Saturday, April 21, 2012

Fund Raiser to Assist Expansion of Historic Presence

The purchase of these souvenir products, hand-crafted from lumber milled from the Deodar Cedar trees removed during the restoration of the Historic City Administration Building, will aid in expanding the historic presence within Atascadero's Civic Center.  An order form will be available on our website (www.atascaderohistoricalsociety.org), at the museum during regular operating hours (Wednesday and Saturday from 1 to 4 pm), Wilkins Action Graphics, 6405 El Camino Real, and at the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce office, 6904 El Camino Real.  We appreciate your support!


  • $50 – Cedar Wood Album
  • $40 – Caladero Mini Lug Box & Labeled Cans
  • $25 – Caladero Mini Lug Box
  • $ 5 – Cedar Wood Sachet Bag



Historic City Administration Cedar Trees Repurposed

Lately people have been asking me when more work is to be done on the restoration of Atascadero's Historic City Administration Building.  Most assuredly, the reconstruction is well under way and on target for a grand opening during the summer of 2013.  Although it is difficult for observers to see the progress, Dan Huff of Bernard's Construction Management team, assures us the project is moving along on schedule.

The building is registered as California Landmark No. 958, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as historic by the History Center of San Luis Obispo County.  All restoration or preservation work must be done in accordance with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Historic Preservation.  Photo documentation of the complete exterior and interior of the building has been done.  Historic fabric removed – doors, trim, windows, terra cotta, brick, etc. have all been given an alphanumeric identity, photographed, bundled room by room, and transported to a humidity controlled storage area.  Pieces will be refinished as required and await re-installation at the appropriate time.  The building's foundation phase is completed.  As the construction crew finishes each phase of the restoration, the Historical Society will be taking steps to reestablish a museum in this impressive building.  We will need cabinets, displays, enlarged photos, signage and lighting, just to name a partial list of needs, which brings me to an important topic – fund raising!

Utilizing wood obtained from the Cedar trees removed from around the Historic City Hall, the Society is offering handcrafted products to raise funds to assist with the costs involved in setting up the museum areas within the building.  I am kicking off our fund raising effort with a wooden album that features a Colony period architectural rendering of the Historic Administration Building printed on the cover using a die donated by Robert Wilkins Jr.  The book contains several reprints from the Society's historic photo collection.  The front and back covers are bound together with leather strips.  The second of our products is a miniature wooden crate that bears the Caladero brand on the ends and holds six cans each labeled with a copy of the original label that graced cans of pears from the Atascadero Fruit Exchange.  The miniature crate is offered with or without the labeled cans.  The third product is a small cloth bag filled with the Cedar wood shavings and closed with a drawstring .  Wilkins' Action Graphics, 6408 El Camino Real, and the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, 6904 El Camino Real, will have the products displayed at their business in the downtown Historic Colony District and order forms to make your choices known to the Historical Society.

If you would like to help reestablish the museum in the Historic City Administration Building by obtaining one of our fund raising products or wish to host a product display at your business, please contact me.  Your assistance with our fund raising effort will help to establish tools to educate generations to come.

