The Great El Toro Land Sale

Soon after I started reading ’s 1939 A History of El Toro, I came across a section which I found not only intriguing but also quite funny.

Of course, I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time. At least, not to . But given that so many of us have experienced Murphy’s Law, right away I figured this was a story El Toro & More readers probably would enjoy.

“Property was moving slowly,” Fox begins, “so Dwight Whiting decide to have a sale to speed up buying. He advertised extensively and had handbills printed, [then had] Harvey Bennett and another lad distributing them in Santa Ana.

“L. K. Scott plowed a furrow with a walking-plow along lot boundaries, which were staked and probably flagged. On a lot between the present and , preparations were made for the auction and a display of products.  C. F. Bennett made display tables for the products—oranges and raisins and other things (of course secured in town), which Mrs. Bennett arranged, with bouquets of geraniums for decorations.”

If you’ve been following the past 14 months of El Toro & More, you may be recognizing a few names. Charles Bennett and his wife, Helen, were citrus ranchers based in Tustin but always on the lookout for good agricultural property and the promotion thereof. Their would later marry and, with his wife, Frances, raise six children on a property just off El Toro Road at Cherry and Second. 

As for L. K. Scott? He too was living nearby but looking for additional property; eventually L. K.'s son Oscar would grow up to marry a .

But let's get back to our story.

A CHILLING DEVELOPMENT

“The great day came and proved to be one of the coldest ever known in this section. The water tank at the [train]  leaked and the icicles lengthened to reach the ground. Very few people braved the cold to hear of the wonderful city that was to be, the auctioneer throwing in a twelve-story hotel in facetious good measure.”

Who among us hasn't had something like this happen? First you decide to hold some sort of fabulous party or other great event. Next you enlist the help of others and make plans for food, entertainment and everything else that will ensure a good time. Finally the day arrives!

And then good ol' Mother Nature kicks in. Ouch.

"Although few outsiders came and only about fifty persons were present, many lots and five-acre pieces were auctioned off anyway. Among those that Harvey Bennett remembers as sold that day were several business lots, bought by his father—two on Front Street between the ’s property and the corner, and two between the hall and the store, the latter still owned by the family.  He also bought two five-acre lots in Block 'D' on Cherry Street, about Second, now owned by his two sons . . . . Most of the land at this early date sold at $25 an acre, but some pieces sold as high as $100.”

So, despite the cold, not too bad for the year.

Unfortunately Clara Mason Fox does not mention the day, month or even year of the great El Toro land sale.

NIL DESPERANDUM! (MAYBE) 

If Clara isn't going to tell me, I thought, surely Joe will.

So I checked all four books authored by El Toro's late great historian . And yes, he also mentions the great El Toro land sale. More than a few times, in fact. But . . . in each case, no year is given.

So I Googled and found quite a lot of interesting information about El Toro.

But nothing about Dwight Whiting's fabulous land sale.

I was just about to give up. And then . . . well, that is a tale to be told when we next meet.