Archive for Harvey Mowry

South Coast & Hank Bradley’s Beach Kingdom

July 30, 2008 at 12:00 am · Filed under Harvey Mowry, John Vonderlin, Russell Towle, South Coast beaches

Email John Vonderlin (benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

Email Russell Towle (russelltowle@gmail.com)

John Vonderlin (JV)

Yes, the jeep road Hank Bradley would access his beach kingdom from still exists. It suffered some damage from the spectacularly high tide/big wave event we had this Spring, but it looks easily repairable. I suspect the old jeep one of his family member uses to this day to patrol the beach is the same one you were talking about. I also believe that jeep road you mentioned he would drive down to access the beach is the same one used by the “Cape Horn/Alligator Rock” travelers to get off the beach, back on top of the bluff, over a century ago.

I think this is so, not only because there is no sign of there ever having been any other road to the beach in this stretch of cliff south to the county line, but it fits the historical evidence. The jeep road is about the same distance from Alligator Rock as Waddell Creek is from Alligator Rock, just as Harvey Mowry’s book description states. (Cape Horn midway in the beach transit stretch) Secondly, the photo on the back of his book, that I’ve attached, shows some of the the Steeles in a buggy crossing the Finney Creek Bridge headed towards the Green Oaks Ranch in 1895. It is Finney Creek, just a few hundred yards north of the jeep road, that is the only waterfall, besides Julia Pfeiffer Falls, that I know of, that drops right into the ocean. (attached photo) Was that so in the 70s? Did Hank ever mention the jeep road’s history?
A pillar of the local community once told me Hank had rescued him from the top of Wilson Falls, just south of the jeep road, when he got stranded there while high on LSD back in the 70s. Did Hank ever tell that story?  Enjoy. John

Russell Towle (RT)

Yes, that makes sense. That little road has the look of an old road. But for a loaded wagon to traverse that beach … I don’t know …maybe if a horse-drawn scraper went over a route at the base of the cliffs and got rid of some of the sand … they wouldn’t have had the benefit of the constant shedding of rock debris from the cliffs above, as they had farther south … those rocks make a viable surface …

It actually begs the question, when the ranchers of Año Nuevo needed tonnage of supplies or farm equipment, how did they get it? Via the ocean? Or via a road or roads?

I don’t recall the LSD story. Maybe it was after my time. I still have a kayak Hank pulled off his beach back then, in 1971 I think. It just washed up empty, with a couple of its wooden ribs broken. We used to idly speculate on who abandoned it, where, under what circumstances. I used to take that kayak into the ocean, but it was scary.

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Seeking Editors of The Steeles of Point Ano Nuevo/Family Genealogy/History 1591-2000

June 3, 2008 at 11:44 pm · Filed under Ano Nuevo, Harvey Mowry, Omar N. Steele, Robin Caldwell

To hear “Captain Omar N. Steele’s March”, click here1

Robin Caldwell writes:

June,

I can’t tell you how much fun I have had since first contacting your blog on May 18. I was searching for information on my great grandfather, Omar Noah Steele. John Vonderlin contacted me with several items that appeared in the book, “Echoes of Gazos Creek” by Harvey Mowry. I purchased the book and was excited to see more information on Omar’s life in California, including a never before seen photo. Now I know when Omar arrived in California, when he returned to Ohio for good, and the reasons for his return. John put me in touch with Mr. Mowry, to whom I was able to express my gratitude for all of the research he has put into the book. I was contacted by Susan Hawes whose great grandfather was Charles Steele, Omar’s brother. Thank you for your blog and the wonderful people who read it and are eager to help.

My current project is to try and contact the people who edit the updates for the book “The Steeles of Point Ano Nuevo; A Family Genealogy and History From 1591 – 2000”.

On page 97, there appears a page of sheet music titled “Captain O.N. Steele’s March”. The book says it was written in honor of Osman N. Steele who was killed in the NY Anti Rent War of 1845. This information is incorrect. The march was written in honor of Omar N. Steele. He was Captain General of the Forest City Ohio Commandry of Knights Templar. A 33rd degree Mason. I know this is true, because I have the original copy of the sheet music with his photo. (see image at top of the blog.)

Just for fun, I have included an attachment of a computer generated recording of the music that my brother Jonathan Wallace put together for me.. To hear & enjoy “Captain Omar N. Steele’s March, click here

Does anyone have contact information for the update editors of the book?

Email Robin ( rcaldwell@aloftcomm.com

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More Good Stuff on Omar Steele from John Vonderlin

May 20, 2008 at 9:14 pm · Filed under Harvey Mowry, John Vonderlin, Omar N. Steele, Steele Family

Email John (benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

Hi June,

I forgot the most interesting reference to Omar Steele in the book, “Echoes from Gazos Creek Country.”

The author, Harvey Mowry, wrote that Omar Steele provided the lumber for the fog whistle building on Ano Nuevo Island. It describes how they waited until low tide, and then had to hustle the horse drawn wagons across the still wet sand so they could unload and return to the mainland before the tide came back in. I wouldn’t want to see somebody attempt that nowadays. Enjoy. John

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