Friday, January 20, 2012

E. G.'s German Born Neighbor

   Last week I introduced Edward Gardner Lewis' Paso Robles neighbor, Ignace Paderewski and this week you will get a glimpse of E. G.'s neighbor to the southwest of the Colony.  Some of the following information was found in my cousin, Douglas J. Gates, Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo thesis written in 1983 and some was related to me by my grandparents,  Meredith and Luceille Gates.
   German born Baron John H. Von Schroder upon retiring from his military career embarked on travels abroad seeking fame and fortune.  His travel led him to San Francisco in 1881 where he met his future wife, Mary Donahue, daughter of wealthy San Francisco industrialist, Peter Donahue.  Von Schroder pursued the hand of Mary Ellen but was met with a stipulation from her father that he become a landowner and swear to become a good American.
   While staying at the Paso Robles Hot Springs in 1881, Baron Von Schroder heard of the abundance of wild game on fellow German, Albert Benton's ranch.  The Baron spent several months enjoying the hospitality of Benton and resolved to own the property.  He purchased the entire ranch in 1882 and set about immediately making improvements to provide accommodations for his future wife.  Mary and John Von Schroder were married November of 1883.  The Baron had developed a friendship with his countryman Albert Benton and retained him as Superintendent of the ranch.  1883 was a period of feverish activity on the ranch as superintendent, Benton and his crew of workmen raced to complete the various projects commissioned by the Baron.
   Baron Von Schroder chose a name for his estate which would be in keeping with his regal bearing.  A pair of eagles had established a nest on the steep cliffs near the falls on Atascadero Creek.  It was reported the Baron climbed the incline and captured a young eaglet which he took to San Francisco as a symbol for his ranch.  From that time the property was known as Eagle Ranch.  Over a period of years the Baron secured additional parcels of land enlarging the ranch.  He also purchased property in Rancho Morro Y Cayucos in 1890 and 1895 and in the town of Morro in 1897.  Some of these properties were later sold to E. G. Lewis for the future development of the Cloisters.  Other properties purchased by the Baron were former Rancho Atascadero land.  In 1903 he purchased 1400 acres which became known as Eaglet because of its relatively small size and proximity to Eagle Ranch.  This property is located in the vicinity of Food 4 Less and extends south to include the Atascadero State Hospital property. 
James Wilkins is the president of the Atascadero Historical Society.  The Colony Museum is located at 6600 Lewis Avenue, mailing address: P.O. Box 1047, Atascadero CA 93423.  For more information, visit the website, www.atascaderohistoricalsociety.org or call 805-466-8341

