Hello,
I am sending you this message from my hosts friends computer. She was very nice to let me use it, but it has to be quick because she has things to do. So I will try to upload as much as I can today and try to do the rest tomorrow.
Today we woke up earlier than what I am used to. 3:30 am. My host had to be at work at 5 in the morning. She took us with her and let us continue to sleep in the car until she got out of work.
When she got out of work we started our journey to see all the murals and statue here.
The first statue is the Saint Frances Dam Disaster Memorial. Here is a little bit of information I found on another web site.
"The Warning Sculpture
The new bronze sculpture, The Warning, commemorates the heroism of Santa Paulans who worked to save lives during the St. Francis Dam Disaster. The 200-foot tall St. Francis Dam collapsed on March 12, 1928, just after it was completed five miles northeast of Newhall, California. The floodwaters swept down the Santa Clara River valley to the ocean, claiming 450 lives. As the flood approached Santa Paula in the darkness of night, two Santa Paula police officers road motorcycles through the low lying areas of town, warning residents to evacuate. Telephone operators similarly called residents through the night. This sculpture was commissioned by the Santa Paula Historical Society to commemorate these lifesaving efforts. It was sculpted by Santa Paula artist Eric Roberts."
I think those men were very brave to stay and warn people about the flood.
Another group of brave men are policemen who we also found a memorial for. This is the Santa Paula Police Memorial.
We found a water ball. It was nice and calming to sit by it and watch it spin by the force of the water.
A bit to the right of the water ball there are some statue cubs and a mother bear. I felt comfortable with them and I am a bear too.
Across the street is the Santa Paula Train Depot. Here is a bit of information about it.
"Southern Pacific Railroad Depot
Built 1887
Ventura County Historical Landmark
An original 1887 Southern Pacific Railroad Depot is the home today of the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce & Gift Store. Visitors can shop for local gift items and obtain tourist information. Railroad Park features a gazebo, landscaped grounds and gardens, a towering 1879 Moreton Bay fig tree, and a life-size outdoor bronze sculpture, The Warning. The Depot still welcomes train enthusiasts aboard the antique Fillmore & Western Railway."
I would like to take a ride on a train some day. My host told me that it has been featured in a few movies and that many movies have parts that have been filmed in this city. These are just a few of the ones she can remember:
A walk in the clouds
Bedtime Stories
Georgia Rule
Bubble Boy
Joe Dirt
Leave it to Beaver
The Ghost of Sulphur Mountain
Carrie
Disorganized Crime
Mr. Woodcock
A few different Life Time movies.
There have also been a few music videos that were partly filmed here.
Across the street from the Depot is the Fig tree. My host says that her grandfather remembers when this tree was smaller. He was born in this town in 1925 and says that this town has changed a bit since then. The Moreton Bay Fig Tree was planted July 4, 1879. It was also featured in a few movies and shows. My host remembers seeing it in Big Bad Beelteborgs when she was little.
We decided to take a rest for a few minutes between some of the trees big roots.
A few feet from the tree there is a building with a mural. One of the many we saw here.
Well I have to go now my hosts friend says we can come back tomorrow and upload more pictures. I hope you like these so far.
♥Sheela
