

Huntington Beach resident Arline Howard recalls Fred and Anna as nearby neighbors at their home at 950 10th Street and believes that Fred had that house built for he and Anna.

After his death Anna would remain in that house well into the 1960s.