The Great Publishing Plant

   Most everyone who thinks he can accomplish anything at all, thinks there is some one particular thing that he can do just a little better than most people.  If he thinks this hard enough, and tries hard enough to do it he is rather apt to do it really better than most people.  He must back himself with faith to the limit of his ability and resource, however, and show that he himself is not afraid of any possible obstacle, and that he has the confidence in his own ability to do the thing set forth that he asks others to have.  There is just one thing that I think I can do, and that is build up a journal to an enormous circulation and hold it there.
   There is a time to do everything, and a thing may sometimes fail, no matter how meritorious, because of being untimely.  For many, many years I have been convinced that the greatest journal of the age would be a PICTURE journal, one that gave the news of the whole world, and carried its editorial messages by ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPHS.
   I Believe that the public has become PICTURE-MINDED.  The moving pictures would seem to demonstrate this.  The leading publishers of the day are beginning to recognize it by the constantly greater effort to illustrate their journals by actual photographs.  But a real pictorial journal, one giving the news of the world by ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPHS gathered each month through world-wide services, from the ends of the earth, was the thing of which I dreamed.
   Until very recently, this was impossible because of the MECHANICAL problems of reproducing the photographs.  Then came the perfection of a very old process, that of intaglio, in the form of a fast rotary printing press, reproducing the actual photographs with great speed, even more beautifully than the original.  It seemed to be the answer to my problem, and last September the first issue of The Illustrated Review was born.
   The subscription price was put at 10 cents for the first year.  The purpose of this was that since it would cost just as much to organize the world-wide photographic services and secure the thousands of photographs from the ends of the earth each month, and then to etch them on the copper cylinders for the printing, whether one copy or one million were printed, manifestly the great problem was to secure a paid subscription of several million in the shortest possible time.   The advertising income would also be based on the CIRCULATION, and it is the advertising income that makes the profit.  I figured that at 10 cents for a year’s subscription, I would quickly be able to secure an enormous circulation and then by giving the subscribers such a journal as they never saw before, would be able to RENEW their subscriptions for the second year at $1, while if I made the subscription price $1 to begin with, I would be a life time getting the desired circulation.
   So The Illustrated Review was born at 10 cents per year, last September.  It had been hatching in my brain for ten years, but its actual birth was made possible by the new process of printing…
   Then came the rapid organization of world-wide photographic services, so that nothing of importance could happen in the world, but that as quickly as possible the actual photograph of the event, persons, places and things would reach The Illustrated Review.  Today twelve great photo services bring to The Illustrated Review from three to four thousand photographs from every corner of the earth each month.
  “You may read about it in the newspapers, but if you want to actually SEE it, you must get The Illustrated Review.”
  Did the public take to it?  Well they did, just like ducks taking to water.  When the January issue had been reached, we printed an enormous extra edition over what we thought would be the utmost demand, and there was not a copy to be had by the second day of January.  Then we printed 100,000 more copies of the February issue, and it was all gone the first day of February.  Then we printed 150,000 more copies of the March issue than of the February issue, and again it was not enough.  Now we are printing 150,000 more copies of the April issue than of the March, and they probably will not be enough.  That means an INCREASE of FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND in four months.  Last week over FORTY THOUSAND subscriptions were received in two day’s mail.
  It was just ten years ago next Sunday (March 4th) that a former little journal that I had spent many years in building up to a circulation the largest of any publication in the world was destroyed.  In those days it was possible to destroy any magazine or newspaper at the whim of a public servant.  Those days have passed, however, and with them have passed into oblivion and “innocuous desuetude” all who had a hand in that crime.  Let us forget them and it.
  As I gazed at the corpse of that life work, the thought of a new and better journal sprang to life—a journal that would reach into more American homes than any journal ever before; a journal that would fill a new place and a new want.  But the time was not ripe and no then known mechanical facilities could produce the thing I thought of.  Nearly ten years I waited and the time came.  Now with the most astounding rapidity The Illustrated Review is becoming the great national illustrated journal of America and I believe that before this summer passes it will have reached a circulation in excess of THREE MILLION SUBSCRIBERS.
  No publication in all the world ever had three million subscribers before.  In it I see the rebuilding far greater, better, more useful and more influential than before, a greater publishing institution of the people.  I see again the building in a thousand cities and towns those beautiful little chapter houses where the greatest of opportunities may be placed in the reach of every woman and her children.  I see behind it great new artistic and educational institutions, and back of it there now stands Atascadero, an empire of happy homes, sunshine and flowers, whose thousands of acres of fruitful orchards shall send their products into a million homes without the aid of the middleman.
  And I see other things of which I will not speak now.
  The most pressing requirement at this moment is the immediate building of the greatest plant, for the production of the Review by the wonderful new rotary gravure process, in the world.  I want this great plant and The Illustrated Review to be ABSOLUTELY FREE.  I want to pay off quickly, the last dollar of debt on our great plants at University City that they also may be free, and become the Central and Eastern plants of The Illustrated Review.
 The building of this great new plant at Atascadero, and the carrying out of my plans for the Illustrated Review calls for a large sum of money quickly.  I could obtain this by mortgage loans, by the selling of stock to certain interests or by taking into partnership in The Illustrated Review, large capital.  It would not then be free.  There is one way I can get the money for this plant, and that way means to personally take all the risk.  I have the faith, and knowing those plans, will take it.
   Recently I sent a letter to a large number of friends, stating the case and suggesting that if they would lend me personally, from $100 to $1000 I would give my personal note, payable on or before one year, with interest at 6 % and would with this note, give as bonus $500 of the Dividend-Sharing certificates of the Publishing Company owning The Illustrated Review, for each $100 of the loan.  These certificates are NOT stockholdings and have no vote whatever, but represent an assignment for the full life of the publishing company of one-half the net-declared profits.  The certificates holder has no voice or vote and is not a stockholder and these certificates are not for sale, but whatever profits from The Illustrated Review may be for the next fifty years, one-half of those profits go to the certificate holders.
   I personally take the risk, and whether The Illustrated Review becomes the great success and profit that I expect to make it or not, I will have to pay the loans, since I give my personal note for them payable on or before one year with interest at 6%.  The Dividend-Sharing Certificates are given as bonus.
   The response to these letters was very fine.  Thousands of dollars were sent me as loans for the building of the great new plant for The Illustrated Review, and the building of The Review itself.  The plans for the great buildings are nearing completion, and already the first of the great new presses is on the way, to be followed by five others.  I hope by another month to have enough in hand to build and equip the great plant for spot cash, pay every dollar of remaining debt on the University City plants and then double the size of The Illustrated Review and also bring out THIS magazine by the same wonderful new printing process, superbly illustrated.
   With the May issue, The Illustrated Review opens its columns to advertising for the first time, with an advertising rate up in the thousands of dollars per page.  Beginning with June its subscription price goes to $1 per year.  The new plant is estimated to save its entire cost, twice over, the first year, in the cost of producing The Illustrated Review.
   If you would like to have a hand in this thing, you can do so to whatever amount you wish up to $1000.  Whatever amount you loan, will be a personal loan to me.  My personal note payable on or before one year will be sent you, bearing interest at 6% and with it a Dividend-Sharing Certificate in The Illustrated Review of a par value of $500 for each $100 of your loan.
E. G. LEWIS
James Wilkins is the president of the Atascadero Historical Society.  The Colony Museum is located at 6600 Lewis Avenue, mailing address: P.O. Box 1047, Atascadero CA 93423.  For more information, visit the website, www.atascaderohistoricalsociety.org or call 805-466-8341.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

People's University & American Art Porcelain - The work of The University City Pottery

People's University (Lewis 1907 - 1912)
   The information found in today's article are excerpts from an article written by Paul F. Evans in the December 1971 edition of Spinning Wheel, The National Magazine about Antiques.  The article demonstrates another example of Edward G. Lewis' ability to attract highly talented individuals to assist in working towards the goal of furthering the opportunities available for communities.  The 1910 Dean and Director of the Art Institute in University City, George Zolnay's bronze, "The Pioneer" may be viewed at the Atascadero Colony Museum.  The statuary fountains around the Historic Administration Building as well as the round "cameo" style insets in the lower rotunda are by Zolnay also.  Pottery and porcelains by Doat and Robineau may periodically be seen on display in our museum on loan from a private collection.
American Art Porcelain – Two
The work of The University City Pottery
   Edward Gardner Lewis, a man of many talents and ambitions which centered largely around a group of co-related publishing, educational, and business enterprises, launched the American Woman's League in 1907.  An editorial in the American Woman's League indicates that the plan and purpose of the League – dedicated to “the integrity and purity of the American home, with wider opportunity for American women” - centered about the People's University.  Members of the League were entitled to enroll in correspondence courses; during the first full year of operation in 1910, a total enrollment in excess of 50,000 had been recorded.  All instruction was given by that means, with one exception: women of superior talent were invited to University City as honor students to study under the personal instruction of the staff there assembled.
   At University City, schools of education, language, commerce and administration, journalism, and photography were planned, but none were developed to the extent of the Art Institute.  The germ of that Institute was Lewis' own artistic interests and his amateur ceramic work, a skill which was self-taught using Taxile Doat's textbook, Grand Feu Ceramics, translated by Samuel Robineau.
   The faculty of the institute was most impressive; George Julian Zolnay, internationally renowned sculptor, was Dean and Director.  John H. Vanderpoel, Director of the School of Painting, was the leading instructor at The Art Institute of Chicago.  Antoinette P. Taylor was the Instructor of Metal and Leather work, and Mrs. Prudence Stokes Brown of Elementary Handwork.  Taxile Doat, known throughout the world for his exceptional work at the National Manufactory of Severes, was engaged as Director of the School of Ceramic Art...
   Both Lewis and his wife, Mable G., modeled, decorated, and fired earthenware and porcelains, and examples of their work can be found with their names or initials.  So great was their interest that when Lewis founded the town of Atascadero, the California colony of the American Woman's Republic...  At one time it was contemplated that the Institute be moved from University City to Atascadero but that never materialized...  Plaques modeled by Mrs. Lewis were made by Doat at University City for the new colony.  These bore the facial designation “Atascadero; Nymph of Springs,” one possible meaning of the town name.

James Wilkins is the president of the Atascadero Historical Society.  The Colony Museum is located at 6600 Lewis Avenue, mailing address: P.O. Box 1047, Atascadero CA 93423.  For more information, visit the website, www.atascaderohistoricalsociety.org or call 805-466-8341

Atascadero Centennial Daffodil Project Has Deep Roots


This project was conceived by Lee Swam as a way to beautify Atascadero in general and Colony Homes specifically in advance of our Centennial celebration which is only 2 years away.  The goal is to plant 25,000 bulbs prior to the celebration.  So far, 3200 bulbs have been planted around town.  Seed money was provided by the Atascadero Mutual Water Company to kick off the project. Among others involved are the Chamber of Commerce, Rabobank, Teens at Work, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. This project has roots and bulbs that go back 88 years or more. For example, the Thalia bulb was introduced in 1916 coinciding with beginning of the Colony Home period; February Gold and Mrs. R.O. Backhouse were introduced in 1923 and the Carlton bulb in 1927.
This week, 88 years ago in 1923 a letter was submitted to the Editor, H.J. Loken, Atascadero News in response to his call for the community to submit ideas for the ‘Atascadero The Beautiful’ campaign.  This reprint of that letter illustrates the timeliness of the current community effort.
“Dear Editor: “Beautify Our Homes” would be a good slogan for Atascadero for the next two years at least.  Your editorial concerning this will no doubt bring ready response from many of us who came here because of the beauty of nature which surrounds Atascadero.  The Nature Club is doing much to enable us to see with our eyes, hear with our ears, in short to use our senses to the utmost to appreciate the beauties so bounteously bestowed by Nature upon us. 
The people will find it ready at all times to render assistance to the limit of its ability.  So far it has utilized its time in learning our flowers, birds, trees, rocks, etc. but what a noble work it could do and will do if everyone interested will do his little to help.  A handful of seed gathered by one is not much but think of the marvelous beauty that could be created if a thousand people brought a handful of seed and the Nature Club saw to the planting and rearing of the seed and its young plant.  The operation of our local experts would certainly be voluntary and the results would make Atascadero stand out above any other place in the state or perhaps the world. 
So far I have had wild flowers in mind but let us go further.  Let us find out what cultivated flowers and shrubs and trees do best here and let us plant them in abundance.  Let us do team work; let us obtain color harmony.  The way to do such things is to get together and talk it over and receive expert advice.  The Nature Club will handle the details, I feel sure, if people show they want such things.  Our pioneer life here is rapidly drawing to a close and the second stage is close upon us, namely, the blending of our architecture to make it harmonize with the architecture that nature has had here for thousands of years.  
Could we spend a few nights this winter to better advantage than to have talks on the different flowers both cultivated and wild which we could use to beautify the places we have rudely scarred the natural beauty.  Because we already have more wild flowers than any other place in the world is all the more reason why we should replace them in the places where we have ploughed them up.
Conservation is a work that is being spoken more and more.  All know that it is a good thing to conserve but all have not realized that the word is applicable right here as well as elsewhere…How many volunteers can we get who will plant just one shrub or tree or flower in the park around Paradise Spring for instance, and care for that plant till it no longer needs attention.  Or perhaps better let us take some place or places nearer for those who must walk-Community House,  Pine and Lookout Mountain, the Highway, Traffic Way, etc., etc.
If this plan meets with approval let us drop the Editor a postal and ask for a meeting with the Nature Club to start action.
Yours truly
CARL H BRYANT
If you would like more information or you are interested in participating in the Centennial Daffodil Project, please call Lee Swam at 440.0765 or Joe Benson at joe@envisionsgallery.com 
Submitted by
Thomas E. Lewis            
Vice President AHS

Monday, November 28, 2011

Pup in a Cup



Hearty wishes to you from the Atascadero Historical Society as we enter the Holiday season!
Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Day and found lots of things to be thankful for.  Remember, as Christmas shopping begins; buy American and locally whenever possible.
This photo of a cute little pup in a cup covers a full page in the April 1919 Illustrated Review.

James Wilkins is the president of the Atascadero Historical Society.  The Colony Museum is located at 6600 Lewis Avenue, mailing address: P.O. Box 1047, Atascadero CA 93423.  For more information, visit the website, www.atascaderohistoricalsociety.org or call 805-466-8341